What I love most about my 2015 National Poetry Month project is what I love most about writing poetry: I had the vaguest of notions how the whole thing would play out, and it grew to be more than I ever could have imagined.
I billed the project as emotions from "Anger to Zest," when in fact we went from Anticipation to Relief.
Not I -- we. The most amazing thing about the month was writing alongside Carol, Kimberley, Kim, and Steve. I loved overlapping challenges occasionally with Jone, and also having Carol V., Linda, Heidi and Kevin write with us occasionally. The conversations in the comments both at A Year of Reading and Poetrepository kept me going.
I'm proud of my collection as a whole, but there are a couple with inside jokes I'd like to share.
On April 29, I tucked the adage, "Pride goeth before a fall" into this poem:
PRIDE
Is it branches full of unopened blossoms against
an impossibly blue April sky?
Or could it be rows of trees, heavy with fruit in
late summer, yellow jackets hovering?
Look down. Is it in the remains of
the bounty, rotting after October frosts?
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015
I'm still cracking myself up over the various kinds of interest you encounter at various kinds of banks. (from April 19):
At the bank
it's what you get
without trying.
You just have to be there.
(monetarily)
At the (river)bank
it's what you get
without trying.
You just have to be there.
(open-mindedly)
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015
But probably my favorite, is this hidden tribute to ROYGBIV, from April 14:
THE WHOLE SPECTRUM, PLEASE
tulip petal
monarch wing
forsythia's shock
first leaves in spring
prairie sky
shadows on snow
thunderhead's tower
dogwood, crow
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015
There's a whole blogpost to be written about my email haiku lessons from Diane Mayr. In that future blogpost, I will show how this pair, seen here still in draft, have undergone an amazing transformation through a series of gentle nudges by Diane!
The roundup is now at Ellen Leventhal's personal blog, Elementary Dear Reader.
You must be overcome with prielief! (You know, pride+relief?) I can't wait to go back and catch up!
ReplyDeletePerhaps I’m looking in the wrong place, but I can’t find the Poetry Friday Roundup at SCS. I’ll leave my link here and check back later. I’m sharing poems by kindergarten poets today.
http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2015/05/what-do-kindergarten-poets-do.htm
Thanks so much for hosting the April Poetry Challenge. It was, um, a challenge. You had so many great poems, I don't think I could pick one favorite. I think THE WHOLE SPECTRUM was one of my favorites, but I just liked the sound of the words and the images. I didn't catch that it was a tribute to ROYGBIV.
ReplyDeleteTill next year!
Carol
You're both clever AND inspiring, Mary Lee. Well done on making it through the month in a spectrum of flying colors! On Today's Little Ditty I am featuring Nikki Grimes and a new DMC Challenge. http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2015/05/spotlight-on-nikki-grimes-dmc-challenge.html
ReplyDeleteI love your play on "pride goeth before the fall" -- I've never thought of the saying in terms of autumn and nature before.
ReplyDeleteThis week, I'm wrapping up a month of guest posts featuring poems about clothes. Today, I have an original poem, modeled after Naomi Shihab Nye's "Words in My Pillow." You'll also find links to all of the posts in the "What Are You Wearing" series.
Thanks, Mary Lee! http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2015/04/npm-2015-what-are-you-wearing-its-wrap.html
P.S. I am NOT writing a poem this morning. I do have a review of two new bilingual poetry books for children.
ReplyDeletehttp://carolwscorner.blogspot.com/2015/05/poetry-friday-two-new-bilingual-books.html
Congrats on meeting your PM challenge -- well done! I do love THE WHOLE SPECTRUM, but the bank and pride poems are also very clever.
ReplyDeleteToday at Alphabet Soup I have three sample poems from DEAR TOMATO and a couple of Poetry Month notes:
http://jamarattigan.com/2015/05/01/friday-feast-a-taste-of-carol-ann-hoytes-new-anthology-dear-tomato-2-recipes/
Happy Weekend!
Hi Mary Lee--Oh, thanks for highlighting a few of your monthlong project. I've been on the road a lot and have missed most of the kidlitosphere Poetry Month Celebration. I've got a lot of catching up to do. I LOVE your Interest poem. So clever!
ReplyDeleteI'm in with a pantoum written with the Poetry Seven, aka Poetry Princesses, at http://www.laurasalas.com/blog/for-teachers/2-poems/
And I'm guesting with my niece, Lily, at Penny Parker Klostermann's blog, where I wrote a poem and Lily did the art!
http://pennyklostermann.com/2015/05/01/a-great-nephew-and-a-great-aunt-guests-laura-purdie-salas-and-daughters-kate-and-jane/
Thanks for possibly hosting:>)
I visited your amazing project throughout the month, and love that you've shared some inside jokes with us today. Your poetry is astounding! Several wks ago, I wrote a vocabulary poem, inspired by Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, because Michelle Haseltine's post about it piqued my interest. This wk, my Ss tried them out...http://hollymueller.blogspot.com/2015/05/poetry-friday-student-vocabulary-poems.html
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to be providing haiku guidance to you, Mary Lee, you're an excellent student! Your month-long poetry project has been fun to follow, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the temporary round-up space, I have a haiku sequence at Random Noodling: http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/2015/04/poetry-friday-haiku-sequence.html
Kurious Kitty has pocket-sized poems to share: http://kuriouskitty.blogspot.com/2015/04/poetry-friday-take-poetry-with-you.html
Good morning, friend! I'm excited to read about your haiku lessons -- Diane could start a business coaching! I've benefited greatly from her encouragement and advice on books to read.
