Happy Poetry Friday! Here’s another poem from my latest 30 Painless Classroom Poems book, Wacky, Wild, and Wonderful: 50 State Poems.
Note: The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are usually visible only in the far North. They can be many colors and shapes. Various Indian tribes in Alaska and Canada have at times believed that the Northern Lights were a bad omen or a predictor of violence. The lights appear because of the magnetic North Pole (although they sometimes are visible as far south as the northern United States). Magnetic storms on the sun upset the balance between the solar wind, which is constantly streaming past Earth, and the Earth’s atmosphere. During magnetic storms, the solar particles collide with the air instead of passing by, and the reaction gives off light. Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, appear over the southernmost parts of the earth. [Acrostic]
A Note from the Poet:
I have never seen the Northern Lights, but I’ve looked at hundreds of pictures of them and watched a lot of videos. Someday, I hope to see the real thing! For this poem, I chose to do an acrostic because I love that form, and I wanted an unrhymed form with different line lengths to mimic the unexpected shapes and movements that Northern Lights make in the sky.
Here I am reading the poem:
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Don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup at Tara Smith’s A Teaching Life! (Oh! Check out the gorgeous image on her blog header!)
36 Responses
this is very beautiful Laura
I cant what to read your book
Thank you, Jessica!
this is very beautiful Laura
I cant what to read your book
Thank you, Jessica!
Beautifully done!
Thanks!
Beautifully done!
Thanks!
Another gem! I love those “ribbons of light.”
Thanks, Catherine:>)
Another gem! I love those “ribbons of light.”
Thanks, Catherine:>)
Great acrostic. Someday, I hope to see the Northern Lights, too.
We’ll get there!
Great acrostic. Someday, I hope to see the Northern Lights, too.
We’ll get there!
I love that idea of ‘leftover radiance’, Laura. Thanks for sharing another poem!
Thanks, Linda–I loved finding out (years ago for a writing assignment) what caused the Northern Lights.
I love that idea of ‘leftover radiance’, Laura. Thanks for sharing another poem!
Thanks, Linda–I loved finding out (years ago for a writing assignment) what caused the Northern Lights.
Spot-on. Perfect choice of form, and I love the background, too!
Thank you, Mary Lee–hey, I just started preparing WHYKU for Kindle. Finally!
Spot-on. Perfect choice of form, and I love the background, too!
Thank you, Mary Lee–hey, I just started preparing WHYKU for Kindle. Finally!
Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to share your reading with my class.
Thanks, Andrea! Though I do not like my voice and hate the thought of kids hearing it. But I try to ignore that, not stress, and just record my first take. Sigh.
Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to share your reading with my class.
Thanks, Andrea! Though I do not like my voice and hate the thought of kids hearing it. But I try to ignore that, not stress, and just record my first take. Sigh.
Laura, I lived in Alaska for about three years when I was a kid, and the Northern Lights were magical. I love “Leftover Radiance” — lovely!
I’m jealous:>) And thank you!
Laura, I lived in Alaska for about three years when I was a kid, and the Northern Lights were magical. I love “Leftover Radiance” — lovely!
I’m jealous:>) And thank you!
My goodness. Love it. Great imagery. You right some tight acrostics, Laura. I adore the Rainbow Acrostic in one of Sylvia and Janet’s Tagtime e‑anthologies
Thank you, Charles–acrostics are one of my favorite forms!
My goodness. Love it. Great imagery. You right some tight acrostics, Laura. I adore the Rainbow Acrostic in one of Sylvia and Janet’s Tagtime e‑anthologies
Thank you, Charles–acrostics are one of my favorite forms!