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.

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

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!

 Welcome to the ridge, where I am hosting Day 25 of the Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem 2018!

I am so grateful for my first opportunity to offer a line in this collaborative project. It has been so fun to see how this poem has evolved! And it all began with one little seed. When I read that first line, "Nestled in her cozy bed, a seed stretched," I imagined a tiny seed awakening from a deep winter slumber. I wondered where her journey would lead. I thought,"What will she imagine for herself as she grows and changes? Who will she meet along the way, and how will they inspire or challenge her to reach her full potential?" I believed that in time, she would spring forth into the world and bloom. Oh, what a story it would be! 

And what a story it has been so far! It has taken many different twists and turns. Today, I offer another vine in the life of our poetic Jasmine. Enjoy!

​Nestled in her cozy bed, a seed stretched.
Oh, what wonderful dreams she had had!
Blooming in midnight moonlight, dancing with
the pulse of a thousand star, sweet Jasmine
invented a game.

"Moon?" she called across warm, honeyed air.
"I'm sad you're alone; come join Owl and me."
"We're feasting on stardrops, we'll share them with you."
"Come find me, Moon called, hiding behind a cloud.

Secure in gentle talons' embrace, Jasmine rose
and set. She split, twining up Owl's toes, pale
moonbeams sliding in between. Whoosh, Jasmine goes.
Owl flew Jasmine between clouds and moon to Lee's party!

Moon, that wily bright balloon, was NOT alone.
                                          Jas grinned,
                                             stretched,
                                               reached,
                                                 wrapped
                                                 a new,
                                      around    tender
                                             rootlet
a trellis Sky held out to her, made of braided wind and song.

Her green melody line twisted and clung.
Because she was twining poet's jasmine, she
wiggled a wink back at Moon, and began her poem.

​Her whispered words floated on a puff of wind,
filled with light and starsong. "Revelers, lean in-
let's add to this merriment a game that grows
wordgifts for Lee. He's a man who knows
selection, collection, and wisely advising
these dreamers, word-weavers, and friends.


And so onward we go...take it away Renee!

If you would like to follow along to see what the whimsical Jasmine will be up to next, here is the schedule for the amazing poets who are contributing this year!

Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome to the ridge. This week, I am sharing a tiny poem about a Luna moth. Be sure to visit Tabatha at her space, The Opposite of Indifference, for more of the round-up.

​It seems that I make very little time these days for my personal writing, which has me feeling a little lost. Most of my writing consists of reflective academic writing for my graduate school work. It's been hard to find the balance between work, school, and home. I welcome all my visitors this week to share your wisdom or any strategies you may have for maintaining a healthy writing life. I look forward to reading your comments!

This week, I decided to jump back into the round-up with a small poem about a moth. I stumbled upon this tiny poem, while I was flipping through the pages of one of my old notebooks. It reminded me very much of a poem I might find in Valerie Worth's book, "All the Small Poems and Fourteen More." I love that poems can come in all shapes and all sizes. I can always find a poem idea lurking between the pages of my notebook. That's comforting to me as a writer, especially when my writing time is limited. 

Revisiting and rereading your notebook entries can often bring a sleeping idea to life! Whenever you feel stuck in your writing or you're searching to find an idea, try returning to your notebook for writing inspiration. Big or small, ideas are waiting for you to lift them from between the pages of your notebook!

Welcome Poetry Friday friends. Happy National Poetry Month! Today, our dear friend Amy is rounding up a wave of poetry offerings at her space, The Poem Farm. 

​This week, I couldn't help but write about the blue Passover moon after it put on quite a show for me last weekend. The moon did not disappoint and neither did the poets who had a hand in kicking off the 2018 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem Challenge! I was so inspired by each line, that I decided I would write a draft of a found poem about the moon using at least one of the words from each of the lines of this year's Progressive Poem (in progress). Here are the words I selected from the first five lines to write my first found poem: nestled, dreams, blooming, stars, sweet, game. To see today's addition to the progressive poem click on Irene's space HERE. She's the sweet lady that welcomed me to join in the project this year, and I'm ever so grateful! I'll be adding my line to the poem on April 25th. Who knows...maybe my line will inspire other writers in a new way, too!

