election's over
but one yard sign still displays
its timeless message
JoAnn's Blog
April 11 Poem
April 16, 2021
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April 9 Poem, Poetry Friday, & Book Giveaway Reminder!
April 9, 2021
just a little bit
out of my way this fine view
neighbor's hellebores
Tabatha Yeatts is hosting today's Poetry Friday Roundup at The Opposite of Indifference. Enjoy!
And remember to enter the Book Giveaway of my new picture book Grow, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman and published by Boyds Mills & Kane, at the Teaching Authors blog. Good luck!
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Morning Observations & Poetry Friday!
January 4, 2019
daylight lengthening
minute reasons to rejoice
winter's turning point
next door cat follows
squirrel between our houses
window to window
singing overhead
sunlit branches block my view
hope for a robin
I never intend to stop writing every day, but when I fall out of the habit, I sometimes find it easier to slide back into haiku--not because they are short but because using the traditional 5-7-5 form gives me a structure to hang my words on. What works for you?
Sylvia Vardell has today's Poetry Friday Roundup at Poetry for Children. Enjoy!
Morning Haiku for Poetry Friday
July 6, 2018
I don't know what this plant is. Do you? It inspired the first haiku.
frilly halos rim
delicate cone-shaped blossoms
fringe of tiny bees
mosquito seeking heat
lands to check out coffee mug
neighbor's AC hums
wren's morning circuit
clothes line, fence post, lilac branch
warble at each stop
can't ignore the crow
even when it's out of sight
ruckus in the tree
monarch leaves an egg
on one life-sustaining leaf
of each milkweed plant
Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Enjoy!
Day 29: Haiku on Haiku & a Book Giveaway!
April 29, 2018
Yesterday, we walked around a lagoon in the park, and I posted a silly haiku about my photography skills. (Yes, that's my thumb again in the photo above.) What I wanted to say was something about the flashes of red in the not-yet-spring landscape. Alas, it still eludes me. Here's what came out instead:
too much to say
in three short lines
make it a tanka
making words fit
I lose the logic
try another draft
haiku on haiku
no nature in these lines
look out the window
which matters more
the form or the meaning
neither
both
let go
I'm giving away a copy of Write a Poem Step by Step every day in April. The book is based on my school visit presentations and includes a simple plan you can follow to create your own poems. I wrote it for students, teachers, and writers of all ages.
Post a comment here to enter. I'll choose one at random tomorrow and drop a copy of Write a Poem Step by Step in the mail—U.S. addresses only, please. I’ll email you for your mailing address if you win. And if you don't win right away, please try again. I'll have 31 copies to share!
Last Summer/This Summer
September 15, 2016
one brand-new monarch
flaps out into the morning
carrying our hope
Last summer, I released more than 50 monarch butterflies from the mosquito net tent in our backyard where I raised them.
This summer's chrysalis count: 2. The first one eclosed this morning.
This year, I didn't search as hard for eggs as I did last year, mainly because I saw so few butterflies. Hope persists!
Back to You-Know-What Book Giveaway!
August 22, 2014
Wisconsin River canoe trip, July 2014
My husband and many other teachers return to their classrooms next week. Every year around this time, I can't help thinking about trying to cram in every last summer activity I can before it's too late. (We finally took our first tandem bike ride of the year!)
This morning's mysterious fog curtain inspired a haiku:
Last vacation day--
swim, bike, soccer, jump rope, skate?
Rain! Write a poem.
Book Giveaway: Write a Poem Step by Step!
Add a comment to this post by midnight on Labor Day (September 1) to enter to win an autographed paperback copy of Write a Poem Step by Step. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you for mailing and personalizing info. (You can email it to me if you prefer--use the "Write to JoAnn" link on the left.) I'll choose a random winner on Tuesday, September 2, when the students go back to school. Good luck!
Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is at Live Your Poem... with Irene Latham. Enjoy!
JoAnn
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Winter Weather Haiku
March 7, 2014
a break at the lake during yesterday's quick walk
I love the challenges of writing haiku: creating a scene in three brief lines, making every word count, adding that little twist. Here are some I've written this cold, snowy winter.
1/22/14
Windblown shopping bag
rolls down our snow-covered street--
plastic tumbleweed.
2/19/14
Icy sidewalks thaw,
refreeze in brand-new patterns.
Surprise! Ice dancing!
2/21/14
How windy is it?
Constant droning creeps me out.
Tree trunk's swaying--yikes!
2/28/14
Poor dog, whisked outside,
rushed around the block. Long walks
have to wait till spring.
3/1/14
Today's view: fresh snow,
rabbit footprints, smudged window.
Spring cleaning starts now.
3/7/14
Under bird feeders,
melting snow reveals mountains--
sunflower seed shells!
Today's forecast calls for rising temperatures at last. Everyone in Wisconsin is celebrating. Sounds like an idea for a new poem, right? I'll get right on it.
JoAnn
P.S. I sometimes post poems on Facebook. Friend me if you want to see more. You can also follow me on Twitter.
P.P.S. It's Poetry Friday! Today's Roundup is at Reflections on the Teche. Enjoy!
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