seedlings already
optimistic gardeners
ignore calendars
JoAnn's Blog
April 1 Poem
April 7, 2021
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Two New Poems Out in the World!
February 4, 2021
I'm tickled to announce the publication of two new poems!
As a formerly obsessive doomscroller, I'm thrilled that I no longer feel compelled to check the news every few hours. "What Shall We Do After Doomscrolling?" appeared in the Poems of the Week of Light: A Journal of Light Verse since 1992.
"Paper-Free Plea" is on page 43 of the Winter 2021 issue of the SCBWI Bulletin. Only SCBWI members can view it, so I'm posting it here, too.
Paper-Free Plea
For umpty-some years as a writer,
I scribbled my stanzas in pen,
filled notebooks I bought by the dozen,
then printed again and again.
I wrote on both sides of the paper,
recycled so diligently.
In spite of my Earth-friendly efforts,
somebody chopped down a tree.
My memory's not what it once was,
but lately, I've learned a new trick:
I dictate my drafts and revisions.
The software's convenient and quick!
Technology's always improving.
So sad the environment's worse.
Let's help make the world a bit greener
while drafting our stories and verse.
JoAnn Early Macken
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#SaferAtHomePoem No. 31 (April 23, 2020)
April 23, 2020
last riverside walk
farewell beavers, turkeys, coyotes
golf course reopens
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 30 (April 22, 2020)
April 23, 2020
Earth Day river cleanup
many small contributions
add up to big change
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 29 (April 21, 2020)
April 23, 2020
what to do with these
clenched fists--write poetry,
sew face masks, plant seeds
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 28 (April 20, 2020)
April 23, 2020
new morning routine
coffee, muffin, riverbank
before crowds arrive
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 27 (April 19, 2020)
April 23, 2020
before / after
half my steps today
up and down this hill--maybe
this year I'll keep up
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 26 (April 18, 2020)
April 18, 2020
somber morning walk
bones amid the greenery
o, this deadly spring
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 25 (April 17, 2020)
April 18, 2020
quiet park lagoon
grebe, merganser, muskrat, geese
distant siren wails
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 24 (April 16, 2020)
April 18, 2020
big mistake last night
reading the news at bedtime
nightmares all night long
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 23 (April 15, 2020)
April 18, 2020
picking up dog food
newfangled shopping adventure
topsy-turvy world
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 22 (April 14, 2020)
April 18, 2020
brave Wisconsin voters
stood in line for hours--
six feet apart for hours--
stood outside in the rain
brave Wisconsin voters
stood up to voter suppression
stood up to gerrymandering
to show the world that this is what
democracy looks like now
may they all be safe
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 21 (April 13, 2020)
April 18, 2020
busy morning--I'm
rarin' to go until (thud)
oh, yeah--I remember
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 20 (April 12, 2020)
April 18, 2020
this morning's service
white-throated sparrow chorus
sings Alleluia!
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 19 (April 11, 2020)
April 11, 2020
My groceries are quarantined
beneath the kitchen table.
I washed off bottles, cans, and fruit
as well as I was able.
Soapy water, kitchen sink.
Dunked the broccoli in the drink.
The rest of it
can sit a bit.
Won't it be fun to open up
each can that has no label?
Our Wisconsin governor has issued a "Safer at Home" order for the state. I'll try to post a new poem each day based on my experiences and perceptions. You can read more below. Stay safe, everyone! Wash your hands!
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 18 (April 10, 2020) & Poetry Friday!
April 10, 2020
we sew our own masks
this fake administration
too little too late
You can read more of my #PandemicPoems below. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has today's Poetry Friday Roundup. Enjoy! Be safe! Wash your hands!
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 17 (April 9, 2020)
April 9, 2020
cheery messages
hail from sidewalks and windows
let's stick together
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 16 (April 8, 2020)
April 9, 2020
some days for poems
some for long walks and sewing
delicate balance
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 15 (April 7, 2020)
April 9, 2020
water carves a way
frightened voters form long lines
turbulence ahead
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 14 (April 6, 2020)
April 9, 2020
pair o' geese on the water
pair o' ducks in the air
paradigm shift beneath our feet
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 13 (April 5, 2020)
April 9, 2020
at every corner
we choose the direction with
fewer people in sight
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 12 (April 4, 2020)
April 9, 2020
oh, sparkly rhubarb
sprouting up through sunlit soil
sign of pies to come
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 11 (April 3, 2020) & Poetry Friday!
