PO-EMotion -- Happiness

from Wikimedia

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LOOK HARD TO FIND HAPPINESS

Before I was born, my dad was an ag pilot.

He traded freedom and flight for

responsibility and safety and John Deere parts.

Growing up,

we often went for Sunday drives in the country

to get out of town and look at the crops.

But sometimes,

he borrowed a plane and we slipped the surly bonds of earth*

and flew over the faded quilt of fields.

Ironically,

the flight pattern of our small town airport

went right over our back yard.

One summer, I planted a smiley face of marigolds

for the pilots to see

as they came in on final.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015

* "slipped the surly bonds of earth" is from my dad's favorite poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Here's John Denver singing the poem as a song (scrub to 3:25). We played this at dad's funeral.

Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

A truer poem about ice cream has never been written!

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

Student writing can be the happiness that keeps a teacher going!

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

"Happiness Is..."

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 

in the comments at Poetrepository.

Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.

Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,

leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Carol, at Beyond Literacy Link, is writing alongside us when she can.
She finds happiness in family.

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 

She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible.