Poetry Friday Round-Up is Here!

Photo by Transguyjay
Welcome to Random Noodling's Poetry Friday Round-Up! Let me begin by sharing the last stanza of Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Invitation to Love":

Come when my heart is full of grief
Or when my heart is merry;
Come with the falling of the leaf
Or with the redd’ning cherry.
Come when the year’s first blossom blows,
Come when the summer gleams and glows,
Come with the winter’s drifting snows,
And you are welcome, welcome.

Read the entire poem here.

Add your Poetry Friday links to the comments below. Thanks for sharing!

My alter ego, Kurious Kitty, is in with a "Eden, Then and Now" by Ruth Stone. Also, check out my other blog, Kurious Kitty's Kwotes for a P.F. quote from Ruth Stone.

Julie, at The Drift Record, after directing us to an article about Galileo's rediscovered remains, brings us back with an original poem, "MUSEO GALILEO, FIRENZE."

At A Year of Reading, Mary Lee, shares Jane Kenyon's "Happiness." (She also shares an enormous yellow smiley face, which made me grin.)

Andromeda at A Wrung Sponge, and Laura at Writing the World for Kids, both have original villanelles (the form is way out of my own writing comfort zone!), on two very different subjects, Christmas and war! Laura also directs us to yesterday's "15 words or less" poems inspired by an awesome photo of a nimble hippo!

Janet, at Across the Page, shares a seasonal poem by T.S. Eliot, "Journey of the Magi." A genuinely thought-provoking piece.

At alphabet soup Jama talks about Peter Yarrow's Day is Done, a lovely picture book illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Jama also includes a video of Peter, Paul, and Mary's performance of "Day is Done," and, photos of deer in her yard! Bunches of stuff at alphabet soup!

Yesterday was Emily Dickinson's birthday and Tricia, at The Miss Rumphius Effect, celebrates it today with Dickinson's "It's All I Have to Bring Today." She also shares the results of her "timely" Monday Poetry Stretch.

Linda has had a busy week! At Write Time she brings us two original poems! "To My Unborn Grandchild," in response to the "Monday Poetry Stretch," made me a little verklempt!

At Read Write Believe, Sara shares "White-Eyes" by Mary Oliver. Make sure you read the whole poem--the last stanza is awesome.

Another poet responding to Tricia's "Monday Poetry Stretch" is Elaine at Wild Rose Reader. Elaine has two poems, one of which, "Clock," has this fun, tongue-twisting line: "Clicking, ticking, tocking together."

Sally reviews a book by Langston Hughes Carol of the Brown King at PaperTigers. The book is illustrated by Ashley Bryan--I've had the opportunity to hear him speak--he's a one-man poetry show, and thus the perfect one to illustrate Hughes.

Shelf Elf reviews Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. It's a book of poems about the seasons and on the basis of the Shelf Elf review, I've placed it on my "to read" list.

At Reflective Ink, G.R. reflects upon Chiyo-ni, an 18th century haiku poet. G.R. includes two translations of the same poem--I never realized how translations can be so very different!

This is the first time I'm hosting the P.F. Round-Up, if I do it again, I'll have to get up extra early and have breakfast first. Here it is 9:30 and I still haven't had a chance to eat!

Sylvia lists 18 books from 2009--"the best, most unique, most appealing books of poetry." You'll find them at Poetry for Children.

At Words World and Wings, Catherine reviews the picture book, Starlight Sailor by James Mayhew, illustrated by Jackie Morris. A comment from Jackie Morris I found to be intriguing in that she questions the way the editor changed the original text. I've always wondered how an editor goes about working on poetry when a poem is such a complex undertaking. A poet's choice of form, language, theme, etc. is so very personal--is it fair to change it?

Gregory K. at GottaBook shares his original, "Why I Love the Holidays in My Family." It reminded me to wish a Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it! Hanukkah begins tonight!

Also in with an original is Tiel Aisha Ansari at Knocking From Inside with "Roses in December." A lovely villanelle about a surprising phenomenon, "a touch of August captured in perfume."

Tabatha shares two poems, "Baby Cheeks" by Brian Foley, and the Christmas classic, "little tree" by e.e. cummings. She also directs us to an article in Poets & Writers on public poetry. In her comment Tabatha said,

I never know who is hosting Poetry Friday until after I have already posted my stuff. Is there a way to know who is coming up?

The schedule can be found at A Year of Reading (here's an explanation), and I have the list here at Random Noodling, too!

A big WELCOME! to first-time P.F. participant, Sheri Doyle. Sheri shares Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost with illustrations by Susan Jeffers. The Robert Frost farm in Derry, NH is just up the road a few miles from me. Behind the barn is a field and woods and I can imagine Frost out there in the snow! (It has snowed twice in just the past week!)

Just in time for tonight The Stenhouse Blog has "Light the Festive Candles" by Aileen Fisher.

Charles Ghigna introduces us to his new blog, Bald Ego (fabulous name). Its subtitle is "Quips & Quotes for Authors & Artists." Check out the premier offering of poems. My favorite is, "Poetry Is Not," for this provocative line, "Caught by tears on fire." Wow!

Miss Erin offers her original poem "the world revolves." I warn you--be prepared to look at the water.

Jone at Check It Out shares not only one of her favorite seasonal poems, "little tree," but she also shares her childhood Christmas morning memories of a tree left by Santa. She solicits your tree memories, and recommends that you check out the items being auctioned to benefit a writer and librarian whose health insurance does not cover her cancer treatment. [Personal note: not to get political, but, isn't it a sin that in the United States we can't guarantee everyone adequate healthcare? If you've ever had an opinion on healthcare reform--for or against--now's the time to voice it. Contact your members of Congress. Okay, stepping off my soapbox...]

Ruth is feeling a bit nostalgic today and looks at a poem by Billy Collins, "Lines Composed Over Three Thousand Miles from Tintern Abbey." Good choice, Ruth.

Susan T. at the PBS Parents blog talks about the late Arnold Lobel and the recently released book of his poems, The Frogs and Toads All Sang, illustrated with sketches by Lobel that have been enhanced through the addition of color by Lobel's daughter, Adrianne.

Listen as well as read at Sherry's Semicolon where we experience Christmas in Coventry circa 1200 and 1500.

Karen Edmisten apologizes for coming late, but, her comment arrived in my box at 2:19, so by my reckoning, it isn't even noon on the west coast! Plenty of time to join the party! Karen shares Thomas Merton's "Advent."

Carmela Martino wrote to tell us that the Teaching Authors blog, features April Halprin Wayland who tells us about Smith Magazine's 6-word memoirs. April invites everyone to write a 6-word resolution for the rapidly approaching new year.

At Book Crumbs, Priya shares what she calls, "an original, rule-breaking sonnet from school." To which I'll quote General Douglas MacArthur:

Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind.

Good for you Priya for breaking a few rules!