Saturday, April 03, 2021

The 2021 Progressive Poem is Here!


 
This is the first time I've had a line so close to the beginning of the Progressive Poem, and the responsibility for setting the tone and direction of the poem is awe-inspiring. 

Kat Apel got us started the way Donna did last year -- each poet offering two lines from which the next poet can choose, then that poet offering two lines, and so on.

Linda Mitchell chose Kat's line

I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!

and offered me the choice of these two lines:

Easily contagious sharing smiles is my plan.

or

Don't fret about a fever, loss of smell, or taste


Let's think this through. If I go with the first choice, we've got a nice rhyming couplet out of the gate. Additionally, the seed-of-a-theme of kindness is carried on with the contagious smiles. And there's a plan offered up in that first choice. On the other hand, the second choice links the "case" in Kat's line firmly to COVID. And actually, that's a deal-killer for me. Enough with the COVID already!!

I'm going with 

I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.

I checked with Linda, and she gave me permission to add the dash in her line.

Now, on to the choices I'll provide for Donna. If she wants to write another rhyming couplet, hopefully I've given her words she can work with. (Who am I kidding? Donna is the QUEEN of creative rhyming!) 

Maybe she'd like to pick up the voice of the speaker again? (Feel free to add a dash at the end of the line if you want...if you choose this one, Donna!)

I'll spread my joy both far and wide

Or maybe we need to elaborate on the plan to share smiles (and keep going with the middle-of-the-line dash). What are the things that give us joy?

Puppies, babies – what makes you giggle?


Have fun, Donna! Have fun everyone else! Just like every year, I can't wait to see what we create!



Here's where to find the poem throughout the month:

1 Kat Apel at katswhiskers
2 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
3 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
4 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
5 Irene Latham at Live your Poem
6 Jan Godown Annino at BookseedStudio
7 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
8 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
9 Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
10 Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone
12 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
14 Susan Bruck at Soul Blossom Living
15 Wendy Taleo at Tales in eLearning
16 Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe
17 Tricia Stohr Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
19 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
21 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
23 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
24 Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference
25 Shari Daniels at Islands of my Soul
26 Tim Gels at Yet There is Method at https://timgels.com
28 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
29 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wondering
30 Michelle Kogan at More Art 4 All


14 comments:

  1. Yes! More sharing of smiles, something lacking these days. -- Christie @https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/

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  2. Bringing happiness to the world is something important to do, Mary Lee. I love your choice and the two you've given Donna! Enjoy your weekend!

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  3. Yes! Great line(s)!

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  4. I do beleive you have set the poem in an important direction! This is a much-needed poem with all its joy and possible giggles!

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  5. Love your choices, Mary Lee!

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  6. Yes! I love your choice and options. Looking forward to smiles and happiness, giggles and puppies moving us back to our hopefully more normal summer and fall. Thanks, Mary Lee! Looking forward to Donna's line options!
    Janet (Clare) F.

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  7. Love both your lines. Joy or giggles? Both bring smiles. Have a joy-filled weekend.

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  8. Well done, Mary Lee! I love both of the choices you've given Donna.

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  9. Great choices for Donna to play with--looking forward to the joy/giggles.

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  10. Lovely! I do like where this poem is going.

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  11. Mary Lee, this poem is heading in the right direction for both adulta and children. Joy and giggles are gifts to explore this spring. PS: Your post on mentor texts is full of excellent choices of books. I am bookmarking it for my grad school institute that I am teaching this summer. Thanks.

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  12. Upbeat and fun - looking forward to seeing which line gets picked & where this goes! 😁

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  13. I'm late to the party and just catching up on everyone's posts and the unfolding poem! I love your two options. Such a happy direction to take it in. :-)

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