WRITERS AT WORK, regularly scheduled for today, will appear tomorrow this week so that I can announce this month’s honored poets.
First, the Word of the Month poets chosen by our panel of distinguished judges.
ADULTS
Ken Slesarik for his poem, “Yeti’s Promise.” Ken is from Arizona and last month tied with Mary Nida Smith (Arkansas) for the Hall of Fame voting. Here’s a comment from one of the judges. “Certainly original, with a touch of the absurd! This imaginative poem has an interesting rhyme scheme, with line 7′s chime echoing loud and clear. Repeat vowel sounds also work well: ‘sassafrassin’ and ‘horoscopes in hopes.’ Congratulations, Ken!
Runner-up for May’s Word of the Month Poet is Cory Corrado from Montreal for her poem, “Promises.” One judge had this to say about Cory’s poem. “I love these lines especially: ‘Buzzing pollen kisses,’ ‘Cherrilicious red harvest,’ and ‘Nature’s pledge-unspoken, unbroken.’ Way to go, Cory!
Several past winners in both divisions who are ineligible to win again during this cycle nevertheless joined in the fun of Word of the Month and entertained us with their work. Thanks to Gay Fawcett, Julie Krantz, Steven Withrow, and other previous winners who continue to support W.O.M.
YOUNG POETS
Every judge commented on how strong the young poets’ work was in May. As a group they all deserve much credit.
The poet selected to be May Word of the Month Young Poet is Maya Dayal who attends 6th grade in Ohio at Maumee Valley Country Day School and whose teacher is Jana Smith. Maya’s poem is “Broken Home, Broken Field.” Congratulations, Maya. The judges were moved by and loved your poem!
In a close second place is Emma Lavetter-Keiden, a 5th grader at Maumee Valley whose teacher, Nan Valuck, posted her lovely poem, “Balance.” Here’s what one judge had to say about Emma’s poem. “I like the light and dark contrast created in this poem: ‘One shedding light/ The other stealing it.’ The occasional use of a single word per line is effective. Repetition works well in the last three lines. A nice piece of writing — with an air or mystery about it.”
I should mention that a previous winner in both divisions (Word of the Month Young Poet and also Monthly Hall of Fame Young Poet) turned in another strong effort this month. He couldn’t win again during this period but we still appreciated the work of P. Andrew Pipatjarasgit for his poem, “The King’s ‘Grammer.’”
Now we turn to May’s Hall of Fame Poets who were selected by popular vote from readers and fans.
ADULT
Jackie Huppenthal from Indiana wins in a tight race for her poem, “It’s Sneaky — Be Aware.” Previous winners who were also in the race include Gay Fawcett for her poem, “Foolish Games,” Ken Slesarik for his poem, “Yeti’s Promise,” Steven Withrow for his poem, “Right Whale Bones,” and Janet Gallagher for her poem, “Promises.”
YOUNG POETS
Our winning poet for May is Ishani Gupta, grade 5, for her poem, “Unbroken.” Runnerup is Rory Hopkins, grade 5, for his poem, “Curse You Homework.” Rory’s poem is the only one for two voices that we’ve ever received. Both students are from Maumee Valley Country Day School in Toledo, Ohio.
Congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone who spent the time and effort to participate in the month’s Word of the Month exercise. I’m grateful and I look forward to your contributions next month. And now . . .
This week my Featured Guest is poet Avis Harley. Avis lives in Canada and is a retired teacher. Here is the bio she sent to share and wouldn’t you know, some of it’s in rhyme. This is a refreshing way to read a bio! Here’s Avis.
AVIS HARLEY
Born in Vancouver
close by the sea,
she earned an MA
from the U. of B.C.
A teacher, writer,
mother, and wife,
lover of poetry
all of her life—
she’s now retired
and devotes her time
to the crafty business
of Rhythm-and-Rhyme.
Avis has worked in elementary schools in Canada and England, and has given poetry presentations in Canada, U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan. She has also taught at the University of British Columbia in the Language and Literacy Department, exploring ways to bring children and poetry together with teachers and librarians.
