Haiku Sticky #32

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

Poetry Friday--Ted Kooser's Valentines

From the jacket flap toValentines: Poems (U. of Nebraska Pr., 2008):

For Valentine's Day 1986, Ted Kooser wrote "Pocket Poem" and sent the tender, thoughtful composition to fifty women friends, starting an annual tradition that would persist for the next twenty-one years. Printed on postcards, the poems were mailed to a list of recipients that eventually grew to more than 2,500 women all over the United States.

In Kooser's introduction we learn that he sent the postcards to Valentine, NE each year to be postmarked "Valentine." Do you love this guy, or what?

Not only do I love the guy, I love his little poems, too! My favorite is "The Bluet," which begins like this

Of all the flowers, the bluet has
the sweetest name, two syllables
that form on the lips, then fall
with a tiny, raindrop splash
into a suddenly bluer morning.

If you're not familiar with the bluet, this is what it looks like:

By Seuss
The ones shown are quite blue, the ones I see growing in New Hampshire are a paler shade--almost white in fact. (Not to get off on a tangent, but here's an article about color in flowers.)

Ted Kooser was on NPR two years ago when Valentines was first released. Click here to find recordings of the poet reading several of the Valentines. Consider the link as my Valentine to you!

Check out the Poetry Friday Round-Up being hosted by Lee at I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?

Sweeeet!

If you write for children you definitely should be a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, SCBWI.

Haiku Sticky #31

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

In case you're not familiar with the term "bobhouse," it's a small, portable building used by ice fishermen.

Poetry Friday--Another Haiga

Two Fridays ago I shared a winter haiga (an illustrated haiku). I had such fun creating it, I decided to do another!


© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

I used a photo that I took at Kindling Words during one of our get-to-know-you group activities. The canvas was still fresh when I took the photo below:



I cropped out most of the photo for the haiga!

Here's the group painting nearing completion:



We filled every inch of canvas with color! Our prompt word was "fire."

See what everyone else has to share today by visiting the Poetry Friday Round-Up hosted at Great Kid Books.

My Kind of Commercial!

Unbridled Books is a small publisher from Arizona. The company has been in business since 2003. I like their style!

Haiku Sticky #30

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved