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New Year Detour-Haiku

2/11/2023

4 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday! I'm a little late to the party, but my sweet friend Carol Varsalona invited me to post. She is hosting this weekend at her space HERE. She's got some amazing post card offerings!

Today, I'm sharing a haiku that I wrote on New Year's Eve. I am in a professional transition right now, so the idea of detouring onto a different course has been on my mind. I love the idea of thinking of a detour with excitement and adventure awaiting. I hope that whatever points are on your arc this year continue to guide you, but may you also embrace the chance of detour. You never know where it might lead you!

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Invitation to Write:

Think about your arc for the new year. What are your guiding points? How will connect each one? Don't be afraid to detour. If you should, how will you embrace the new course? Happy writing! xx
4 Comments

#Brave

1/9/2020

14 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday! I am excited to be back in the roundup this week. Thanks for visiting the ridge. You can find lots more of the poetry fun happening at Sally's space HERE!

From now on, I choose brave. It was the one word destined to be my focus for the new year. It kept bubbling up in poems and books that I had been reading. Many of my friends and colleagues even started calling me brave. It's interesting because I never would have described myself as brave. I would call myself a risk-taker. I often seek out opportunities to stretch beyond my comfort level. But to me, being brave goes even deeper than that. The dictionary defines brave as:
ready to face and endure danger or pain;  showing courage
By that definition, I realize I really am brave. I have had to show courage, and I have had to endure many emotional hardships this past year. But somehow, I found my voice. I found my brave. It comes from a deep urge inside of me to speak, to share, to witness, and to question. I am better for it. I will always choose brave. 

Now is the time to be brave for ourselves, for each other, for our world. We must be brave together. As I gaze up at the full January Wolf moon, I am reminded of the courage that it takes to be truly brave.
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Listen to my poem:

Invitation to Write-

What is your brave? How would you define it? What does it look like, feel like, sound like? Brave heart, write! You have a courageous story to tell.
14 Comments

A Heart Song: Haiku

4/26/2019

10 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday! I'm excited to be back in the round up this week. Thank you to my sweet friend, Carol for the invitation to join in the fun this week! She's hosting for us at her space at Beyond LiteracyLink.
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Today, my heart sings. For the past couple of days, I have had a young Purple Martin swallow circling the skies above my yard singing the most beautiful notes I have ever heard. He sings and churtles, hoping to make a friend. His heart song is love. It comes from deep within, as it does from all of us. He shares his song with an open heart for all the world to hear. My hope is that we all continue singing our heart song to share the love within. When we do, we spread the pure joy that lives inside of us.

Heart Song
gladness fills the soul
sing of love and hope once more
a heart song of joy

Invitation to Write:

Our heart speaks to us. Sometimes it's a whisper, and sometimes it's loud and clear! Think about the song of your heart. What does it say to you? Perhaps you can hear it's refrain. Listen closely. Describe what you hear. Have fun writing a heart song poem of your own!
10 Comments

Space to Dream: Haiku for Hope

4/4/2019

7 Comments

 
Happy Poetry Friday! Thank you for visiting the ridge. Be sure to stop by Karen's space HERE for more of the round up!

As I continue to embrace the power of hope, I also remind myself of my dreams and vision for the future. It's important for me to lean into these thoughts and reflections. I invite you to think about your hopes and aspirations as well. Wherever they may lead, dreams and hopes are always a path worth following.
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Invitation to Write:

Dreams and wishes make great incentives to write. What are some of the things you dream of? Find some time throughout the coming weeks to write about your dreams and hopes. Sometimes, the simple act of capturing them in words can help make them come true.
7 Comments

Red-eyed Tree Frog: Haiku

10/4/2018

7 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday! I'm so glad you stopped by! For more of the poetry round-up, visit Tabatha at her space HERE.

Last Friday, I had so much fun visiting all the writers in Mrs. Rodriguez's fourth grade dual language class. I had the opportunity to share my process and my published poem for the Poetry Friday roundup. It was an amazing experience to be with these young writers. Their questions were so insightful, and I learned so much from each of them. One student even offered me a seed poem idea. It was a wonderful invitation! I happily accepted his seed poem idea. The result is this haiku about the very interesting Red-eyed Tree Frog. I want to send a huge thank you to the students of Mrs. Rodriguez's class for welcoming me into their workshop with such enthusiasm for writing!
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Invitation to Write:

For this seed poem idea, I did a little research on the Red-eyed Tree Frog. I didn't know much about this fascinating creature, so I had to do a bit of research on this topic. Writers are researchers at times. It helps them collect around their subject or topic. Next, I made the decision to try a haiku using some of the research I gathered. One of the great features of the haiku form is the freedom it provides from structure and form. For example, a haiku doesn't have to rhyme, and usually it doesn't. Another great aspect of the haiku is that punctuation and capitalization are used only if the poet decides to incorporate these conventions. For writers who like to follow the general rule, the standard haiku follows a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. You may choose to experiment with creating a traditional haiku or a variation, such as a Tanka or a Lune. Just start with any topic of interest, like I did. You'll have lots of fun with this short but sweet form of poetry!
7 Comments

Little House: A Home for the Brave

3/28/2018

7 Comments

 
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Welcome to the ridge! I'm so happy to have Poetry Friday visitors. For more poetry offerings, visit Heidi, at her space, My Juicy Little Universe.

