It's the Annual Progressive Poem 2021 time of year.
April has been a whiz of unpacking, organizing, and becoming familiar with my new house in Virginia so writing has been my special treat when the house is quiet at night. I sit at my new desk and swivel in my new chair pondering my choices for the Kidlit Progressive Poem. On April 1st, Kat Apel launched this year's Progressive Poem with the theme of kindness. She passed on two potential lines to the next poet, following a practice initiated by Donna Smith last year. Each poet chooses one line offered by the previous poet and writes two options to pass on to the next person until the last poet concludes the poem.
Below is the Progressive Poem 2021 with the line I chose from my Denver poet friend, Linda Baie:
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious - sharing smiles is my plan.
I'll spread my joy both far and wide
As a force of nature, I'll be undenied.
Words like, "how can I help? will bloom in the street.
A new girl along on the playground - let's meet, let's meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.
Friends can be found when you open a door.
Side by side, let's walk through, there's a world to explore.
We'll hike through a forest of towering trees.
Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.
Pull off our shoes and socks, dip our toes in the icy spring water.
When you're with friends, there's not have to our oughter.
What could we make with leaves and litter?
Let's find pine needles, turn into vine knitters.
We'll lie on our back and find shapes in the sky.
We giggle together: See the bird! Now we fly?
=>Thinking about a recent family nature walk I took, I imagined my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter and I walking by the creek listening to the sounds. Now, after repeated revisions, I send off my two choices for Robyn Hood Black to bring our characters further on their adventure.
Inspired by nature, our imaginations soar.
-OR-
We flitter with our wings of vine diving to touch ground.
Below is a list of Progressive Poem poets who composed their lines prior to mine, followed by the poets who will bring the poem toward a conclusion. I pass the writing pen on to my colleague, Robyn, who will spin her dewdrop magic.
Thank you Irene Latham who started the idea of an annual progressive poem in 2012 and Margaret Simon who became the new roundup organizer last year.
1 Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers 2 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise 4 Donna Smith at Mainely Write 5 Irene Latham at Live Your Poem 6 Jan Godown Annino at Bookseed Studio 8 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care 15 Wendy Taleo at Tales in eLearning 17 Tricia Stohr Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect 18 Linda Baie at TeacherDance
