Haiku Sticky #364

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Happy Haiga Day!

I've been browsing through some of Michelle Barnes' challenges at My Little Ditty. Some of the poems I had written for them I had completely forgotten. One such rediscovered haiku was in response to a parody or tribute challenge from July 2014.

I did a little parody of Basho's most famous poem about an old pond. Here's one translation by Robert Hass:

The old pond--
a frog jumps in,
sound of water.

You can find any number of translations online, here's one site, which has a few, plus a lengthy discussion of the poem. I'm thinking I may do a frog theme for the next Poetry Friday.

Once I found the parody, I thought it begged for illustration!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Poetry Friday--The Round-Up is Here!

This is the place! I'm attempting the Inlinkz method of rounding-up your P.F. blog post links. You'll find it below.

My Poetry Friday contribution is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the day poet John Ciardi was born--June 24, 1916. Ciardi did not live to see his 100th birthday, he died in 1986, so we're going celebrate for him!

Ciardi is one of those rare poets who wrote for both children and adults. This poem, "Thoughts on Looking into a Thicket," is definitely not a children's poem, although some children might find its gruesome truth--those who eat may also be eaten--attractive.



A few years ago, Renee LaTulippe and Lee Bennett Hopkins discussed Ciardi's children's poetry. You can view the discussion here.

At my library, we still have a copy of Ciardi's 1962 book, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You. It was illustrated by the incomparable Edward Gorey. Today, at the library's blog, Kurious Kitty, I'm sharing a poem from that collection. I tested out Inlinkz with Kurious Kitty--and it seems to be working fine.

Ha! I spoke too soon. It seems our Australian friends are having problems! So check the links here, too! Kathryn at Katswhiskers has gathered together a few poetry quotes and jokes. I especially like the tee-shirt one!

Sally Murphy, also, has poems and quotes! Is it something in the Australian winter air?

Here are the the rest of this week's posts:

An InLinkz Link-up

Haiku Sticky #363

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Happy Haiga Day!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Photo of bricks in Bremerhaven, Bremen, Germany by L'Oriol.

Poetry Friday--"Sing and Dance It Trippingly"

After the library closes today some of us are going to be gathering to create a fairy village along the back edge of the library property. We lost a co-worker to leukemia last year and unfortunately there has been a long delay in doing something as a group to memorialize her. We've decided that since she loved children, we would put together a little village to amuse and delight the kids in town.

I have gathered and created a few things to add to the assemblage, and the one I like the best is a "post office" where kids can leave little notes, hopefully it will be finished soon.

After everyone has worked their magic, I will take some photos to share.

Here's a bit of verse from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. (Midsummer, also known as the summer solstice, is almost upon us!)

Through the house give glimmering light,
   By the dead and drowsy fire:
Every elf and fairy sprite
   Hop as light as bird from brier;
And this ditty, after me,
Sing, and dance it trippingly.

First, rehearse your song by rote,
To each word a warbling note;
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.

This verse has been set to music by New Hampshire's own Amy Beach! There are several renditions available on YouTube. I like this one for it's lilting quality.



Please stop by Carol's Corner for this week's Round-Up. Next week the Round-Up will be here!

Haiku Sticky #362

As Lady Macbeth lamented, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?" We all have blood on our hands, and will continue to have blood on our hands, as long as we allow the NRA to control our Congress. No one has the "right" to own a weapon of mass destruction.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Happy Haiga Day!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Poetry Friday--"Craft Fair"

Five years ago I spent an afternoon with my son at a small outdoor crafts fair. After listening to some of the questions he got on the pottery he had on display, I decided that if I ever got the urge to market creative work, I should have my head examined! Patience is not a characteristic I possess.

I wrote the tanka after that experience years ago. I recently got around to pairing it with one of his pots. Okay, so I'm slow...

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Do you find yourself having to explain your work? How do you react? How well do you differentiate between constructive criticism and "I think you should do it this way"? Once you market your work, does it change your focus? How do you decide if your work deserves to be seen? Do you continue to work if no one stops to look at, comment, or purchase it? I'm not looking to market anything, I'm only curious as to how other people answer these questions for themselves.

Hurry over to Beyond Literacy Link where Carol is hosting the Round-Up!

Haiku Sticky #361

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Happy Haiga Day!

My friend Pamela Ross wrote, upon the announcement of my new grandchild, "I think this moment deserves a...poem."

So, despite the fact that I had another haiku ready to go for today (come back next Sunday), and despite this one being pure metaphor (a no-no in haiku), here's a poem in response to Pamela and in honor of Owen--new to the world on June 3.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Poetry Friday--A Mighty Room

One of the sessions I attended at the Mass Poetry Festival at the end of April was a reading of poems from a slim volume titled, A Mighty Room: A Collection of Poems Written in Emily Dickinson's Bedroom, edited by Michael Medeiros. I purchased a copy so that I could read the poems of all 26 contributing poets.

This is from the back cover:

During spring and summer 2014, poets were invited into Emily Dickinson's bedroom--the creative space in which she wrote nearly all her poems--while it was in the midst of a major restoration. With its twentieth-century additions removed, the room presented these writers with a fleeting opportunity to immerse themselves in Dickinson' raw, intimate nineteenth-century surrounding; to walk her floors, look out her windows, and use it as she had. This book is the result of their experiences.

To learn more about the restoration project, click here.

Here are the first three stanzas (of seven) of a poem that spoke to me:

Morning in Emily's Room
by Douglas Korb

How public to sit in this window
engaging the pine, with the mistress
not at home. The best kept secrets once

stuffed in the drawers. How the squirrels
scurry their fears into the hollows
and the rabbits squeeze through

the fence where the pine's new fingers
turn their green to sky as if all things be
praised. What is watched is worried upon.

...

I checked the Emily Dickinson Museum website to see if there are copies of A Mighty Room available for purchase, but alas, they are not listed in the "Shop." (You might try emailing info@EmilyDickinsonMuseum if you'd like to locate a copy for you own library.)

This short video was filmed prior to the restoration:



Jone at Check It Out will be hosting the Poetry Friday Round-Up for this week.