First Catch - A Poem for Two Voices

Sarah the Manx

Photo by ?? LV

(Click to Enlarge)

Students - This is a poem for two voices.  You can see it is written in two columns, and one side is for one reader (the human) and one is for another reader (the kitten).  To read the poem, readers take turns reading their lines in order of how they fall down the page.  When two lines sit side-by-side, both readers read at the same time.  You can hear my son Henry and I read it together above.

We have five cats here at The Poem Farm now, and lately Sarah has been bringing back little dead voles to the back door.  When she catches one, she meows loudly so that we will come to the glass door to praise her.  Early last week, she brought a vole back, and I took it away from her.  The next time she came with one, she ran away with it as soon as I opened the door.  It is confusing to be a cat parent sometimes.

I had the good fortune to visit two schools last week as a visiting author: H.B. Milnes school in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and Vernfield Elementary in Telford, Pennsylvania.  They were wonderful visits for me, and at Vernfield, I wrote a bit with the third graders.  One thing we talked about was two possible ways to write a poem:

to something (poem of address)
or
as something (mask poem).

I wrote on a chart in front of them, pretending to be my kitty, proud to have caught a bird.  Then, in my notebook, I wrote from my own perspective, how I feel when Sarah catches a small animal.  I want to be proud...but...I am sad for the wee bird or vole or mouse too.

Below, you can see the chart paper on which I started the mask side of the poem.

Here is my notebook-play of speaking to the kitten.

And then above you can see the mash up.  It was interesting to write a two voice poem in this way.

After visiting H.B. Milnes school, and later, Vernfield Elementary in Telford, PA, I had the good fortune to attend part of the 2015 KSRA Conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  As part of the Thursday Poetry Evening, poet Sara Holbrook invited me to co-read a poem for two voices from her book  WHAM! IT'S A POETRY JAM.  This, I believe, is what made me choose to write today's poem as a poem for two voices, what helped me decide to mix together the two short demonstration drafts from Vernfield - the good feeling of reading with a friend.

WHAM! IT'S A POETRY JAM is a wonderful book, and if you like performing poetry - or if you've never tried to perform poetry - you will want to check it out. Sara is a fantastic writer, and I loved reading from this great book right with the author herself!

Published by Boyds Mills Press 

Learn More Here

In notebook-news, if you have not yet commented on author Jeff Anderson's post at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, please do.  You may win a copy of his first middle grade novel, ZACK DELACRUZ: ME AND MY BIG MOUTH.  Jeff is author of many of my favorite professional books for teaching writing, and I highly recommend you check out his project journal post.

Last week' Poetry Friday roundup, in case you missed it (as I did) was is at Jama's Alphabet Soup.  There you will find Penny Klostermann's beautiful poetic buttons wrapped up in teddy bears, in chocolates, and in all manner of happiness.

Please leave a comment below if you wish.

Octopus - Poems of Address & School Visit

Oh, Octopus!
by Amy LV

Students - The idea for this poem came from a student at Eggert Elementary School in Orchard Park, NY.  I was teaching a writing workshop for upper grade students, and one student drew the nest from my writing pot.

Writing Pot

Photo by Brian Muffoletto

On the back of the nest were written the words FABULOUS FACT.  This meant that we were all to think of a favorite fact and let this fact inspire a poem or snip of writing.  One girl shared the fact that octopuses have three hearts, something I never knew.  This fact stuck in my brain, and this morning inspired today's verse to an octopus.  You'll see many facts about octopuses in this poem, and a little twist at the end. 

It is interesting to write poems of address, or poems that speak TO something. This might be an angle you wish to try with a topic.  Instead of writing ABOUT something, speak to it, as if it were right there with you. What would you say? And if you wish for it to answer, simply begin a new stanza and write a conversation poem.

On both Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I had the good fortune to visit Eggert Elementary for a big old poetry celebration.  Thank you many times over to principal Terry Tryon, the Eggert PTO, to teacher Brian Muffoletto and Tara Zimmerman, to parent Karen Nuwer, to art teacher Wendy Johnson and music teacher Rachelle Francis and to all of the teachers and students for making this a very magical visit.