Her early love of poetry grew into a life-long interest in experimenting with words, rhythms, patterns, and poetic forms. Avis has written and illustrated Fly with Poetry: An ABC of Poetry; its companion book, Leap into Poetry: More ABCs of Poetry; and The Monarch’s Progress: Poems with Wings.
Her poetry book, Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems is illustrated with photographs by Margaret Butschler. The photographer for African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways is Deborah Noyes. Many of her poems are published in anthologies and magazines, and are largely focused on the natural world.
Now retired from teaching, Avis enjoys hiking, gardening, crosswords, reading, and music—especially singing. She lives with her husband in Vancouver, British Columbia. They have one son.
Thank you, Avis. I look forward to introducing you tomorrow!
If you want to reread the May Word of the Month poems, I’ve posted them below the ballot boxes. David
POEMS BY ADULTS
1) For You
There is a glamour in your eyes,
Soft the south wind sighs,
pale the lonely stars above,
while the night will promise dreams of love.
There is romance in your smile-
wait for me a little while,
let me prove that love is true
all my hearts’ saved for you
– Don Barrett
2) Said the Pony to the Lab
Foraging along fence lines
Pony pauses, lab draws near
Hey, you Labrador, c’mere
Check out my domain, all mine
Queen of screamin’ green
Pleads, eyelids dancing
Lab approaches, prancing
Butter me up, promises keen
And I’ll be your quiet king,
And turn screamin’ green serene….
– Sidanne
3) Foolish Games
It was a foolish game.
Rubber bands around purple wrists,
Fingers cold and tingly,
Imagining blood would cease
And icy fingers would drop
Screaming for life
To the floor.
But the foolish game ended.
Rubber bands returned to junk drawers,
Fingers warm and alive,
Imaginations running on
For other childish games
To be enjoyed
And discarded
.
So is the tyrant’s game.
As he sifts through his junk drawer,
Looking for rubber bands
He seems warm and alive,
His people heed the promise,
And we just look
For more new games.
Oppression squeezes tighter.
Like rubber bands on purple wrists
Once screaming for life,
The oppressed grow icy
And drop to the floor.
There’s no return–
And foolish games go on.
– gay fawcett
4) No Promise
The word of love
Friends forever
A guarantee
Easily broken
Cross your heart
Hope to die
Sworn to love
Death do us part
Shouldn’t be said
If easily broken
For part of the heart
Dies and promises
Blow in the wind.
Promises, Promises, Promises
I want them all
Some say my order’s too tall
I want health, wealth, happiness
I’ve been told that is just sappiness
The world’s opportunities are
new each day
I can gather my desires all
along the way
Peace, joy, health are mine
Moving toward wealth all the time
I am greatful for blessings
come true
Accept the promises in you.
– Janet Kay Gallagher
6) Right Whale Bones Eubalaena glacialis
One day I’ll take a whale watch boat
To see your great descendants float
And breach up their enormous girth,
Before they perish from the earth.
That day I’ll hear their right whale song,
And I will gladly sing along,
As they intone with mammal mirth,
Before they perish from the earth.
And if I’m lucky, I’ll have spied
An infant calf by mother’s side,
Who weighs a ton his day of birth,
Before they perish from the earth.
Your skeleton is ghostly white,
But I will join your faithful fight.
If humans learn your precious worth,
You’ll never perish from the earth.
This way, please.
It’ll only take a minute.
Do we have your paperwork…?
Okay, yes—here we go.
There.
Now, that was easy, wasn’t it?
We’ll have the results on Tuesday.
What time?
Oh, I can’t say.
But they’ll be here by—
Yes, I promise.
Excuse me?
What will they show?
Oh, my.
Nothing you have to worry about,
I’m sure.
What…?
How can I be so sure?
Oh, I see—
you’re not sure.
Ummm… well, yes.
That’s a possibility.
Uh-hmm…yes.
That, too—
but… as I was saying—
we’ll have the results….
What?
What if…?
Oh.
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Tests are one thing;
results are another.
What did you say?
Oh—your mother had it.
I see.
And your grandmother?
Oh… dear.
Well, remember…
the tests are just routine—
Me?
No. I’ve never—
Why?
Well, because . . .
I’ve never been exposed to,
you know…
Here, please…
take this.
