Monday, April 08, 2019

The Progressive Poem is Here!




Here is the poem so far:

Endless summer; I can see for miles…
Fun, fun, fun – and the whole world smiles
No time for school- just time to play
we swim the laughin’ sea each and every day
You had only to rise, lean from your window,
the curtain opens on a portrait of today:
Kodachrome greens, dazzling blue


Before we get to my line, let me just say that this whole idea of a children's poem created with lines found in songs has made me shake in my shoes. It's been a lifetime ago that I listened to music with words. Our radios are tuned to the classical stations. My ride to and from school is narrated by audio books.

When I got Ruth's line, though, I decided to quit being intimidated and just give it a whirl. Dan Fogelberg was my favorite poet-singer in the day, so I pulled out the two CD Innocent Age album and took a trip down memory lane, looking for what else might be outside that window on a summer day. I didn't have to look far.




Endless summer; I can see for miles…
Fun, fun, fun – and the whole world smiles
No time for school- just time to play
we swim the laughin’ sea each and every day
You had only to rise, lean from your window,
the curtain opens on a portrait of today:
Kodachrome greens, dazzling blue
it's the chance of a lifetime


Found Lines:
L1 The Who, ‘I Can See for Miles’ / The Beach Boys, ‘Endless Summer’
L2 The Beach Boys, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ / Dean Martin, ‘When You’re Smiling’
L3 The Jamies, ‘Summertime, Summertime’
L4 The Doors ‘Summer’s Almost Gone’/ Led Zeppelin ‘Good Times, Bad Times’
L5 Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine “You had only to rise, lean from your window,”
L6 Joni Mitchell, “Chelsea Morning”
L7 Paul Simon, "Kodachrome," "Dazzling Blue"
L8 Dan Fogelberg, "Run for the Roses"


And now, I hand the poem off to the capable pen and musical ear of Rebecca at Sloth Reads!


Check out the back stories and process notes to date and watch the poem progress:

1 Matt @ Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
2 Kat @ Kathryn Apel
3 Kimberly @ KimberlyHutmacherWrites
4 Jone @ DeoWriter
5 Linda @ TeacherDance
6 Tara @ Going to Walden
7 Ruth @ thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown
8 Mary Lee @ A Year of Reading
9 Rebecca @ Rebecca Herzog
10 Janet F. @ Live Your Poem
11 Dani @ Doing the Work that Matters
12 Margaret @ Reflections on the Teche
13 Doraine @ Dori Reads
14 Christie @ Wondering and Wandering
15 Robyn @ Life on the Deckle Edge
16 Carol @ Beyond LiteracyLink
17 Amy @ The Poem Farm
18 Linda @ A Word Edgewise
19 Heidi @ my juicy little universe
20 Buffy @ Buffy's Blog
21 Michelle @ Michelle Kogan
22 Catherine @ Reading to the Core
23 Penny @ a penny and her jots
24 Tabatha @ The Opposite of Indifference
25 Jan @ Bookseedstudio
26 Linda @ Write Time
27 Sheila @ Sheila Renfro
28 Liz @ Elizabeth Steinglass
29 Irene @ Live Your Poem
30 Donna @ Mainely Write


19 comments:

  1. Oh - how lovely. That you not only found your line - but that it inspired a trip down memory lane, too. (Also, such beautiful photos.)

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  2. I wasn't sleeping well last night thinking about having to write my line. Dan Folgelberg was a constant companion when I was a teenager. I knew all the words to all his songs and got to see him in concert. It was my first smell of pot. Nevertheless, I know the line and feel a sense of attachment to it. Thanks.

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  3. What a neat choice! I am kinda nervous about this too, and your words helped. Today I will think about lyrics I love...

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  4. Dan Fogelberg! This song was a favorite of mine, and I love how perfectly the line fits into the poem! Also: I love how brave everyone is being with the found line! And that the lines so far have come from song... pretty darn cool. Thank you!

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  5. It certainly felt that way at summer's beginning. Love that you re-connected to your favorites, Mary Lee.

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  6. Yay for Dan Folgelberg and Mary Lee! Love this. To me it's a challenge not to let this new day of opportunity and possibility pass you by.

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  7. I watch the progress of this poem with interest. From writing the crown sonnet with my poetry peeps, I know how hard it is to build on someone else's line - you took it and ran! Or, rather, danced.

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  8. Another great line. I love Fogelberg. It is a bit of a challenge but so fun to research. I’ve discovered that I love research for my poems.

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  9. Mary Lee, for a person who was intimidated by this creative task, you surely nailed it. I hope my nerves steady me forward like you did. I am already trying to find songs that may work by day 16.

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  10. I love how so many have said they were intimidated by the prospect of using a found line from a song - and then came up with one (or two) as quickly as they did! Your line is a perfect way to lead us along this story.

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  11. I too am finding this more than a little intimidating--a lot less scary to me to write something original than to find the "right" borrowed line! You certainly rose to the challenge, Mary Lee--this works great.

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  12. So interesting to watch the poem unfold. Nothing like a chance of a lifetime.

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  13. I have heard of Dan Folgelberg, of course, but I didn't know he was so popular/beloved--but then me and "Sheena was/a punk rocker." I hope we get to take your chance, and soon! (I also hope for some structuring, like a stanza break or two.) Forward!

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  14. Well done! I have to admit I'm super intimidated as my day approaches.....I've got my radio station tuned to classic rock in preparation ;)

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  15. (Heidi - you didn't love Dan Fogelberg??!) Great choice, Mary Lee... and appropriate time of year for it as well. :0)

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  16. Love reading each new addition. I opted out this year due to new grandson's arrival. I must admit I've been relieved, but I'm loving the progression. The links to the songs the lines hail from adds a fun touch each day.

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  17. Your trip down memory lane served you will. Great line!

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  18. Mary Lee, dear, I hadn't heard Dan R. or "Run for the Roses" in too long. Appreciations so much for showcasing a perfect feeling. It is the chance of a lifetime - this moment, this Progressive Poem group, this Poetry Friday collection of readers & writers, this Kidliosphere, this this this.. You have launched me with this one.

    Happy PP 2019!

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