© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved
November 30, 2010
November 28, 2010
Happy Haiga Day!
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Image courtesy Library of Congress.
Haiga originally published in Sketchbook, July/August, 31, 2010: Volume 3, No. 1.
November 26, 2010
Poetry Friday--"That Evening At Dinner"
I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving dinner! That's about all we can ask for at family gatherings, a little pleasantness. So often family gatherings degrade into an application of guilt, recriminations, shouting matches, and other unpleasantnesses.
David Ferry has a poem, "That Evening At Dinner," the ending of which sums up yesterday's dinner for many (just substitute turkey for the fish):
Then, yesterday morning, we took part in the Feaster Five road race in Andover, Massachusetts. I'm not a runner, so another family member and I walked, but several in the family did run.
About 5,000 in front of us, and 5,000 behind us!
We made it! 5K! It took a wee bit longer than we would have liked--it was about 10 minutes before we got to the "start" point after all the runners began, then we had a few tie-ups when ambulances and fire trucks had to get by during the race.
Proof positive we finished--everyone who crossed the finish line got a Table Talk pie!
After the race, rather than stuff ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, and ten thousand side dishes, we had a Thanksgiving brunch with a frittata, coffee cake, and fresh fruit. Not too much food, so we avoided the "please let me puke" phase of the usual dinner.
For us, a smaller, differently celebrated Thanksgiving was a welcomed change!
Despite it being a holiday weekend, the Poetry Friday Round-Up is still being held. Our host on this "Black Friday" is Jone at Check It Out.
Update: Look at this awesome time lapse video of the race:
© Lussier Photography
David Ferry has a poem, "That Evening At Dinner," the ending of which sums up yesterday's dinner for many (just substitute turkey for the fish):
The dinner was delicious, fresh greens, and reds,I hope you don't think that on the basis of my selection for today, that I had one of those types of Thanksgiving dinners. I DID NOT! This year we did something a little unusual. For a change we didn't drive from New Hampshire to the metropolitan New York area on Wednesday. What a blessed relief not to have to sit in traffic for six hours!
And yellows, produce of the season due,
And fish from the nearby sea; and there were also
Ashes to be eaten, and dirt to drink.
Read the rest here.
Then, yesterday morning, we took part in the Feaster Five road race in Andover, Massachusetts. I'm not a runner, so another family member and I walked, but several in the family did run.
We made it! 5K! It took a wee bit longer than we would have liked--it was about 10 minutes before we got to the "start" point after all the runners began, then we had a few tie-ups when ambulances and fire trucks had to get by during the race.
After the race, rather than stuff ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, and ten thousand side dishes, we had a Thanksgiving brunch with a frittata, coffee cake, and fresh fruit. Not too much food, so we avoided the "please let me puke" phase of the usual dinner.
For us, a smaller, differently celebrated Thanksgiving was a welcomed change!
Despite it being a holiday weekend, the Poetry Friday Round-Up is still being held. Our host on this "Black Friday" is Jone at Check It Out.
Update: Look at this awesome time lapse video of the race:
© Lussier Photography
November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone has a very happy day. I just thought I'd let you know that Turkey, the star of Run, Turkey, Run! (by me, with illustrations by Laura Rader) has been interviewed by Cork and Fuzz at Dori Chaconas' site. Check it out here!
November 23, 2010
November 21, 2010
November 19, 2010
Poetry Friday--The Round-Up Is Here!
Welcome to the Random Noodling edition of Poetry Friday Round-Up. To start things off I'd like to share a portion of a poem from "Book of Hours" by Kevin Young:
I read the last line as a question despite there being no question mark. Why not sing? Why indeed? There is so much to sing about at this time of year: gorgeous foliage, the upcoming holidays, even the weather!
Leave links to your Poetry Friday posts and I'll update throughout the day.
I'll begin the Round-Up with my other blogs: Kurious Kitty has decided not to post a poetry entry for today, instead she has included a short animation explaining why there will be no P.F. post. At KKs Kwotes, I have an awesome quote by Jean Cocteau.
Early bird Charles Ghigna was first with the poetry worm this morning! He has two original poems, one on the Artist Autumn at Father Goose, and a thought-provoking one at the Bald Ego on the "outer edges of truth."
At Great Kid Books Mary Ann Scheuer shares a Nikki Grimes poem, "Reward," from her collection Thanks a Million. Mary Ann also gives thanks to those who've enriched her life in so many ways.