Don’t cry.
Ah, that’s better now.
Yes, I know.
I know.
Nothing’s guaranteed,
is it?
There, there.
Everything will be okay,
you’ll see…
Please—stop!
You’re upsetting the other patients.
Okay… okay…
I’m sorry—
I—you—we… we’ll just have to wait—
Oh, don’t mention it…
we all have bad days.
– julie Krantz
8) Yeti’s Promise
Yeti made a privy promise
between him and Sheriff Thomas.
Pledgin’ to stay out of trouble
in lieu of costs with fines double.
One night, the Yeti, out from hidin,’
tryin’ to be law abidin,’
had the urge to “kick it.”
Root beer lead to sassafraassin’
so he was cited for harassin’
bystanders and pedestrians.
Then we mad equestrians,
gathered guns and tawny ropes.
Some read their horoscopes in hopes
of guidance in the thicket.
The search, it lingered on for days
then somethin’ moved beyond the haze.
It spooked the horses and the men.
We heard it once and then again.
In that darkness he approached us,
then smiled and said “Buenos noches,
how ‘bout a game of cricket?”
Not lookin’ for a fight that night
we played cricket by the moonlight.
The game, was too complex for us
and he was ambidextrous.
We thought we were appeasin’ him
and no one teased him on a whim,
yet he began to picket.
“Your promise, Yeti, that’s why we’re here
just pay your fine, no need to fear.”
“We’ve searched and you’ve eluded us.”
“Don’t picket and be rude to us.”
Then shots rang out, the chase was on.
We think we hit him but he’s gone…
and someone paid the ticket.
– Copyright 2011 by Ken Slesarik
All Rights Reserved
9) Broken
You promised!
I didn’t. I said I would try.
You promised!
I didn’t.
You did! And you lied!
I said…
You would do it.
If it could be done.
You promised you’d do it
I said…Stop! Don’t run.
I’m leaving. You promised. You promised.
Don’t cry.
You promised you’d stay.
Please don’t go.
No! Goodbye…
– liz korba
10) It’s Sneaky – Be Aware
I’m going crazy
out of my mind
that creepy little ivy
was the poisonous kind
I didn’t even know
that’s how this plant works
days later rash shows
it itches, it hurts
I try not to scratch
poor body’s rubbed red
each bump, swollen patch
keeps growing; it spreads
It’s vicious and mean
but I restrain; stay strong
apply calamine cream…
Still, recovery takes long
Well, I did learn a lesson,
how to ID and give care -
So now I promise you skin
I’ll watch out. I’ll beware!
– Jackie Huppenthal
11) Are You Sure?
Think before you speak.
Promises easily made
are often not kept.
– Beth Carter
12) The Promise
Boughs bare brown
Bounty-full buds flower blossoms vivid-white
Buzzing pollen kisses
Green leafy embrace
Cherrilicious red harvest
Nature’s pledge-unspoken, unbroken
True
– Cory Corrado
13) I Promise, I’ll Write It!
The paper sits before me.
It’s empty lines implore me.
The words inside are forming…
I promise….I’ll write it!
Oh yes, I have the plot.
Adventure and fun, I’ve got!
Characters, a mischievious lot…
I promise…I’ll write it!
And the ending, oh it will surprise!
Amazment right before your eyes!
Tears for girls, guffaws for guys…
I promise…I’ll write it!
I’ll get it all down, quick as a wink.
But, of course, I must take time to think.
O darn…my pen ran out of ink.
But I promise….I’ll write it!
– Martha Dinsdale
POEMS BY YOUNG POETS, GRADES 3-7
1) The King’s “Grammer”
(The title has a grammatical error in it because many of my friends say that I am “too perfect.”)
I once had a friend
That would give me a dollar
if I promised I would not correct his
or other people’s grammar.
I said, “Fine!” and the game was started.
Quickly however, I insisted I could not do it.
It was just far too hard.
Someone said an incomplete thought to me.
This is what I said:
“Your attempted formation of a sentence has failed, because you have not a predicate.”
Another friend said, “You Thailand people…”
This is what I said:
“When describing a nationality of a country, you use the demonym of the country,
not the country itself that you wish to describe from where that person is from.”
