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Thursday, April 18, 2013

ROUNDUP!

Hello, and welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup! It is my pleasure to host today on this, the 3rd Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month. Yay for all the lovely stuff everyone has going!

And lo and behold, the 2013 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem is parked here today.

What to say about this year's poem? We've got rhythm and dancing and words and music and circus acts and rhyme and alliteration... who knows what the last 10 lines will hold?! I'm excited to read, and yes, a little nervous to share my own line today as the poem makes another turn and begins to wind down, come back around, and I'm certain, surprise us.

Thanks to all of you for making this so much fun. Y'all amaze and inspire me. Please see the list of all participants in the left sidebar. And hey, if you haven't had a chance to check out Heidi's very similar (micro!) project this month, please do. Fascinating!

Without further ado:


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
from life’s trapeze, like a clown on the breeze.
Swinging upside down, throw and catch new sounds–
Take a risk, try a trick; break a sweat: safety net?
Don’t check! You’re soaring and exploring,
dangle high, blood rush; spiral down, crowd hush–
limb-by-line-by-limb envision, pyramidic penned precision.
And if you should topple, if you should flop
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Hey, is anyone feeling a title yet?? I'm thinking something like "Writer Dance" or "How to Dance like a Writer" or "The Three Ring Writer." :) I'd love to hear your suggestions in comments... of course we've still got ten lines to go, so who knows what other titles might emerge...
Please use inlinkz below to leave your link! I've set it for "unlimited" in the name/description field, so feel free to include specific info about your post. And if you have any trouble at all, please leave me a note in comments. Thank you!

72 comments:

  1. Thanks, Irene! So proud of you and all you do for children AND for your fellow authors who love you almost as much as I do! ;-)

    A teacher recently emailed to tell me she likes my "pastoral poems," but asked if I could write a "city poem" for her students. I posted the results at the FATHER GOOSE Blog

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    1. Thank you, Chuck! Too long since I've seen you and yours. But I DID just share some of your riddle-rhymes with 3rd graders yesterday. :)

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  2. Thanks for hosting, Dearest Friend! Ahh, a dose of "maybe" and "real" into our dangling, dancing poem - great line! Thanks for herding the Progressive Poem again this year.

    I'm in with haiku poet/HSA regional coordinator/Prune Juice editor Terri L. French - two of her poems and info about the Ginko Haikufest she's cooking up for Oct. in Atlanta. Also, happy to report the "Knights of the Internet" rescued my lost comments from Poetry Friday week before last. Hooray!

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    1. Robyn, doesn't last week feel like AGES ago?? So happy for the time we spent. Love you!

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  3. Thanks for hosting today, Irene. Love your line...all that motion, and then...
    I have a poem about Boston ... my favorite city.

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    1. Thank you, Tara -- unfortunately falling is part of it, too... Boston is such a hard hard thing to think about. Sadness.

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  4. Oh no! Toppling! Flopping! Let's hope it's a gentle fall. Have a great day of hosting--it'll take a great part of your day--there are so many participants!

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    1. If only all falls were gentle. :) But we do grow from them, don't we? Thanks for visiting Diane!

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  5. I like the turn your new line inspires, Irene. And "Writer Dance" strikes me as a great title. Looking forward to seeing the rest.
    Thanks so much for hosting today. I've added my link even though my TeachingAuthors post won't go live till midnight our time. Hope that's okay. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Carmela! Writing IS a dance, isn't it? xo

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  6. Oh, yes! There is always that if, always that risk. Otherwise neither dancing nor trapeze work nor writing would be interesting at all. But what if....I look forward to reading on.

    Thank you for hosting today, Irene, and too for getting this Progressive Poem into our lives.

    xo, a.

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    1. Amy! Are you still living the whirlwind?! Thinking of you, friend. Thanks for stopping by. xo

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  7. Thank you for hosting Irene. I love your 'blip' of a line, a little drop makes things interesting! I have two poems today, one original, about the different perspectives of rain. Also, congrats on the Publisher's Weekly article & picture-what fun for you all!

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    1. Thank you, Linda! Robyn and April are a hoot. We need a giant PF retreat! Wouldn't that be fun... love to you. xo

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  8. You mean writers flop? Writers make mistakes? Horrors! What more will I learn from this poem?

    I like your title "Three Ring Writers" so far...but as you say, let's see what happens next.

    Thanks for hosting, Dear Irene ~

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  9. Hi Irene! Thanks for being our host this week! I like where you've taken us with the progressive poem. "If Degas Were a Writer"? It will be easier to say once it is all done!

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    1. Tabatha, that's an awesome title! LOVE. Thank you for stopping by. xo

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  10. Thanks, Irene. I just want to say hooray for your Progressive Poem 2013 which is going SO well. The Seamus Heaney poem I posted this week is one of my all-time favorites, and since it was Mr. Heaney's birthday this last week, I decided to repost something I posted before. Great men deserve a few repeats.

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    1. Hooray, indeed! Thank you, Julie. And yes, Seamus Heaney has some jewels. Looking forward to reading what you've posted. xo

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  11. Hello, Irene.
    Thanks so much for hosting. I love your new line to the Progressive Poem. I'm curious to see how the next several manage to "pick up" and continue on!

    I'm in this week with a poem I wrote in anticipation of real spring, which is taking a long time to appear in my part of the world this year.

    http://insidethedog.edublogs.org/2013/04/19/poetry-friday-april-in-iowa/

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    1. Thank you, Steve! Yes, spring has been a bit reluctant this year... my father in North Dakota was slammed with 18 inches of snow this week. Craziness! Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. Thanks for hosting, Irene. I love that you're introducing a dash of failure--or at least the possibility of it--into our progpoem to keep it from getting TOO chirpy/happy/sappy. Hooray!

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    1. "progpoem" - Laura, you're brilliant. Yesterday visited an elementary school and a 2nd grade teacher was reading STAMPEDE to her kids!!! Hooray, indeed. xo

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  13. Good morning, Irene! Thank you for hosting Poetry Friday. I love how the poem is progressing – it has such an upbeat rhythm and a celebratory feel, including your topple/flop - these writers are sleeves-up doing it! For a title, here's my suggestion: "Welcome To The Writers’ Jamboree." Looking forward to seeing how it all ends!

    Best,

    Tamera

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    1. Hi Tamera - "Welcome to the Writers' Jamboree" has exactly the upbeat rhythm and celebratory feel you mention. Wonderful! Thank you for visiting.

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  14. Thanks for hosting, Irene. I've been following your progressive poem all month. It's fascinating to watch how people have built upon the previous author's line, both in content and craft! Definitely a bunch of talented folks you've gathered together!

    I've been writing all month with Mary Lee over at Year of Reading. Today I'm posting an original poem that was inspired by the poem she wrote today.
    http://carolwscorner.blogspot.com/2013/04/poem-19-underwater.html

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    1. Carol, thank you for stopping by. I love what you and Mary Lee are doing! So much inspirational goodness in the blogosphere this month. xo

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  15. Thank you so much for hosting, Irene. The progressive poem is fabulous! I love the twist your line adds. A reminder that writing flops are inevitable is always comforting to me.
    Catherine

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    1. Catherine, yes to the inevitability of writing flops. It's when that happens that we learn and grow the most (though that can be hard to see when one is in the midst... sigh). Thank you for stopping by!

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  16. Thanks for hosting! I'm behind on some of the Poetry Month goings-on, but hope to catch up this weekend.

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    1. Karen, I am behind too. :) And isn't that the great thing about the internet? It's all there waiting. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  17. Thanks so much for hosting, Irene. I am likewise amazed at the creativity in the Progressive Poem you all are writing! Can't wait to see how it all works out in the end.

    At Orange Marmalade today I'm talking about how the natural world inspired Aileen Fisher, as I look ahead to Earth Day on Monday. I have her poem Butterfly Wings.

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    1. HO happy do just the words Orange Marmalade make me?! VERY. Thank you for stopping by!

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  18. Good morning, friend! It's already a busy day on Poetry Friday and it's only 9 am! I do love those if's. Love them and hate them, but they are part of the bargain for us writerly people. I'm partial to Writer Dance for a title.

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    1. Oh the IFs. You nailed it: love and hate. Sigh. I am travelling to Carrolton GA tomorrow to hear Natasha Tretheway. We'll have to compare notes after. xo

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  19. thanks for rounding this heard of cats! ;)

    NaPoWriMo continues at The Drawer. A new, original poem a day. 19 down, 11 to go.

    Today's poem "Cooks and Bakers" http://mmsocks.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/cooks-and-bakers-napowrimo-19/

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    1. It's the best herd of cats ever. :) Thanks for stopping by and good luck as you finish out the month!

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  20. Hi, Irene, and thanks for hosting-- and for your PFA poem which happened to be today's featured poem at the PFA blog. I'm also plugging a lovely poem movie for Joyce Sidman's poem, "Restless," at PFAMS and my "Blast from the Poetry Past" series with a mention of Karla Kuskin today. That's a pile of poetry this Friday! :-) Congrats again on your PW exposure! Sylvia

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    1. Ooohh, Sylvia, such good stuff! Thank you for stopping by... thinking of y'all at IRA. xo

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  21. It's the first time in a long time I've joined in for Poetry Friday. Love all the action in your progressive poem. What a fun project!