I cannot recommend highly enough the beautiful song, "Birch are Soprano" by Dan Berggren, on his album TONGUES IN TREES.  My Wednesday morning began with a sneak listen to the Eggert chorus, who will be performing the first choral version of this song.  If FOREST HAS A SONG were a movie, I would hope for this song be the soundtrack.

Available through Amazon

Then, I feasted on expansive and amazing hallway displays of a variety of poems - by children and by me too.  Words and artwork everywhere. Students wrote poems on leaves, on animal silhouettes, and art teacher Wendy Johnson blew up pictures from FOREST and anthologies with my poems and invited children to make owls, flowers, and other beautiful art.

Teacher Brian Muffoletto filled the display case with my poem, "Kindness."  

Front Display Case

Photo by Amy LV

Squirrel Poet

Photo by Amy LV

Brian and teacher Tara Zimmerman made this enormous poetree!

Large Poetree with Students' Poems

Photo by Amy LV

FOREST and Me

Photo by Brian Muffoletto

Chickadee & Beautiful Birds

Photo by Amy LV

Poems on Silhouettes

Photo by Amy LV

The nurse and I had our photo taken by this big louse.

BIG Louse!  

Photo by Amy LV

Wow!  Thank you again to all all all of Eggert Elementary for such a wonderful two day visit.

Next Tuesday is April 1, April Fools Day, and the beginning of National Poetry Month.  This year I will not be taking a Dictionary Hike (2012) or Drawing Into Poems. Rather, I will write a whole collection of poem drafts, one each day of the month, live, for a new manuscript titled THRIFT STORE.  I'll share notes about process, drafts, audio, and pictures.  By the of the month, I hope to have a collection worth revising, and I invite you to watch me work.  I think I'll call it THRIFT STORE LIVE.

If you have not visited Sharing Our Notebooks lately, this week I am so happy to have Mary Poindexter McLaughlin with a story and her notebook-celebrating poem, "The Book."  Visit to enjoy this tribute to notebooks, and comment to be entered into the Post-It note giveaway!  Next week I will welcome notebook keeper Alex McCarron into this space.

Today's Poetry Friday celebration is over at A Year of Reading with Mary Lee Hahn.  Visit her wonderful place for all kinds of poetry goodness as we get ready for April, National Poetry Month!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Flower - Poems of Address

The Angeliques Have Arrived!

Photo by Amy LV

This poem

is trying

to be

a book.

xo, Amy

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

Students - The picture you see at the top of this post is actually a picture of tulip bulbs, not seeds.  I have always thought that bulbs are amazing, and this particular type of bulb is one of my favorites - Angelique Tulips. Years ago, Susan Mendel, the wonderful school principal where I was a fifth grade teacher, had these tulips in her yard.  I've thought about her tulips for 15 years...and last spring I ordered some for our home here in Western New York.  They just arrived last week, and so I'll be getting some dirt under the ol' fingernails this week. Spring will be so exciting!  When the Angeliques come up, I'll show you how pretty they are.

Today's poem is a poem of address, in which I speak directly TO the flower.  When you write a poem, you might ask yourself if it would be a good idea to try out this technique. Instead of talking ABOUT a cat or AS a cat, you might speak directly TO the cat.  This gives the reader a neat scenario to imagine!

Over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, Kimberly Kuntz has opened her prayer journals for us to learn about this important way she writes through her life.  

This week, from September 22 - September 28,  is Banned Books Week!  It is important that we stand up for books, all books, even ones that express ideas and viewpoints with which we disagree.  Last year I wrote this poem, Are You There, God? in honor or Banned Books 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.

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

Visit Sharing Our Notebooks to peek in all kinds of notebooks.

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Dear Mailman - Poems of Address

After this post, I will be working at Sprucelands Horse Camp!
I will be back at The Poem Farm on Friday, August 10.

Sage and Cali Love Mail

(So Did Eli)

Photo by Amy LV

Students - This is a poem I wrote many years ago...back when our dog Eli used to bark like crazy at the mailman!  I am looking for a good picture of him, and when I find one, I will add it to the one here of Cali and Sage.

Pets surprise us with their personalities, as varied and funny as people's personalities.  Sometimes when I am unsure of what to write about, I just watch my pets for a while.  They always do something worth writing about....

Today's poem is written in quatrains.  Look at each stanza, and notice how each has four lines.  A four line stanza is a quatrain.  In each of these stanzas, lines 2 and 4 rhyme.  You might also notice that this poem is written TO someone.  To the mailman.  I like writing poems that are almost like letters.  Who might you wish to write a poem to?

Teachers - This past week I had the good fortune to teach at the second annual Paramus, NJ Writing Institute along with author and consultant Katherine Bomer and many wonderful New Jersey teachers. We spent four days learning together about writing and instruction, and I am grateful to NJ Literacy Network Leader and principal Thomas Marshall for inviting me to be part of such a joyful and inspiring week. It was a treat to learn with teachers and also to listen to openings and closings by Tom, Katherine, children's book authors Emily Jenkins and Alison Ashley Formento and literacy experts Karen Caine and Ted Kesler.

A snip from the closing talk that I gave in Paramus on Tuesday will appear on author Kate Messner's blog next Wednesday, August 1.  If you have not yet visited her free summer writing institute online, TEACHERS WRITE!, check it out here.  My essay is titled "Inviting Hummingbirds."

Sylvia, a Closter, NJ teacher and institute instructor who spent time in my poetry section, shared The Children's Poetry Archive with us.  This is an enormous and generous site full of children's poems, poem audio, and poet information. What a treasure!  You will find yourself visiting the archive again and again...

Deb Lund shares her notebooks and introduces us to her inner critic this month at Sharing Our Notebooks.  Head on over to see Deb's notebooks and leave a comment to win DINOSAILORS or ALL ABOARD THE DINO TRAIN!  Sharing Our Notebooks is a blog all about keeping notebooks, for grownups and young students alike.

Bibliophile is hosting today's Poetry Friday Roundup at Life is Better with Books. Stop by for this week's poem fiesta!

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!

Poem #105 - How To Be My Favorite Book

Hope Reads in a Boat

Photo by Amy LV 

This is the fifth poem in a week-long series of free verse poems, and the idea came from a couple of places.  Our children are voracious readers, and so I always note the types of books they like and recommend to each other, us, and their friends.  I wonder about why my children reread certain books and easily let go of others.

After writing this poem, I realized that another writing influence has been joyfully sitting on my shoulder.  Elaine Magliaro, writer Wild Rose Reader blog, has been sharing poems from her "Things to Do" poems collection.  Last week she shared "Things to Do if You are the Ocean", and I think its loveliness crept into my mind.  Thank you, Elaine!

It has been exciting to wake each day for the past 105 days, not knowing what each day's poem will be about, and it is wonderful to finally trust that something (maybe not something excellent, but something) will come.  In his essay, "Listening to Writing", from THE ESSENTIAL DONALD MURRAY, edited by Thomas Newkirk and Lisa C. Miller, Donald Murray writes about the element of surprise in writing.  "We should push ourselves - and our students - to write what they do not expect to say, for the excitement of writing is the surprise of hearing what you did not expect to hear."

I highly recommend this book as well as any others by Donald Murray if you are interested in your own writing and/or teaching writing to others.

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Students - so much of writing is listening to your inner voice (or many voices) whispering what matters to you, what you want to say, the story and mystery you need to tell.  Writing is a journey and discovery-ride inside of ourselves.

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MyPoWriYe # 53 - Birth Announcement

Yesterday we had two surprise babies here!  Mark went out to check on the sheep, and low and behold...NaRae was in labor.  No sooner had Mark set up a good nursery than NaRae's second lamb was already born.  Welcome to little Abbott (ram) and Costella (ewe), named in honor of a very busy baseball/softball season for Henry and Georgia.  Now we just need to wait to see if Nora and Rainbow are pregnant...

 

 New Icelandics Abbott & Costella

(Born May 22, 2010)

Photo by Georgia V.

If you are wondering why we don't know when our sheep are pregnant, it is because they are so very woolly that it is nearly impossible to tell. 

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