ReplyDeleteToday I have a series of 3 short poems -- Diane would know the proper name for them! -- about fabrics in a quilt top we found in my father-in-law's storage unit. It's posted at http://wp.me/p4P49X-bQ
Thanks for pinch hitting!
Your poems are terrific (and always have been), you have a way with words and lots more. I especially love how you wrote about the "not knowing" part of your process and the discovery of the journey as you write. I think that is important. If you have not seen the book by Gabrielle Rico Lusser called Writing the Natural Way, you might take a look. It is from the Right Brain Left Brain research era, and uses a free-form webbing "activity" to get the ideas out. It is a book with some exercises and lots of great examples/explanations. I loved using it myself and with kids. ROYGBIV. You are too clever and the poem is really good. Not to mention the interest you get while fishing by the river bank. Cheers to you. I have been "away" but hoping to re-up my involvement in something I love (poetry and the Poetry Friday peeps). All best to you, Mary Lee and friends!
ReplyDeleteJanet F. aka Janet Clare/Fagal
Very clever ROYGBIV poem, Mary Lee!! Thanks for the round-up.
ReplyDeleteI am sharing Harry Baker's poems today:
http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-prime-example.html
I'll post on my site about heading here for the roundup. Thanks for doing this!
ReplyDeleteNo real Spring in Maine yet poem. http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com/2015/05/may-day.html
I enjoyed writing (a little), and reading (a lot) all of the poems during April, Mary Lee. Thanks for a wonderfully clever challenge. Your poems were inspirations! Here's my link: Welcoming May with a new kind of poem: http://www.teacherdance.org/2015/04/may-day-finishing-april-too.html Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful. All of them and in such different ways. Congratulations! You did it and you wrote beautifully. I finished my challenge yesterday with a cheesy mom poem for poem-in-your-pocket day.
ReplyDeletehttp://elizabethsteinglass.com/2015/04/a-poem-for-your-pocket/
Thanks for filling in at the last second!
Love the poems, Mary Lee! And thank you for hosting - even if it IS temporary. Today I share the wrap-up to Irene Latham's Progressive Poem, and a link to a feature Jama Rattigan did on Greg Pincus and me from yesterday: https://mattforrest.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/poetry-friday-the-2015-progressive-poem-concludes-here/
ReplyDeleteWonderful poems, Mary Lee! I am sorry I haven't been keeping up with you on this all through the month of April. You have done some really lovely work. I like the hidden jokes, too.
ReplyDeleteThe Poetry Sisters have worked on Pantoums this month. Mine is up here: href="http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-flight-of-sons-pantoum.html". The other poet's pantoums are linked there. Thanks for offering your comments as link space!
Hi, Mary Lee! I'll be back to read - Thanks so much for the temporary parking for PF! I have a haiku today - http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=994632
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed following your poems this month, Mary Lee. You are a gift in many ways, and that color poem has a permament home in my heart.
ReplyDeleteAt The Poem Farm, I have the final tune...and a link to all 30 poemsongs in one place.
Thank you for graciously taking over the roundup!
Happy Poetry Friday - and May!! xo, a.
Of course I forgot to link - sorry! http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2015/05/may-first-poemsongs-all-in-one-place.html
ReplyDeletea.
I love your hidden colors, Mary Lee! So many great poems this Poetry Month!! Thanks for the temporary ? roundup. :) I've got some final thoughts on ARTSPEAK!, a special thank you, and #EveryBrilliantThing April roundup. http://www.irenelatham.blogspot.com/2015/05/artspeak-in-review-everybrilliantthing.html
ReplyDeleteI've been so busy with my own posts this month, I've had little time to read the work of others. I'm looking forward to May to read what you, Irene, Laura, and others have shared.
ReplyDeleteToday I'm sharing two different pantoums written for the most recent Poetry 7 projects.
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2015/05/poetry-seven-share-pantoums.html
Let me know if you need help rounding up. I'm free today and can host.
