Friday, December 21, 2018

Poetry Friday -- Poetry Gifts


Photo via Unsplash

I've received three (edited to add one more) thoughtful (thought-full) poetry gifts in the past week.

1. I wrote this haiku for #haikuforhope, and Amy Ludwig VanDerwater wrote a response haiku that helped me get my head on straight for the day. Thank you, Amy!

avocado toast
(practice mindfulness)
four days until winter break
(sipping my hot tea)
new student today


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018




Honey Nut Cheerios
 (a little scared) 
four days until winter break 
(drinking orange juice) 
will my new teacher be kind?

©Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, 2018


2. Steve Peterson tweeted me this poem, proving for good that proximity of geography is not required for a friend to know the nooks and crannies of your heart. Thank you, Steve!


3. A childhood friend I haven't seen for decades (along with geography, add time to the equation of friendship) tagged me with this article on Facebook: Why Reading Poetry Is Good For Your Brain. Some of the studies are a bit dubious, but none of us are going to argue with the conclusions, right?

4. How could I not celebrate YOU?!? This community of poet-teacher-writer-allaroundgreathumans feeds my soul. Special wink and nod to the #haikuforhope crew. It's been a wonder-full month. As always, I won't want to stop. Daily writing in a form brief enough to keep me writing daily...yeah, I'll probably keep going.


Happy Friday! (That one's especially for the active duty teachers in our crew who might be reading this on Saturday or next week! We've got this! One more day of joy and craziness with our classrooms full of beloveds!) 

Happy Poetry Friday! Buffy Silverman has the Full Moon/Solstice edition this week.


12 comments:

  1. Oh, yes! Happy Friday. What wonderful gifts you have received and what wonderful sharing you've offered. I love the back and forth between you and Amy. Enjoy this holiday break. Thanks for the #haikuforhope invitation. I've been loving it.

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  2. This post brought tears to my eyes. I especially love the haiku dialogue (haiku-a-logue?) between you and Amy.

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  3. By the way, the "Love for Other Things" poem reminds me of "Try to Praise the Mutilated World."

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  4. Happy holidays! Happy Friday! Those poems are making me hungry!

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  5. "Be grateful for the boredom", a true mantra for teachers on vacation. Merry Christmas, Mary Lee. I love each one, and appreciate your idea of our haiku sharing, a bit of joy every day.

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    1. I was just about to quote the same line! Such an important reminder for parents and caregivers, too - it's OK for kids to be bored, in fact it's a blessing, because that's when we can truly take the time to contemplate and imagine and create!

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  6. I love the new form that you created (and Amy continued). What will you call it? "Love for Other Things" is where I'm at. Thanks for YOU, Mary Lee!

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  7. Oh I love the (extended) haiku you wrote, and Amy's response. How cool that she stepped into the new student's shoes! Today is a good day to "Get close to the things that slide away in the dark."

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  8. Mary Lee, I am thankful for you and for #haikuforhope. All of these I've read on Twitter have brightened my days. I hope your new student - and you - had a great four days together. Much love. And Happy Solstice! xx

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  9. I saw and liked your fun avocado haiku when you tweeted it this week. I like it even more with Amy's response.Thanks also for the link to the fascinating article about poetry, our emotions, what poetry triggers and effects it may have on us. I have a very old copy of Longfellow's Hiawatha by my bed that I pick up every once and while and read–I'm drawn to it for the nature connection but I don't like his prejudices that come out here and there.

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  10. What a delicious post! I missed your avocado haiku this week somehow and love it and Amy's response. How wonderful that poetic gifts are filling your days! Thanks for enriching ours by sharing!

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  11. The two haiku are wonderful together, Mary Lee. I love that you and Amy are conversing through poems.

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