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November 29, 2013

Poetry Friday--15 Words Or Less

Last Friday night I traveled down to Boston to meet up with some bloggers--virtual friends, whom I had never met, or hadn't seen in years. The Hynes Convention Center was the location of the 2013 NCTE convention, and thus, teachers, writers, and bloggers were all gathered in one place, less than an hour away from me.

Me, Linda Baie, and Laura Purdie Salas.

Linda Baie and Tara Smith.

I also met and talked with Janet Fagal and David L. Harrison and his wife, Sandy. (Sandy and I spoke for a time about the changes in adult reading--don't get me started...)

Laura and I discussed her weekly 15 Words Or Less challenges, and of how I've integrated them into my Thursday morning routine (feed cats, make coffee, 15 WOL, feed me, go to work).

When I got home from Boston, I was curious as to how faithful a participant I have been, so I checked back through my poetry folder and found that for 2013, I couldn't find poems for March 28 and August 29. I plan on finishing out the year on schedule. If, you consider I missed two Thursdays this year, and about the same over the past six years that Laura has been running the challenges, that still makes close to 300 short little poems that I have Laura to thank for!

Forgive me for being self-indulgent, but I'm going to share one 15 WOL poem from each month of 2013. Most of these, I think, can be read without the original photo prompt that Laura supplied.
January 17 (Don't bother to count! I counted two-year-old as one word, and by that measure, I'm one word under!)

MUSEUM OF ART

Guard watches,
"One mississippi, two..."

"My two-year-old could do that."

Guard chuckles...
"Five seconds."


February 21

second-hand shop...
in the pocket of a black coat
a theater ticket


March 14

yellow crocuses...
little girl warning a cat
to be good


April 11

Fountain Drink

Sip
sip
sippppppp
always
a little
drip
slips
back
down
the
straw.


May 9

Pencil Wranglers

Round 'em poets!
There's a load of words
waitin' to be saddled.


June 6

forsythia...
under the blossoms
the twitch of a nose


July 25

Paint Chart Blues

188 blues
yet none of them
comes close to
matching her
undertones.


August 8

Just After Midnight
April 15, 1912


"Yes, Ma’am.
God bless you."
She watches
the boat lowered,
tasting at last,
her freedom.


September 12

Call the National Enquirer!

On the verge
of burnt
the visage
on my toast
grows. Jesus?
Is that you?


October 10

Upon Receiving an Invitation to the Mermaid’s Wedding

One has to wonder
at the logistics
of that first night
of wedded bliss.


November 7

November

The month poised
between tepid and cold
color and its absence
life and certain death.

All poems © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Carol's Corner is where all the kids will be hanging out today doin' some pencil wranglin'!

25 comments:

  1. great fun; have a nice Friday

    much love...

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  2. Love seeing these pix - One of these days I'll get to one of these meetings and photo-bomb you all!

    What fun to read your poems from so many points during the year, and what an accomplishment. The two that really reeled me in this morning are "Paint Chart Blues" and "Call the National Enquirer." Well, you already know I'm one of your biggest fans. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks, Robyn! We belong to thr mutual admiration society! We haiku kooks have to stick together.

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  3. Such fun to meet you at long last, Diane! "Paint Chart Blues" and "February 21" were my favorites...what a bounty you have shared with us to enjoy!

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    1. Hi Tara! I just got home from two days spent with family in Jersey City! Maybe we'll run into each other some day in NJ.

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  4. You are more organized than I am, Diane. I may have to open a PoetryThursday folder! I remember some of these, still love your mermaid poem-laughing again! Wish our visit had been longer! I'm going to steal one of your pics-love that you have them! Thanks for taking the time to share so much!

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    1. Steal away! Physical organization is not my strong suit, but, I have four computer folders that I divide into quarters each year. I try to remember to put all my 15 Words poems in, along with whatever haiku and any other poems I come up with. However, I don't always remember to do so.

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  5. Like Linda, I have not been keeping my 15 WOL poems in a folder, but I may be able to backtrack because I only joined in recently. I love opening my email on Thursday mornings to write a little poem. I don't exercise physically on Thursday, so I have time before getting ready for school to sit and write. It's special that many of us share that time. I enjoyed reading your poems here, too.

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    1. Yes, it is nice that we share that time! There's some great stuff posted each week.

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  6. Your November poem perfectly describes the past week! Thank you for sharing your lovely poems.

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    1. I hope your week wasn't as melancholy as my poem made me feel as I wrote it!

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  7. Love these! If I had to pick one favorite, it's Museum of Art.

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    1. If I had to guess which one would have been your favorite, I would have guessed that one, or, the toast one! Remind me to tell you about Blessed Fig Hand Cream.

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  8. You know me well. The toast one was definitely a contender.

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  9. Your discipline is inspiring, Diane! Such a fine collection of 15-word poems. My favorites are also the Paint Chart Blues and the Mermaid Invite.

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    1. Not so much discipline, but the creation of a habit!

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  10. What a great collection! And over the course of six years...WOW!

    I was sorry to miss you at NCTE! I was really looking forward to meeting you! Maybe DC?

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    1. It's amazing how the years pile up, isn't it! I'd love to go to DC next year! I didn't see dates, though. I would really like to go to the Dodge Festival again next year, but I doubt if I could swing two events in the fall.

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  11. Your poetry habits produce great results! Picking favorites among these is tough, but I have a special fondness for February and March.

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    1. Thanks, Tabatha! I like February too, for what is left to the imagination.

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  12. Love so many of these, but especially April, Diane. I'm going to head right over to Laura's current 15 WOL challenge and see if I can come up with something! (and yes, February...)

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    1. Thanks, Julie! Laura will post a new photo on Thursday. The secret is to just write it without thinking about it too much.

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  13. I feel like a bit of a voyeur, ogling your 15WOL journey over the past year! Good stuff-- I found April particularly refreshing! I've missed participating as of late... hope to get back to it soon.

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