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    1. Barbarah, so happy to have you! We'll probably do the Progressive Poem again next year, so come visit to sign up in March. It IS fun. Thanks for stopping by!

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  22. Why not call it The Writing Circus?

    Thanks for hosting!

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    1. I LOVE IT. Of course no telling where the poem will go next... Thank you!

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  23. Topple and flop are such fun words especially for a circus and can be mtaphors for the writing theme too and the ifs make it so dreamy and change the tone of the poem. Love this!

    Thanks for hosting, Irene.

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    1. Thank you, Catherine! Dreamy is good on a rainy day like this one. xo

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  24. Thanks for hosting today, Irene! I loved seeing the updated progressive poem too!

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    1. Thank you, Keri, for stopping by! We're 2/3 of the way done with the poem (and the month). How can this be?! xo

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  25. I have another song-as-poetry installment with I Heard Your Voice in a Dream at:
    http://www.motherreader.com/2013/04/poetry-friday-i-heard-your-voice-in.html

    Thanks for hosting!

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    1. Thank you, Pam! I always love it when songs are recognized as the poetry they are. Happy day to you!

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  26. thanks for hosting, irene.

    though not exactly kidlit, i'm posting my weekly update of my participation on the pulitzer remix project.

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  27. Hi, Irene. Your contribution to the progressive poem is perfect. I was speaking with fifth graders today about how powerful "If" or "Maybe" can be in a poem. These conditional words let us explore an idea without committing to it 100%, a great strategy for creativity in a poem.

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    1. Two of my favorite words in poems, Laura! I totally want to be in your class. xo

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  28. Late to the party today, as I've been running errands...but what a great line! The possibilities are wide open as to where it'll go next.

    As for me, I'm sharing a poem I came up with using one of Laura Salas' starter videos about my back 'yard.'

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    1. Love seeing how Laura's video project has inspired you!

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  29. Thanks again, Irene. Here's a sample from the new book-in-progress "Style is Not How You Write: Quips & Quotes for Writers, Readers, Artists & Dreamers" at the BALD EGO blog

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  30. Hello Irene- I've so enjoyed watching this poem work its way around the Internet, growing and becoming. Thank you for coming up with this idea! I love that you've introduced the possibility of a flop in your line...something that most of us who create things have to consider.

    I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next!

    -Carrie F

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    1. Hi Carrie - thank you so much for being a part of it this year! I'm excited to see what happens next.

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  31. There are moments in this poem that remind me of The Thin Prison, by Leslie Norris. There are so many great lines in the progressive poem. Should be fun to continue to watch it as it grows.

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  32. Wonderful line, Irene! I love "topple" and "flop". You've left us wondering and anxious to see where the next poet will go.
    I like both of your title suggestions. Writer Dance is my favorite. It may be fun to go with something with the word "performance" in it, since we perform in many different ways. Of course, we may get a new twist!

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    1. Good thoughts, Penny! "Performance" is more encompassing... will see what happens next!

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  33. Irene,
    I am a day late with my post for Poetry Friday. What can I say? Busy week. But I'm here with my own form of gratitude haiku, gratiku. http://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/gratiku/

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    1. Gratiku! Awesome. The world needs more of that!

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  34. Thank you for hosting. I enjoyed the new line for the poem and love the way it's unfolding.

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    1. Thank you, Jone - we've created something beautiful and TRUE! I'm excited to see what happens next.

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  35. Irene, the Progressive Poem is evoking wonderful images. Your line really is a turning point, a nudge toward offering up solutions to the problems all writers encounter sooner or later!

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    1. Oh the problems all writers encounter... sigh. But it is in overcoming them that we grow and grow and grow... thank you, Joyce, for stopping by!

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  36. Hi, Irene--

    I guess I win the prize for being latest to the party...and what a party! As I mentioned to Mary Lee, I believe that poets should all be awarded an extra day of the week in April to do what we do: SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayRegularFridayPoetryFridaySaturday. Thanks for hosting and for the new, wide-open line. I see this leading towards a safety net of linked, penwielding hands!

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  37. Ah, Heidi! A safety net of linked, pe wielding hands is exactly what the PF community is! Thanks for stopping by during this busy BUSY time. xo

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  38. Hey, I beat Heidi for the late-to-the-party crown. Love the unexpected topple and flop! Art imitating life? :)

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    1. Dear Renee - probably there are others more graceful than I, but I mostly definitely know the art of the topple and flop. :)

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Your thoughts?