When a sparrow is born,
he will learn how to fly.
No one can say, “Don’t fly today!” to the sparrow.
It is natural;
The sparrow was born to fly,
and it is natural that a sparrow can and will fly.
Alas, a sparrow can only be a sparrow.
Thus being said, I can only be myself.
– P. Andrew Pipatjarasgit, grade 6
Teacher: Jana Smith
MVCDS
Toledo, Ohio
2) Broken Home, Broken Field
I look at the floor hoping to see my reflection against shimmering wood
But all I see is concrete
The bed is now grey fluff and rotting wood
It will never be the luxurious mattress that I wish it was
I draw my eyes to the broken window that you promised to fix last week
Clouds carrying thunder and lightning come closer each second
The land is dry like a prairie
But not as dry as a desert
The sun hides behind the clouds
like a child hides behind a maple tree
during a game of Hide-and-Go-Seek
Not a single ray beams over the once-was grass
Not a single bit of care was put into them
Just like the room
With the broken bed
– Maya Dayal, grade 6
Teacher: Jana Smith
MVCDS
Toledo, Ohio
3) Balance
The creature’s beauty
Was like that
Of a falling star
Aglow
With not only its own light
But with that of the moon as well
Its one horn
Protruding from its forehead
Gleamed
With a radiance
So blinding
Few
Could safely behold
And then
A figure
His blackness
Pure contrast
To her white coat
His features
Just a promise
Lost
In his dark aura
Swirling about him
Keeping everything back
One shedding light
The other stealing it
They race around the world
Always on opposite sides
For never
Do day and night meet
And as much as they wish otherwise
It must always be so
For equilibrium
For everyone
For balance
Emma Lavetter-Keiden, grade 5
Teacher-Nan Valuck
MVCDS
Toledo, OH
4) Unbroken
I’m two,
sitting on your lap
looking into your old eyes
You hold out your pinky
I peer at it…
“Promise me,”
You say,
“That you will
stay with me forever.”
I nodded my two-year-old head
And hold out mine.
I’m five
Packing my bags
With you,
We seal boxes
Tears stream from your eyes
As we load them into the car
I get in,
But you don’t.
You wipe a tear
I lean out
and whisper,
“I will always be with you,
Forever.
In there.”
I say
while pointing to your heart
You nod you 63-year-old head
and wave you hand
as the door shuts.
I’m seven,
Pushing past the hospital curtains
to find you,
Lying there.
I run to the side of your bed,
and grab your hand,
and repeat our promise.
We nod our heads
and look into each others eyes
I never thought that,
I would see you like this.
I sit there
Letting tears,
Drip from my eyes
until the nurse escorts me out.
Back then, I didn’t know
that we would
Never
meet again.
But now,
Every time
I gaze at the stars
I see your constellation,
Smiling down at me,
Pointing to your heart.
And there it is…
Our promise.
Unbroken
Adult: Sidanne for her poem, “Lately.” Judge’s comments: “Jaunty use of stream-of-consciousness (e.g. “…jumbled/And jangled and bruised”);
good use of internal/external rhyme and clever original metaphor (e.g. “…my wishbone/
My wand of what if?”) This is a playful, thought-provoking poem that is memorable and
fun to reread. The poet’s lyrical use of language reminds me of Millay and the syntax
reminds me of cummings.”
Runner-up: Ken Slesarik for his poem, “Halley’s Comet.” Judge’s comments: “The poet’s initial comments to the comet must have been made when he was twenty years old, and the pre-fun of figuring out his age only added to my enjoyment of Ken Slesarik’s poem.
The lines scan well, and I like the occasional surprise with the rhyme scheme—the couplets are not always written in one-syllable pairs. The rhyme “crisis…ices” has a beautiful ring to it, and I love the phrase: “mass of dust and ices.” Nice use of alliteration: “freak façade” and “with vim and vigor, vehemently.”
This poem is a great read-aloud, with the lively (although brief) dialogue between the comet and the poet.
But apart from appreciating the poet’s clever use of various poetic devices, this poem has a delightful element of fun in it. I think it would be enjoyed by readers of all ages.”
