Sunday, May 05, 2013
April Mosaic
At the beginning of April, the sun was just rising as I left for school. Now it's well up.
It was a month of acronyms: CFR (1st row #2), IRA (1st row #4-6th row #2), PFA (4th row #4-5th row #4).
You can see the photos (bigger, with titles and sometimes captions) on Flickr here.
My photos on Flickr are all labeled with a Creative Commons license. That means you are free to use them (non-commercially), as long as you provide attribution that they are my photos. If you do use a photo of mine, stop back and leave a comment (and a link, if possible) on Flickr so that I can clap my hands with glee that something I've made has inspired your creation!
Friday, May 03, 2013
Poetry Friday -- Cats
Photo by Yathin S Krishnappa, on Wikimedia Commons |
THE CAT'S SONG
by Marge Piercy
(excerpt)
You feed me, I try to feed you, we are friends,
says the cat, although I am more equal than you.
Can you leap twenty times the height of your body?
Can you run up and down trees? Jump between roofs?
"QUICK! QUICK! ..."
by Anonymous
Quick! quick!
The cat's been sick.
(the whole poem is here, but be forewarned, it includes a disgusting but accurate description of cat behavior)
The Poetry Foundation has a whole collection of cat poems here.
Liz Steinglass has the Poetry Friday roundup today.
The Poetry Foundation has a whole collection of cat poems here.
Liz Steinglass has the Poetry Friday roundup today.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Chalkabration!
Betsy, at Teaching Young Writers, is hosting a Chalkabration on the last day of April, May, June, July and August. Here's my poem:
Here's a close-up of that yellow haze of oak pollen (and some CUTE little oak leaves):
Now multiply the pollen from those three bundles of oak flowers by an entire tree full, in a neighborhood filled with mature oak trees...
...and you'll understand why my red car has a distinct yellow tinge to it!! (AH--CHOO!!)
Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations.30
Animation by DemonDeLuxe (Dominique Toussaint), from Wikimedia Commons
Z IS FOR THE END
The month has zipped by,
although some days
the writing was
much zippier than others.
Like the teeth of the zipper
we writers came together,
locking ideas to make a chain.
The prompt was our slider.
I thank you, fellow poets,
for joining me
in binding word to word,
thought to image.
This common daily work,
putting one word after another,
has brought us close,
will link us forever.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
our words entwined like wires
moving with electricity through the world
from our fingers to our ears
to the universe beyond.
Where it ends is where it begins,
a spark of creativity and connectedness
and shadows of worlds unfolding on the page
from our fingers to our eyes
to our thoughts settled inside.
Where it ends is where it begins,
poems as stories as memories
as thinking, as sharing in this space
where time and distance are immeasurable
and where our words collide
forever.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
The podcast is here.
From Linda (TeacherDance):
Tasty Pleasure
Baby poems zipped, enthusiastic group.
This was our own alphabet soup:
dashes of some humor, facts there, too;
thought-filled words together - eclectic stew!
©Linda Baie, 2013
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
"Zipper"
I crouch down
take your down jacket
in my hands
fumble with the frayed
late winter zipper
until it catches
I draw the zipper
to just below your chin
tie your hood and
stuff your hands
into mismatched mittens
hoping this
little bit of love
will be enough
to protect you from
a frigid unloving world.
(C) Carol Wilcox, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project was
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
Here are some of my students' creations:
Inspired by the fire breather |
Inspired by the fire breather |
Inspired by the fire breather |
Volcano cake inspired by the fire breather |
The above three inspired by Le Silence |
Foodscape/sculpture of the Broadway Tower with an imaginative landscape surrounding it! |
To go with the Rubik's Cube animation
And the poems that were inspired by the harp music:
that sound calms
me down every
time I hear
it going past
nice and fast
just the
way I
dream
it
--B
SOUND OF BEAUTY
The brush of a harp.
The melody.
The sound.
The feeling.
The beauty.
--No
ANGELS
It feels like
angels are flying
over me,
playing their soothing harps,
sounds relaxing.
