Think About What Is Growing Now

Teapot Full of Flowers

Photo by Amy LV

Students - My birthday was this week, so I picked a teapot full of zinnias and other flowers from my gardens and brought them to my mom. I'd thrifted the teapot a few weeks ago, and it was fun to turn it into a vase. I was excited to give my mom the flowers and also to wait for more zinnias to replace the ones I'd cut. Zinnias are a "cut and come again" flower, meaning that the more you cut the flowers, the more the flowers grow. I love that. You can see more growing already, here outside my writing shed, Gratitude.

Gratitude with MORE Zinnias

Photo by Amy LV

Thinking about the generosity of such flowers, I remembered each time our family has adopted a new pet, the way that each of our hearts grew bigger and more full of love. We didn't need to worry about sharing or not having enough love. Our love was give and give again.

Claude and Winnie

Photo by Amy LV

Today, when I wasn't sure what to write but still felt happy about the birthday flower teapot, I decided to write about zinnias...and in doing so, I realized that writing, too, is write and write again. The more I write, the more easy and comfortable it is to write. The less I write, the more difficult it becomes. When I pay attention and write, connections grow.

So, I am thinking about this. Giving helps us as much as it helps others. When we give, we grow.

Another Scribbly Draft

Photo by Amy LV

What is growing in your life? It may be a plant or a creature or an idea or a feeling. It might be a curiosity or wish or a goal. What do you wish to grow of more in your life? Even though there are many aspects of life that we cannot control at any given time, we can always find meaning and water the things we wish to grow within ourselves. We can be generous to us.

Regarding technical poem stuff, this poem is written in rhyming couplets, two lines at a time, each two rhyming.

This week, Molly is generously hosting the Poetry Friday roundup over at Nix The Comfort Zone with poetry that reminds us of the beautiful pause of summer. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

May you grow as you choose, my friends.

xo,

Amy

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Coaxing Poems 9: Time for Rhyme

Well...hello there Poem Friends! Welcome to the ninth of ten poetry video visits here at The Poem Farm. In each of these short clips, I will share a small something about poetry, and you will always be able to find the poem(s) I read below the video. If you wish, you may watch the earlier videos linked below:

COAXING POEMS VISITS:

Visit 1: We Are Libraries

Visit 2: Eat the World

Visit 3: Make & Break a Pattern

Visit 4: Abacadabra!

Visit 5: Tell Us a Story

Visit 6: Give it Space

Visit 7: Choose a View

Visit 8: Tap it Out

And here is Visit 9: Time for Rhyme:

Students - Today we think about rhyme. Rhyme gives poetry a special sound, and many poets enjoy rhyming to create a mood or a feeling of repetition, song, or comfort for readers. I like to rhyme, and when I do, I like to be sure that my rhymes make sense. I do not want anyone to really notice the rhymes at all, actually. If a rhyme doesn't make sense, fit together, or seem to mean anything, like the one below, a reader might shake their head and think, "Well, that's weird." If I tried to write something for the purpose of weirdness, that's good, but otherwise, such weird head shaking is usually not a good sign.

I like eating sweet cupcakes.

I do not ride bikes in lakes.

In an earthquake, the earth shakes.

Morning Tea

Photo by Amy LV

I do use a few techniques to help me with rhymes:

• Jot the alphabet and make lists of rhyming words from the alphabet (see below).
• Use Rhymezone or a paper rhyming dictionary. Make lists of the sense-making rhymes.
• If I cannot find a strong rhyme for the word I wish to rhyme with, try changing that word to a different word that may have more rhymes. (But don't choose a not-so-good substitute!)
• Read each pair or set of rhymes in my poem to be sure they make sense. I do not want rhymes to draw attention to themselves.
• Ask someone to read my poem aloud and not comment. Listen and see if it needs changes.
• Ask someone to read my poem to see "Am I forcing the rhyme?" 

Below you can see where I have jotted the alphabet and made lists of rhyming words from it. You may also notice that the poem below is written in quatrains (four line stanzas) but that I chose to change to couplets (two line stanzas) when I typed it up. Line breaks (remember Coaxing Poems Visit 6: Give it Space) matter.

When you make your own poems, you will make many decisions and ask yourself many questions. One of these questions may be, "Do I wish to rhyme...or not?" And only you know the answer.

Thank you for joining me for Visit 9 of Coaxing Poems. May your days ahead be full of fine rhyme...

xo,

Amy

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Wallow in Wonder Day 29 - One Couplet in the Rain

Welcome to Day 29 of Wallow in Wonder!  

