Friday, July 03, 2020

Poetry Friday -- If


photo via Unsplash


If it weren't for the fireflies'
Nightly silent
Fireworks
I might have forgotten how much we
Need even tiny sparks of magic
In our lives
To remind us of the size of
Eternity.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2020


It has been so delightful to spend the week with the word IF! Thank you, Charles and Irene for the call for poems using IF as the first word of the first line.

I have poem notes and drafts in my writer's notebook between notes from Phil Bildner's talk on BookLove, Dr. Paul Thomas' NCTE/LLA talk "Teaching Without a Deficit Lens," Kelly Gallagher and Julia Torres' talk on BookLove, Cornelius Minor's NCTE Member chat, and April Baker Bell's NCTE talk about her book Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity and Pedagogy. It's been the kind of week that has needed poetry woven throughout.

This poem got a lot of love when I polled adults and former students. But the more I thought about Heidi's feedback, the more I realized that it was the other one that needs to be submitted...after I revise the ending. Thanks, Heidi!

Linda has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at A Word Edgewise. She's got an In One Word Poem for us today.


12 comments:

  1. Ahhhh...yes. The fireflies are so beautiful and majestic and everywhere here now. Eternity and infinite...so lovely to connect these big words to something so small yet not. xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is lovely! If this is one of those not sent, the sent poem must be wow! It's so true that the tiniest things give us the greatest perspective. Just wonderful

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, if this one is the runner up...
    Your notebook and poetry are always filled with "tiny sparks of magic", Mary Lee. Thanks for letting us peek in on your 'infinite' talent. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this compact, perfect poem. It really is and so lovely as it goes from small to boundless.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is gorgeous!I love thinking about fireflies as tiny sparks of magic. And like several other commenters, if this is the runner up, I want to see the winner!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for packing so much magic into so few lines Mary Lee, their bioluminescence are glowing from your lines… I'm looking forward to reading your submitted poem too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do love this poem that packs a big idea into a small If acrostic. I admire that about your poetry, the seeming simplicity with a big bold message. Love the fireflies. Wish we could still see them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, this is wonderful, Mary Lee. If (hehe) this is the one you DIDN'T submit, I'm sure the one you did will knock their socks off. I wrote several and submitted one, too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "tiny sparks of magic" beautiful! I agree with Laura, I'm sure the poem you submitted is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, this little poem says so much! I love it. Echoing others: if this was set aside, I can't wait to see the one you submitted. I'm sure I'll see it in Irene and Charles' book!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mary Lee, this poem glows with magic, much like the fireflies. It's simply wonderful. It's hard to imagine that you chose a different one to submit! Wow! It must be a doozy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love tiny sparks of magic!!

    ReplyDelete

Comment moderation is turned on.