Answer an Unasked Question

Ms. Moon at Tea

by Amy LV

Students - This week found me writing a lot in my notebook, yesterday outside. And as I sat and wrote on that windy day, I wondered what it would be like if the moon came down from the sky to play kickball or drink tea. Tea won as my poem topic because I did not want to share Moon's visit with a whole lot of imaginary kickball players. I wanted her all to myself.

Today's poem addresses the reader directly, the first two lines reading, "Last night/if you didn't see the moon..." It can be fun to do this, to pretend that you are writing a poem to a real, certain someone. After acknowledging this imaginary reader's question, "Why was it so dark last night?" my poem answers the question, explaining that the moon was enjoying a spot of tea with the writer.

You might choose to try this. Think of something someone might wonder, real or pretend...and then write a poem answering this question. As you know from my poem, your answer may be completely curious and magical. Feel free to title you poem "Answer" too. Or not!

Try writing a poem with the word you in it. This kind of writing is called writing in the second person. What will you say to your reader?

Heidi is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at my juicy little universe with a celebration of voting and folktales. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

xo,

Amy

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Last Night, This Morning, Long Ago...

 

Painting

by Amy LV

Students - My reading life has been full of magic these days, books about enchantments and magic, time travel and odd connections. And I have watched the movie ENCANTO twice. So one might say that I have one half of my heart in the real world and one half of my heart in the world of the unknown. Today's poem came from that mystery-place.

Like many, my life during COVID has been a bit of a challenge, and I lost my regular writing schedule. Well, the truth is that when I write less, I am less happy. So now, I am back to writing a few pages each morning and spending real time paying attention to the bits of my life as possible writing ideas. Today's poem was a true surprise to me, a surprise I believe I was given because I am back at my desk, back in the ink and paper world.

This poem is about seeing something but not really seeing it. And now I am thinking about you, about things you might not really see but do see in your creative mind and soul and heart. Consider trying a poem that begins, "Last night..." or "This morning..." or "Long ago..." and just invent what it is that may have happened at that time. You are allowed to make it all true, or all fiction, or a blend of both. Because, you see, it will be your poem or story. So you choose, no questions needed. And if you like, you may include a pinch (or a truckload) of magic! 

Don't forget: crossing out is a healthy part of writing. Making those scribbles and big slash lines can be a joyful and physical part of a writer's life. So....I am hereby calling such pages "Messy Happy Drafts." 

Messy Happy Draft for "Surprise" - Page 1

by Amy LV

Messy Happy Draft for "Surprise" - Page 2

by Amy LV

Tabatha is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at The Opposite of Indifference with all kinds of puzzle goodness, from quote to book to story to poem! Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

May your path be sprinkled with surprises, in your days and on your pages.

xo,

Amy

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The Moon Visits a Triolet

Silver Button Moon for Everyone

by Amy LV

Students - Ah, the moon! She guides all of us, no matter where we are. And many young children can count moon among their very first words.  Of course they can. In a deep, dark sky, Moon shows us the way. The way she looks changes, and on clear nights, we can always find her. On bright moonlit nights, we do not even need a lantern or flashlight to find our way.

Many people look up at the moon and think about things: faraway friends and family, beauty, quiet secret thoughts. When we look at Moon and think, we are finding our way in a different way. She is for all of us, and so this poem is for Moon.

One decision I made while writing these lines was to write in the first person plural or we voice. My first draft of the poem was written in second person singular, speaking to you, not about we and us. Line 1 sounded like this:

The moon will always call you home.

instead of...

The moon will always call us home.

Try reading this whole poem to yourself substituting the word you each time you see we or us. What do you notice?

As I read the poem that way to myself, I realized that I - the speaker - wanted to share this experience with the reader. We all share the moon, and so this poem wanted to be more of a community (we) poem and less of a singular person (you) poem.

Choosing a point of view is an important job of a writer. I ask myself, "Do I want this poem to be ABOUT something, TO something, AS something, or WITH something?" This time, I chose WITH.

Today's poem is written in a particular form called a triolet. You will note that it has 8 lines and lots of repetition. In a triolet, lines 1, 4, and 7 are the same. Lines 2 and 8 are the same. And the rhyme scheme goes like this: A B a A a b A B. In poetry language, this means that lines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 end with the same rhyming sound as do lines 6 and 8. Notice the matching capital letters for the lines which match each other.

It is true that the word whole does not rhyme with the words home and roam. However, it is a near rhyme, and because making sense matters more to me than rhyming, I went with it.

If you are interested, here are a few other triolets from past Poem Farm posts:

Wintertimes - December 20, 2019

Triolet for a Stone - May 24, 2019

Grandpa's Banjo - April 1, 2010

I do not always write in special forms, but sometimes I enjoy the fun of it. Forms feel like puzzles.

Irene is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Live Your Poem with Pablo Neruda's "Ode to Autumn," her own "Autumn puzzle," and an announcement about a new class Irene will teach titled Wild and Precious Writer. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

xo,

Amy

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

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Find Inspiration in Illustration

Little Vampire Girl

by MacKenzie Haley

Students - Life is a joyous journey! This Monday I drove a few hours to Clayton, NY to work with the good and generous teachers of the Thousand Islands School District. In my hotel room on Monday evening, I came across MacKenzie Haley's illustration of Little Vampire Girl. I commented on MacKenzie's Twitter post, she wrote back, I wrote back, she wrote back, I wrote back, she wrote back, I wrote a poem, and here we are.

Twitter Comment Thread

When I saw this MacKenzie's illustration, I wanted to talk with Little Vampire Girl, her rainbow-y unicorn, and Moon too.

And you know what?  In writing...I can. I loved imagining Little Vampire Girl talking with Wise Moon.  Had I eaten something different for dinner or slept a different number of hours last night, perhaps I might have written a different poem. One never knows. 

This poem tells a story. Even though a poem often has short lines and may rhyme and use a meter, a poem can tell a story. We can find or create a character or two and make something happen. We can invent conversations and settings and plots. We can build worlds in lines and stanzas, even very pretend ones involving conversations between imaginary and celestial beings.

We need never be stuck for ideas for our world is full of images: in museums, in magazines, on walls of our dentists' offices, in books, on the fabrics we wear and sleep under. We can draw our own images or from our friends' images or from art hanging in the kindergarten hallway at school. The art of others can awaken art inside of us. Each time we open our eyes, we can choose to be inspired.

Thank you, MacKenzie Haley, for your kindness in allowing me to share your Little Vampire Girl here today. I want to hug her! And yes, I AM willing to take a risk with my neck.

Congratulations to Linda Mitchell!  You have won a copy of Marilyn Singer's WILD IN THE STREETS: 20 POEMS OF CITY ANIMALS, illustrated by Gordy Wright and published by Words Pictures/Quarto. Please send me your snail mail address, Linda, and I will get this book right off to you!

Jama is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Jama's Alphabet Soup. We welcome everybody to join us each Friday as we share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship. Check out my left sidebar to learn where to find the roundup each Friday.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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

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