Letter to a Bowling Ball

 

Dear Bowling Ball

Score tied.

Last frame.

I need a strike

to win the game.

Take a breath.

Check my stance.

Line you up.

Just one chance.

I send you flying

like a rocket

straight toward

the center pocket.

I think I might

get a strike

until

you decide

to take a right

                into

                       the 

                           gutter.

I thought I had you

in the zone,

but now I know--

dear bowling ball,

you have a mind 

of your own.

©Linda Kulp Trout

Like my bowling game, this poem is a work-in-progress. 😊

A big thank you to Rose for hosting today on her blog Imagine the Possibilities.

Have a great week!

Letter to a Poet

I almost didn't post anything today. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have anything worth posting. Then last night I read a book of poetry. I started wondering if the poet who wrote such heartfelt poems ever worried about sharing them with the world. I sat holding her book wishing I could talk to her. Before I knew it, a letter poem started forming in my mind. 

I don't often write in rhyme, but it's how the words came to me so I went with it. I may go back someday and work on the poem a bit more, but for now, it's what my heart needed to say.

I write to make a difference. My hope is that someday I write a poem that helps someone the way so many books and poems have helped me. So every once in a while, I gather my courage and share my writing. 

Thank you for reading. 

A special thank you to Janice for hosting this week's Poetry Friday on her blog Salt City Verse.  Be sure to check out her lovely poem "If a Snowstorm Comes to Town" here. It's just one of the fabulous poems in the brand new anthology, IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY. 

f I Had a Different Name

©Linda Kulp Trout 2023

This week IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY edited by Charles Waters and Irene Latham arrived on my doorstep. It is a beautiful anthology with poems of possibility. Every poem is fantastic! I especially enjoyed reading the poems written by our Poetry Friday friends. 

As I was reading, I remembered that I had written an "If" poem for WRITE WITH ME and decided to share a revised version of it today. I've always been fascinated with names and how they are an important part of our identity.

I've known students and adults who were unhappy with their first name and chose to go by a middle name, nickname, or legally changed their name. Most parents put a lot of thought into the names they choose for their children. I wish I'd asked my mother how she chose my name. Linda was a popular name choice back then in part because it was the title of a popular song. Still, I wish I knew more about why she chose it. 

How about you?  Do you know the story behind your name? Do you like you name? Do you think you'd the same if you had a different name? 

A big thank you to Margaret for hosting this week's Poetry Friday on her blog Reflections on the Teche.

More Mistakes

Making mistakes and learning from them is an important part of life. Last week, I shared the beautiful new picture book anthology The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets.  This week I want to share another anthology on the topic of mistakes.  Imperfect Poems About Mistakes: An Anthology for Middle Schoolers edited by Tabatha Yeatts.  I think they make excellent companion books and should be in every classroom library. 

Today's poem, which appeared in the IMPERFECT, was inspired by something I observed all too often when I was teaching middle school. Students liked working with their friends and sometimes were not happy when I chose a partner for them. Some students, like the speaker in the poem, made their feelings known. I'm hopeful some of them later regretted how they made the other person feel and learned from their mistake.

©Linda Kulp Trout

Note: I love reading your comments and appreciate them very much. 

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Thank you to Denise for hosting today on her blog Dare to Care.

I hope you have a great week!

 

The Mistakes That Made Us

It is so important for young people to see that they are not alone in making mistakes. A couple of years ago, I wrote a poem about one of my childhood mistakes. It's included in my book Write With Me along with a short passage about how we can eventually look back on our mistakes and see them in a new light. Because I'm always revising my poems, this version is slightly different from the one in my book. 

The Swimming Pool

My friend invited me to cool off

in her brand-new swimming pool.

I was eight.

I was scared. 

I didn't know how to swim.

I knew I should say no.

But it was August-hot,

so I said yes.

Shoulder-deep in water

we tossed a beach ball,

laughing, splashing,

letting go of my fear

until--

I slipped and went under

swallowing a mouthful

of throat burning,

stomach churning

chlorinated water.

I stood up,

threw up

right there in the middle

of that brand-new pool.

My friend scrambled

out of the water

face full of fire

screaming,

You ruined summer!

She stomped away

leaving me standing

alone.

Wrapped in my towel

and shame,

I plodded home

knowing

I'd never be invited again. 

© Linda Kulp Trout

Have you seen this wonderful new anthology about mistakes? The poems in THE MISTAKES THAT MADE US: Confessions from Twenty Poets selected by the talented team of  Irene Latham and Charles Waters make great conversation starters. Readers will be able to identify with the situations and emotions the poets describe. The poems make excellent mentor texts. Every classroom library needs a copy!

A big thank you to my friend, the incredibly talented Laura Purdie Salas for hosting today. 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful week full of love and magic!

I haven't posted in a long while, but every Friday I enjoy all of the offerings. I've been wanting to jump back in, but my mind has been filled with distractions. Each week, I intend to join in then talk myself out of it because I don't think I have anything worth sharing. Weeks and months fly by. The longer I'm away from something, the harder it is for me to start up again. But, lately I've been feeling like I need to do something to bring more light and kindness into the world. The Poetry Friday community does exactly that.  It is a group of wonderful people who are always kind and supportive. A place where everyone is welcome. So here I am posting two poems on Thursday evening before I change my mind. 

The past couple of weeks we've had what forecasters call "a parade of storms" with snow and ice. The snow outside my window covering the ground and trees is so beautiful. I haven't seen many birds lately, but several winters ago I saw a little bird in my yard. Although I'm not sure if what kind of bird it was, my imagination led me to write this poem. 

This next poem comes from my book Write With Me, a poetry journal for middle grade and young adults. Each poem in the collection is accompanied by a short vignette about the topic and an invitation for young people to write about their own experiences. This poem is about my first crush in seventh grade. 

My crush on the boy in the poem lasted the entire school year. My friend encouraged me to tell him, but I was much too shy. He never said anything, but I wonder if he knew. He'd always smile when we passed in the hallway, and of course my heart would melt. I was sure he was my one and only true love until that day in eighth grade when I moved on to a new crush. 

A big thank you to Linda for hosting today's Poetry Friday on her blog TeacherDance. 

I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love and happiness!