Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty-Six

We've reached the end of Poetry Month and I have mixed feelings about it.  I'll be happy to be free of the pressure of writing a poem every day and putting my post together.  Some days I'm so busy, it feels a bit oppressive, but when I finish, it always feels great!  On the other hand, I'll miss the online communication with the other participants of A to Z Poetry, as well as other bloggers I've gotten to know this month!

One thing's for sure - I'll be writing and posting poetry on a more regular basis now.  Although I'm a rhymer (a habitual one at that), I've never really considered myself a poet - I've always thought of myself as a picture book writer.  But, after a month of writing daily poems in a wide variety of styles on a wide variety of topics, I think I've earned the moniker - Poet!

Thanks to Rena Traxel for hosting this wonderful challenge and to my fellow "poets" for the encouragement and kind remarks - you really kept me going!

Now, onto my Zig Zag poem.

Z is for Zig Zag

For twenty-six days
days I have written
written twenty-six poems
poems about ability and books
books about cento poems
poems about doctors and epigrams
epigrams like fractured fairy tales
tales filled with glee and haiku heroes
heroes and other inspirations
inspirations as simple as jingles
jingles for kids who like limericks
limericks written by Mother Goose about nature
nature filled with onomatopoeia
onomatopoeia plopped in prose
prose, you question, or rhyme?
rhyme used in sonnets
sonnets you tweet
tweet something universal about vampires
vampires who suck words
words you should ixnay
ixnay what you write
write in zig zag
zig zag to the end

Here's how you sign ZIG ZAG:

Here's how to sign THE END:  

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty-Five

Y is for You

I can't believe I made it through the first 24 days of A to Z Poetry Month without missing a day and then I go and blow it on the 25th day!!  So close and yet so far - but yesterday, life just got in the way!  Because we have Sundays off for good behavior, I'm going to post my poem today instead.  


Rena challenged us to "write a poem about yourself".  I have a busy day ahead - again - so I'm going to post an old poem.  The last time I was asked to write a poem about myself was for an English class in my Sophomore year of college - just a few years ago :-)  I wrote it on a cocktail napkin the night before it was due - some things never change (the cocktails and the procrastination)!  Here it is in all it's original glory:

I think I'm too short.

My friends say, "Yes"

My mom says, "No"

I think I'm too fat.

My friends say, "Yes"

My mom says, "No"

I think I talk too much.

My friends say, "Yes"

My mom says, "No"

I think I'll move back home.

My friends say, "YES!"

My mom says, "NOOOO!"

Here's how to sign YOU:

 Here's how to sign NO:

 Here's how to sign YES:
 

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty-Four

Have you ever heard of the Found Poetry Project?  I hadn't, until I read Rena's post today at On the Way to Somewhere!  It's very cool - check it out.  

X is for ixnay

IgPay atinLay

atsthay what I eakspay.

ometimesay in osepray,

ometimesay in ymerhay.

alwaysay in igPay atinLay!

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Here's how to sign XEROX:

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty-Three

Today, at On the Way to Somewhere, Rena Traxel's wonderful guest blogger, Debbie LaCroix, shared her wisdom about the five W's.  Check it out!  

W is for 'W' Words

When I was a wily child,

the tricks I played were naughty.

When I was a willful teen,

my attitude was haughty.

When I was winsome bride,

I tried hard not to show it,

When I was a watchful mom

I prayed I wouldn't blow it!

When I was a wistful mom

I missed my children dearly.

Now that I'm a wiser soul, 

I see the world more clearly.


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Here's how to sign WISE:

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty-Two

Before I tell you about today's A to Z Poetry Challenge, I wanted to remind you of a post I wrote on April 22, about three causes I feel are worth your attention.  If you haven't already read it, you can link to it here.  

Also, check out today's guest on Rena's blog, Renee LaTulippe, the host of the wonderful blog No Water River, on which she features videos of poets reading their poems!

Now on to today's challenge: Write a poem about a vampire.  Here it is:

V is for Vampire

I fly in the air

It's blood that I drink

I'm a mosquito

What did you think?

I stay up all night.

I sleep in the day.

I am an owl.

Who, did you say?

I've got two fangs

I like to lie low

I am a snake

Didn't you know?

Put them together

and what will you get

A vampire of course

You guessed that - I bet!

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Here's how to sign VIDEO:

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty-One

Rena's challenge for today is to "write a poem that depicts your universe that you think others could relate to."  Here's my poem:

U is for Universal

Life is like juggling and that is a fact.
Sometimes it feels like a balancing act!


Family and friends - my students, my boss,
Some of the "balls in the air" that I toss.



Shopping and cooking - laundry and cleaning,
Picking up poops in the yard - so demeaning!



Writing, revising then writing some more,
Counting rejections - but, who's keeping score?


Going to conferences, workshops and meetings,
Taking a break makes me feel like I'm cheating.


Updating websites and posting on blogs
In between feeding and walking my dogs


Twitter and Facebook -  a new "friend" request,
Next off to LinkedIn and then Pinterest!


Finally, exhausted, I lay down to sleep,
I count all my blessings, and then I count sheep!

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Here's how to sign UNIVERSE:

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Twenty

Today's challenge for the A to Z Poetry Challenge is to write a tweet poem!  It was way easier than I thought it would be, since I'm definitely not a person of few words!!  Here's my Pweet:

T is for Tweet

So much to say

in just a few words.

They call them tweets

'cause they're for the birds!