Young Adult, Grades 3-7: Evan D. Abdoo for his poem, “A Visit Inside.” Judge’s comments: “An imaginative journey inside a whale (a la Jonah!).
Original descriptions of “The eyes of a devil/
Stare blankly at my face/Like buttons on a doll/
Or small black holes in space.”
The touch of wit in the last stanza made me smile.”
Runer-up: Bailey Hannan for her poem, “Creature.” Judge’s comments: “I like the idea of giving the raindrop a personality—having it reach out “…like a mother reaching to her son.” The vivid images given in the list of “reaching” examples are very effective: the family, child, hunter, tree. This listing device works again under the “crawling” image: baby, climber, child, sketcher.
The poet uses similes beautifully, especially in the last line: “…like sand in the wind.” A lovely image to finish the poem.
Poets are observers, and the writer makes note of this in the 2nd stanza: “I observe…” Other important aspects of being a poet are also mentioned: “I watch” and “I wonder.” This poet really does observe, watch, and wonder at the beauty and mystery of a single raindrop.
There is great sensitivity in this poem.”
April Hall of Fame Poets chosen by ballot:
Adult: Tie between Mary Nida Smith for her poem, “Stay Out!” and Ken Slesarik for his poem, “Halley’s Comet.”
Young Poet: Tie between Evan D. Abdoo for his poem, “A Visit Inside,” and Peter Meyer for his poem, “Woodpecker.” The highest number of votes went to Samina Hejeebu for her poem, “Alone,” but Samina won in February and cannot be named winner again during this 12-month cycle. Thanks, Samina.
Congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone who made this another good month to celebrate poetry by exercising our imagination and writing poetry stimulated by a single word. Great job, everyone.
And now are you ready for the Word of the Month for May? Here it is:
BULLETIN: Yesterday my blog turned another milestone. It was visited for the 80,000th time. The visitor was a young writer named David Campbell III who has his own website where he posts his poems and stories. Thank you, David, for stopping by when you did. For visitors who want to know more about you and your budding career, here is the link to you site. Keep writing! http://storywritingexpress.wordpress.com /
REMINDER: You still have time to register for my poetry workshop in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, June 2-5. There is room for four more. Right now we have registered two from Quebec, two from Arizona, and one each from Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Pennyslvania. I look forward to meeting everyone and spending time together thinking, talking, writing, and reading poetry. It’s a lovely setting and we’ll have an enjoyable experience together.
Hi everyone,
Time to begin rereading all the poems posted for April Word of the Month and voting for your favorites to become the April Hall of Fame Poets. At the same time, our judges are hard at work deciding which poems they believe should be named as the April Word of the Month Poets.
Starting this month our lineup of judges has changed slightly in that Jane Yolen has left the panel and Avis Harley has joined. My thanks to Jane for all her help and welcome to Avis! Soon I’ll post a link to all of our judges. I know you enjoy their work and hope you will tell them so when you visit their sites.
POEMS BY ADULTS
1, BRADBURY’S ROCKETS by Steven Withrow
Bradbury’s rockets are targeting Mars
And packing enough plutonium power
To overshoot the nearest stars—
Rambling bumblebees rumbling flowers!
Bradbury’s rockets are held in a field
Of clipped Ohio summer grass,
Such spirited horses, whose wagons are wheeled
For homesteading Alpha Centauri. Alas—
Writing poetry.
Finding time and place
morning, noon, or night
they just come to me.
Riding my horse
while watching a plane in flight.
The stars come out so bright,
such beauty in outer space at night
the jet trail shines so bright.
I turn my pony toward home
all i can think of is good night.
6, Agora-acro-claustro-phobia and more by Jackie Huppenthal
I’m afraid to fly
but that’s not all
I don’t like heights
I don’t like tight places
I need elbow room
and lines are terrible
for me too
I don’t like people
bumping into me
nudging, shoving
stepping on my heels
I like to have space
but not up in the sky
stuck up high
in an airplane
you can’t get out
you can’t get away
and the bathrooms
are really small
no space to move
around in there at all
I don’t like being
confined
I like room
room to move around
but safe on the ground
no, I absolutely
don’t want to fall
from the sky
falling to the ground
from up high -
that scares me the most
I’m afraid to fly,
but I still want to.