Tabatha Yeatts has an original poem that she is submitting to Dr. Alphabet's Poetry City Marathon Anthology. You'll find it at The Opposite of Indifference, and you'll never look at poetry forms in the same way again!
Melissa at Through the Wardrobe has an original poem called "Crow." I love these lines: Calling, the intervals random,/only the tone predictable -/its broken yearning -
Toby Speed has a little black and white friend sharing hosting duties at The Writer's Armchair and she has an original poem, "Wondering" on the age-old question, why do cats purr?
At There's No Such Thing as A God-Forsaken Town, Ruth shares a Dickinson poem, "I Dwell in Possibility," and follows it up with a poem of her own, "Wave." Writing really does have therapeutic qualities!
Julie Larios at The Drift Record says: "Windfall apples are on my mind. So is my mom. So are boys eating apples, growing into young men who go to war. November thoughts." She shares a poem called "Apples" by Laurie Lee (I love the photo of the windfalls that accompanies it.)
Mary Lee takes a moment out from her NCTE conference in Orlando, to share "Hoppity" by A.A. Milne. And if you're not jumping after you've read it at A Year of Reading, then you need another cup of coffee!
Laura Salas shares two short poems from a collection by JonArno Lawson, Thank Again. So simple, yet so effective in expressing teen love and angst. I was really taken by "Frame, Mask and Mirror." And for the results of Laura's "15 Words of Less" exercise, this week titled "Those Dam Ibex," click here. (And yes, Laura, sheep can see 320-340 degrees!)
Kerry Aradhya has an interview with Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple at Picture Books & Pirouettes. Kerry apologizes, "This may be cheating a little (since my post isn't directly about poetry)." No need to apologize, Kerry, John Dryden said, "Dancing is the poetry of the foot." And, it's all art!
At Carol's Corner she has a review of Ashley Bryan's newest work, All Things Bright and Beautiful, based on the hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander. Carol says, "WOW! WOW! WOW!" And after viewing the cover, I think she's right!
Elizabeth Alexander's luscious poem, "Butter," is featured at the Stenhouse Blog. I read that poem yesterday! What a coincidence!
Debbie Diller has Christina Rossetti's "What Are Heavy." Nice...
Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup shares "Thanksgiving Song" by David Steindl while remembering dear aunts/friends. Great lines from the poem: For winter, who strips trees to their basic design,/For stark, minimalist winter,/We give thanks.
At The Poem Farm, via NCTE in Orlanda, Amy has poem #25 in her series of poems about poems--secrets drawn in symmetry.
Castle in the Sea serves as the virtual home of Sally Thomas who today has an original November poem with these great last lines: Ten miles from Christmas Day,/A hundred miles from heaven.
Wendell Berry's "To My Mother" is featured at Karen Edmisten's blog today. ...And this, then,/is the vision of that Heaven of which/we have heard, where those who love/each other have forgiven each other, Ah, the SECRET!
Have you had enough gray November? If so, head over to Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day where she introduces us to Smelly Bill: Love Stinks by Daniel Postgate!
Laura Shovan shares an original "feminist" poem, which she says "falls into the 'It gets better,' category--letting teens know that they won't always feel ugly, unwanted, marginalized or bullied." You can find it at Author Amok. It is painful, yet full of hope. My favorite lines: For you, I have put on a skin/that is uncomfortably familiar.
At A Wrung Sponge, Andromeda Jazmon celebrates with Chief Jake Swamp's Giving Thanks: A Native American Morning Message. She also passed along the sad news that Chief Jake Swamp passed away in October. (I found a tribute here).
Martha Calderaro brings us "Something Told the Wild Geese" by Rachel Field and includes some links to musical performances of the poem. It does make a lovely song. I listened to several other YouTube performances and I liked this solo version, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlYok1oFH9w.
At Check It Out, a book by Georgia Heard, Writing Toward Home: Tales and Lessons to Find Your Way has funk-removal qualities! I'll certainly look for it, and follow Ms. Mac's advice to, "Find things to laugh out loud about."
The Book Maven reviews Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman. She tells us that the book is full of unexpected bits of information that children are sure to love, for example, a baby porcupine is called a "porcupette."
Blythe Woolston obviously has a love affair with poetry chapbooks. She calls them, "small treasures" and shares snippets from several. I personally love ones that are illustrated with woodcuts--there's something visceral about the combination of art and poetry.
Caryl reports that her part of Minnesota had its first snow! (I'm not ready for that quite yet!) At the Leaning Tower of Books, she shares Mary Louise Allen's "First Snow," and suggests looking at "First Snow: A Flickr-Generated Poem" by Felix Young. I did look at it, and replayed it with different images. It is a winter wonderful idea!
