Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
I’ve blogged about NCTE last fall, and one of the many enjoyable sessions was the Children’s Literature Breakfast, featuring Kadir Nelson. I was quoting Kadir in a talk about mentor texts that I gave last weekend (more about that next week), so I thought I’d share this poetryaction to his wonderful If You Plant a Seed.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what we put out into the world and what we get back, and how they’re related. But this book also reminded me of other stories I’ve read that involve planting nontraditional things. Of course, I can’t think of any of those at the moment, but please leave them in a Comment if you know of some! So I tried to figure out what might result if a farmer went a little HAYwire. Hehe. HAYwire—get it?
Kadir Nelson’s book also put me in mind of The Promise, by an author whose books I really admire, Nicola Davies. You can see my poetryaction to The Promise here.
You can check out my poetryactions Pinterest board here and my bookalikes Pinterest board here, if you like, and don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with Elizabeth Steinglass today. I’m sure the poems shared today will plant something beautiful in you!
8 Responses
I love this poem! It’s positively charming. Thanks for sharing it here.
Thanks, Rosi!
I missed seeing Kadir Nelson at NCTE15 but maybe I will catch him at ILA16. (I can’t wait to present with you there. This week guest moderating #ISTELitChat with you was a great experience.) Getting back to your post: I get the joke-hay wired. Planting non-traditional things-great match-up.
I love the idea of planting all of these unusual objects and seeing what grows!
Clever concept, Laura! You’ve got me thinking about what else we plant or send out into the world. If you plant a joke, will laughs burst out?
I’m rarely templed to join Pinterest…but to have easy access to your bookalikes and poetryactions ALWAYS tempts me!
These two make a great pairing! (love your poems, of course!)
Your poem is beautiful — simple but deep. Talking about planting things besides actual seeds reminds me of this saying, which I just looked up to be accurate:
““Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”
– Charles Reade
Wonderful. I love the idea of planting things that aren’t plants. Brought to my mind planting a kiss!