For my 2016 National Poetry Month project, I will celebrate learning and writing from learning, writing poems from each daily Wonder at Wonderopolis.  As I did with my Dictionary Hike in 2012, I am looking to surprise myself with new inspiration daily.  This year, such inspiration will show up in my inbox each morning.  I will print it and carry each Wonderopolis Wonder around all day...and in the afternoon or evening, I will write and post the poem for the next day.  

I invite anyone who wishes to take this challenge too.  Just read today's wonder over at Wonderopolis, and write a poem inspired by it for tomorrow.  Share it tomorrow at your own site, and if you wish to link in my comments for others to find (or share your poem there), please feel free to do so tomorrow, the day after the Wonder is published at Wonderopolis.  If you would like to share any ways you have used Wallow in Wonder or your own site (safe for children only please), please feel free to do so in the comments.

My April Poems Thus Far

April 1 - So Suddenly - a poem inspired by Wonder #1659 

April 2 - Thankful Journal - a poem inspired by Wonder #1660

April 3 - The Storm Chaser - a poem inspired by Wonder #779

April 4 - A Jar of Glitter - a poem inspired by Wonder #641

April 5 - To Make Compost - a poem inspired by Wonder #1661

April 6 - Deciding Now - a poem inspired by Wonder #1662

April 7 - Hummingbird's Secret - a poem inspired by Wonder #1663

April 8 - Limits - a poem inspired by Wonder #1664

April 9 - Sundogs - a poem inspired by Wonder #1665

April 10 - Perspective - a poem inspired by Wonder #128

April 11 - At the History Museum - a poem inspired by Wonder #115

April 12 - Seventy-Five Years Ago Today - a poem inspired by Wonder #1666

April 13 - Homer's Poem - a poem inspired by Wonder #1667

April 14 - The Right - a poem inspired by Wonder #1668

April 15 - 5:00 am - a poem inspired by Wonder #1669

April 16 - Writing - a poem inspired by Wonder #1670

April 17 - Sometimes - a poem inspired by Wonder #194

April 18 - Once - a poem inspired by Wonder #192

April 19 - Eat It - a poem inspired by Wonder #1671

April 20 - Chatty Green Tomato - a poem inspired by Wonder #1672

April 21 - This Argument We're Having - a poem inspired by Wonder #1673

April 22 - After a Week in Foster Care - a poem inspired by Wonder #1674

April 23 - Pay Attention - a (recycled) poem inspired by Wonder #1675

April 24 - Please Don't Ask - a poem inspired by Wonder #201

April 25 - Mama Kangaroo's Poem - a poem inspired by Wonder #447

April 26 - Not Anymore - a poem inspired by Wonder #1675

April 27 - If We Were Whales - a poem inspired by Wonder #1676

April 28 - Written on a Paper Airplane - a poem inspired by Wonder #1677

And now for Day 29!

Wonder #1679 - from April 28, 2016

Pocket of Blue

by Amy LV

Students - This is the shortest poem of my Wallow in Wonder series.  I am not sure why, but thinking about rain and showers just placed this picture in my head. I liked the first line and then played for quite a while to get the second.  

This is simply a couplet - one pair of rhyming lines - and it sketches simply one image.  Sometimes writing can be very spare.  Feel free to play with many words...and very few.  You will learn different things as you experiment with various styles.

I am currently holding two Poetry Month giveaways...both ending tomorrow, April 30!

It has been an absolute pleasure this week to host teacher Emily Callahan and her students from Kansas City here to The Poem Farm.  To learn about Popcorn and Poetry and to enter a giveaway for a Ralph Fletcher book...visit HERE.

Lucky me to have Stefanie Cole and her students from Ontario, Canada at Sharing Our Notebooks all month. This is a fantastic post full of notebook inspiration, a video clip, and a great book giveaway from Stefanie. Please check it out, and leave a comment over there to be entered into a giveaway for a Lynda Barry book.

Buffy is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Buffy's Blog.  Hop over to her place to her a wooing toad and to see all of this week's poetic offerings.

Happy Day 29 of National Poetry Month 2016! 

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If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Wallow in Wonder Day 8 - Why Can't You Drive as Fast as You Want?

Welcome to Day 8 of Wallow in Wonder!  For my 2016 National Poetry Month project, I will celebrate learning and writing from learning, writing poems from each daily Wonder at Wonderopolis.  As I did with my Dictionary Hike in 2012, I am looking to surprise myself with new inspiration daily.  This year, such inspiration will show up in my inbox each morning.  I will print it and carry each Wonderopolis Wonder around all day...and in the afternoon or evening, I will write and post the poem for the next day.  

