Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
Before I share my little poem this week, here are a few things:
- Joy Moore shares an example of the purposeful use of mixed meter in We Belong at her blog yesterday! Thanks, Joy!
- And Kathy Temean shares the behind-the-scenes journey of We Belong here, and there’s a GIVEAWAY!!! Thank you, Kathy!
- I have already utterly failed at the Sealey Challenge. I’m hoping to do it next year. I only found out about it in late July. I wish I’d learned about it before and strategized and prepared, as Marcie Flinchum Atkins described in her fabulous post last week. But I’m applauding all of you taking part in it!
I wrote a poem based on the prompt of “just playing with” the poem “Duck,” by Valerie Worth. Here’s my quick first draft, written while riding in a car on our Duluth trip a week or two ago. Boy, aren’t I a downer. But her poem had me thinking about how much we judge people on appearances and how little we know about other people’s lives–even when those lives appear to be all unicorns and rainbows.
Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week. She always has fabulous eye-popping photos and poems to share!
12 Responses
Poor little duck. It sounds like she’s had quite a journey. (Your poem reminded me of Beatrix Potter’s Jemima Puddleduck!)
Not a downer; I like the truth that lives in your poem and Worth’s. We wait till everything is perfect to take that duck home, but sometimes we miss the chance because perfect doesn’t come.
And still I rise! Determined duck makes me happy. I’m so glad ‘We Belong’ is doing well. At the end of my school year, a colleague who is entering library school grabbed it off the shelf to use in her children’s lit class. I was so pleased!
Aw, thanks for telling me that! <3
You’ve captured all the feelings you describe so well, Laura. This little duck says so much.
I think every day about how people are judged by appearances and who they are is cruelly missed. Wonderful poem, Laura that captures that with images. “Ache of my wings.” “The bitter taste of winter.”
Ah that stoic duck, thanks for revealing what lies underneath those beautiful colors and feathers Laura… Congrats with the success of “We Belong” I’m a big fan of Kathy Temean’s blog, I’ll take a look, and glad your book is over there, thanks!
Not sure about any success, but I do hope it’s reaching some people <3
Laura, how serendipitous that you mention the success of your book, We Belong. I always live books on display in my library. Tonight my little grandgirls came to stay over. Sierra, now 5, saw the arc of We Belong that you sent me. She chose it as one of the books we need to read. The girls were so tired that we only had time for one book. We will read yours tomorrow. I can’t wait to reread it to the girls. The duck poem is simple but it holds such truths. What is it that people say, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”.
I love how your poem makes us look again and consider what lies below the surface. Your poem and Valerie Worth’s small poems are wonderful examples of how much richness can lie in a few well-selected words.
Laura, congratulations on WE BELONG–I only wish I’d had it a wee bit earlier, when our PreK affirmations were “I am smart. I am strong. I’m important. I belong.” I’ll pop over and see more about it at the other blogs, after letting you know how succinct and poignant your small duck poem is. I can see it working for the whole age range!
Your duck poem speaks (or is it quacks?) volumes. Don’t forget that ducks can be downers naturally…under their feathers. 😉