Poetry Friday: The Poem That Got Away

Has this ever happened to you?  Last night, just as I was drifting off to sleep, I got an idea for a poem. It felt perfect for the collection I'm working on.  Now, I know I should have gotten up and jotted it down, but it had been a long day at summer school and I was exhausted.  Besides, I could remember it until morning, right?    Wrong!  This morning, I overslept, jumped out of bed, got dressed and dashed out the door. Driving to work, I tried and tried to recall that little poem, but it was long gone!

As I was thinking of what I'd like to share today, I came across my copy of the beautiful anthology Inner Chimes: Poems on Poetry selected by Bobbye S. Goldstein. I've owned this book for almost twenty years and return to it often for encouragement and inspiration. The poems express the joys and frustrations of making poems and speak to writers of all ages. It's an excellent resource for writing teachers.

The poem I'm sharing is by Felice Holman. I love this poem, and I really needed to read it again today.  If you write poetry, it might just become one of your favorites too!


The Poem That Got Away

There I was and in it came
Through the fogbank of my brain
From the fastness of my soul
Shining like a glowing coal—
The nearly perfect poem!

Oh, it may have needed just
An alteration here or there--
A little tuck, a little seam
to be exactly what I meant--
The really perfect poem!

     I'll write it later on, I said,
     The idea's clear and so's my head.
     This pen I have is nearly dry.
     What I'll do now is finish this pie,
     Then on to the perfect poem!
   
Read the rest of the poem here.

Be sure to drop by Poetry for Children for today's Poetry Friday party where the multi-talented Sylvia Vardell  and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books) have a very exciting announcement that you won't want to miss!

Thanks for stopping by!

Poetry Friday

Last week, my four-year old granddaughter, Evie, read a book to her preschool class during circle time. She was so proud to be able to read it all by herself! 
Over the years, I've taught preschool, elementary, and middle school.  One of  the most rewarding experiences for me  is sharing the excitement when a child reads his/her first book.  I wrote this little poem to capture that experience.

First Book

Mommy! Daddy!
Come look, come look--

I'm reading, I'm reading,
I'm reading a book!

I just found it here
on the library shelf
and I can read every word
all by myself.

Mommy! Daddy!
Come look, come look--

I'm reading!

I'm reading
my very first book!

Linda Kulp- all rights reserved

                      My two-year old grandson loves looking at his magazine.
                      It won't be long before he reads his very first book!



Be sure to stop by to visit Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference for more poetry offerings.

 

                                  

 Welcome to Poetry Friday!  

 

My 4 yr. old granddaughter, Evie

stopped by to welcome you!

 

 

Hello, everyone!  It's so nice to see you here! This is my first time to host so I’m a little nervous but very happy to finally take the plunge!  Please leave your links in the comments, and I’ll be rounding them up throughout the day.

I've been busy teaching summer school, and the days just seem to be speeding by. I can't believe the summer is half over already!

I did do one very special thing for myself this summer.  I spent the month of June in an online class that turned out to one of the best writing courses I’ve ever taken.  I don’t usually post about classes, but I think this one is such a fantastic resource for poets, teachers, and writers of all genres that I wanted to share my experience. Besides, I'm hoping this post will inspire you to share writing resources you've found helpful too. So, here goes!

 

I enrolled in The Lyrical Language Lab: Punching Up Prose with Poetry for the month of June with one simple goal in mind; I wanted to develop a writing routine for the summer.   What I got was so much more! 

The Lyrical Language Lab is an intensive month-long course taught by Renee LaTulippe.  Renee (of No Water River fame) is an outstanding teacher. Her knowledge of poetic elements, precise lessons, individual attention, and editing background is phenomenal!

A few of my favorite features of the course were:

• The lessons were well-structured: model, practice, apply, feedback.
• The assignments and daily interaction with Renee and my classmates kept me motivated.
• There were opportunities to apply new skills to my WIP.
• The lessons meet the needs of a variety of  learning styles (verbal, audio, visual, kinesthetic).
• A lot of information was packed into this course, but it was always entertaining and FUN!