I'm here! So sorry about the blog mix ups! Head on over to Elementary Dear Reader at http://ellenleventhal.com/. But not yet...at work, and am doing poetry with little ones. I think those are the ones I should share today! Mea Culpa for somehow getting the group and my personal blog mixed up. Not sure how that happened except that I wrote a post on poetry on my group blog in April. Stay tuned!! (It's early here, and I have little ones about to barge in!)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Lee,
ReplyDeleteI completely enjoyed all three poems, but I think I sort of liked the second one best. I like the contrast between banks. Thanks for hosting today's poetry friday. Here's our post for today.
http://gatheringbooks.org/2015/05/01/poetry-friday-seed-sower-on-longing-and-forgetting/
Thanks for stepping in, Mary Lee, and for all the wonderful PO-EMotions this month-- I have loved stopping by to read them and the graphic you created is the cutest!
ReplyDeleteMy post today is in anticipation of National Teacher Appreciation Week next week and YOU are certainly one of those amazing teachers I appreciate so much. Thanks for all you do for kids, poetry, and ME!
Link: http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/05/may-4-8-2015-celebrating-teacher.html
A very emotional and poetic month it was! :)
ReplyDeleteToday, I posted Tawny by Carl Sandburg at Bildungsroman:
ReplyDeletehttp://slayground.livejournal.com/805824.html
Hi Mary Lee. Iphigene is up today with an original poem. Here is the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://gatheringbooks.org/2015/05/01/poetry-friday-seed-sower-on-longing-and-forgetting/
Thank you so much for hosting this week.
Just stopping by briefly before I get the boy off to school. My National Poetry Month project was a cento poem composed from lines from children's poetry. The finished poem, "Play," is here: http://karinfisher-golton.com/2015/04/30/a-cento-for-national-poetry-month/
ReplyDeleteThank you for temporarily hosting! I look forward to coming back later and perusing more. I've loved peeking in on your April emotional roller coaster of creativity.
I LOVE what you said about what you love about writing poetry: "I had the vaguest of notions how the whole thing would play out, and it grew to be more than I ever could have imagined." Yesyesyes! Me, too. My cento poem project was just like that and so many other poems have been too. That has also been my experience as a poetry teacher for children. My colleague and I give an assignment and again and again they create beyond what we'd imagined.
DeleteMary, LOVE the poem THE WHOLE SPECTRUM, PLEASE. Wonderful word choice. Beautiful rhyme.
ReplyDeleteNot doing Poetry Friday today, Mary. I had my Christopher at the ER on Wednesday. Today the doctor. But I am having fun moving about and reading the posts.
xo
Loved the month of poetry here, and thanks for jumping in to temphost. I'm up with an original today...
ReplyDeleteSeven Incredible Things a Poem Can Do! (The Third One Blew Me Away!)
Thanks for helping with the Round Up today, Mary Lee. I've loved your emotion poems, and will be back to read the ones I've missed.
ReplyDeleteI'm sharing my thoughts about Eileen Spinelli's verse novel, Another Day As Emily, as well as Eileen's poem, "The Month of May." https://readingtothecore.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/poetry-friday-eileen-spinelli-another-day-as-emily/
Thank you for helping out with today's Roundup! I especially love the concept and the vivid examples in "THE WHOLE SPECTRUM, PLEASE."
ReplyDeleteToday on the Teaching Authors blog (http://www.teachingauthors.com/2015/05/poems-animals-and-animal-poems.html), I've posted about a Poem in Your Pocket Day celebration and one more post-National Poetry Month haiku.
One of the things I love about poetry is the hidden layers you can discover when you go back and read a poem again and again. Thanks for revealing some of your secrets to us! I enjoyed these poems all over again.
ReplyDeleteI'm in today celebrating Lei Day at www.poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteSuch a great project! Thanks for sharing it all month! I wrote something about our second Open Mic event yesterday and what may just have been the World Premiere Performance of the Progressive Poem! http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2015/05/poetry-friday-another-open-mic-and.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your oh-so-original poems; I do love that color spectrum one! With dogwood and crow at the end to usher us on. :0)
ReplyDeleteThank you again for jumping in to house links today.
OK...My post is FINALLY live! So sorry!
ReplyDeleteSimply brilliant, Mary Lee! Thank you (and Franki) for maintaining this amazing blog. You continue to inspire me!
ReplyDeleteThird attempt at leaving a comment...Loved your emotion poems and your take on the emotion often surprised me. I would love to learn more about haiku, especially since it's a form I enjoy. Waiting to hear what book(s) you might recommend.
ReplyDeleteWe would be lost in cyberspace without you! Thanks for all you do. I have really enjoyed your emotional tour this month. https://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/chalkabration-cinco-style/
ReplyDeleteI wrote another poem today as a way to help one of my kids write. I feel completely changed after 30 poems in 30 days. I loved connecting with you and Kay and Carol as well as so many others. Thank you. http://1stinmaine.blogspot.com/2015/05/he-sits.html
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, it has been a privilege to learn beside you this month. PO-EMotions was another fascinating poetry challenge with your poems as the mentor texts. Thank you for being the temporary hosting site for Poetry Friday. My offering is a poem to start the month of May and advertise Spring's Symphony Gallery. http://linkis.com/blogspot.com/ArOoy
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