I invite anyone who wishes to take this challenge too.  Just read today's wonder over at Wonderopolis, and write a poem inspired by it for tomorrow.  Share it tomorrow at your own site, and if you wish to link in my comments for others to find (or share your poem there), please feel free to do so tomorrow, the day after the Wonder is published at Wonderopolis.  If you would like to share any ways you have used Wallow in Wonder or your own site (safe for children only please), please link to the #WallowInWonder padlet.

My April Poems Thus Far

April 1 - So Suddenly - a poem inspired by Wonder #1659 

April 2 - Thankful Journal - a poem inspired by Wonder #1660

April 3 - The Storm Chaser - a poem inspired by Wonder #779

April 4 - A Jar of Glitter - a poem inspired by Wonder #641

April 5 - To Make Compost - a poem inspired by Wonder #1661

April 6 - Deciding Now - a poem inspired by Wonder #1662

April 7 - Hummingbird's Secret - a poem inspired by Wonder #1663

And now for Day 8!

Wonder #1664 - from April 7, 2016

Thinking First

by Amy LV

Students - I value kindness more than anything else.  And even though this is true, sometimes I say mean things.  But poetry helps me be kinder, and so do songs. Sometimes I think that poems and songs are like little kindness limit signs for me, just like in the picture you see above.

Writing can sometimes help us remember who we want to be.  I want to be kinder.  What do you want to be?  You may wish to write about that thing.  Not only will it be interesting writing; it may help you reach your own goal.

Today's poem does rhyme.  What do you notice about the rhyming words in this one?  And meter-wise, some of you may notice that the last line has many fewer syllables than the others.  Why do you think so? 

My friend Barry Lane writes many beautiful songs about kindness, and sometimes I am lucky enough to work with him on bits and pieces of them.  Teachers - if you are interested in teaching about good character from a pro-kindness standpoint rather than an anti-bullying standpoint, read Barry's teacher book about working and teaching toward kindness, FORCE FIELD FOR GOOD.

One of my favorite songs from this album is "Sammy Miller."  You can listen to it below.

Remember - words change us.  And words change the people around us too.  We make our own limits.

Today's poem may be partly inspired by Deciding Now from two days ago. There are times when my writing keeps me on a theme for a bit. We will see if this continues.

You can read another poem inspired by Wonder #1664 if you visit Wonder Lead Ambassador, literacy advocate, teacher, and writer Paul Hankins at his Wonder Ground blog where he, too, is writing daily poems from Wonderopolis wonders.  He and I are in this together daily and some other writers are joining in on the fun sometimes too. All are welcome to wonder through poems with us.

Today, should you leave a comment, you will be entered into a giveaway generously offered by Barry Lane - 3 Barry CDs to one winner, and I will draw the name on Sunday evening.  Please be sure to leave a way to contact you.  Thank you, Barry!

I am so happy to be hosting middle school teacher and librarian Stefanie Cole and her students from Ontario, Canada to Sharing Our Notebooks this month.  Do not miss this post; it is full of notebook inspiration, a video clip, and a great book giveaway from Stefanie.

Today's Poetry Friday fiesta (all are always welcome!) is over at Laura's place, Writing the World for Kids. Have fun over there!

Happy Day 8 of National Poetry Month 2016!  

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Tear Cup - Surprise Object Poems

My Silver Cup from Grandpa

Photo by Amy LV

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - I honestly cannot tell you where the idea for today's poem came from.  Often, I will just begin writing in my notebook, hoping for some little surprise.  And the first line of this poem surprised me recently. I am wondering if the idea maybe came from the cup you see above.  What is most interesting is that I never planned to write about this cup...ever.  This makes me think about what Donald Murray, writing teacher extraordinaire, and what he says about surprise, here taken from an interview at Clas Talk -

Writing is messy. Writing does not mean mean knowing what you want to say before you say it. If that were true, I would never writ. I never know exactly what I am going to say or how. It's the surprise of writing that makes it exciting.

As teachers we must help our students and ourselves expect the unexpected. It is through this process that we discover new ways of thinking and knowing. 

I like to write partly because I love the surprises.

To read more from Don Murray, check out this book - THE ESSENTIAL DON MURRAY.

Available through Amazon

This photo you see is of is my old silver cup, given to me (I think) from my Grandpa Norman.  I keep it in one of the nooks of my roll top desk, and every once in a while, I just hold it.  Now I feel like polishing it.  There are surely more stories hidden in there (Why did my grandpa give me this cup?  Did I really drink from it?) and I will need to ask my mom about those.

