Positively Peristreronic

Hello, Hello!

I've been rushing around remembering my get-ready-for-school routine these days. And, it's been really nice to be back in a school full of kids. We are all settling nicely and finding our grooves. 

This past week, I spent some time as a writing student with writing prompts from professor-poet, Dr. Sarah Donovan's Open Write at Ethical ELA. Saturday's guest writer, Gayle Sands, provided a prompt that encouraged poets to find an uncommon word from Merriam-Webster and use it as a prompt. Fun! 

Gayle also provided a great word tool that I'm new to...but I love and hope to use with students next week: 

wordhippo.com 

The result of my learning was enthusiasm for new words and ideas for teaching and learning with students I'm now meeting. This is a win-win!

The word...

Peristeronic
Definition: of or relating to pigeons

Pigeons get short-shrift in our stable of avian metaphors. We speak of someone with fine eyesight as eagle-eyed, and hawk lends itself to a variety of words (hawk-like, hawkish, etc.), but rarely do we compare anyone to the humble, intelligent pigeon. Truth be told, it is unlikely that you have a distinct need to use this word anytime soon, but if it happens we want you to be prepared.Besides the poor, who, to misquote a scriptural phrase, are always in evidence, and the scarlet fever epidemic, which, thank goodness, is abating, London at this writing has a congress of the National Society of French Professors, an exhibition of the National Peristeronic Society and a fog—a fog with a big F.

— The Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 1888

Horydczak, Theodor, Approximately, photographer. Birds. Pigeons feeding on sidewalk. ca. 1920-ca. 1950. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019683680/>.

The definito verse that came from it:

Positively Peristeronic

a nodding amble
quizzical sideways gambol
breadcrumb to breadcrumb
to any edible gift
positively peristeronic

(c) Linda Mitchell

Last week's wordplay at Ethical ELA also produced a poem for Star's padlet: https://padlet.com/mitchellhubeimom/4bzbfu2cg5k7awk5/wish/2272536822

Thank you, Tanita Davis, for hosting Poetry Friday today! I can't wait to see what everyone's been up to.

In the Style of

 Hello Poets,

Summertime is flying! Don't miss this week's round-up at Leap of Dave. Thank you, Dave, for hosting.

I'm between poetry projects and coming off a summer mostly away from my writing routine. 

I'm returning to writing by writing in the style of other poets--to help me find my way back into my own groove. By now, I have a system worked out:  

• In my digital notebook, I paste copies of poems found online during my browsing. These poems are found on facebook, twitter, instagram, and inbox subscriptions. 
  
  
• I keep my notebook in a powerpoint slide show. I start a new slide deck each month. The first slide is a blank calendar. I mark it up with Poetry Friday hosts, monthly prompts, and challenges
  
  
• I scroll through collected items and write in a text box alongside a saved poem. 
  
  
• By right-clicking on a slide in the preview pane, I can duplicate it so that I have an original and then an extra slide to mark up or play with or edit in some way
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Additionally, the "notes" tab at the bottom of each slide is a great place to paste a URL or notes about the source of what I've pasted. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I have a folder labeled for this year's writing on my desktop.  Each month's powerpoint is stored in the folder.

A draft I'm sharing from this week is not quite like Mary Oliver's sense of wonder--more the opposite but still in her style.

The most interesting stars keep finding me. This picture below was recently on twitter. Isn't it an amazing paper sculpture? It begged for a poem that's now on the padlet. 

A Blue Star from Scotland

Happy Friday!

I love a poetry swap.  This year, I knew I'd be summer traveling. So, I signed up for only ONE swap. And, what a swap it has been.

Jone Rush McCulloch and I are poets, children's librarians, and new-ish to the art of mixed-media collage. We have fun writing and making art independently and together. I was thrilled to summer swap with her.

Poetry on art...art on poetry from Jone Rush McCulloch
https://www.jonerushmacculloch.com/

Blue Star from Jone's travels to Scotland

A blue star from Scotland 

My friend traveled that way 

Star of tartan moors and thistle grand 

arrived by mail for me today 

Friendlight to see by -- now and always

(c)Linda M.

Thank you, Jone, Tabatha, and, Poetry Friday peeps! Head over to birthday girl, Margaret Simon's Reflections on the Teche for our round-up.

Jone's collage in my library already

Going Rogue on a Sports Poem

Home again, home again jiggety-jig!

What a summer!

Seven weeks, three big trips, and tomorrow I meet with librarians from my area for a day of learning we call Ignite! I'm hosting at my library...watch for photos of our @pwsla fun on Twitter. We will share professional development, catching-up, raffle prizes, and ice cream!

Catherine challenged the Inklings in August to...

***

"Write a poem about any sport you have a connection to--one you participate(d) in or love to watch. Use any form you think works best. You could use Liz Steinglass's Soccerverse or any of the poems here as a mentor if you'd like.

https://poets.org/text/sports-poems-kids"

***

Ummmmmm...I've written a sports poem. In fact, it's published in Rhyme & Rhythm: poems for student-athletes (Archer Books. 2021). But, this month I kinda blanked on a true sport. I'm not super athletic.

In the past, when stumped, Molly has advised me, to go rogue! I'm taking her up on that now.

ps: based on true experiences of my youth

Last week I was in beautiful Colorado and found some stars that are now on Star's padlet: padlet.https://padlet.com/mitchellhubeimom/4bzbfu2cg5k7awk5

Thank you, Molly, for hosting our round-up today!

More Inkling poems: Reflections on the Teche Reading to the Core My Juicy Little Universe A(nother) Year of Reading

August 4th Spiritual Thursday

Thank you, Carol Varsalona for hosting SJ this month
at Beyond Literacy

Love this flower from a hike in Colorado last week