I left for lunch with my daughter in the early afternoon and now, 5 hours later, I'm back with the afternoon entries to the Round-Up:
Nicole at Saints in Progress shares a poem by C.S. Lewis, "Poem For Psychoanalysts and/or Theologians." It was the first poem of his that she read, and it remains her favorite.
At Endless Books, Beth has visions of daffodils in her head and thus shares Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud." She speculates that Wordsworth would have been pleased that someone is reading his work out of season. Don't miss the link to Jeremy Irons reading the poem.
Joyce Ray also has a Kevin Young poem, today, "Aunties," as well as an original poem inspired by the ruins of the monastery of Hildegarde of Bingen, which has this great stanza: Ivy anchors their moss velvet faces. /Rose thorns ramble over crumbled gables./Helpless to shelter, the stones stand sentry, /mute witnesses to divine desire. Visit Musings to read the rest!
Her 22-month-old son was the inspiration for Melissa Wiley's original poem, "Olympian Heights" found at Here in the Bonny Glen. The poem screams "little boy!"
Five years ago Carlie challenged herself, "to have a go at writing something personal and slightly vulnerable that included the top 25 most common nouns in the English language." The result, "My Uncommon Experience," can be found at Twinkling Along. Love the photos, Carlie!
Barbara is posting for The Write Sisters today and is sharing a Margaret Atwood poem, "This Is a Photograph of Me." It's a slightly strange poem, but one I definitely understand my fellow Write Sister liking. I'm not saying that Barb is strange--okay, maybe I am! (Only kidding, Barb!)
At A Teaching Life, Tara brings us "The Blue Between" by Kristine O'Connell George, and shares the story of a former student whose life includes this poem due to an early immersion in poetry in the classroom. Inspiring!
Shelley, at Rain: A Dust Bowl Story, reminds us to be thankful for what we have. Reading her dust bowl series of poems, can only make you stop and think. It wasn't all that long ago that America was brought to its knees...it could happen again.
Rasco from RIF celebrates her oldest son's birthday with "A Birthday Candle" by Donald Justice. Nice to meet you Carol Rasco!
Photo by ex.libris
Soon the sound—Read the rest here.wind wills
its way against
the panes. Welcome
the rain.
Welcome
the moon's squinting
into space.
The trees
bow like priests.
The storm lifts
up the leaves.
Why not sing.
I read the last line as a question despite there being no question mark. Why not sing? Why indeed? There is so much to sing about at this time of year: gorgeous foliage, the upcoming holidays, even the weather!
Leave links to your Poetry Friday posts and I'll update throughout the day.
I'll begin the Round-Up with my other blogs: Kurious Kitty has decided not to post a poetry entry for today, instead she has included a short animation explaining why there will be no P.F. post. At KKs Kwotes, I have an awesome quote by Jean Cocteau.
Early bird Charles Ghigna was first with the poetry worm this morning! He has two original poems, one on the Artist Autumn at Father Goose, and a thought-provoking one at the Bald Ego on the "outer edges of truth."
At Great Kid Books Mary Ann Scheuer shares a Nikki Grimes poem, "Reward," from her collection Thanks a Million. Mary Ann also gives thanks to those who've enriched her life in so many ways.
Tabatha Yeatts has an original poem that she is submitting to Dr. Alphabet's Poetry City Marathon Anthology. You'll find it at The Opposite of Indifference, and you'll never look at poetry forms in the same way again!
Melissa at Through the Wardrobe has an original poem called "Crow." I love these lines: Calling, the intervals random,/only the tone predictable -/its broken yearning -
Toby Speed has a little black and white friend sharing hosting duties at The Writer's Armchair and she has an original poem, "Wondering" on the age-old question, why do cats purr?
At There's No Such Thing as A God-Forsaken Town, Ruth shares a Dickinson poem, "I Dwell in Possibility," and follows it up with a poem of her own, "Wave." Writing really does have therapeutic qualities!
Julie Larios at The Drift Record says: "Windfall apples are on my mind. So is my mom. So are boys eating apples, growing into young men who go to war. November thoughts." She shares a poem called "Apples" by Laurie Lee (I love the photo of the windfalls that accompanies it.)
Mary Lee takes a moment out from her NCTE conference in Orlando, to share "Hoppity" by A.A. Milne. And if you're not jumping after you've read it at A Year of Reading, then you need another cup of coffee!
