TeacherDance

Thursday, July 9, 2026

Poetry Friday - The Good in Memories

It's Poetry Friday, and Jan Godown Annino is hosting on her website, Bookseed Studio here! She's brought us a poem from far away, a paean to our dear earth, something to keep close, to keep well! Thanks for hosting, Jan!

I know that you all may know these words from Tolkien, and yet, they are ever in my mind.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

You may know that wildfires are in numerous places here in Colorado, some continuing to rage, no diminishing in sight. They are not near Denver, but the smoke is, making it challenging, dangerous for some, to be outside. I miss my usual times, but still have to do some things. This recent time brought a poem out of the smoke!

A Chore Whirrs Up A Memory

finding solace in the everyday

mowing my tiny lawn

my old push mower whirrs me along

I spread the cuttings

like my grandpa showed me

adding free fertilizer

funny how those old words stay

keep me remembering my times with him

how he managed

hard days softly

Linda Baie ©

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Poetry Friday - A Gift And Thoughts for America's Birthday

It's Poetry Friday, and Michelle Kogan is hosting

on her website, More Art 4 All here! She's sharing a compendium of the "nearly-here" 250th birthday of the United States of America. Fraught with mixed feelings, her poem retains a thread, a good one, of hope!

Thanks for hosting, Michelle!

I discovered this book at the used bookstore where I work. All-volunteer-run, a non-profit that relies on our customer's donations for nearly every book in the store. This book has certainly started me cogitating with its many words from wise writers. For this week, and its important history, knowing, as 'they' say, the way of the land, I chose this to share:

"And whoever begins by being a dupe ends by becoming a scoundrel."

Voltaire 1694-1778

You may smile when you read the poem I'm sharing, one I've used before while creating a gift for my grandchildren on certain milestone birthdays. Yet, I am also imagining our country's founders holding that same elation at what they have created! I do believe they didn't imagine recent times when events in our country have not been gleeful. Milne's words are not entirely for children!

Spring Morning

A.A. Milne

Where am I going? I don't quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow-
Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow-
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.

Where am I going? The clouds sail by,
Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.
Where am I going? The shadows pass,
Little ones, baby ones, over the grass.

If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,
You'd sail on water as blue as air,
And you'd see me here in the fields and say:
"Doesn't the sky look green today?"

Where am I going? The high rooks call:
"It's awful fun to be born at all."
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
"We do have beautiful things to do."

If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You'd lean on the wind when the wind came by,
You'd say to the wind when it took you away:
"That's where I wanted to go today!"

Where am I going? I don't quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow-
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.

So, Happy Birthday, America, wishing a future for you where blue-bells and birds fill all lives with the freedom to love them.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Poetry Friday - A Mighty Gift!

It's Poetry Friday, and Tricia Stohr-Hunt is hosting on her website here! She's sharing this month's poetry sisters' challenge, offering a taste of summer - delicious!

Thanks for hosting, Tricia!

I wakened to a sound yesterday morning that I haven't heard in a long time! Nearly every day, the sun is covered, but none of those clouds have brought rain. This time differed, a lot!

I do realize that many of you have had an abundance of rain and wish it would stop. Would that we all had some moderation, right?

Gifting

Clouds crowd the sun

out of the picture.

They leak into the evening.

I wouldn’t call it rain.

Waking, not sure what to blame,

Tapping, tapping at windowpane.

Not just sprinkles, real downpour;

I simply pray for more and more.

Linda Baie ©

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Poetry Friday - Finding Time

It's Poetry Friday, and Linda Mitchell is hosting on her website here! She's sharing some beautiful quotes about children, ones that would be so nice to share widely! Thanks for hosting, Linda!

I'm looking forward to reading your posts, what you're sharing! It's been a while!

Hi Everyone, I still feel very busy. Home and family, plus work at the bookstore have claimed my days for a long time. Like many of you, I'm sure, I'm also invested in fighting our government's overreach. That, too, takes more time. I am trying to get back in some kind of groove with writing. I haven't even read very much!

One thing I haven't stopped is walking out, celebrating all the nature surrounding me as I go. This time, I've been watching the trees. Our weather has been so strange, a warm winter that set records and disappointed skiers and ski resorts, and now, so little rain. I saw it rain last week at the bookstore, but just about a mile south where I live, not a drop! My daughter and family had a hailstorm do big damage to their newly planted garden and tree leaves, but again, nothing in my area. We're in a severe drought, so much of the time I've been closely watching the trees, hoping they would leaf out as usual, and they have. The company that takes care of mine has been out a few times, checking, and deep-root watering. So far, they appear okay.

Here are a few photos of trees I see while out, both in my own yard and in the neighborhood. I live in a neighborhood filled with trees. Lucky me!

Trees branch,

seeking light and strength,

Like people.

Linda Baie ©

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Progressive Poem - Day Twelve - Venturing

Donna Smith and Heidi Mordhorst have created place names for our map, and they are wonderful!

Welcome to Progressive Poem 2026, Day 12! Hello everyone! I've loved being on this special journey with you, not quite halfway through, visiting this land of wonders, and the mystery of what we discover next.

Irene Latham began the Progressive Poem and hosted it from 2012-2019. Those archives of the poem can be found HERE! Margaret Simon took over in 2020, and those archives are HERE!

Here are the rules:

The poem passes from blog to blog.

Each poet/blogger adds a line.

The poem is for children.

Each blogger copies the previous line exactly as written, unless permission from that poet has been given. They then add their own line, offering an introduction if they wish.

Here is the poem thus far, with my line added. I wanted to take us to one of the places created, tried various ones, and you'll see, we are out of the city! The excitement of what we'll discover in this new land is building!

The Land of Poetry

On my first trip to the Land of Poetry,
I saw anthologies of every color, tall as buildings.
A world of words, wonder on wings, waiting just for me!
Birding for words shimmering, flecked in golden gilding.

Binoculars ready, I toured boulevards and side streets,
exploring vibrant verses, verses so honest and tender.
feathery lyrics, bright flitting avian athletes
soaring ‘cross pages in rhythmic splendor.

In the Land of Poetry, I am the conductor,
seeking oodles of poems that tug at my heart,

a musical medley of sound and structure,

An open mic in Frost Forest! Wonder who’ll take part?

It's all yours, Linda Mitchell!

Here is the list of those who have written and who are about to write! There is still time to join us if you sign up for one of those three days at the end! I did read that we will end at the 27th if no-one adds his or her name.

April 1 Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference

April 2 Cathy Stenquist at A Little Bit of This and That

April 3 Patricia Franz at Reverie

April 4 Donna Smith at Mainely Write

April 5 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse

April 6 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care

April 7 Ruth Hersey at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town

April 8 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities

April 9 Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche

April 10 Janet Clare Fagel at Reflections on the Teche

April 11 Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry

April 12 Linda Baie atTeacher Dance