If ever you're unsure of what to write about, you might consider writing from an object.  Keep some inspiring beauties and trinkets in your own work space, and who knows...they might creep into your writing.

Today's poem is writing in rhyming couplets.  Each pair of lines rhymes at the end!

You may remember last year's March Madness poetry competition hosted by Ed DeCaria over at Think Kid, Think! Well, things are gearing up again, and you can check out this year's lineup of 64 poets at Think Kid, Think! today.  There are a lot of poets we know from Poetry Friday and from last year's competition, and there are some new names too.  I did not throw my hat into the ring this year, but I look forward to reading the many poems that grow from these days of poetry madness!

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Peacock - A Couplet Poem

Magic!

by Amy LV

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - Today's poem started as an assignment as it started with couplet I wrote for Irene Latham's celebration of her new book, DON'T FEED THE BOY.  Irene is hosting Poetry Friday today and she invited many of us to write animal couplets to celebrate the book. You can read the collection of animal couplets at Live Your Poem.

Irene's idea is a fun one and one you might enjoy trying with your friends.  All you need to do is think of a topic that is easily broken up, a topic like school, or pets, or favorite foods.  (There are endless possibilities here!)  Then, each person write one couplet.  Once you gather them all up, decide on an order and title...and you've got it!  If anyone tries this, please let me know.  I'd love to host a collaborative couplet poem here.

If you would like to learn more about peacocks, visit National Geographic.  I am thinking that I might want to write a nonfiction peacock poem to go along with this one.

Speaking of animals and National Geographic, if you have not yet seen National Geographic's new BOOK OF ANIMAL POETRY, edited by Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, and full of gorgeous poems and photography, do not miss it.  I just checked it out of the library, and I'm in love.  This book is on my order-right-away list!  As you read, you will recognize many wonderful classics, and you'll be happy to find lots of your current Poetry Friday friends too.

Available through the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Store

Nina Crittenden is my guest at Sharing Our Notebooks this week.  Stop by and see the types of notebooks she uses and how she continues to create.  (You will also have a chance to be entered into Nina's generous drawing of a book and pocket notebook.)

Happy Poetry Friday!  Head on over to Live Your Poem to celebrate Irene Latham's new book, DON'T FEED THE BOY, and to see all of today's Poetry Friday posts.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

Like The Poem Farm on Facebook for more poems, articles, and poemquotes!

My Friend - Susan Taylor Brown

 

Lily in Her Nest

Photo by Susan Taylor Brown

Lily at Water Rock

Photo by Susan Taylor Brown

Lily Feeding

Photo by Susan Taylor Brown

Lovely Lily

Photo by Susan Taylor Brown

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - Today's poem is about my friend Susan Taylor Brown.  Since early April, Susan has posted exquisite photos of her new friend Lily on Facebook. These photos have made my visits to the computer much happier and richer than ever, and even though I have never seen Lily in person...I see her through Susan's love.  So while today's poem might seem like it's about a bird, it's really about a person who has learned to slow down enough to see and know and understand something very beautiful.  And so today, I am grateful to Susan and to her wee friend too.

This is a wonderful challenge to all of us who love writing.  Let's all fall in love with something small.  Let's be patient.

And now, I welcome Susan with a few words about Lily.

What can I tell you about a tiny bird who changed my life?

Lily helped me learn to be still, an important trait for poets. Any fast movements and she would zip away, often to the nearby plum tree to scold me.

In learning to be still she taught me to see. I would stand stone still in front of her nest, and watch her wiggle and twitch on top of her eggs. My eyes would focus on her long, slender beak, the way her feathers glittered when the sun hit them, the little bits of moss and grass and dandelions that she had wove into her tiny nest. 

In learning to see she taught me to hear. Waiting in front of her empty nest she would announce her homecoming and I held my camera up to try and catch her coming in to land. My arms would start to shake and I couldn't see much through the viewfinder so my ears would listen to the sound of the bees buzzing around me, the chickadees begging for their dinner, all sorts of garden sounds until at last, I heard her chirp that let me know she was coming, and the hum hum hum of her wings.

In learning to listen, I have learned more of what I want to say.

You can read Susan's beautiful poem about Lily here at GottaBook.  And you can see many more photos, videos and read more about Lily's story here at Poppiness.  You can read an essay about her broken nest and Susan's response here.  Please know that though Lily's nest was destroyed, she is back to visiting with Susan and her camera on a happy and regular basis.

