NPM Day 5: Something Poetic!

I plucked this one out of one of our baskets of board books. It's filled with poetic riddles that encourage youngsters to explore the natural world. For older kids, it provides great examples of personification. Available in hardbound also and probably at your local library, it's received much praise including recognition as an NCTE Notable Book in Poetry in 2021. 

SJT & PF & NPM Day 4: A Cento of Lament

On the first Thursday of each month (I know it's Friday. I show up late sometimes.), I join a remarkable group of blogger friends to share our Spiritual Journeys. We take turns hosting and selecting the theme for that month of writing. 

This month, Ruth (currently living in Uganda) who blogs at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town, extended this invitation: "Consider writing about lament, the traditional posture of Lent. If you want to include the poetry element, you might write your own Psalm of lament; so many of the Psalms fit in this category."

I immediately thought of four big things I currently lament: death, disease, disasters, and despair. I've never written a Psalm before, much less a Psalm of lament, so I decided to create a cento. A cento (or collage poem) is a poetic form composed entirely of lines from poems by other poets, in my case, collected from my fellow travelers who posted to Spiritual Journey Thursday.

 A Cento of Lament

The road is winding, steep, rough. 

Do you hear our cries?

Bitter,

scared,

furious.

Do you care?  

 How long, my God,

 will we suffer these trials and tribulations?     

 Take away 

the violence

 the hatred

 the displacement

 the grief:

 Give us a world full of your love.

 A prayer . . . 

 Look on me with mercy, oh Lord my God.

 Give me Your light, that I might see.

 Let your word be alive and active in me.   

You, O God, are my strength.

 

- With deep gratitude to my fellow sojourners 

at Spiritual Journey Thursday for their beautiful words:

Denise, Patricia, Bob, Ruth

Karen (David Budbill), Fran, Linda, and Margaret. 

Poetry Friday is hosted by Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme this week. He is celebrating the publication of his debut poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows.

"Something poetic" every day is my commitment for NPM this year. 

I'll spotlight a favorite poem or book or poet or share a quote I love. 

Maybe I'll even stretch myself and occasionally write an original poem.  

NPM Day 3: Something Poetic!

Pulled this favorite from my shelf

When Green Becomes Tomatoes:

Poems for All Seasons

by Jule Fogliano

  

 

And then I requested 

 If I Was the Sunshine 

And Then It's Spring 

 

"Something poetic" every day is my commitment for NPM this year. 

I'll spotlight a favorite poem or book or poet or share a quote I love. 

Maybe I'll even stretch myself and occasionally write an original poem.  

NPM Day 2: Something Poetic!

 I promised a blogger friend, Lisa, from Ontario, Canada some pics of spring. 

Profusion of pink

Manifests His boundless love

His message sustains

 

"Something poetic" every day is my commitment for National Poetry Month this year. I may spotlight a favorite poem or book or poet or share a quote I love about poetry. Maybe I'll even stretch myself and occasionally write an original poem. 

Slice of Life & National Poetry Month Day 1: Something Poetic

I adore National Poetry Month. I'm always sad that it comes right after March's Slice of Life Story Challenge. My relief that March is over makes it hard for me to muster a daily commitment to National Poetry Month. This year I'm committing to something poetic daily. It might be a favorite poem or book or poet or even a quote I love about poetry. Maybe I'll even stretch myself and write an original poem. Actually there's just one day that I have committed to writing poetry, April 19th, the day I signed up to add a line to the 2025 Kidlit Progressive Poem. I wrote about it for my Slice of Life on March 27th and extended a playful invitation for other slicers to join us. 

Shortly after our move to North Carolina, I was invited to join a unique book club by my daughter's neighbor. This group meets and shares what they have been reading. It's a dangerous gathering for confirmed bibliophiles. We always increase our individual WTR ("Want To Read") book list by several books. I prefer the abbreviation WTR over TBR  (To Be Read) which sounds like assigned reading. This group meets at a local coffee shop. No one has to clean their home or worry about providing food for the group. 

Around a year ago, I shared How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope edited by James Crews, with this new group of bookish friends. Sharing poetry with this group of women I was just getting to know was brave (or perhaps foolish) on my part. They listened to the three poems * I shared from the book. Actually, I could have shared many poems from the book. But I limited myself to three. 

And then at our latest book club meeting last week, I extended another invitation. Since April is National Poetry Month, why not bring a poem or book of poetry to share with the group at our next meeting? And they accepted my invitation! How are you spreading poetic love during National Poetry Month? Step our of your comfort zone and join the fun at the poetry playground. I guarantee that you'll have fun!

* "In the Company of Women" by January Gill O'Neil (p. 102),  "Wondrous" by Sarah Freligh (p. 97), and "Perceptive Prayer" by Grace Bauer (p. 132.

SOL 31/31: From Serene Activities to Shrieks of Surprise

I read a lot of posts and left comments, trying to figure out how to mark this thirty-first day of my fourteenth year of slicing. I compiled the number of slices I've written on different topics, a favorite way to sum up my month of slicing in the past. 

No matter how I try to summarize the month, a slice of our afternoon keeps slithering to the surface.

Grandma knits a scarf

Grandsons plant sugar snap peas

Daughter steps on snake!

I close this month with gratitude for our slicing community. I never considered myself a writer until I began slicing with my students in 2012. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

SOL 30/31: If I Were in Charge . . .

If I were Queen of Slices:

1. We would write in February.

It only has 28 days AND we could catch our breath before April and all that Poetry Month brings our way.

2. No one would ever have a slice with no comments,

Leave a comment with the day(s) you got zero love and I'll visit.

3. Problems with disappearing comments will vanish, expire, vamoose, beggone, Evanesco, perish forever. 

Yes, I've tried Jetpack and had some success with it, but I still have comments that evaporate from sight.

A second try brings this response: "Duplicate comment. Looks like you already said that." 

"Well, where the heck did that comment go? It's not showing up on my friend's blog. Is it going walkabout in cyberspace?

**************************

This is my fourteenth year participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.