Progressive Poem - Line # 9

      "Wanted:  a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket." - Charles Simic

             Forgive me. I don't remember if I found this from a poet's post on Friday, or found it and noted it for some special post. This is a special post and Simic's words ring out to me for this next line. It's the journey of Irene Latham's idea six years ago, the Progressive Poem where each day in April one poet adds a line. 

           Mary Lee Hahn has offered terrific background and analysis of what has been written these first eight lines. I have had ideas whirling for a few days and wonder about this child who in my eyes, even in only eight lines, is growing up. Just as all of us have discovered, self-awareness comes with experience, experimenting and with support for choices made. In these eight lines, there is a spurt of energy of self that appears first, a defiance announced to the world, then self-doubt, a question of change perhaps to meet new-found needs. How marvelous that the poets (like parents?) thus far have filled this child with spunk and sparkle, and yes, "fidget, friction, frazzle-dazzle, also fickle and freckles". Yet, there is one thing missing in my eyes, another "f", Mary Lee, a friend. I hope I've provided an opening for that next "fling". 

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges—
I sprout stories that frazzle-dazzle,
stories of castles, of fires that crackle,
with dragonwords that smoke and sizzle.


But edges sometimes need sandpaper,
like swords need stone and clouds need vapour.
So I shimmy out of my spurs and armour

facing the day as my fickle, freckled self.

I thread the crowd, wear freedom in my smile

           Here are the April Poets. Best wishes Penny for the next line!  And thanks again, Irene for creating this poem collaboration!

1 Heidi at my juicy little universe

2 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference

3 Doraine at Dori Reads

4 Michelle at Today's Little Ditty

5 Diane at Random Noodling

6 Kat at Kat's Whiskers

7 Irene at Live Your Poem

8 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading

9 Linda at TeacherDance

10 Penny at a penny and her jots

11 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page

12 Janet F. at Live Your Poem

13 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche

14 Jan at Bookseedstudio

15 Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales

16 Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy

17 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect

18 Buffy at Buffy's Blog

19 Pat at Writer on a Horse

20 BJ at Blue Window

21 Donna at Mainely Write

22 Jone at Jone Ruch MacCulloch

23 Ruth at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town

24 Amy at The Poem Farm

25 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge

26 Renee at No Water River

27 Matt at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme

28 Michelle at Michelle Kogan

29 Charles at Poetry Time

30 Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids