Today from the ridge, I am sharing a little poetry ditty on the doodlebug! Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to squiggle on over to Carol's space Beyond Literacy Link where she is hosting our round-up this week.

This week, I was invited to participate in a Poetry Challenge by the fourth grade writers in Mrs. Dungan's class. I was thrilled to accept the invitation to write! My task was to write a poem around a student chosen topic. I would be submitting my poem to the class, along with the student poets in the room who had chosen to accept the challenge. On Friday the poems would be read aloud and the poet with the most votes by the audience would be named the Poetry Challenge Champ of the week. I knew immediately, I was going to have some tough competition!  The topic that was chosen for the week was "animals." I definitely wanted to write a poem that was playful and funny. I thought about all the different animals I could write about. It was really hard to choose! I finally decided on an almost invisible  creature that has fascinated me ever since I was a little girl, the antlion or better known as, the doodlebug.   

I would like to thank Mrs. Dungan's fourth grade class for their kind invitation to write for their poetry challenge of the week! For more poetry challenge submissions from Mrs. Dungan's amazing poets click HERE.

Writers take on poetry challenges all the time. It is a great way to explore and experiment with language, form, and a variety of literary devices. Best of all, it's really fun! Taking on a challenge can really stretch your thinking and it can motivate you to get your creative juices flowing. Whenever you are faced with a poetry challenge, it can also be helpful to immerse yourself in mentor texts that you might lean on for guidance or inspiration. Since my poetry challenge topic was animals, I found this book of pocket poems about birds particularly helpful. I found a few poems that were very similar to the form that I was wanting to try out for my challenge. Through careful study of these mentor poems and by pushing myself to write in a craft I had never tried before, I was amazed at what I could create on the page. I encourage you, my friends, to consider accepting a poetry challenge or try assigning yourself a writing challenge. It's a great way to learn and grow as a writer.    

Here is one of the poems that I referred to as a mentor for my poem Hey, Doodlebug!

The Vulture
The Vulture eats between his meals,
And that's the reason why
He very, very rarely feels
As well as you and I.

His eye is dull, his head is bald,
His neck is growing thinner.
Oh! what a lesson for us all
To only eat at dinner!

​Hilaire Belloc

Welcome, Poetry Friday friends! This week I am going back to my roots and sharing a poem that sprouted from my conversations with nature. For more poetry, visit Violet at her space Violet Nesdoly/poems.

​Whenever my thoughts start to get a bit hazy or when I feel like I'm losing my perspective, I turn to nature. Each day brings so many new experiences and ideas to mull over in my brain. I love all the thinking and learning I get to do each day, but sometimes my brain goes into overload. I find it easier to lose track of my core beliefs during these overwhelming moments. When I sense that this is happening, I retreat to nature. The natural world serves as a haven for me. It provides a place for me to work through all the thoughts bouncing around in my head. Nature becomes a sanctuary where I can rejuvenate my thinking and writing life.

In this poem, I share a conversation with nature. That day at Blackjack Pond I remember imagining that the water thrush birds and the marsh shoots were speaking to me. It was as if they were welcoming me back to their world, a world where I could gain back a sense of my own perspective on subjects and topics that really matter to me.   

Think about where you find clarity in your life. It might be a person or a place that you go to for guidance, or maybe something you do to help balance your thoughts. Write about where and how you find sanctuary to approach new ideas while re-energizing your brain.   

Thank goodness for Poetry Friday! I look forward to this day all week long. It is a joy to read all of the poetic posts written by people I admire very much. So whether you are a regular traveler on the Poetry Friday train or you are climbing aboard for the first time, be sure to stop at the round-up station this week where Keri at Keri Recommends is our host!

When I was little, I remember my dad preparing the meat and readying the pump house for making sausage. First, he would grind the meat and put it into casings. Then, he would hang the links of sausage on the poles that hung in the rafters of the pump house. After that it was time to light a small fire underneath to smolder and create the most delicious smell of maple and oak. Some smells you never forget, and this is certainly one I am drawn back to every winter. So I was very excited one evening when I was taking a walk in the woods and got a whiff of that familiar scent in the air. I immediately whispered to myself, "It's sausage making time." From that one line, this poem emerged from deep within a treasured childhood moment with my father.

Writers often rely on their senses when they are reaching into memory as they write. Think about some of your most treasured memories. What are the sights, sounds, and smells that you associate with these memories? Jot down some of these sensory details and see what bubbles up. Now, stretch yourself reach even deeper into the details of this memory and think out loud about what you have to say about this moment. That's right, talk to yourself! Jot down a few lines as you talk your way through this responsive experience. It's sensory writing time!

Happy new year Poetry Friday friends! I am so excited to begin a fresh new year filled with poetry blessings. Linda at TeacherDance is hosting the very first round-up of 2017! Celebrate this special day with all of the PF community at her welcoming space.

I love the feeling of new beginnings and the chance to look upon the world with fresh eyes. Today, I am filled with gratitude and hope for a new year of opportunities to begin again. I have thought a lot about the power of perspective and the role it plays in how I view my world. By defintion the word perspective means the way we choose to regard something or a particular attitude we have toward it.

Since I choose my perspective, it is worth considering before I make many of the decisions I am faced with in my life. This year, I have committed myself to listening more and reflecting on the thoughts and feelings of others. We are all a small piece of this big wonderful world. I am ready to start a new year of celebrating the perspectives of this world we share.

As we begin a new journey in this new year, take a moment to consider your perspective on different things within your life. Ask yourself, "What do I think about this? How does this make me feel?" Perspectives can change as well. Think about those times your perspective was changed in one way or another. What brought about the change? How did it alter your point of view? It's also important to consider the perspectives of others. Try on a new pair of eyes this year, perhaps a grasshopper or maybe a bear! Big or small, we all have ideas and a voice to share. Who knows what's waiting to be explored with your new lenses!