Poetry Friday Is Here Today

        It’s a pleasure to be your host for Poetry Friday this week.  I’m always so excited to see what poetic gifts each of you offers.  Please add your links in the comments and I will add them as the day moves on.  

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I’ve been writing goodbye poems over these past months for a personal project I’m doing about different ways of looking at children (mine, others, and grandchildren, too) growing up.  I’ve chosen to do a series of poems at different stages in children’s lives, essentially saying goodbye each time.  I plan to put them together in a book with photos of my grandchildren (10 ½,  3, 10 months) at the particular stage I am describing in the poem.  I have begun using photos to help remember and have also started some writing about my children as they grew up.  I love telling stories through poetry, and I love poems of goodbye, so I thought this would be a good way to combine both passions.  Here is my most recent one, about my grandson Carter, now almost eleven.

It was this day!

(6)

One rain-splattering day,

(unusual in Colorado)

you arrived to play,

all ready for the park.

Because it was so wet

(and way too slick to slide,)

we sadly didn’t get

the planned park adventure.

Rain boots were quickly found

(and also came the slickers);

we then set out around

the block to walk instead.

You splashed in the puddles.

(I jumped in there, too.)

It was a walk of a mud-dle

and we reveled in the mess.

We saw worms one, two, three,

(and I put several in your hand.)

That was just being me

showing you nature in a wiggle.

Nestled in a twiggy bush,

(It cocked its head and nodded).

We were never in a rush

to say Hello Mr. Robin.

We leaned over blooming flowers;

(Many colors brightened our day).

I relished the sprinkly hours

that I spent with you.

You know more than worms now

(You’re no longer four fingers old.)

But for that day if you’ll allow

I’ll keep you always four.

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The Round-Up Begins here:

       Joy is in first at her blog Poetry For Kids Joy with a limerick about watermelon, but it is also her birthday poet's birthday --Theodore Roethke --so she has links on her blog to three of her favorite  Roethke poems.

       Charles' son, Chip, painted an illustration for his wonderful "Family Tree" poem posted at The FATHER GOOSE Blog
            A few of Chip's other pieces are at ART SHOW


       Tara at A Teaching Life shares a tribute for Memorial Day, a poem, "Facing It" by  Yusef Komunyakaa   


       Violet contributes an original prose poem called "The Sisterhood" at Violet Nesdoly/Poems.

        Fats at Gathering Books  today speaks of the immigrant experience. Feel free to check out Immigrant Blues by Li-Young Lee.


        Rena at On The Way To Somewhere... has poetry tips and contest winners.


        Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference  gives us a poem by João Cabral de Melo Neto called Weaving.  It reminds her of weaving the Poetry Friday Roundup! 


        Laura at Author Amok is excited about and sharing a fifth grader's poem in response to "Mummy Case of Lady Teshat" from 1,000 B.C. She says this portrait poem blew the class away and moved the classroom teacher to tears! It was one of those magical moments that can happen during a poetry workshop. 


        Renée at NoWaterRiver greets us today with the first video in her Kids' Classics series, which she kicked off with a slightly creepy performance of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" - complete with costumes and lighting! 


        At Write. Sketch. Repeat, Katya writes that she has wanderlust and Richard Hovey's Sea Gypsy to go with it. 


         Liz writes that she has a silly, original kyrielle about a fly, inspired by Laura Purdie Salas' 15-words-or-less photo this week and Miss Rumphius' poetry stretch. It's at Growing Wild 

         Mary Lee is celebrating the last PF of the school year with a Skype visit from Greg Pincus at A Year of Reading!

        Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup shares a poem by Hawai'i poet Lee Tonouchi.


        Laura (Laura Salas.com - writing the world for kids) is in with 15 Words or Less poems and invites everybody to come play!


        At Teaching Young Writers, Betsy writes that her poems come after being inspired and reminded how unique qualities, even the one's that she doesn't necessarily understand, have a purpose. There are reasons we are all different and it is likely that the most inventive and insightful ideas will not be inspired by someone who conforms. 


        Maria shares some magic at Teaching In The 21st Century by sharing about her own students and their magical Poetry Friday!


        Robyn takes us nesting with robins at Read, Write, Howl.  She has found a lovely poem    from the 1947 Golden Book of Poetry.


        At Dori Reads, Doraine has an entire week of critters to share, and a snake poem by D.H. Laurence.


         Debbie, at Debbie Diller - A Journey In Learning  must be looking forward to vacation by sharing Bed In Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson. 


        Diane gives us several places to enjoy her poetry:  

1. Today at Random Noodling she has "The Cove" by Stuart Dischell.
   
   Kurious Kitty has two poems from Lemonade Sun by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.
   
   KK's Kwotes has a quote about haiku by R.H. Blyth.  
   
   

   At A Wrung Sponge, Andi reviews A Full Moon Rising by Marilyn Singer.

   At The Poem Farm, Amy continues with some free verse about strawberries.

   Barbara at The Write Sisters says they have a poem about Today by Thomas Carlyle.
   At Bildungsroman, Little Willow has posted a quote from The Great Gatsby.
   
   

   Karen Edmisten shares a poem by Barbara Crooker.
   
   
   Donna at Mainely Write is working hard to clean out her storage unit. She says she found some boxes and bags of my parents' stuff, hence her poem today.
   
   
   Jim Hill at Hey, JimHill! was inspired by Bob Raczka's Guyku so he I took a trip down memory lane and wrote a short series of haiku about the old neighborhood pond.
   
   
   Lorie Ann, at ReaderTotz, reviews a beautiful picture book titled Snug, by Carol Thompson.  Then, at her blog On Point, she posts an original haiku titled In The Midst of Trial.
   
   
   At Check It Out, Jone remembers her friend who died a year ago by sharing a found poem from the friend's blog.  Jone is also telling the winner of a poetry giveaway!
   
   
   Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe tells about more musings on family and time at her blog today, and adds in Legos too!
   
   
   Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town shares song lyrics today, appropriate for this time of year, and a recording of Nat King Cole singing them.  
   
   
   

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        It was a lovely day filled with so many kinds of poetry shared.  Thank you everyone!