Most courses end, and that’s it.  Not The Lyrical Language Lab! At the end of the course, Renee provided us with a packet containing all of our assignments and her feedback. She is also creating an e-book of our course so we can review as needed. And, we had the opportunity to join an online group of course alumni so we can continue to learn and support each other. How wonderful is that?

I loved the class, and judging by the comments made by my classmates, everyone else did too.  I recommend this course for writers of all genres, but especially poets and picture book writers. Teachers who want a stronger foundation in poetry will also find this class beneficial.  

If you're looking to “punch up your prose,” add to your poetry toolbox, or add to your teaching repertoire, I hope you’ll head over to No Water River and check out The Lyrical Language Lab.

I can't end this post without mentioning another excellent resource.  If you are in need of coaching, consulting, or critiquing,  Mentors for Rent is the way to go!  Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard are the providers of this outstanding service. Both of these ladies have years of writing and coaching experience and share a wealth of knowledge about the business of writing for children. I can tell you from personal experience, they work hard to help clients reach their writing goals.  Check out their website for more details.

Okay, I hope I didn't sound too much like an infomercial, but I know there are folks like me who are looking for resources to reach the next level in their writing.

Now sit back, have a cup of tea, and let's enjoy today's poetry offerings.
Thanks for stopping by!

 

First Cup Edition

 Laura at Author Amok shares, "July 2 was the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. I'm celebrating with a post about Debbie Levy's latest picture book, "We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song." In free verse, Levy covers the history of "We Shall Overcome" from slavery, to the Civil Rights Movement, and its worldwide popularity today."

Matt comes to us today with an original poem at Radio, Rhythm, & Rhyme.

Tabatha shares a roller coaster poem by Heidi Mordhorst at The Opposite of Indifference.

Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge brings us fortune cookies and a poem by Irene Latham.
 

Michelle has a limerick by Irene Latham at Today's Little Ditty

Donna had some fun with her grandchildren this week over at Mainely Write, and she also share's a poem by Linda Baie.

Linda shares a summer swap poem by Margaret Simon at Teacher Dance.

Over at Gathering Books, Myra shares a poem by Iphigene.

Reading to the Core brings us a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Heidi is looking for suggestions about a classic poem for her revision project at My Juicy Little Universe.

Diane is in today with an original poem at Random Noodling.  She also brings us a short post about FIREFLY JULY at Kurious Kitty.

Laura is in today with a poem by Irene Latham from her new book DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST.

Margaret shares a poem by Wendi Romero at Reflections on the Teche.

Irene is in today at Live Your Poem with Quilts, & Pears, & the Summer Swap.

Monica over at Cartwheels shares at original poem today.

Violet offers us some summer advice today.

Becky shares an adaptation of Rilke's unicorn poem at Tapestry of Words.

Second Cup Edition

Tara is in today with a post inspired by the news at A Teaching Life.

Bildungsroman comes to us with an Emily Dickinson poem.

Sylvia has a must read tribute to the poetry of the late, great Walter Dean Myers at Poetry for Children.

Jone shares a postcard she received from Joy Acey at Check It Out.

Joy is in today with an original summer poem  at Poetry for Kids Joy.

Amy is at The Poem Farm with a poem about spirit animals inspired by Laura Shovan's post last week.


OK!  I think that's it for round two.  I posted all the links in the Comments section also, just in case.  I'll check back later this afternoon in case anyone else drops by.  I apologize for not giving a better description for each of today's offerings, but I'm on a time crunch (like always), and the computer was not cooperating!  Now, I'm going to get my tea and read these wonderful offerings!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by Write Time! 

 

Our Third Cup Edition

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading  stopped by to bring us some "Chicory".

Jen from I am a teacher et cetera just popped in to share an interesting piece she's been working on. I like it!

Carol invites us over to Beyond Literacy Link for some summer serenity along with a writing invitation.

Lorie Ann is in at On Point today with an original haiku and at readertotz, "It Rains, It Pains."