JoAnn Early Macken

 

crashing waves reveal
sleek, polished inspiration
always free of charge

Note to Self

Purple notebook,
purple pen.
April is reason enough.
Write again.

chilly all-day rain
underneath the overhang
finch finds room to rest

Miss me? Miss you, too--
you and your icicle ears.
I'll wait here. Come back!

Happy National Poetry Month! This year's theme is Lost & Found. I'll try to post a new poem every day. Enjoy!

March 4th is my favorite calendar date--I've been celebrating it for years. To me, it's the true beginning of spring and a time to take stock and plow ahead. March forth!

While I wait for the coffee to steep in the morning, I look out the window to check out the world. I might see a cardinal or two, a flock of juncos scavenging under the feeders, three or four squirrels chasing each other around, or any of an assortment of other small creatures. This was my view a few days ago.

Early Birds

 
still too dark to tell for sure

probably a mourning dove

perched above the curlicue

on the snowy front porch rail

like a fluffy finial

staring through the glass at me

wondering what I might be

but still too dark to see

Want to check out more Poetry Friday posts? Robyn Hood Black has rounded them up for us at Life on the Deckle Edge. Enjoy!

narcissus

oniony bulb

tall, tippy stalk

pale flowerlets remind us:

spring!

I might be late to the party, but here I am, slipping in one more Poetry Friday post before the end of the year. I made three attempts to write about the narcissus bulb forced to bloom on my desk. The first is an elfchen, a new form to me, introduced by the #PoetrySisters. It didn't really say all I wanted to say, but I will try the form again. As I kept scribbling, I fell into the more familiar haiku.

 from tall, tippy stalk,

small burst of pale flowerlets--

spring in December

Finally, I tried free verse, which gave me a little more leeway.

Narcissus sprouts

from oniony bulb.

Glistening white roots

sink to drink.

Tippy stalk stretches

in daily increments.

 Pale flowerlet sunburst

helps us remember:

spring circles back.

And now I want to say Happy New Year to all! May it be filled with all kinds of hope, joy, and love!

Michelle Kogan has today's Poetry Friday Roundup. Be sure the check out the other Poetry Friday posts.

Autumn has arrived, and it kinda feels like winter. I spent much of the summer with my hands in dirt, but I'm back inside now.

We had some work done on our house (New windows! New paint!) that required emptying out the room where I write and sew. I was determined not to cram everything back in, so I emptied out the file cabinet and gave it away. Now I'm sorting through piles of paper. I've made some progress, but there's much more to read and revise or recycle. Here's a poem I found and updated, started in July 2019.

Workmates

I am not the only one

who works from dawn to setting sun.

Robin builds a sturdy nest,

never stops to take a rest,

then lays eggs! That must be hard.

Squirrel digs up half the yard.

Rabbit nibbles on the flowers

that I tend for countless hours.

Whether weather's hot or cold,

bees fill up their sacks with gold.

Beaver dams a rushing stream!

Compared to them, my life's a dream.

Buffy Silverman has the Poetry Friday Roundup. Be sure to visit!

Oh, this top! I thought it would be simple. Hahahahaha! I wanted to try sewing raglan sleeves because I thought they would be easier than the set-in kind, but no. I downloaded the pattern and printed it myself to save time, but no. I altered the pattern to make it fit better, but no--at least not at first. With only the pockets (of course it has pockets) and hem to finish, I let it sit and wait. For what? For me to get up the nerve, I guess. Yesterday, I plowed ahead and finished it in spite of my misgivings. Finally!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

Ruth is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup at There Is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town. Enjoy!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

Busy day, busy week, busy month! I love April because of spring flowers, migrating birds, and National Poetry Month, but it can become just a teensy bit wearing. I'm hoping to spend some time taking it easy today. Wish me luck!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more!

Millions of animals die each year from ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Today's poem is a reminder: one reusable cloth shopping bag can replace dozens of "disposable" plastic bags and (unlike plastic) biodegrade after it wears out.

