Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
I wanted to give myself a new poetry challenge for 2018, and here’s what I decided to do. I had bought a Sierra Club desk calendar on clearance. Something about the empty spaces in their orderly 7 spots for each week made me want to fill them in with poetry.
So, I’m collecting random words. Want to suggest one? Yay! Go here to read the directions and make a suggestion. Thanks!
Each week, I’m filling the first three days (Mon-Wed) with words suggested by you! And I’m doing a little brainstorming around each word. Then on days 4–7 (Thu-Sun) I’m playing with short poems inspired by the calendar’s photo and containing the three words.
Here’s my first result:
Thank you to Kathi Wagner-Most, a writer in Red Oak, Iowa, for the word “believe.” My husband Randy gave me “seven,” and my Weight Watchers meeting gave me “beans.” I seriously JUST realized that “seven” didn’t make it in. It started out as 7 Things the Kid Believe In, but then morphed. Oh well, the words are just the starting point. I’m hoping to use all three, but the poem might have other ideas!
Here’s my calendar spread, just to better demonstrate. It might be a couple of weeks before your words start showing up my poems, because these are going to run a few weeks behind, if I even share them all here. That’s so I can pair them with a little watercolor #poemsketch background of some kind and turn them into imagepoems. Thank you for those of you who have already started suggesting words for me. I’d love to get more from students and teachers!
PLEASE NOTE: I’D NEVER BE ABLE TO KEEP TRACK OF WORDS LEFT IN THE COMMENTS, AND I DO WANT TO — USE WORDS IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE SUGGESTED. SO IF YOU’D LIKE TO SUGGEST A WORD–GREAT! PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK TO SUGGEST ONE. THANKS!
And for lots of wonderful poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with the lovely Kay at Journey Through the Pages.
16 Responses
I love seeing your process. I have a word for you. Arched.
Thanks, Brenda. I would never be able to keep track of words here, but I would love it if you would go click on the link and leave the word for me in my form. That’s where I will find all my words and keep them in order:) Thanks again!
What a great idea! I love “jumping bean hooves.” I’m glad to see the photo that inspired the poem & the steps in the process.
Thanks, JoAnn! I really struggled with “bean,” but that ended up being my favorite line, I think :>)
What a fantastic idea and I love how the poem turned out! Also, I’ve been looking for a hashtag that ties my little sketches to my little poems. Duh. #poemsketch is perfect! I’ll hop on over and suggest a word or two for your collection.
Oh! I meant to ask: what program/app do you use to compile your watercolor image with your poem text? They always look fantastic.
I use Wordswag on my Android phone. My clumsy process: I do a watercolor background, which I may or may not hate :>/ Then I add a little silhouette (usually, but not always). Then I take a pic on my cellphone. At some later point, I write a poem. Then I email myself the poem and open it on my phone. Then I use the WordSwag app to format my poem and put it on my sketch. Then I save the whole thing as an image on my phone, add it to my WordPress site, etc.
I saw your poem on FB, but here I love seeing your notebook pages. It’s a wonderful goal, will be enticing to you every week! So there’s a word for you, Laura: entice!
Really enjoyed reading and re-reading your poem, Laura. Great project!
What a challenge! Have fun with that. I certainly enjoyed hearing about the process — and seeing your calendar to clarify things. Gorgeous #poemsketch as a result. (And I see those muscles bunched up tight! #alignment)
Thanks for sharing that inspiring writing idea! Your poem is fresh and fun!
This is a fun challenge, Laura. I entered my word. Of course, it had to be winter and I can’t wait to see what you do with that as far as a poem and sketch are concerned. Your poem is delightful, especially this visual brought to us by your line: crystals that bite.
Wow! What a treasure you will have by the end of the year as words and images turn into poetry. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into it along the way.
Calendar images are great for inspiring writing, but you have taken this to a whole new level! I loved reading about the evolution of your amazing poem. These lines are my favorite: “The leap into clouds/ the magic of flight.” Thank you for sharing this, Laura!
I love the rhythm in your poem Laura, it reminds me of the song, “My Favorite Things” from the “Sound of Music.” I especially liked these lines, “Crystals that bite” and “the Magic of Flight,” thanks Laura!
I did a poem to that tune (on purpose) for a meme years ago: https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/poetry-favorite-a-few-of-my-favorite-b-things-original-poem/ Thanks for the memory!