--Na
FLOWERS AND HARPS
When I think of flowers
I remember the
sound of harps. They are
both peaceful and
relaxing. They make me feel
safe.
--Jo
peace harmony
freedom
happiness
Litmus
Lozenge
vengeance sorrow
pain agony
honor courage
respect
--Re
TWOs
Two harps
play
two beautiful
sounds
like two flowers
twirling around and
around
like two friends
caring for
each other
like two blue jays
singing
sister and brother
like two people
giving gifts on special days
like two children
wanting
to play
like two angels
watching
for us
like two harps
playing
two
beautiful
sounds.
--Ra
Had to remember
A loved one.
Running my fingers on the strings making
Peaceful music.
--M
NICE SOUNDS
That sound, what is that
it's so...peaceful.
It makes me calm down,
overjoyed, I went to where
it came from.
It was at a church
it was a girl playing
her harp.
I walk in and
she stops, she looks
at me then looks away
and starts playing
again.
--G
HARPS
The music from heaven
letting us know the right way
like a rainbow in the clear sky
it is quiet music that
makes us feel safe.
--Y
HARP
The music is peaceful
like crickets making music.
All the sounds come together
like every feather of a bird.
This piece had harmony
like a two instrument symphony.
Playing my harp
making beautiful music.
Plucking the strings,
playing something inspirational.
Inspiration,
that made this poem.
--J
no stopping
back and forth, forth and back.
no stopping; for there is no
time in this new world.
back and forth, forth and back.
as i lean against ellis,
i try to remember those days.
back and forth, forth and back.
one year more until
this war is out of my head.
back and forth, forth and back.
my life is full of melodies,
and i need them to live.
--S
Monday, April 29, 2013
Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations.29
Photo by Sara&Joachim, from Wikimedia Commons |
MEERKAT JUMP ROPE RHYME
eenie
meenie
miney
mo
three little meerkats
all in a row
one looks left
and one looks right
and the third won't
let you out of his sight
three little meerkats
all in a row
eenie
meenie
miney
mo
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
Wait!
Did you hear that?
Stand still;
Hesitate.
Become the world -
Become the landscape -
Become a statue
and do nothing but
wait.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
The podcast of this poem is here.
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
"Meerkat"
Me?
Meerkat.
You think I'm kinda funny looking?
Those stripes
on my back?
unique.
none of the other
fifty fellows
in my large mob
(or some people call it a gang or clan)
look exactly like me.
That hairless patch on my belly?
The place
where my black skin shows through?
That absorbs heat while I'm standing
on my rear legs,
early in the morning
after cold Kalahari desert nights.
And those big eyes
on the front of my face?
For watching.
African tribesmen
trust me to
protect their villages
from werewolves
that attack stray cattle
And I gotta take my turn at sentry duty
while others are foraging.
We forage for food
every day
Meerkats don't carry around
any stored body fat.
That long curved claw?
That little hummer
can dig my weight
in sand in only seconds.
Mostly, I'm foraging for insects
but if I'm really hungry
I might dig up a scorpion.
Not to brag,
but did I mention
that unlike you humans
I'm immune to
the venom of scorpions.
And those black crescent-shaped ears?
they close.
keep out soil
when I'm digging
pretty handy
a fella's gotta be able to hear
to protect himself
from brothers
who might want to kill him
to up their status
in our meerkat mob.
My long tapering tail?
Yeah, it's different
from my bushy-tailed
mongoose relatives.
That tail helps me balance when I stand upright,
And I use it
for signaling.
The Dutch didn't call me
stick tail
for nothing.
Me?
Sun angel.
You still think I'm kinda funny looking?
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Linda (TeacherDance):
Mom says:
“Look at the camera, children.
Smile for Daddy!”
But I keep thinking that something’s up,
and Billy and Jake need to keep their eyes open
for
jackals on the left
lions on the right
and I need to look up
for the eagles.
They call us merely-cats
but we’re always lookin’.
Okay Mom,
we’re going to smile now.
