It’s my last National Poetry Month post–thank goodness! As much as I love it, I feel like I’ve run a marathon and I’m just barely stumbling over the finish line. April has been incredibly stressful with home hunting and now packing, but I’m so glad I could keep up (barely) with my daily equation poems. This small exercise forced me to take my brain off of disclosure forms and multiple listings and making offers on 5 different places before we finally got one. It was a tiny escape each day. Thanks for traveling along with me.
It’s Poetry Friday, and I should be doing something with my Poetry Princesses, but I didn’t have the mental energy or time to do anything other than this equation poem. Apologies, Poetry Sisters!
For National Poetry Month 2021, I’m posting an equation poem each day. Maybe with an image, maybe without. I needed something very accessible and doable this year! Maybe you feel the same way? I’d love for you to join me, and here are several options for sharing your own or your students’ equation poems:
- in the comments below
- on social media with #EquationPoem–and be sure to tag me, please! (@LauraPSalas on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook)
- on the Padlet on my bookpage here
Here’s today’s equation poem. Last night, during packing time, Randy was weeding out CDs and DVDs. He came across the video he created of Annabelle’s First Year. This was 1992–1993, and the graphics are pixelated, the videos are fairly blurry, and the technology is old school (but it was very advanced for the time, as Ran is a tech wizard). And it was perfect! We sat on the couch together, watching it and reliving such exciting moments as The Bumble Ball, The Haircut (I’m so sorry, Annabelle), The Crying Jester (Halloween and croup do not mix well), and many more. Here’s a still shot from the video. What a fabulous side trip down Memory Lane.
And if you love equation poems, check out my Snowman-Cold=Puddle: Spring Equations, published by Charlesbridge and with gorgeous art by Micha Archer.
Happy poeming, and for more Poetry Friday goodness, visit the Poetry Friday Roundup with the kind and multi-talented Matt Forrest Esenwine!
P.S. Click here if you want to see all of this month’s equation poems!
P.P.S. If you like these, you might also love This Plus That, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace, and Mathematickles, by Betsy Franco and Steve Salerno.
17 Responses
Awe, memory lane when our children were young. Your equation poem is perfect. I love time travel. What is Bumble Ball? Your daughter was adorable. Is this Annabelle your daughter who was recently married? I’m happy for your husband and you finding the right house. Thank you for posting your equation poems everyday during your busy month. I appreciate your shares and inspiration; I have enjoyed reading your poems and learning how to write equation poems. I still have to catch up on some days, though.
It’s rained here for two days, but we need the rain. I watched the rain splash into puddles and “time traveled” to when my girls were little and what we did in the rain, but when it was warmer than today.
rain + puddles + boots + splashing = laughter
Only the best toddler toy ever. Here’s a pic of Annabelle with her bumble ball: https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/bumble-ball-15-words-less/ And yes, this is the daughter recently married. 28 years old now. How did that happen! Thanks for your kind words, Gail, and for checking in so frequently and sharing your own poems, too! Love your time travel equation. I just sent in a manuscript to a publisher that has a child playing in puddles in the rain. Such good memories for me!
Thank you. A MS “that has a child playing in puddles in the rain” is exciting and fun! I’ll keep my fingers crossed; I want to read it when it’s a book!
Isn’t this equation poem the truth?! Oh, my. I have a house full of the stuff of four kids and two pets and two parents. We’ve accumulated a lot of memories and it’s time to start weeding so that we can enjoy a post-child home with our grown children. It’s going to take years and we know it — partly because of the time travel moments. Thanks for your equation poems this month. I’ve enjoyed them so much!
I guess it’s like writing–process, not product, right, Linda? Yes to the time travel moments. (But also yes to throwing the things out and just keeping the lovely memories.) We don’t have the bumble ball, but we still have the funny memories.
I’ve found several 8mm movies when cleaning out my parents’ hosue a year and a half ago…and have no way of viewing them. This post really touched me. Thanks, Laura!
Oh no! I don’t even know what Randy made this on–I guess our big honking desktop computer? But it was a VHS originally, and luckily he copied it to a CD. I love technology, but its shifting formats does make you hesitant…I know it’s been a process cleaning out your parents’ home. I hope someday you get to view those 8mm home movies.
spring wind + maple keys = green blizzard
Love your equation poems, Laura! You are my hero. <3
Ooh, I’ve never heard maple seeds called maple keys before, Andi. I love the motion in your poem <3
So sweet–glad you got to time travel amid the stress of moving!
I’m glad you finally got your new place, laura, & see, there are perks when packing — old movies! That still & your equation poem is wonderful. FB with their memory posts does this all the time to me, especially now with the grandchildren. Where do those hours go?
FB sure knows how to hook us in, doesn’t it. I’m so relieved we’ve found a place. Now to pack, organize everything, get painting and flooring figured out, and actually move. ACK! I love NPM so much, but I’m relieved it’s done. I’ll be on hiatus a bit now!
That kind of time travel is a wonderful thing! <3 Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
This poem is perfect, Laura! And so true. Congratulations on finding a new home!
National Poetry Month + life = exhaustion
Hope you can get some rest soon!
Gorgeous equation poem Laura, it’s bursting with energy and I love the color palette with daps of color splashed on, thanks!
Gorgeous equation poem Laura, it’s bursting with energy and I love the color palette with daps of color splashed on! Good luck with your packing, thanks.
I’ve really enjoyed your equation poems! I love how much meaning can be packed into such a concise form.