Happy National Poetry Month 2023! Curious about what I’m doing? Want to play along? Read more here.
[Heads-up: If you’re visiting regularly, please know that the bold, blue text is what I’m writing fresh each day. The black text is the same each day:>) ]
One of my very favorite childhood memories is swimming with my dad and a couple of my sisters in the ocean. This would’ve been New Smyrna or Daytona Beach, as I grew up in Orlando. We swam out far, heading to a distant sandbar, and we were out beyond the breaking waves. The waves were just swells that you could float on. Suddenly, dolphins! A pod went right by/through us. Their large, joyous grey bodies were so graceful. I hold that happy memory like a fragile glass bubble in my mind…
I tried to dig up words from yesterday’s pile that capture a bit of that moment and how being close to wildlife always makes me stop and feel awe. This one felt lovely to ponder.
Let’s see. Any kidlit connections for me? I ADORE The Music of Dolphins (Karen Hesse) and A Ring of Endless Light (maybe my very favorite Madeleine L’Engle book).
What words will we be digging through today?
And here’s the card that we might pull our topic from:
So some possible topics are:
- navy
- sky
- royal
- powder
- blue
Will you join in? Would love to see what you come up with!
- Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month
- ALL the Digging for Poems drafts I’ve written this month
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- What is National Poetry Month?
- My previous National Poetry Month projects:
11 Responses
Very touching to write to a memory with your dad.
My topic is
TOUCH
A spark
between us
A tentacle
of promise
So very lovely, Diane. The pandemic sure made me value the power of touch. I love this, and that tentacle of promise. So unexpected, but it feels right!
Poem from Day 4 words. Topic: touch
Why
A promise
urgent
robust–
Listen.
Will none suffer?
Decide.
Give power
always.
Turn us into healing fire.
Spark, shape,
watch.
I used two words not there: into, healing. I just had to!!
Since I don’t have the magnet board and pieces, I make lists and find that jotting the words down quickly helps fill my brain.
What I am finding helpful to get a poem attempt to come quickly:
I make a list of verbs, nouns, adjectives, pronouns and “small words.”
A scratch list. I try to decide ahead of time which concept word I might be thinking about.
And try for a working title, but change at the end as needed. Later if I am “stuck” I go back and circle the words I have used on my messy draft trying to see what my be left. It doesn’t take me too long and then maybe I work to change my line breaks and shape the poem on the page.
This reminds me of the work of Gabrielle Lusser Rico in Writing the Natural Way. It was a right brain/left brain book, a companion to Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, both of which I highly enjoyed and recommend. I attended a session with Gabrielle back in the later 80s in Penn. and loved her. She died young of cancer. Here is a brief link. She was a brilliant woman and so nice. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_Rico
What a powerful poem, Janet. Wow. Loved seeing a glimpse into your writing process and how you make it work w/o having the physical words to move around. I read–decades ago–Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but I’m not familiar with the Rico book. Thank you!
I came to see the words for tomorrow!
Thanks, Laura. I am learning a lot about my process by doing these and enjoying them a lot because ideas are coming rather quickly. The “constraints” help even though I deviate a bit. AND they are fodder for future revisions. I appreciate all you do. And have for so long. So glad I got to hear you talk way back at I think it was ILA in Chicago, though could have been NCTE, but I know it was in the Palmer House!!! I can still see you sharing. I was so excited to know their were kindred poetry people for children and did not know about the blogosphere then. So much to learn, so little time!
Healing fire… that’s a strong image.
Thank you, Diane.
I love “your” love for them, had a special moment once with a dolphin. I was out swimming in the ocean, parallel to the beach so I wouldn’t go too far out & heard lots of shouting. Finally I peeked around & a dolphin was swimming with me, about ten feet away. It was magical, picture in my head!
I would love to hear more about this, Linda. Perhaps a poem with a blog post? Hmm. Have you done this already? I might have freaked out, so am very glad that you were calm and cool and happy!!!!
I finally had a moment today — between teaching first graders about bats — to look at your instructional video of how we can play along with you this month in digging for poetry! I tried it — still don’t know if I’m approaching it the right way but here is the list of words I had — storm(s), million(s), rainbow, lift, gurgle.
Here is the poem:
Search for Rainbows
For They Lift You
Over Millions of Storms…Gurgle!
It was challenging and fun! I know there isn’t only one way to make poetry — but am I on the right track with what you want us to do with this project? Thanks, in advance, for any clarification, Laura!