Oops, where’s Billy!
©Linda Baie, 2013
From Cathy (Merely Day by Day):
Sentries
together
we listen for
hawks,
jackals,
eagles.
we watch
tirelessly.
together
we stand
while others
hunt
for lizards,
insects,
birds.
foraging
for food.
we are
ready
at a moment's
notice
to bark
our call,
warning all
to take cover,
to hide
deep
in our tunnels.
together
we stand
strong,
we protect,
we are
the lookouts,
guarding
our mob.
together
we are
one.
©Cathy Mere, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Screen Free Week, Concussions and Stuff...
A Year of Reading will be taking part in Screen Free Week 2013. This is a week for turning off screens to find more time to read, play, hang out with family, etc. Our Screen Free Week will begin after Mary Lee's National Poetry Month series ends on April 30. We will be off the blog from May 1-May 5.
Franki will have an extended Screen Free Week. Due to a never-ending concussion, she will most likely be unable blog for 4-6 weeks. Mary Lee will cover on her own for a while (as she has been for weeks) as Franki takes time to recover.
Enjoy your time during Screen Free Week!
Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations.28
Photos by Gideon Pisanty (Gidip) גדעון ×¤×™×–× ×˜×™, from Wikimedia Commons |
This photographer has five photos of this female long-horned bee collecting nectar and pollinating this flower. Yesterday's photo prompted poems about work, and perhaps today's will, too. That seems fitting, because today is Workers' Memorial Day, "an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work."
BEES
clamber
climb
pry
nectar
pollen
sky
home
hive
fly
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
My leg gets stuck
at every opening
I crawl into
so that I must always
ask for help
before returning
home.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
From Margaret (Reflections on the Teche):
fly
buzz
land
flower
sweet
syrup
busy
happy
bee
©Margaret Simon, 2013
From Linda (TeacherDance):
We appreciate
the time the bees
are busy buzzy,
making their knees
fat and golden,
pollen fuzzy.
©Linda Baie, 2013
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
"ABC's of Honeybees"
Apian adventurers
busily buzzing
ceaselessly collecting
diving and delving
ever exploring
fragrant flowers
groping gardens
hoping honey's
ingredients are inside.
joyfully journeying
keenly kavorting
looking leads to
miraculous meadow of
never-ending nectar
obviously the only option is to
pull from petals make
ready for recycling
suck into second stomach
through tubular tongue
unload and use
working wings to dehydrate
extract any extras
zweeeeeet!
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations.27
Breakfast Break of the Scaffolders Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-09409 / CC-BY-SA |
Work and rest. That's what's on my mind today.
From Linda (TeacherDance):
Each day in April, I will feature media from the Wikimedia Commons ("a database of 16,565,065 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute") along with bits and pieces of my brainstorming and both unfinished and finished poems.
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
The trick
is learning to rest
in the midst
of your work.
That,
and balance.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Linda (TeacherDance):
Breaktime (in the clouds)
high time for breakfast
did you bring the news
I have a bag of donuts
for munching with the views
I can balance here on top
while I take my break
just don’t want the wind
to come and give a little shake
©Linda Baie, 2013
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
"Precarious"
Look
the view
from up here
head brushing clouds
fingertips cold steel
please
be still
don't lean much
because my perch
is precarious
your
courage
is making
me a little
uncomfortable.
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
"Precarious"
Look
the view
from up here
head brushing clouds
fingertips cold steel
please
be still
don't lean much
because my perch
is precarious
your
courage
is making
me a little
uncomfortable.
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
My grandfather worked this place,
with brothers and cousins
and fellow blue-collar heroes,
riveting steel into the skyline
as dreamed by those down below ...
I listen to Springsteen -
with chords and lyrics
and stories of working-class men -
driving this steel on wheels
to spend hours in those towers ...
