Tag Archives: National Poetry Month

Progressive Poem – Day Two

Not only is the Progressive Poem Irene Latham‘s idea, but I am following with her sentiment for her personal month-long poetry project, and bringing ‘happy’ into this poem.

  1. As a group, we agreed to write a poem for children.
  2. Matt’s Day One post challenged us to use found lines.
  3. I personally wanted to bring in some rhyme play – but not tie others to a pattern.

Matt’s first line brought back childhood days of Christmas holidays, when it seemed like we were gazing into infinity – ’cause in Australia, that’s our summer 6-week break.

Endless summer; I can see for miles

I was determined not to choose ‘smiles’ as my rhyme, as that would be so predictable.

Since Matt’s line uses a Beach Boys album title, I went there first… and found lots of surfing scenarios… and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun.’ Nope. Too easy! And it doesn’t rhyme with miles.

I then thought to give a shout out to an iconic Aussie singer, and bring some Johnny Farnham to the party; ‘well I can’t sleep, but I can dream’ … ‘set the wheels in motion’ … ‘I want to sail across the ocean’… If you discount the lack of rhyme, they had possibilities (especially that ocean!) – yet I just kept coming back to FUN!

So I started searching for songs with ‘iles’ rhymes, hoping to cobble something together. And had to eat my words. 🙃

Endless summer; I can see for miles …
Fun, fun, fun – and the whole world smiles

Found Lines:

  • L1 The Who, ‘I Can See for Miles / The Beach Boys, ‘Endless Summer’
  • L2 The Beach Boys, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ / Dean Martin, ‘When You’re Smiling’

Thanks for the wide open spaces, Matt. I’m smiling, as I tag … Kimberly!

2019-kidlitosphere-progressive-poem-copy

The Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem – April 2019

2 Kat @ Kathryn Apel
3 Kimberly @ KimberlyHutmacherWrites
4 Jone @ DeoWriter
5 Linda @ TeacherDance
6 Tara @ Going to Walden
8 Mary Lee @ A Year of Reading
9 Rebecca @ Rebecca Herzog
10 Janet F. @ Live Your Poem
12 Margaret @ Reflections on the Teche
13 Doraine @ Dori Reads
17 Amy @ The Poem Farm
18 Linda @ A Word Edgewise
20 Buffy @ Buffy’s Blog
21 Michelle @ Michelle Kogan
22 Catherine @ Reading to the Core
23 Penny @ a penny and her jots
25 Jan @ Bookseestudio
26 Linda @ Write Time
27 Sheila @ Sheila Renfro
29 Irene @ Live Your Poem
30 Donna @ Mainely Write

Progressive Poem – Kat’s Contribution

It’s National Poetry Month in the USofA, and I’m taking part in a progressive poem – where we each write one line (one person per day for the course of the month) to create a collaborative kids’ poem. This is my first year taking part and it’s been fascinating, watching each line drip-feed through the interwebs – wondering where I might land and testing ideas as possibilities for when it would be my turn. I thought the wordplay and crisp sounds from Heidi, Tabatha, Dori and Michelle were building to a surprise rhyme from Diane – a rhyme that I could perhaps build upon in my line …

But I clicked on Diane’s blog and found – yes – a surprise! A diversion. A breather. A most unexpected change of pace …

And no rhyme.

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges—
I sprout stories that frazzle-dazzle,
stories of castles, of fires that crackle,
with dragonwords that smoke and sizzle.

But edges, sometimes, need sandpaper…

Where to from here? I played around …  rumples unscrumpled, smoothing, soothing, rasping grasping, splintered words, stone/hone… and then found a line that built on Diane’s matched pair, but kept the medieval mood of the earlier stanza.

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges—
I sprout stories that frazzle-dazzle,
stories of castles, of fires that crackle,
with dragonwords that smoke and sizzle.

But edges sometimes need sandpaper,
like swords need stone and clouds need vapour* … 

 * I’m guessing ‘vapour’ will soon condense to American spelling. 😉

Tomorrow our lovely organiser Irene will pick up the pen and write the line to follow mine, and I sit back to relax and enjoy the poem that everyone pieces together.

Dates in April (American-time)

1 Heidi at my juicy little universe
2 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
3 Doraine at Dori Reads
4 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
5 Diane at Random Noodling
6 Kat at Kat’s Whiskers
7 Irene at Live Your Poem
8 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
9 Linda at TeacherDance
10 Penny at blog-a- penny-and- her-jots
11 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
12 Janet F. at Live Your Poem
13 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
14 Jan at Bookseedstudio
15 Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales
16 Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy
17 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog
19 Pat at Writer on a Horse
20 BJ at Blue Window
21 Donna at Mainely Write
22 Jone at Jone Ruch MacCulloch
23 Ruth at There’s No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
24 Amy at The Poem Farm
25 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
26 Renee at No Water River
27 Matt at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
28 Michelle at Michelle Kogan
29 Charles at Poetry Time
30 Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids

(Inter)National Poetry Month – Progressive Poem

April is (Inter)National Poetry Month of April, and I am taking part in a progressive poem organised by Irene Latham. Over the month, we’ll each write a line (on our designated day) to create one collaborative poem. Dates are set by an American calendar, with Heidi kicking us off today, with this humdinger of a line;

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges–

Tabatha is now in a dither (make me giggle) – but I’m sure her line will sing, tomorrow.

All the blog links are below for you to follow along. You’re welcome to check back here for my contribution on 6th April (American-time).

April

1 Heidi at my juicy little universe
2 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
3 Doraine at Dori Reads
4 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
5 Diane at Random Noodling
6 Kat at Kat’s Whiskers
7 Irene at Live Your Poem
8 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
9 Linda at TeacherDance
10 Penny at blog-a- penny-and- her-jots
11 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
12 Janet F. at Live Your Poem
13 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
14 Jan at Bookseedstudio
15 Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales
16 Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy
17 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog
19 Pat at Writer on a Horse
20 BJ at Blue Window
21 Donna at Mainely Write
22 Jone at Jone Ruch MacCulloch
23 Ruth at There’s No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
24 Amy at The Poem Farm
25 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
26 Renee at No Water River
27 Matt at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
28 Michelle at Michelle Kogan
29 Charles at Poetry Time
30 Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids Continue reading →