I booked a flight
so I will be flying this July
and I’ll be praying
a lot.
7, Lately by Sidanne
The words are all jumbled
And jangled and bruised
Thoughts so contagious
Turn curly confused
My head’s in a tailspin
My minds all awhirl
Today I’m not sure
If I’m a boy or a girl
Where is my wishbone
My wand of what if?
I need a vacation
Just to float adrift
Thoughts all ajumble
Words out of pace
Just give me some headroom
My brain needs more space!
8, Halley’s Comet by Ken Slesarik
I could be curt and rather rude,
some say I had an attitude
for back in nineteen eighty-six
to Halley’s Comet I said this;
“Your show is such a boorish scam,
with freak facade so glib, not glam.
Then there’s your queer, lackluster tail,
it’s dreary, dull and downright pale.”
She growled, giving “the evil eye,”
and spoke to me while soaring by.
With vim and vigor, vehemently,
from outer space she said to me;
“Other comets may be brighter,
their gassy tails a little lighter,
but I can’t hack you talkin’ smack,
so boy you better watch your back.”
Today, I view it as a crisis
how that mass of dust and ices
can terrorize me all these years,
conjuring up my darkest fears.
So now in twenty sixty-one,
illuminated by the sun,
she’ll be back to power dive
and end my life at ninety-five.
Copyright 2011 by Ken Slesarik
All Rights Reserved
9, Timeline by julie Krantz
In the space
of a day—
or so it seems—
the winter-white world
turns yellowy-green.
In the space
of an hour—
or thereabouts—
daffodils bloom,
maples leaf-out.
In the space
of a minute—
no more,
no less—
crabapples fall,
storm winds
blow west.
In the space
of an instant—
a nano,
a blink—
the blistery sun
turns purplish-pink,
and the shadowy
moon
goes grey.
Snowflakes alight
in the blustery
night—
and the wintery
world…
is once again
white.
10, A Space Flight by liz korba
Infinite, open, deep, dark – not enough
A sky filled with stars – and my closet with stuff
The place between people
And words on a page
Distance that’s needed – not wanted
An Age
Of one – two dimensions
Those ads on TV
In magazines, papers – “Must Buy” “Guarantee”
A place for the car – and for trees, plants to grow
The freedom to come – and the freedom to go
To be independent, to ask and explore
“Space” is a word that makes space – and much more.
11, Lovers Wait by Don Barrett
Night flings her sable curtain
Across the space of the day
The twinkling stars come, one by one.
Down the milky way.
A little bird sings softly,
to its happy mate.
All the world is waiting for love-to celebrate
sweet springs returning,just as I wait for you
to come at dusk and find my lips with your kiss
which thrills me through.
12, Untitled by Sidanne
In the space of a trembling moment,
an infant walks and joins the giddy
ranks of toddlerhood.
In the space of years
passing, it seems momentarily,
a shy boy boards a bus
for his first ride to school.
In the space of wind rushing
through decades, an adolescent
yearning toward manhood
emerges ever upward, stretching
toward infinite potential.
In the space of my lifetime,
I have nurtured a miracle
that smiles and laughs
and joins wholeheartedly
into the tumble of space,
moments, days, years,
and reaches with open arms
toward the freedom of future.
I love to gaze at endless skies;
behold the boundless seas.
I love to wander among the trees;
look out into the vast unseen.
I love to meander with the stream
and delight in freedom’s flow.
Give me the space to find my place,
to set my pace and live with grace.
Give me the room to find my groove,
to breathe,
to be,
to feel wind-free.
I need vastness of endless skies.
I seek the freedom of birds that fly.
To me and to my heart I give
s p a c e – to breathe,
to live and love,
to thrive and grow-
to be just ME.
14, U s (the space between us) by Tamra Jenkins
When did we forget how to laugh?
How to hold onto our sides to keep them from falling out?
Now we hold ourselves for different reasons
Like we’re afraid to let go
Remember when s— was simple between you and me?
When the dead air over the phone line didn’t hover over our heads,
When the conversation wasn’t strained
But flowed like water for these four ears alone.