Writers often involve themselves in all sorts of projects. Participating in a poetry challenge with a group or creating your own poetry project can help keep your writing skills sharp. What are some of the projects you have participated in or maybe have considered starting? It's never too late to join in the excitement and joy that a poetry project can bring. It's a great way to explore new writing territories! So be brave, writers. Step up to the challenge and write!

Happy Poetry Friday! I am still on poetry cloud 9 after all the  Poem in your Pocket Day festivities! Today, I am sharing some of the fun things that we did at my school to celebrate this perfectly pocketed poetic-filled day. For more of the poetry round-up, head over to JoAnn's space Teaching Authors.  

There were poems in pockets throughout our entire school yesterday. And by the end of the day, there were none. That's because they were all tucked away in the pockets of children!  It was so fun to see the excitement on their faces when they plucked a poem from the pocket and began to read.

What made it even more exciting was that the poems were written by the fourth grade poets at our school. Each poem was like a special treasure that students carried with them and read throughout the day.

I am including my own fourth grade son's poem below. He really enjoyed getting to write his poem and share it with others.  It was a perfectly splendid "poem in your pocket day" for all.

I had to join in the fun, too! Here is one of the poems that I gave as a gift to all the staff members at my school to place in their pockets for the day.

I invite you to pick a poem for your pocket this week. Carry it with you wherever you go. Let each line, each word, and each pause be your guide as you journey throughout the day. Live with your poem for a week, for a month, for a lifetime. May it bring you pockets full of joy each time you read it!

Welcome, welcome! It's a glorious day for Poetry Friday! If you are looking for more poetry after your visit, head over to Tabatha's space The Opposite of Indifference for more poetry tidbits. 

This week, I have really been thinking about the things that I am most grateful for in life. I call these things my blessings. Sometimes, I like to list those blessings and turn my lens of attention to them. I always find nuggets of joy that inspire poetry!

Think about some of the things that you are most grateful for. Make a list of your "thankfuls" or blessings in your life. Consider each one, paying careful attention to the significance of each. Try jotting some thoughts and ideas in your notebook. Which ones are drawing your lens of attention today?  

Happy National Poetry Month! What an exciting week to join in the round-up of words and all things poetry! Irene is hosting the celebration at her space Live Your Poem. It's sure to be a splendid poetry party, so don't delay!

While every day is a day to honor the art of poetry, it's extra special to have thirty consecutive days devoted to the power of poetry. I look forward to this month all year long when everyone comes together to spread the poetry love.

Though I have not taken on a poetry project this month like many of my PF friends, I look forward to reading all that these magnificent poets will share! I plan on participating in my own way each day as well. So this week, I am looking back in my notebooks for notes or poems inspired by guest poets that I have had the privilege to hear speak over the years. The first notebook entry I found was from 2014 when the always amazing, Georgia Heard came to our school district to share. Here are a few of my notes from her workshop, along with a poetic entry it inspired. Happy #npm17!

​Poets:

• observe the world around us
• find poetry in the ordinary
• see beauty in the ugly
• are curious and filled with wonder
• love the meaning and sounds of words
• look at the world in a new way
• always look for poetry seeds
• see that you can look at anything and find a poem​​

​Poetry hides...
in the moon, the stars, the sun on my skin, the birds in the trees, the voices of my children, beneath the water and the soil-

no matter where I am, it lives in me, somewhere quiet, dark and deep, but still, always with me, always carried in my soul wherever I go...the seashell on the beach, each speck of sand between my toes, and the waves that crash upon the shore.    

This month, poetry will be celebrated by many. It's so fun to learn about all the projects that poets role out throughout the month. What are your favorite poetry projects?

One of the best things about National Poetry Month is that there are endless ways you can join in the fun. So even if you don't decide to do a project, there are still opportunities to share in the joy of poetry. There are some great websites that will give you tons of ideas. One of my favorites is poets.org. You can find more about the celebration along with ways to participate. Twitter is another go-to favorite of mine for finding poetry inspiration throughout the month. Just search for #npm17 and you'll be set! Will you participate this year? How so?

You can start right now if you like! Think about where poetry hides for you. Finish this sentence stem inspired by the poet Georgia Heard.
Poetry hides...