 Happy Poetry Friday! It's great to be back in the round-up again after a short break. I have missed my PF friends! For more offerings, Carol is hosting this week at her space HERE. A few evenings ago, I was listening to a song and a particular line stuck with me. It went something like this, "Can't you see your world won't end, it's just a summer wind." It seemed like an interesting line to me. I began to think about the connection between the feeling of hopelessness and the ever changing natural element of wind. After pondering over this line, I knew I wanted to write about the way I connected it to life. First, I asked myself, What is a summer wind? How would I describe it? How would a summer wind be different than any other wind? You'll get a sense of my response to these questions in my poem. Next, I pushed myself to think more deeply about how it applied to changes in life and feeling overpowered by the strong forces that often come our way. I asked more questions like, How might a summer wind relate to the challenges we often face in life? As I searched for the deeper meaning in this line, I settled upon these thoughts. First, the wind is always changing. So can we. If we just hold on to hope, the winds of change will come. Things might seem very hard at times. We may feel like giving up. Yet even in the darkest despair, there is hope. In life, our challenges are like a summer wind, blowing fierce, overwhelming us with its powerful gusts, and then gone. Second, the wind is strong, but so are we. So what if we harnessed it instead? What if we channeled that warm pressure and let its energy take us closer to our goal? In life our challenges are like a summer wind, full of potential to move us, propelling us forward, growing us, until we are stronger. In the end, we choose how to deal with our challenges. What will you do with a summer wind when it blows your way?  Invitation to Write:Poem ideas can sometimes blow in from some of the most unlikely places, and they can take us to a place of wonder and possibility. The idea for my poem came from a lyric of a song. It led me to all sorts of thoughts and questions. I pushed myself to think about the topic from different angles. You can try this too! Take a line from a song, book, poem, quote, conversation-wherever you choose, and push yourself to evaluate the topic from different lenses of thinking. Don't be afraid to be a bit wishy-washy in this process. Use sentence stems to vary your thoughts about the topic such as, "This makes me think... But, on the other hand..." Pretty soon, you'll end up with many different poem variations from that one line!
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Welcome to the Poetry Friday round-up on the ridge! I am excited to be hosting this week. I can't wait to read all your offerings! Just hook up your link at the bottom of the post.
Now that summer has been unleashed here on the ridge, I find myself wanting to spend my days outdoors having fun in the sun. I especially enjoy taking in the sights and sounds of summer evenings. I like to flip back in my notebook to all my summer entries. They are filled with memories, observations, and all things summer-esque. As I was reading, a few lines from the pages of my notebook merged and inspired me to write my poem offering this week. I wish you all a lovely summer's song all season long! 
Invitation to Write:
As a writer, one of my favorite things to do is to sift back through the pages of my notebook from time to time. This helps me find balance and inspiration for future projects or poems. Sometimes, lifting a line or two from your notebook can renew your writing life. I invite you to time travel back into your notebook as well. What stands out to you? Jot down some of your thinking and reflect on your writing journey so far. Lift a line or two. Copy those lines on a new page. Do you notice any connections? Try writing from those lines to see what emerges.
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AuthorWelcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge. 
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Schedule of Round Up:
July
2 Laura at Laura Shovan 9 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche 16 Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone 23 Kat at Kathryn Apel 30 Becky at Sloth Reads August 6 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading 13 Christie at Wondering and Wandering 20 Carol at The Apples in My Orchard 27 Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections September 3 Heidi at my juicy little universe 10 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect 17 Denise at Dare to Care 24 Laura at Laura Purdie Salas October 1 Catherine at Reading to the Core 8 Irene at Live Your Poem 15 Bridget at wee words for wee ones 22 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup 29 Linda at TeacherDance November 5 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference 12 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme 19 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink 26 Ruth at there is no such thing as a God-forsaken town December 3 Michelle at Michelle Kogan 10 Cathy at Merely Day by Day 17 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch 24 Buffy at Buffy Silverman 31 Carol at Carol's Corner |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Kristine Paulus, Ryan Hodnett, Marie Hale, gurdonark, btrentler, Kelly Colgan Azar, jeffreyw, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region