At lunch, I study the skyline,
watch the clouds,
imagine the dangerous balancing act
my grandfather's crew performed
each day, every day,
as they built this city,
from the bottom up.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations.26
Creative Commons photo by Brocken Inaglory. The image was edited by user:Alvesgaspar From Wikimedia Commons Featured Images: Natural Phenomena |
BUBBLE
thin
skin:
just
water
and
soap
clear sphere:
a vessel
of hope
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
Hold me gently:
fingertips touching tender skin;
for inside,
I remain invisible
and vulnerable to the way things have been.
I float above this world,
in a cloak of color
but my rainbow drains easily,
so be gentle.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
A gentle puff
rainbow carriage
appears
dancing
shimmering
glimmering
inviting me
to journey
to a magical
far away
fairy world.
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Margaret (Reflections on the Teche):
in a bubble
like a looking glass
transparent
spherical
silky
slide across
slip inside
pop
fly!
©Margaret Simon, 2013
From Lisa (steps and staircases):
and a haiku:
Bubble reflecting
my home, my world, me; this day
an island in time
my home, my world, me; this day
an island in time
©Lisa
From Cathy (Merely Day by Day):
Bubbles
Bubble, Bubble,
blow, blow.
Bubble, bubble,
grow, grow.
Bubble, bubble,
soar, soar.
Bubble, bubble,
more, more.
Bubble, bubble,
fly, fly,
Bubble, bubble,
high, high,
Bubble, bubble,
drop, drop,
Bubble, bubble,
Pop!
Pop!
©Cathy Mere, 2013
Laura Purdie Salas has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Writing the World for Kids.
Here is the other media I've featured this week (and, of course, the poems the media inspired--poems by me, and by the three or four other people who have been playing along with me this month):
Thursday: Photo of Broadway Tower
Wednesday: Video of a Sushi Train
Tuesday: Sound of Birdsong
Monday: "Irises" by Vincent VanGogh
Sunday: Animation of a Rubik's Cube (edited to add a video made by one of my students of him solving the cube in under 20 seconds)
Saturday: Old Map of San Antonio, TX
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations.25
Broadway Tower, Cotswolds, England (Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year for 2007) Creative Commons photo by Newton2 (cropped by Yummifruitbat) |
FAIRY TALE
Once upon a long ago,
I stood before a tower.
Magic blew in from the east;
the hero met the coward.
Obstacles were overcome,
the happily came after.
Evil withered, crumbled, turned
the page to the next chapter.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
I light a match
to this cardboard castle
and burn the story to the ground,
finally free after so many years
of the roles into which we have been thrust:
the hero in shining armor
the damsel in distress
the fool juggling lives before the fickle king.
So now begins the new adventure,
free from the shackles of past
riding hard and fast
into the fading sun.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
The podcast is here.
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
“Castle Dream”
the day is all about blue sky
and green grass and
a few wispy clouds and
i will march right up
to the enormous stone castle
after crossing the moat
filled with hungry alligators
i will lift the lions head knocker
bang authoritatively
on the heavy wooden door
and proclaim
i am a long lost princess
here to meet my prince
please let me into
and they lived happily ever after…
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Linda (TeacherDance):
A Plea
Will you come to my castle fair?
I am so awfully lonely there.
‘Tis sitting tall at the top of a hill
and surrounding land is bereft and still.
No forest primeval’s near this hold;
no witches or dragons to shiver you cold.
Just me in the upper turrets of stone
wanting, oh wanting to call you home.
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
“Castle Dream”
the day is all about blue sky
and green grass and
a few wispy clouds and
i will march right up
to the enormous stone castle
after crossing the moat
filled with hungry alligators
i will lift the lions head knocker
bang authoritatively
on the heavy wooden door
and proclaim
i am a long lost princess
here to meet my prince
please let me into
and they lived happily ever after…
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Linda (TeacherDance):
A Plea
Will you come to my castle fair?
I am so awfully lonely there.
‘Tis sitting tall at the top of a hill
and surrounding land is bereft and still.
No forest primeval’s near this hold;
no witches or dragons to shiver you cold.
Just me in the upper turrets of stone
wanting, oh wanting to call you home.
©Linda Baie, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
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