Linda Kulp Trout

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Poetry Friday: The Progressive Poem is Here!

When I read that Irene Latham was organizing another progressive poem to celebrate National Poetry Month, I signed on right away. I really enjoyed taking part in the poem last year. I'm not able to do a month-long project on my own so I'm grateful to Irene for coming up with a way in which I can participate.

I've had fun watching the poem grow from Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's first line to yesterday's line by Margaret Simon. Each day I try to imagine where the next poet might take us on this poetry journey, and  I must say that there have been some surprises along the way!  Now it's  my turn to add a line.

I'm a little nervous as I write this because all the other lines have been so good, and I want my contribution to be just as worthy.  I keep reminding myself that writing a  single line is a lot less pressure than being responsible for an entire poem, and our Poetry Friday community is a very supportive bunch. So here goes.  I hope it works!



When you listen to your footsteps
the words become music and
the rhythm that you’re rapping gets your fingers tapping, too.
Your pen starts dancing across the page
a private pirouette, a solitary samba until
smiling, you’re beguiling as your love comes shining through.

 
Pause a moment in your dreaming, hear the whispers
of the words, one dancer to another, saying
Listen, that’s our cue! Mind your meter. Find your rhyme.
Ignore the trepidation while you jitterbug and jive.
Arm in arm, toe to toe, words begin to wiggle and flow

as your heart starts singing let your mind keep swinging


I can't wait to see where Catherine Johnson takes our poem next!

Diane of Random Noodling is our kindly hosting Poetry Friday today!
 




17 comments:

  1. I like that you brought it back to the thoughts, and love that inner rhyme, Linda. You're right, it's lots of fun to imagine where it might go next.

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    1. Thanks, Linda. I wasn't sure where to take the poem next, but this line kept coming to me so I went with it. : )

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  2. Thank you Linda for your sharing your singing and swinging line with us! You are so right about this community. I'm happy you are part of it. And so fun to see your "Silence" poem in the PFA middle school volume!

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    1. I feel so fortunate to have met wonderful poets like you through Poetry Friday. I hope someday to meet many of my internet friends in person!

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  3. Hi, Linda. I love how your "swinging" echoes the jitterbug of an earlier line. It's so much fun to watch this poem develop.

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    1. I agree. I'm enjoying Irene's project very much. I wish I had more time to join in some of the others.

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  4. This is one rockin' poem! Thanks for adding the music to the mix.

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    1. I'm amazed at how well it's coming along. I look forward to each new line.

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  5. It's looking so beautiful now, lovely line Linda. I hope my mind gets swinging and thinking of what to write next. You are the last line of that stanza am I right?
    Catherine

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    1. Thank you, Catherine. Yes, I think it is the last line if we're sticking to the same length for each stanza. I know your line will be fabulous, and I can't wait to read it tomorrow! : )

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  6. I like the internal rhyme of singing/swinging and the action it invokes. And since the rhyme scheme and stanza lengths are different now, it'll be interesting to see where Catherine goes with it!

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    1. Thanks, Matt. It's fun to watch this poem develop!

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  7. Amazing that so many poets have added to the poem and it flows wonderfully! Your line is fabulous, Linda!

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    1. Thanks, Bridget! I can't wait to see where it ends up!

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  8. Fun and lively poem. It is amazing that it was written by a bunch of different people!

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  9. Linda,
    I loved you addition to the progressive poem.

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    JOY

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