50 Precious Words Contest

My friend, Vivian Kirkfield created a writing challenge that brought this blog out of a deep, deep, deep freeze!!  I can't believe it's been almost two years since I've posted here!  My goal is to start posting more frequently, leading up to my April's Poetry Month posts!  For some reason that now escapes me, I didn't post my daily poems here last year - just on Facebook.  Well, this year I'm back to posting them here - so please check back often!!

Now, back to Vivian's 50 Precious Words Contest!  Basically, she's challenging people to write a kid-friendly story in 50 words or less!  You can read all about the reason (Dr. Seuss) and rules for the contest, as well as other entries at this link.  

So, here's my 50-word story (of course it's in rhyme!):

I QUIT

My friend put forth a challenge that I thought was pretty nifty.

To write a story, using words, and limit it to 50.

But, now I’ve had a change of heart.  This contest is absurd!

There’s just no way to wrap things up with only two more words.

I quit!

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Summer Shorts & Sweets with Susanna Hill

My writer friend, Susanna Hill, started a new series called Summer Shorts & Sweets.  Every week, she's posting a new challenge to write something - you guessed it - short & sweet.



This week's challenge is to choose four numbers from 1 - 10 and then select the corresponding Character, Setting, Time & Situation. 


It was a lot of fun - go to her site to do it for yourselves!I'd love for you to share your stories here!!

Here are the selections I had to work with.  It's supposed to be 50 - 100 words but I used 145.

1 - A pirate who likes to sing
9 - The moon
5 - Sitting down to breakfast
7 - Someone’s pride has been injured

There once was a pirate who sailed on the sea,
And secretly wished he could join the show Glee.

He longed to meet Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn,
To sing with Santana and Artie and Finn.

He said, to himself, with a hearty Yo-ho,
“By hook or by crook I will get on that show!”

He sat down to breakfast and charted his route,
Then sailed to LA - with nary a doubt.

He practiced his songs by the light of the moon,
And saw, by the stars, he’d reach Hollywood soon.

He followed his map on his Glee expedition
Then burst through the gates to perform his audition.

He sang about jewels and parrots and gold,
But he was rejected, “You’re simply too old!”

Although he was hurt that they told him to “stuff it”,
He sailed off in search of the great Jimmy Buffet!

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Birthday Contest for Children's Writers!

Susanna Leonard Hill is having a birthday contest on her blog! The challenge is to write a birthday story in 300 words or less. The story below is my entry. There are thirteen other entries (as of right now) and the competition is stiff! Head over to her site to read them all! If you're a writer, hurry up and join the contest - the deadline is 11:59 PM EDT on Tuesday, May 22 - that's tomorrow!!

Birthday Surprise!

With Henry's birthday coming up, we planned a celebration.
We thought we'd catch him by surprise and cause a huge sensation!


We hung up streamers, big balloons and cooked his favorite treats,
Then shut the lights and held our breath and waited in our seats.


And when, at last, the doorbell rang, we pictured his surprise.
Imagining the look of shock we'd see in Henry's eyes.


We lit the lights and yelled, "SURPRISE!" with hollers and with hoots,
But Henry had his own surprise - he wore his birthday suit!

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A To Z Poetry Challenge - Pick Your Favorite

Over on Rena Traxel's Blog, On The Way To Somewhere, to wrap up last month's poetry challenge, she has posted seven 
poems by seven of the participating poets. Visit her site, read the poems, and vote for your favorite.  Voting will close on May 24 at 11:45pm (mountain time) and the winners will be announced on May 25.

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!

Here's how to sign FOUND: 

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.


Here's how to sign WORD:

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!

Here's how to sign VAMPIRE:

Here's how to sign VIDEO:

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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!

Here's how to sign TALKATIVE:

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!!




Here's how to sign STRETCH:

Here's how to sign KVETCH:

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