Laura Salas shares two short poems from a collection by JonArno Lawson, Thank Again. So simple, yet so effective in expressing teen love and angst. I was really taken by "Frame, Mask and Mirror." And for the results of Laura's "15 Words of Less" exercise, this week titled "Those Dam Ibex," click here. (And yes, Laura, sheep can see 320-340 degrees!)
Kerry Aradhya has an interview with Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple at Picture Books & Pirouettes. Kerry apologizes, "This may be cheating a little (since my post isn't directly about poetry)." No need to apologize, Kerry, John Dryden said, "Dancing is the poetry of the foot." And, it's all art!
At Carol's Corner she has a review of Ashley Bryan's newest work, All Things Bright and Beautiful, based on the hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander. Carol says, "WOW! WOW! WOW!" And after viewing the cover, I think she's right!
Elizabeth Alexander's luscious poem, "Butter," is featured at the Stenhouse Blog. I read that poem yesterday! What a coincidence!
Debbie Diller has Christina Rossetti's "What Are Heavy." Nice...
Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup shares "Thanksgiving Song" by David Steindl while remembering dear aunts/friends. Great lines from the poem: For winter, who strips trees to their basic design,/For stark, minimalist winter,/We give thanks.
At The Poem Farm, via NCTE in Orlanda, Amy has poem #25 in her series of poems about poems--secrets drawn in symmetry.
Castle in the Sea serves as the virtual home of Sally Thomas who today has an original November poem with these great last lines: Ten miles from Christmas Day,/A hundred miles from heaven.
Wendell Berry's "To My Mother" is featured at Karen Edmisten's blog today. ...And this, then,/is the vision of that Heaven of which/we have heard, where those who love/each other have forgiven each other, Ah, the SECRET!
Have you had enough gray November? If so, head over to Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day where she introduces us to Smelly Bill: Love Stinks by Daniel Postgate!
Laura Shovan shares an original "feminist" poem, which she says "falls into the 'It gets better,' category--letting teens know that they won't always feel ugly, unwanted, marginalized or bullied." You can find it at Author Amok. It is painful, yet full of hope. My favorite lines: For you, I have put on a skin/that is uncomfortably familiar.
At A Wrung Sponge, Andromeda Jazmon celebrates with Chief Jake Swamp's Giving Thanks: A Native American Morning Message. She also passed along the sad news that Chief Jake Swamp passed away in October. (I found a tribute here).
Martha Calderaro brings us "Something Told the Wild Geese" by Rachel Field and includes some links to musical performances of the poem. It does make a lovely song. I listened to several other YouTube performances and I liked this solo version, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlYok1oFH9w.
At Check It Out, a book by Georgia Heard, Writing Toward Home: Tales and Lessons to Find Your Way has funk-removal qualities! I'll certainly look for it, and follow Ms. Mac's advice to, "Find things to laugh out loud about."
The Book Maven reviews Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman. She tells us that the book is full of unexpected bits of information that children are sure to love, for example, a baby porcupine is called a "porcupette."
Blythe Woolston obviously has a love affair with poetry chapbooks. She calls them, "small treasures" and shares snippets from several. I personally love ones that are illustrated with woodcuts--there's something visceral about the combination of art and poetry.
Caryl reports that her part of Minnesota had its first snow! (I'm not ready for that quite yet!) At the Leaning Tower of Books, she shares Mary Louise Allen's "First Snow," and suggests looking at "First Snow: A Flickr-Generated Poem" by Felix Young. I did look at it, and replayed it with different images. It is a winter wonderful idea!
I left for lunch with my daughter in the early afternoon and now, 5 hours later, I'm back with the afternoon entries to the Round-Up:
Nicole at Saints in Progress shares a poem by C.S. Lewis, "Poem For Psychoanalysts and/or Theologians." It was the first poem of his that she read, and it remains her favorite.
At Endless Books, Beth has visions of daffodils in her head and thus shares Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud." She speculates that Wordsworth would have been pleased that someone is reading his work out of season. Don't miss the link to Jeremy Irons reading the poem.
Joyce Ray also has a Kevin Young poem, today, "Aunties," as well as an original poem inspired by the ruins of the monastery of Hildegarde of Bingen, which has this great stanza: Ivy anchors their moss velvet faces. /Rose thorns ramble over crumbled gables./Helpless to shelter, the stones stand sentry, /mute witnesses to divine desire. Visit Musings to read the rest!