Spring has sprung all over the ridge! It has braved the storm once again. I took one look at this little house, and immediately thought, "What a home for the brave." At that moment, I knew I wanted to capture this idea of being brave as a writer and accepting whatever conditions may come. I imagined the brave bluebirds that would accept this little house as a home, despite the snares and snags along the way. Then, I thought about all of the brave writers I know who do just the same. They face the blank and empty page, trusting that they will have the words to fill it. Just as the bravest of bluebirds fills the little house with moss, and grass , and hope. When you're a writer, you have to be brave, and make a home for your words to grow. So fill the space inside, accepting what comes as good enough, barb after barb, stretch after stretch.
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Bluebird house on the ridge

Invitation to Write:

Writers face challenges all the time. One of the greatest challenges writers often face is the blank page. I have to admit, I get stuck a lot! Whenever I feel myself freezing up over a blank page, I remind myself that it's okay to give my pen to the page without knowing where it may go. It's okay to accept what comes. And sometimes what comes, isn't quite what I want it to be, YET. So I keep writing, trusting that words will come! When you're a writer, you have to be brave, and know that your words are enough.
7 Comments

To Wolf Moon

1/5/2018

5 Comments

 
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Happy New Year Poetry Friday friends! Thanks for visiting the first post of the year here on the ridge. Catherine is hosting the first poetry round-up of 2018 at her space, Reading to the Core. Be sure to ring in the new year by stopping by!

On New Year's day, there was a super-blue-wolf-full moon! I hope you had a chance to see it rising in the night sky. Not to worry though if you missed it because there will be another super-blue-wolf moon on January 31st. I read that it will also be a super-blue-blood lunar eclipse moon. Wow! We are certainly experiencing some spectacular astronomical events this year already. 

I always find writing inspiration from my favorite magnet topics like the stars and the moon! In this image, I put two photos of the full moon side by side to give the effect of the eyes of the wolf moon on the rise. The poem this image inspired turned out to be a little sadder than many of the poems I write, but I think poems must be written as we feel them. I was also trying to play with line breaks in a way that allowed the poem to be read as one voice or two voices. The two italicized lines can either be read as the first voice or the moon's echo in response. Try reading it with a friend in this way. I'm not sure if there is a technical poetry term for this strategy, but it was fun to fiddle with anyway! And if you prefer to read something not quite so full of sadness, I have included a haiku in honor of the wolf moon as well. Happy moon watching in 2018!    
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Wolf Moon on the rise- photo by K Shepard
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Invitation to Write:

A poet can express a wide range of emotions throughout a single poem or focus intently on one. A writer can invite the reader to feel whatever they choose, and sometimes the writer hopes to elicit a certain response from the reader. Think about poems or other pieces of literature that you have read with expressive emotions. In what way or ways did the writer invite you to feel or decide something on your own? Maybe it was the word choice or the use of line breaks to create "rooms" throughout the poem. Take note of this and try it out in your own writing., staying true to the feeling in your words. 
5 Comments

Summer Molasses

7/13/2017

16 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday to all! It's a short and sweet haiku this week inspired by the summer scent on the ridge. For more poetry goodies, head to Tabatha's at the Opposite of Indifference.
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photo taken at dusk on the ridge by Kiesha Shepard

Invitation to Write:

Keeping up with our writing lives isn't always easy. The summer months can be especially busy with traveling and spending time with friends and family. Finding time to write can be a challenge, but it can be done! Whenever I find myself on the go and in danger of neglecting my writing, I remind myself of how important my writing is to my daily life. It provides a natural energy boost that keeps me going from one daily event to the next. Like my PF friend Jone MacCulloch says, "It's important to keep a writing practice."
I couldn't agree more. So wherever your day takes you, be sure to schedule in a little writing practice!
16 Comments

Underwater Dance: Beach Haiku

6/7/2017

11 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday! I'm away from the ridge this week, so thanks for visiting my home while I am at the beach this week. For more PF posts visit Mary Lee at A Year of Reading.

In honor of my trip to the coast of Texas this week, I decided to try a beach haiku. I am so grateful to our Poetry Friday host this week, Mary Lee, who gave me a helpful tip to consider when writing a haiku. This week, you'll notice that my form is a little more "loose". It definitely works. Thanks again for the advice, Mary Lee!
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Invitation to Write:

You can try Mary Lee's invitation as well! Take any piece you are working on, and see how you might break "loose" from the traditional form or structure. Allow yourself some wiggle room. Have fun loosening the reigns with your poetry writing this week!
11 Comments

Spring Meadow: Haiku

5/31/2017

13 Comments

 
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Welcome Poetry Friday friends! It's good to be back after taking a week off to enjoy my first deep breath of summer vacation.  Thanks for stopping by! For more PF offerings, visit Buffy's Blog HERE.
 
I decided to try something different this week. I had never written a haiku before, but I talked myself into giving it a try. I have to admit, I was really nervous. But after reading several beautifully written haikus by many of my Poetry Friday friends, I found the courage to branch out and take a chance. The result is my first haiku! I'm really glad I tried this form of Japanese poetry. It just goes to show, you never know until you try! 
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This is an image of the meadow here on the ridge. The wildflowers and weeds are lovely this time of year. I like taking photos of each one to identify it. This way, I can call them by name as I admire them. They have such interesting names you know!

Here is the list of names I used to choose from for my haiku:

queen Anne's lace
meadow parsnip
sand brazoria
wood-sorrel
green-wild Indigo
wild parsley
basil beebalm
fleabane
ironweed

Invitation to Write:

​Sometimes it can be easy to talk yourself out of something before you even give it a try. But you never know until you try. I think this is great advice for writers. Taking a risk and writing outside of your preferred form or genre can be a little scary, but the end results can be quite rewarding. The important thing to remember is to keep writing!  
13 Comments

    Author

    Welcome! 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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    Click to learn about Poetry Friday!

    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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