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Here's how to sign BIRD:

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Blogging From A to Z - Day 22

Because I'm participating in the A to Z Poetry Challenge, my daily posts have been poems and have served double duty for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  We have Sundays off at the Poetry Challenge, so I'm free to post about anything I'd like.  I've run across several worthy causes recently so I thought I'd share them and hopefully help increase participation and donations!   Here they are, in no particular order:

1 - We Give Books: 

"We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.

Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf."

How great is that?

2 - Water Forward:


I'll let them explain it - why reinvent the wheel?


                                   


Can you imagine not having clean water?  We take so many things like that for granted - we're very lucky!!


3 - Alexandra Blaszczuk:
Although this is for just one person, I have to share it.  Alexandra Blaszczuk was a 2005 graduate of Stevenson High School, where I work two days a week.  Last fall, while Alexandra was a student at Columbia University Law School, she was injured in a car accident and is now a quadriplegic!  She wants to finish law school and then practice law, so they've started a trust to raise money to help with her expenses.  I watched the videos and was so impressed by Alexandra - I know you will be too!  

I dare you to watch them and not feel moved to help her!

                              


                              

If you find any of these causes worthy, please forward them on to your friends and families - thanks!

Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Nineteen

Rena's at it again - today we had to write a sonnet!  Seriously?  Well, at least she said we could make it funny!  I think it's appropriate that the sign for 'S' is a fist, as if to say "Curse you, sonnet!!"   I really agonized over this one but I think it turned out ok!  What do you think?

S is for Sonnet

I'd easily curse you for giving this choice,

or praise you for making me stretch.

You've forced me to write with a new kind of voice.

A voice that belongs to a kvetch!

I'm not a big fan of this odd form of verse,

the rules seem to change all the time.

The samples I read went from bad to worse -

well, mostly the ones not in rhyme.

And what's up with all the Shakespearean words?

I don't understand them one bit!

The number of words could be cut down by thirds.

Just get off the pot or ____.

I'm now at the end.  I'm done for the day.

I've written a sonnet - hip-hip hooray!!




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Here's how to sign KVETCH:

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Eighteen

R is for Rhyme - about time!

Today's challenge is to write in rhyme - can you feel me smiling?  On her blog, Rena shared some tips from an article written by Kari-Lynn Winters.  That gave me the idea of sharing some rules of rhyme I always try to follow.  Here they are:

Rules of Rhyme for a Reason

Show - don't tell and don't tell - show.

That's one rule you oughta know!

Meter matters - count your beats,

The only thing worse than bad meter is stinky feets.

 Near rhymes make me go insane,
'M' and 'N' are not the same.

Make sure rhyming fits your story,

Not so great for gross or gory, 

Say things in their normal order,

Blame it, don't, on some disorder.

Be unique - you won't regret it,
If you do - they won't forget it!

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Here's how to sign REASON:

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Seventeen

Rena Traxel had a great post about writing queries and had a link to her first blog interview at The Writer's Block as well as a link to Ishta Mercurio's blog.  Here's the offer Ishta made: If your query letter needs a fresh set of eyes, you can email it to ishtamerc@gmail.com to be featured on Ishta’s Query Workshop every Wednesday on her blog at www.ishtamercurio.blogspot.com.  I don't know about you, but I'm going to send one in!!

Now to my poem for day Seventeen.  Rena left us to our own devices so I'm trying something new.  When I thought of questions, it reminded me of the game on Whose Line is it Anyway, where everything you say must be int he form of a question.  I have no idea what to make of this but I'm keeping it!

Q is for Questions

                     Do you like my poem?                                     

                  Why do you ask?

   Is it a crime to want feedback?                     

                                      What is this, Law and Order?

Don't you just love Lenny?                              

                                                  Wasn't he in Beauty and the Beast?

                      Do you like Musicals?                                     

                                                   They're a lot like poetry, aren't they?

         Oh yeah - do you like my poem?                    

                   Why do you ask?

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Here's how to sign QUERY:

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2012 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem - Day 19

Today is day nineteen of the 2012 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem and it's my turn to add a line. Thanks to Irene Latham at Live Your Poem for creating and organizing this project!

Let me start by apologizing to all the poets who came before me and those yet to follow!  I was really hoping we'd be building a humorous, rhyming poem - I'm way out of my league here!  Who knew writing one line could be so difficult?!   I'll do my best :-)

If you are reading this
you must be hungry

Kick off your silver slippers

Come sit with us a spell

A hanky, here, now dry your tears

And fill your glass with wine

Now, pour. The parchment has secrets

Smells of a Moroccan market spill out.

You have come to the right place, just breathe in.

Honey, mint, cinnamon, sorrow. Now, breathe out

last week's dreams. Take a wish from the jar.

Inside, deep inside, is the answer...

Unfold it, and let us riddle it together,

...Strains of a waltz. How do frozen fingers play?

How do fennel, ginger, saffron blend in the tangine?

Like broken strangers bound by time, they sisterdance...

their veils of sorrow encircle, embrace

Feed your heart with waltzes and spices.
Feed your soul with wine and dreams.

The last line is mine - now I pass the torch on to Heidi Mordhorst at "my juicy little universe" - can't wait to see what she adds!

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Poetry Month Mash-Up: Day Sixteen

I was afraid of this - Rena chose Prose as her challenge for today!  I'm protesting the prose prompt - please peruse my pryhming poem:

P is for (not) Prose

I'm bad at prose - heaven knows!

It's really nothing new.

I write in rhyme - every time,

And aren't you glad I do?

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