Her 22-month-old son was the inspiration for Melissa Wiley's original poem, "Olympian Heights" found at Here in the Bonny Glen. The poem screams "little boy!"
Five years ago Carlie challenged herself, "to have a go at writing something personal and slightly vulnerable that included the top 25 most common nouns in the English language." The result, "My Uncommon Experience," can be found at Twinkling Along. Love the photos, Carlie!
Barbara is posting for The Write Sisters today and is sharing a Margaret Atwood poem, "This Is a Photograph of Me." It's a slightly strange poem, but one I definitely understand my fellow Write Sister liking. I'm not saying that Barb is strange--okay, maybe I am! (Only kidding, Barb!)
At A Teaching Life, Tara brings us "The Blue Between" by Kristine O'Connell George, and shares the story of a former student whose life includes this poem due to an early immersion in poetry in the classroom. Inspiring!
Shelley, at Rain: A Dust Bowl Story, reminds us to be thankful for what we have. Reading her dust bowl series of poems, can only make you stop and think. It wasn't all that long ago that America was brought to its knees...it could happen again.
Rasco from RIF celebrates her oldest son's birthday with "A Birthday Candle" by Donald Justice. Nice to meet you Carol Rasco!
Photo by ex.libris
November 16, 2010
November 14, 2010
November 12, 2010
Poetry Friday--George Swede
I have been reading the haiku of George Swede for many years. I've corresponded (as in sending submissions) with him in his capacity as editor of the Haiku Society of America's journal, frogpond. Somehow I missed the fact that he was also accomplished in other forms of poetry!Browsing through Songs of Myself: An Anthology of Poems and Art compiled by Georgia Heard [Mondo Publishing, 2000] I came across the following poem by Swede:
Every MorningNice, isn't it! The poem is paired well with Running House/#4862 by artist Nicholas Wilton.
Every morning
I awake
full of dust
and odors
As if
no one has
lived in me
for years
And
every morning
I throw open
all my windows
and doors
Clean
and fumigate
myself
As if
I were just
moving in
A funky animated version of a haiku by George Swede is available here.
To read more of Swede's haiku, find a copy of Cor van den Heuvel's The Haiku Anthology: Haiku and Senryu in English [W.W. Norton, 1999], the best all-around collection of English language haiku.
This week's Poetry Friday Round-Up is being held at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, and next week it will be right here at Random Noodling, so plan to stop by.
Photo from the Brooks Books Haiku website
November 9, 2010
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November 7, 2010
November 6, 2010
Sketchbook
November 5, 2010
Poetry Friday--A Poem a Day
Maria Horvath is an avid library user at the George Hail Free Library in Warren, Rhode Island. She also maintains the blog, A Poem a Day from the George Hail Library. The poems are accompanied by a work of art, which runs the gamut from sheet music covers to photos of installation art to paintings by the masters. Each day is different and unexpected. For the entire month of October, Horvath featured poems written specifically about the individual works of art--ekphrastic poetry. I urge you to read through some of last month's entries.
This month A Poem a Day is celebrating
the "old drama" that takes place every November. At times, we will take note of specific dates on the calendar.The poem "November" by Linda Pastan, provides the inspiration for the month:
We begin with reminders of our membership in the community of those who have gone before us. Later, we honor the memory of those who died for our liberty and freedom, and we offer our thanksgiving for all we have received.
NOVEMBER
It is an old drama
this disappearance of the leaves,
this seeming death
of the landscape.
In a later scene,
or earlier,
the trees like gnarled magicians
produce handkerchiefs
of leaves
out of empty branches.
And we watch.
We are like children
at this spectacle
of leaves,
as if one day we too
will open the wooden doors
of our coffins
and come out smiling
and bowing
all over again.
The Poetry Friday Round-Up is being held at Teaching Authors. See you there!
November 3, 2010
On the Day After the Elections...
I read this piece by a teacher, Risha Mullin, who has faced the issue of censorship in the Kentucky high school where she taught literature.
I'm proud to say that Jo Knowles, the writer of a book that started the hubbub at the school, hails from New Hampshire--her mother is a fellow librarian!
Writers: forewarned is forearmed...tea partiers have made inroads in this election year. They are feeling empowered. I have no doubt there will be more stories like this in the coming year.
I'm proud to say that Jo Knowles, the writer of a book that started the hubbub at the school, hails from New Hampshire--her mother is a fellow librarian!
Writers: forewarned is forearmed...tea partiers have made inroads in this election year. They are feeling empowered. I have no doubt there will be more stories like this in the coming year.
November 2, 2010
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