reasons - My Poem Writing Year #153

Bisons Game, Buffalo, NY

Photo by Amy LV 

Last night we scored cheap tickets for one of the last Buffalo Bisons games of the season.  Watching and feeling all of the verbs of the game got me in a baseball-writing mood again.  This year has brought on lots of baseball poems, including: When I'm Up, Dirty Secret, and I Am the Batter.  It's funny how the end of one season (baseball) signals the beginning of another (school).  May this year be a home run for all of you!

Students - this is another list poem.  You can see that the whole first stanza is simply a list of different exciting parts of baseball.  The second stanza explains that this is a list of reasons.  List poems usually do that, have a "twist" at the end.

If you have considered "following" The Poem Farm, I would be so grateful if you would do so.  I hope to have 100 little squares over there on the right-hand side by my 200th poem.  Such a show of support is a good way to demonstrate to publishers (and I have a few projects out there) that people may actually purchase books with my poems in them!

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#80 - I Am the Batter & Ripple Sketches

Holland's "8 and Under" All Stars

Photo by Amy LV

Last night was one good game for the Holland "8 & Under All Stars".  Watching these young boys play baseball, I feel my own blood rush with excitement, and the drama of one-batter-at-a-time keeps families and friends happily hopping and cheering.  After yesterday's game ended, my friend Bonnie asked, "Why don't you write a poem about THIS?"  Thank you, Bonnie...I did!

Students - We all have things that work us up.  For good or bad, nervous or excited...big emotions stir the spirit.  And from this spirit-soup, poems rise as steam.  So watch and listen to yourself.  If you get all worked up about something, know that others probably do too.  Therein lies your poem-connection.  This is what both readers and writers hope for: a connection.

Now, for something completely different and important.  Yesterday, many thanks to Toby Speed's Twitter post, I learned about Ripple Sketches.  Artist Kelly Light has come up with one way to support helping the animals in the gulf.  She has invited artists to create and donate small works of art.  Her blog, Ripple Sketches, explains:

"Each sketchcard on this blog is $10.00. The $10.00 is a donation to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Every penny is donated. The two Non-Profits that are benefiting are The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center. You can purchase a card if you donate directly to one of the non-profits and email me the confirmation and your address to ripplesketches@verizon.net. The artist will mail you the signed card."

Yesterday I "bought" two small and exquisite works of art, and you can see them at Cathy Delanssay's  Goutte de rosee and at Shirley Ng-Benitez's Shirley's Illustrations.  I encourage to you visit Ripple Sketches and join in this well-planned, good-hearted, and artistic effort.  It is sad and inspiring to look at these lovely sketchcards, all donated by generous artists.

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Dirty Secret - Poem #77

Henry's All Star Socks

Photo by Amy LV

Athletes often develop superstitions centered on rituals around clothing, talk, and game habits.  Our baseball-playing Henry has not developed any of these superstitions yet, but sometimes his games fall close enough together that he has to pull socks out of the hamper!

Janet S. Wong, author of acclaimed children's books, has written a beautiful poetry book about superstitions, about everything from ears to potatoes.  In her book, Knock on Wood, Janet says, "Who knows why we believe what we do?  Maybe, in times of uncertainty, we like to have rituals to follow, to make us feel secure.  Maybe, in times like these, we should make up some new superstitions of our own."

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Students - Do you or your family members or friends follow any superstitions?  If you do...you might wish to write about them.

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MyPoWriYe #59 - The boy said,

We're new to the world of childhood athletics, so sometimes I ask questions of my friends with older children .  Last weekend, my friend Debbie told me that her son works as an umpire.  He loves the game, enjoys children, works outside, and makes good money in a short time.  The only problem?  Parents.  Some teen umpires end up calling games or even quitting their jobs because of angry and out-of-control parents.

Georgia Heard, in her inspiring book Awakening the Heart, teaches us to write about our concerns. 

If you are a coach, know a coach, or have children playing sports, you might find this article by Bruce Lambin about How to Handle Parents useful.

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