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Black Forest Face [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. This guy, which we bought at the first Renaissance Festival we ever went to, shortly after moving up here to Minnesota 27 years ago, was boxed up in
Autumn Leaf #Poemsketch
You can never have too many autumn leaves.
Almost Halloween #Poemsketch
Happy Halloween, almost! Enjoy the jack-o-lanterns! Save Save Save Save Save Save
Train Through Fence [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. I love trains, and I’ve never been on a “real” train ride–just a couple of scenic rides and then commuter rides in big cities. There are railroad tracks
And Fall Arrives + Looking for NCTE Roomie
Hello! I just realized it’s getting a bit late to share my poem about fall’s arrival, so I’d better hop to it! At the beginning of the month, I shared my hymn about fall from a dog’s point of view. A hymn about fall had been our Poetry Princess assignment for October. Now, as the
Not Frond of Palms #Poemsketch
I was playing with my watercolors, trying to learn how to do a wash, and I made this orangey one. Then I dropped a few drops of green to see what would happen. The little splotches reminded me of palm trees, so I added trunks. I do not care for palm trees. Too closely associated
Poems Are Teachers by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Today is the National Day on Writing, and what better day to share Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s new book for teachers, Poems Are Teachers? This amazing book features 50+ poems by different poets (some of whom are part of the Poetry Friday community) and more than
Hydrangeas (I think) [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. I usually filter my photos because I like the way that makes them a little surreal and more open to interpretation. But this coloring was so startling, I’m
Beach Ball #Poemsketch
It’s that time of year, when I’m taking down the deck planters and packing away summery stuff. Save Save Save Save Save Save
Lonely Sky #Poemsketch
Geese in a vee overhead is one of my favorite fall sights/sounds. But last week, a single goose flew overhead, honking mournfully. I know it’s just anthropomorphism, but it really sounded lost and sad to me. Save Save Save Save Save Save Save
Rescued Owl [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. One of the visitors to the Minnesota Children’s Book Festival recently was this great horned owl. This image makes me think of several things:
Library Day #Poemsketch
Yesterday, walking into my critique group meeting, I read a newspaper article about a young paramedic who was killed in a local road crash. She had the same last name as a librarian casual friend, so I did a Google search, hoping to discover the paramedic was not my friend’s daughter. I was shocked to
Unarmored #Poemsketch
Here’s a #poemsketch from last week, inspired by a small turtle I saw while on a walk with my daughter. That combined with world news of devastation (both natural and manmade) to make this poem. I like doing the dripping lines and writing on them. Saw that in a book from the library. Hate my
Power Tower Cinderella #Poemsketch
Something about power towers always fascinates me, and rows of them automagically turn into double-Dutch jumpers. So I took a classic jump rope rhyme as the basis for today’s #poemsketch. Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save
An Old Dog in Autumn with the Poetry Princesses [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) This month, our Poetry Princess challenge was to write a hymn using a hymn meter around the theme of fall. This was Tanita’s choice. She’s the beautiful singer in our group! I will let her explain hymns. I’ll just tell you that as
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Are You Looking For?
Go to my Poetry page for:
- National Poetry Month projects through the years
- Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
- Introductions to several favorite poetry forms