We were children then
rushing to grow up.
And now that it’s here for real
we behave like little kids
Playing hide and seek, but never sticking around long enough to find anything.
Is it because we’re afraid to find
that nothing’s there anymore?
Somewhere between children, men, bills, schools, countries and other people
we forgot how to just be us.
We forgot the simple shrills of excitement we got
from walking down the street.
We forgot about summer days and crazy nights
And sisterhood that ran deeper than bloodlines would allow
We forgot how to lie to our mothers
the way our children will someday lie to us.
We forgot that we told each other we’d never forget.
So today I’m going to lay out a huge blanket
and let’s turn off the lights
so you can tell me a dream.
And I’ll tell you one too.
But this time let’s tell a tale of two women
who weathered the storms of their lives
Who’ve come back to this place slightly changed by circumstance
But underneath it all, they realize
that friendship means never having to apologize for lost time.
Because the time was never lost,
it just moved on
But this time around when it moves
they will move together
And like the little girls they once were.
They will build new memories,
look back at them one day
and laugh like h—.
15, SPACE IS AMAZING by Janet Kay Gallagher
Space is amazing.
It can be a tiny place
where you live.
Either in a home structure
or in your mind.
What imagination can open up
in these two areas is unlimited.
Space is amazing.
It can mean wide open spaces.
Then we think of a large land area.
Then we populate it with people and
animals trees and everything that is
good.
Space is amazing.
It can mean the whole universe.
That brings thoughts of exploration
and adventure.
What IS out there in space?
Space is amazing.
It can be the space of time.
We devide that into incriments.
Although there is no limit, we
fit time into our own thinking.
Probably not allowing the true
space to grow and flow.
Space is amazing.
Thank you God for giving us the
space within us that allows us
seperation from daily negatives.
And lets us renew our strength.
POEMS BY YOUNG POETS GRADES 3-7
1, Lost in Space by Emily Martinez
I sit there
lost in space
Thinking…
About what will happen after school.
All of a sudden,
My thoughts leave…
When someone
taps
my shoulder.
It’s my teacher.
She asked a question.
I don’t know the answer.
So here’s a tip…
DON’T STARE OFF INTO SPACE!
Maumee Valley Country Day School
Fifth Grade, Toledo, Ohio
Teacher: Nan Valuck
2, A Visit Inside by Evan D. Abdoo
That crooked dorsal fin
Gliding throughout the night
I hope I wont feel
His un meaningful bite.
The eyes of a devil
Stare blankly at my face
Like buttons on a doll
Or small black holes in space.
The jaw of a monster
His teeth are pearly white
I believe I can see
What he ate last night.
It smells rotten in here,
And I can’t see a thing,
But, I do feel feathers…
Is that a pelican wing?
Maumee Valley Country Day School
6th grade, Toledo, Ohio
teacher: Jana Smith
3, Alone by Samina Hejeebu
I’m secluded
In a tiny bubble
Alone
With transparent glass
Revolving around me.
I can’t get out
Can’t become involved.
I watch them
Laughing, talking
Pointing at me
And laughing again.
Laughing because I’m
Alone.
I try to ignore them,
But I envy them so much.
I just can’t do it.
I can’t become friends,
With Anyone.
I can’t talk
Can’t speak
Can’t become close to friends
Too much space
between us.
Maumee Valley Country Day School
6th grade, Toledo, Ohio
teacher: Jana Smith
4, Woodpecker by Peter Meyer
Whoosh,
A woodpecker flies by me
Only an inch of space
Between us
He has a bright red head
White stomach and black wings
I lose sight of him as he dashes between tall trees
From branch to branch, vine to vine
Looking for some bugs to eat
Making leaves tumble
Back and forth all the way to the ground
Vines swing like they want to be rid of him
He stops one last time
Before flying away.
Maumee Valley Country Day School
Grade 6, Toledo, Ohio
Teacher: Jana Smith
5, Creature by Bailey Hannan
I sit in the car
driving down the highway
driving in the rain.
I watch a raindrop
glide down the window.
I wonder…
Is this rain drop alive?
