Oh, happy day! I am so glad it's Poetry Friday! Don't miss all the fun of the round-up at Karen Edmisten's site HERE. Thanks for hosting, Karen!
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​A few days ago while I was thumbing through my notebook, I came across an entry about a time my boys were having so much fun playing in the woods near my house. I remember how they laughed as they climbed trees and played with sticks. The memory of this moment made me smile, but it also made me think about how little time we seem to have these days for playing outside together. We can get so busy that some things we used to do because we wanted to, get pushed aside for all the things we think we have to do. Just think of all the fun we miss! It's so important to carve out some time throughout the day to do the things we love.

​I am definitely going to spend more time laughing and playing with my family. I wrote this poem to remind myself of my commitment to honor play each day. I wrote it for you, too. I wish for you the gift of laughter and play. I added some repetition to make it sound more like a chant or a song inviting you to play with me. So run, explore, be silly! Make time for YOU!      

Writers, the time we spend doing the things that really matter to us with the people that matter the most is so valuable. It energizes us in a way that nourishes our writing lives. I invite you to let loose and kick up your heels today! Do something you love to do and then write about it. Read your piece of writing again and again. Keep it somewhere safe. Pull it out often and reread it. Let it remind you to never forget to play!   

Welcome Poetry Friday friends! Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to wander over to Reading to the Core where Catherine is hosting the round-up.

Writers, so many moments in my life remind me of the power and importance of taking deep breaths throughout my day. I notice that when I take the time to relax and breathe deeply, all of my senses seem keener. I find that I am much more equipped to handle whatever comes my way, especially when it involves making a change or trying something I've never done before.

This makes me realize how important is to breathe and to open my senses to the world changing around me. The poem I am sharing today comes from my own wish to spend more time taking in the air around me and exploring the writing gifts that my senses bring to life.

Something to think about...
With each inhale and exhale, the senses are awakened. As writers, we can learn to make the most of these golden opportunities. Each breath we take can heighten our senses, giving life to our words.

You can give this strategy a try, too! Take a few moments to close your eyes and take a deep breathe. Try writing with your ears first. What do you hear? What does it sound like? Maybe it reminds you of something or makes you wonder. Now open your eyes, and take another breath in. What do you smell? How would you describe it? Look for connections between what you hear, smell, and see. Use those connections to create an image for your reader that is filled with sensory bliss! 

Happy Poetry Friday, friends! Michelle is hosting the roundup on her site Today's Little Ditty. Be sure to swing on over and join in the poetry fun!

What an exciting week it has been! First, I was honored to be invited to share a little bit of my note-booking process with others on Amy VanDerwater's Sharing Our Notebooks page. Then, I had the opportunity to be in a few classrooms this week where I was simply awed by all the writing flowing inside of notebooks. It was incredible to hear how inspired students are to write when they are given a host of invitations and notebook strategies by teachers who value them as writers for life. I am so grateful to have the privilege to work alongside these teachers and writers. You can take a peek HERE at some of the brilliant writing work happening at our school Spring Creek Elementary. 

The poem I am sharing today is one that came to life after rereading an observation in my notebook. The entry was about the day I watched a crow chase a hawk along a high line wire in a nearby field. The crow kept cawing and cawing at the hawk. I could tell he did not want him in his territory. It really surprised me that a crow would chase a hawk and not the other way around. I had always thought of the hawk as a master of other field birds. This observation certainly made me wonder more and more about the crow. My questions led me straight to research. I learned so much about this intelligent bird that I might never have considered. Simple observations can be explored in many different ways when we take the time to consider them truly and deeply. 

Click HERE to learn more about the crow.

Observations can create wonder. And wondering can lead us to consider all sorts of possibilities! There are so many things to wonder about in the world around us. Sometimes all we have to do is stop in our tracks, and take a look. Write down some observations you are making right this moment. What do your observations make you wonder about? Is there more you want to learn? Choose a few of these ideas or topics and consider the possibilities of each one. Push your thinking by asking, "What if...?" or "Have I considered...?" Let your observations be your guide. There is much to consider! 

Hip, hip, hooray! It's Poetry Friday! Thanks for stopping by today, and be sure to visit Amy at The Poem Farm. She's gathering up all the poetry seeds today!

One of my favorite things to write about is the very old elm tree in my back yard. I included a picture of it in my poem today. Isn't it a beauty? I call it the Dragonfly Tree because every fall I see a swarm of dragonflies at the very tip top.

So many inspirations for writing grow from this ancient tree. I love to watch it change throughout the seasons. Each time I write about it, I discover new things to say. It's so much fun to play with poems, especially when they are about something I care about and write about often. So whenever I finish a poem about a topic I write about frequently, I know that I can return to that poem again with fresh eyes.

Sometimes I don't always feel settled on the way a poem turns out, so it's a relief to me to know that I can always go back and change it up. The poem I am sharing today is certainly a great example of how this happens for me. In my "Dragonfly Tree" poem, I knew that I wanted to include lots of repetition and rhyming to mimic the flight and sound of swarming dragonflies. After I had written the poem, I put it to the side for awhile and then reread it. That's when I started to get an itch to play with it. I began to wonder if there were other rhyming or near-rhyming words that I might like better than the ones I had originally chosen. I admit, I was a little overwhelmed by all the choices I had. Then I remembered that it's okay to feel that way. Since I know that I' ll be writing about the Dragonfly Tree again someday, I can revise the poem a bit and move on.

So while this is where I landed with this particular poem, you can bet I'll be writing some other poems to share with you about my favorite tree!  

You can learn more about the dragonfly HERE.

Think about some of your magnet topics. These topics are usually things you are drawn to writing about. They might include people, places, or objects. Pick one and write a poem about it, or choose a poem you have already written. Reread your poem and then put it aside. Take a walk or do something else for a little bit just to create some space from what you have written. Then come back to your poem and reread it again with fresh eyes. Think about your poem in a new way. What do you notice? Do you see any places that you might want to spend some more time trying out your other options? Try plugging a few things in and see what you get. You'll know when it's time to move on, but have fun with it until then. It's poetry playtime!  

Happy Poetry Friday y'all! Penny is hosting the round-up this week, so mozy on over to her site A Penny and her Jots to join in the fun!

I have been wanting to write an invitation poem, like the one I am sharing today for a very long time. I have collected many entries and lists in my notebook of the things I would want to invite others to experience if they were walking here on the ridge with me. There are so many things I want to share with all of you! I never thought that when I took my pen in hand, that I would struggle as much as I did. With the flood of ideas rushing through my brain, I started feeling stuck. How could I get all my thoughts down on paper when there was so much I wanted to say? Then, I remembered that all writers face this situation at times. That's when I realized it was time for me to take a step back and return to the notebook. My son, who is in fourth grade, calls it "brain dumping." So whenever you're stuck, you just take your thinking and "dump it" onto the page. I gave it a try and my "dump" became a very specific list. I used this list to help me stay focused on what I really wanted to say in my poem. I am so grateful to him for sharing such a wonderful strategy. Today, I invite you to join me on the ridge where there are signs everywhere!

Here are a few pictures of the things I listed in my poem.

Invitation to Write:
Sometimes when I am writing a poem, I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head that it's hard for me to stay focused on what I really want to say. Having a list or two in my notebook about my topic really helps me. I don't feel so overwhelmed when I have a list to keep me on track with my thoughts. I have lists for all kind of things in my notebook. You can try making lists in your notebook, too! Lists can be wide and contain many ideas around a topic or they might be really specific. So whether you are generating ideas or circling around a topic, lists are a great tool to help you find your way.