April 2, 2020
How to Help: Stay Home!
Everybody on the street,
stay at home. Please stay at home!
It's not safe for friends to meet.
Stay at home. Please stay at home!
Be a hero. Don't go out.
Don't go frolicking about.
Seriously, must I shout?
STAY AT HOME! STAY HOME!
I've been posting a #SaferAtHomePoem each day on Facebook and Twitter since our governor issued the alert for Wisconsin. This one has been rattling around in my head all week as I walk through our busy neighborhood. I've also gathered the others on this blog. (Please keep reading!)
Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is at My Juicy Little Universe. Enjoy!
xox,
JoAnn
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 10 (April 2, 2020) & National Poetry Month!
April 2, 2020
pin in the carpet
needle in a haystack
virus in a community
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 9 (April 1, 2020) & National Poetry Month!
April 2, 2020
mask production starts
at the dining room table
like normal things do
Today is the first day of National Poetry Month! Celebrate with me by reading and writing poetry!
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 8 (March 31, 2020)
April 2, 2020
Gene's warm homemade bread
more than sustenance--comfort,
reassurance, love
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 7 (March 30, 2020)
April 2, 2020
I guess you can teach
this old sewing machine
a new trick
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 6 (March 29, 2020)
April 2, 2020
one unprecedented
thing after another--
whose footprints are these?
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 5 (March 28, 2020)
April 2, 2020
yellow caution tape
blocks school playground equipment
cheery robinsong
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 4 (March 27, 2020)
April 2, 2020
living room yoga
lie back, reach up overhead
underneath the couch
For anyone looking for free yoga videos, I recommend Yoga with Adriene. Enjoy!
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 3 (March 26, 2020)
April 2, 2020
use up what's on hand
online recipes galore
pumpkin pie pizza?
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 2 (March 25, 2020)
April 2, 2020
brisk walk outside
fresh air, sunshine, crocuses
ballots in the mail
#SaferAtHomePoem No. 1 (March 24, 2020)
April 2, 2020
morning river walk
beavers busy on the bank
essential workers
Our Wisconsin governor has issued a "Safer at Home" order for the state. I'll try to post a new poem each day based on my experiences and perceptions. Stay safe, everyone!
For You
March 5, 2020
Here is a wagon of flowers for you
to thank you for all the good work you do.
In terrible times, you still pull through.
You inspire me to do all that I can, too.
While the world lurches from one crisis to another, I'm tempted to curl up in a blanket and hope everything will quietly improve on its own.
But no.
When I look for silver linings, I see people pitching in all over the place, largely unrecognized, trying to make the world safer and cleaner and fairer.
This tiny token of appreciation is for everyone who feeds hungry people, registers voters, sews for sustainability, picks up trash, studies and educates, contacts legislators, marches for justice, knocks doors for trustworthy political candidates, does anything and everything to help. Thank you!
Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is at Sloth Reads. Enjoy!
Cooking a Poem, Poetry Friday, & Valentine's Day!
February 13, 2020
Happy Valentine's Day! Here's a pie for you.
Cooking a Poem
You never know how long a poem will take.
The act of writing's not like baking cake.
It might resemble cooking tasty stew
with spicy words emerging from the blue,
a cup of images, a dash of rhyme—
the one essential thing to add is time.
Age improves a draft. Don't watch the clock!
Just think of pickles crisping in a crock.
You could try marinating overnight.
A week, a year, or more might be just right.
You open up an oven door too soon;
souffles collapse like craters on the moon.
A poem rarely pops into your head
like some kind neighbor's gift of fresh-baked bread.
Unlike a pie or cookies or a cake,
a poem takes as long as it will take.
—© JoAnn Early Macken 2020
Today's poem was inspired by David Harrison's Word of the Month challenge. (February's word is "age.")
Follow David's #AfterDarkBlogTour to find out about his new poetry collection, AFTER DARK, POEMS ABOUT NOCTURNAL ANIMALS. His 97th book, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis, it features creatures that stir about their business after the sun goes down and makes its debut on Tuesday, February 25.
Linda has today's Poetry Friday Roundup at Teacherdance. Enjoy!