Poetry Friday 7/27/18 Life's a Beach

Happy Poetry Friday Friends

Thank you to Catherine for hosting this week's mid-summer round-up at Reading to the Core. I'm having lots and lots of fun away from my writing desk this week having fun in the sun with lots of family.

(c) Linda Mitchell

I'm up to my photo-word shenanigans again

Summer Sandwich

Hello Poetry Friday Poets,

I hope you are enjoying this summer and soaking up sunshine memories. 

Poet, writer of memoir and friend Heidi is graciously hosting this week's round up over at My Juicy Little Universe. Please stop by and say hello there.

On Sunday I received my first Summer Poetry Swap surprise from  Molly Hogan. The package is such a classic American taste of summer I want to share it with you.

When I opened the package I found a beautiful hand-made card with Molly's signature and stunning photography, a pot of home-made strawberry jam and of course, a poem.  

Strawberry Wishes
by Molly Hogan

I wish you strawberry blossoms
transforming to juicy rubies
beneath warm sun
and gentle rains

I wish you sticky red fingers
the imprint of straw on your knees
and the heady scent of berries
simmering on your stove

I wish you a strawberry summer
ripe with moments to preserve
a growing memory shelf
of glowing jars
filled with sustenance
and sweetness

And come winter
I wish you slow, peaceful moments
to savor a taste of preserves
and sweet summer memories
of a time when
the pace was languid and lovely
and the sun lay golden
on the fields.



The experience of opening the package and opening the jam and enjoying all of it has been out of this world wonderful. I'm grateful to Molly for her thoughtful swap surprise as well as Tabatha for arranging some summer fun. 

Strawberry Jam by Molly

I am away from my desk on Friday...I will catch up with Poetry Friday posts a little slower than most weeks. 

Celebrating Bayou Song

Happy Lucky Poetry Friday the 13th!

Many thanks to Sylvia Vardell for hosting this week's round-up at her blog, Poetry for Children

Today, I'm Snoopy-dancing over the publication of Bayou Song (Louisiana University Press 2018) by Margaret Simon.
Illustrations are by Anna Cantrell, photographs by Henry Cancienne. I'm in love with this book and I'm part of the growing momentum of praise for this gorgeous work.

Raise your hand if you know Margaret in any way. Oh, yeah, I SEE all those hands waving behind computer screens. 

Margaret is a tremendous friend of Poetry Friday. One of the biggest lessons I think I learn from her is the power of poetry friendship.

I asked Margaret some questions about Bayou Song recently, and I  hope you are as inspired to pick up a pen or drawing pencil as I have been after reading some of our conversation.

Linda: The word adventure pops up in your thoughts about writing this book. What is an early adventure in your life that you remember?

Linda: What does your reading history look like?

illustration by Anna Cantrell

Linda: Who do you hope to see reading Bayou Song?

illustration by Anna Cantrell

Linda:  What has early response to Bayou Song been?

Linda:  How does your work as a teacher influence Bayou Song?

illustration by Anna Cantrell

Linda: What have you learned from the process of creating this book?

illustration by Anna Cantrell

Linda: Do you creatively cross-train with other creative pursuits that support your writing/illustrating?

Linda: Give us a writing/drawing prompt from the book or a new prompt that will send us on a creative journey. 

I hope you'll paddle right out to purchase a copy of Bayou Song for yourself, a favorite teacher friend and a young reader...anyone that you would invite for a walk along the bayou.

Independent Book Store: Books Along the Teche or, at your familiar large online book (everything) store.


Upcoming reviews and information of Bayou Song are headed to our blogosphere. Have a peek at what these bloggers have to say:

Tuesday, July 17:
Laura Shovan 

Tuesday, July 24
Amanda Potts at Persistence and Pedagogy

Friday, July 27:
Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink

Monday, July 30
Linda Baie at Teacher Dance

Friday, Aug. 3
Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work That Matters

Poetry Friday 7/6/18

Happy Hot Poetry Friday!

It seems like yesterday, I was feeling like winter would go on forever...and today is an experience in hot, Hotter, HOTTEST! 

Thank you to today's host of Poetry Friday links, Tricia at
The Miss Rumphius Effect. 

Allow me to introduce you to a Flamingo named Bob. You can read Bob's story in The Audubon Magazine's 2017 Summer issue and...or in a haiku account I extracted from the story and share below.

Doest, Jasper. “The Busy Life of Bob the Flamingo.” Audubon, Audubon, 6 July 2017, www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2017/the-busy-life-bob-flamingo.

Bob the flamingo
crashed into a window -- ouch!
rescued by Odette

Odette doctors birds
especially injured birds
Bob accepted help

Bob's charisma
enchanted children in schools
a popular guest

four foot tall pink birds
teach conservation ethics
to human fledglings

curious children
ask about feathers and food
doesn't bother Bob

a student carries
Bob to Odette's car--careful
kids and birds better 

Words found by Linda Mitchell

Photos by Jasper Doest