On a funny note, Sharing Our Notebooks, The Poem Farm's sister blog, was just featured at Notebook Stories.  Addict of the week!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Y is for YET

Y is for YET

Photo by Amy LV

Cali in 2009

Photo by ?

We're pet lovers here at Heart Rock Farm. With 2 dogs, 5 cats, a rabbit, 7 sheep, 14ish chickens, and a fish, (and two class pet guinea pigs spending the weekend), there is always a creature to love. I'm a great believer in pets making people kinder and more responsible too. So when I sat to write a poem using the word YET, I thought of NOT YET, and then I thought about things that parents might say NOT YET about.

Our family is trying to learn to say NO MORE when it comes to pets!

Students - This short and simple poem is written in rhyming couplets - each pair of two lines rhymes at the ends of the lines.  I do not write often in couplets, but this poem felt so simple and sad that I wanted the meter to match. What do you notice about the syllables?  Do you notice anything else about this poem?  (Hint - look at the ending.)

If you are new to The Poem Farm, welcome! This month I have been walking, letter-by-letter, through the dictionary (closed-eyed), pointing to a letter each day, and writing from it. You can read poems A-X by checking the sidebar, and you can visit Lisa Vihos and read her accompanying daily haiku at, Lisa's Poem of the Week. In today's comments, watch for Lisa's Haiku and also Christophe's haiku. It's a lot of fun to meet new friends in the poetry forest.

Over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, there are two new peekable notebooks. So if you are a notebook-keeper, a notebook-keeper-hopeful, or a teacher who uses notebooks in your classroom, please don't miss Suz Blackaby's post about her process and word tickets or Allan Wolf's post about wall writing and butt books.

Monday is the first chalking celebration over at Teaching Young Writers. Join organizer-Betsy, Linda from TeacherDance, many others, and me as we chalk, photograph, and share poems. April 30!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Rhyming Couplets

A Couplet of Cats

Photo by Amy LV

Rhyming Couplets

"Couple" means two.  A "couplet" is a pair of two lines of poetry, joined by meter and often rhyme.

Reading through this year's poems, I realize that I do not write many poems in couplets.  Writing a lot and then looking back has helped me to see patterns, habits, tics, strengths, and weaknesses.  I think I'll try to write some more couplet poems!

 from November 2010

At Harold Underdown's website, The Purple Crayon, you can read Charles Ghigna's great post about rhythm and rhyme which offers information about couplets, quatrains, tercets, and more!

Paul Janeczko's A KICK IN THE HEAD: AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO POETIC FORMS is a jaunty and colorful book full of examples and definitions of many types of poetic forms.

Shop Indie Bookstores

Throughout April, I will continue to post poetry lessons and poem examples from this past year of writing one poem each day.  These posts are written especially for classroom teachers and students, homeschooling families, and any other people who enjoy children's poetry.

This Month's Poetry Revisits and Lessons So Far

April 1 -   Poems about Poems

April 2 -   Imagery

April 3 -   Poems about Animals We Know

April 4 -   Line Breaks and White Space

April 5 -   Poems from Everyday Life

April 6 -   Free Verse

April 7 -   Poems from Wonders & Questions

April 8 -   Classroom Poetry Peek & Circular Poems 
April 9 -   Poems about Science
April 10 - Today - Rhyming Couplets 

In case you missed some of this first week of poetry in the kidlitosphere, Elaine Magliaro at Wild Rose Reader has rounded up a list of many posts at several different blogs.

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Captive in a Book? Read Poem #236

A Reading Birthday

Photo by Amy LV

Students - this poem is written in rhyming couplets, meaning that each pair of lines rhymes.  Each line in this poem has eight beats, except for line three which has seven.  How do I know this?  I know this because I am constantly tapping out beats with my fingers, listening for the rhythms in my lines.  Sometimes I change a whole line or set of lines because the beats do not sound right.  The seven-beat line in this poem still sounded good to me, so I kept it even though it was the only one.

If you want to try writing a poem with a specific meter, go for it.  Count out the beats as you go, and after you are finished, count them out again.  See if any lines are way off.  Sometimes I notice that one line is super-long, and I break it into two.  It is a wonderful thing to be in charge of your own poem.  You can make and break the lines however you wish!

Teachers and parents - as we work to help children love reading and increase their agency over learning,  Alfie Kohn's article from ENGLISH JOURNAL provides us some thoughtful insights.  Read "How to Create Nonreaders" for inspiration and good thought.

(Please click on COMMENTS below to share a thought.)