I observe how it reaches out to another raindrop…
when there’s still space between the two drops.
Like a mother reaching to her son
A family reaching to a relative in the military
A child reaching to a dying grandparent
a hunter reaching for his gun
or tree branches reaching to the sky.
And as it seems to crawl across the window
like a baby learning to walk
a rock climber scaling a wall
a child learning to ride a bike
or a bad sketcher learning to draw
And then it gets whisked away like sand in the wind.
Fifth Grade, Toledo, Ohio
Maumee Valley Country Day School
Teacher: Nan Valuck
6, Out of My Mind by Natalie Bawab
Everything inside my skull
is absolutely
wacko and nuts
Space inside my head
filled with craziness
random things
colorful happiness
and amazing ideas
My brain
is not one bit normal
(nothing about me is normal)
and definately not perfect
I’m weird
and sweet
people say
But that is what makes me special,
but yet out of my mind!
Fifth Grade, Toledo, Ohio
Maumee Valley Country Day School
Teacher: Nan Valuck
Hi everyone,My thanks to Kathy Temean for pitching in to help announce our Hall of Fame Poets for March. I’m off on my jaunt but Kathy has read the polls and is making today’s announcement of our winners. Thanks, Kathy!As for Word of the Month Poet winners, I asked the judges for a quick turnaround before I left so I can announce them today too.
MARCH HALL OF FAME POETS:
Adult: Julie Krantz for Sandpiper
Grades 3-7: KnowEl Willhight for Here Comes the Sun
Grades 8-12: Ashley Swartz for Spring
MARCH WORD OF THE MONTH POETS:
Adult: Julie Krantz, North Carolina, for Sandpiper
Grades 3-7: Caleb Kynard, Ohio, for Rain
Grades 8-12: Ashley Swartz, Florida, for Spring
My thanks as always to everyone who participated in the month’s one-word challenge. Remember, we approach this challenge as a writing exercise to keep our imaginations fresh and get in some regular practice at writing poems. It’s all fun and our participants enjoy encouragement and supporting one another. Positive comments are always welcome whether you have shared a poem of the month or not.
**************
April marks our 19th Word of the Month. How many of the previous 18 words have inspired you to write a poem? Some of you will soon have enough for a book! Our word for April is SPACE. I hope you have fun with it.
**************
And now for still more good news! My Featured Guest this week is Kelly Milner Halls, a thoroughly entertaining author whose free spirit and love of children beam through everything she says or does. Here’s a brief bio and book list. Tomorrow you will meet her “in person.”
BIO:
Kelly Milner Halls is an award winning nonfiction author for kids, specializing in quirky topics of special appeal to reluctant readers. Her titles include Dinosaur Mummies, Albino Animals, Wild Dogs, Tales of the Cryptids, Dinosaur Travel Guide, Mystery of the Mummy Kids, Dinosaur Parade, Wild Horses and Saving the Baghad Zoo.
In the fall of 2011, her new book In Search of Sasquatch will be available. Alien Investigation, Hatchlings: A Lifesize Look at Baby Dinosaurs and her first fiction project, Girl Meets Boys will be published in the fall of 2012. Halls makes her home in Spokane, Washington with two daughters, one dog, too many cats and a four foot rock iguana named Gigantor. When she’s not writing or visiting elementary and middle schools across the nation, she’s working as her friend, YA novelist Chris Crutcher’s personal assistant and occasional cat sitter.
PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY:Dinosaur Mummies (2003, Darby Creek Publishing)
Albino Animals (2004, Darby Creek Publishing)
Wild Dogs (2005, Darby Creek Publishing)
Tales of the Cryptids (2006, Darby Creek Publishing)
Random House Dinosaur Travel Guide (2006, Random House)
Mysteries of the Mummy Kids (2007, Darby Creek Publishing)
Wild Horses (2008, Darby Creek Publishing)
Dinosaur Parade (2008, Lark/Sterling)
Saving the Baghdad Zoo (2010, HarperCollins/Greenwillow)
In Search of Sasquatch (2011, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Alien Investigation (2012, Millbrook)
Hatchlings: A Life Size Look at Baby Dinosaurs (2012, Running Press)David