Our small volunteer group has sewn and distributed more than 1800 handmade cloth shopping bags. The Boomerang Bags movement includes more than 1100 sewing communities like ours, and together we have made more than 500,000 bags. The fabric is donated, so we keep it out of landfills as an added bonus.

When we started sewing in 2016, I thought it was a simple solution. Now I know better. We keep trying.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts.

These warning signs pop up in our neighborhood every year. I think a lot of people don't realize that pesticides kill all insects, removing food sources from birds and other creatures and depriving us all of their benefits and fascinating company. Margaret Renkl makes the point eloquently in this New York Times article and even offers an alternative for those who are plagued by mosquitos. (The CDC says it is safe for people, animals, and other insects.) 

Will we see fireflies this summer? Butterflies? Dragonflies? Ladybugs? Cicadas? Only if people pay attention to the warnings. And care.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts.

Karen Edmisten has today's Poetry Friday Roundup. Enjoy!

This poem was inspired by the view from my window this morning. I caught the photo later when I went out for a walk. 

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts. In fact, I recreated today's Canva design after I had already posted it because I thought of a better last line--first time I've done that!

Once in a water aerobics class, I looked out the window and said, "Uh-oh! Looks like we might get wet on the way home!" Somebody said, "You're already wet!"

I remembered that this morning as I walked to the pool under threateny clouds. Still cracks me up.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts.

A very interesting book I've been reading, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy Paul, argues that our minds include not only our brains but also the feelings and movements of our bodies, the physical spaces in which we learn and work, and the other minds with which we interact. It suggests that tools such as computers could also be considered extensions of our minds. It recommends "freeing up mental resources for more demanding tasks like problem solving and idea generation" by offloading information, which can mean something as simple as writing our thoughts in a journal or notebook.

That much makes good sense to me. I might just need a better retrieval system!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts.

On a good day, I wake up with a poem (or at least the start of one) in my head. Today, I found one as soon as I looked out the window. It started with "Snow is on the ground. Snow is falling still." But "is" is such a boring verb, and daffodils are so much more interesting, specific, and springlike than the ground. I tried out a dozen or more verbs before I settled on "doomed" after I went outside to inspect them. They are now delightful in a vase inside.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts. Even after I post one, I keep thinking about rhythm, alliteration, and all those other good poetry tools.

For today's poem, I played around with repetition and rhyme schemes. I'm always learning!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more. Note that they are not necessarily final drafts. In this one, for example, I think maybe "circle" would be better than "wheel through" in line 4 because it would add some alliteration. But then I'm not sure about "clear." Still thinking!

I may have mentioned that spring is my favorite time of year. Hepatica is one of my favorite spring flowers. We looked for it yesterday in the Kettle Moraine State Forest and found loads of it blooming where we had seen the leaves last fall. Along the way, we listened to frogs and sandhill cranes, and we spotted a turtle on a side path. Today's destination: bloodroot in a nearby park.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

Jone Rush MacCulloch is hosting today's Poetry Friday Roundup. Enjoy!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. This one is definitely autobiographical. Read on to see more.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

We took a walk to the pond in the park and found plenty to see and hear, including golden-crowned kinglets, red-winged blackbirds, kingfishers, wood ducks, and dragonflies. Spring has arrived in our corner of southeast Wisconsin--at last!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

Year after year, I'm enthralled by the glory and abundance of spring flowers. They--and the migrating birds passing through--make spring my favorite time of the year.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

Oh, the news! Too much to fathom some days. Best we can do is stick together.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

My mother was famous for her Spoonerisms, at least in our family. "Claper pips" was perhaps her best known and certainly a favorite.

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on to see more.

And be sure to check out all the other National Poetry Month goodness at Reflections on the Teche. Enjoy!

I'm posting a new poem each day for National Poetry Month. Read on for more.

The skies are definitely brighter today in Wisconsin! I am overjoyed by the news and grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.

I'm posting a new poem each day for #National Poetry Month. Read on for more.

Busy day today, and some of us are anxious. It's Election Day in Wisconsin (GO VOTE!), and another whopper of a storm is on its way. All will be well. I am hopeful.

I'm posting a new poem each day for #National Poetry Month. Read on for more.