Thursday, December 22, 2022

All I Want For Christmas is a Poem

 Hello and welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup on this Christmas Eve eve! 

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Two fun things I've done to celebrate this Advent season: 

1. enjoyed a cheese a day in an Advent Cheese box I bought at Aldi. Lots of variety, including a fun red pesto gouda that was like having an entire pizza in one bite. :)

2. read a poem a day for children in this Advent Poe-tree created by the good folks at Poetry by Heart. (Instead of one a day, you can now read almost all of them all at once!)

Hope your holiday and every day includes whatever joys make YOU smile!


For today's Roundup, I've got a special little something for you, and her name is Molly! She's a homeschool student who loves poetry, both reading it and writing it. She and I have corresponded via email and snailmail for a couple of years now, and I have loved watching her writing grow! 

This month Molly shared with me about the things she's doing to nurture her writing life, including finding a writing community of other young writers! starting a blog!...and she sent a small book of her poems. It totally made my day! And now she and her parents have graciously give me permission to share two of my favorite poems from the book with all of you. 




Your will is wonderful
You are sewing my quilt of life
I am but thread on a spool

- Molly

Many of you know I am a sucker for a textile/sewing metaphor...isn't that last line marvelous?!



A cold nose

There was a man

And he was old

He took a walk

But it was cold

Right away

Off fell his nose

It's quite a good thing

That his wife sews


- Molly

Ha! Another sewing reference, and such a fun story...it reads like a nursery rhyme, doesn't it?

I also invited Molly to respond to some simple prompts about her experience writing this book. Without further ado, here's Molly!

The Difficult:

The most difficult challenge about writing my poetry book was probably in perfecting the poems themselves.  I would have an idea or thought that I wanted to portray, as well as a rhyming pattern that I wanted to use but would sometimes get stuck trying to find the right words.  Once I did, the rest of the poem just slid from my fingers.

The Delicious:

The best part about writing my book was in knowing that I write for God.  These poems are a way I glorify Him as well as an attempt to help the reader.

The Fresh:

Something I learned while writing this book, is that poetry is an amazing way to process thoughts.  While restricting you to using verses and potential rhyming, it gives you the freedom in being able to really put meaning and thought into what you want to portray. 

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Poetry IS "an amazing way to process thoughts," isn't it?! I think it's why many of us can't NOT write. We need poetry. Writing poetry is an act of self-care, a way to grow and to deepen all the days of our lives.

So many thanks to Molly and her parents for allowing me to share these gifts. I won't be surprised at all when we see Molly's books in stores one day. 


For my ArtSpeak: Animals contribution, I decided to take a walk in the forest...just one more animal poem to go, then onto 2023! Wheee! 


lost in the forest

not knowing which is flower,

which is hummingbird

- Irene Latham


21 comments:

  1. Irene, love that! The flower & hummingbird. And, Molly, yay! I enjoyed reading your work very much. "A cold nose" made me laugh. Felices fiestas to all.

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  2. I wouldn't mind being "lost in the forest" with the hummingbirds and flowers, they are both beautiful, and your poem is lovely Irene! Love the metaphor in Molly's poem: I am but thread on a spool," thank you both, and Happiest of Holidays!

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  3. What a delightful post. Look at that poetic relationship between you and Molly. I love it! Her poetry is adorable and true...as are her reflections. What a special treat for you to get to see her growth. A cheese a day--well that makes me giggle. But, oh, not just one more week of short animal poems! Although, I admit to looking forward to whatever adventure you take us on in 2023. Thanks so much for hosting.

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  4. I love the flower and hummingbird poem and painting as well as Molly's sewing poems! I agree that writing poetry is an act of self-care. Thank you for being here, and happy holidays to you!

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  5. Things I like the sound of: red pesto Gouda, being thread on a spool, and not knowing which is flower and which is hummingbird xo

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  6. Hi Irene, thanks for hosting this week. Advent cheese box? Who would have thought?!
    Thanks so much for sharing Molly's wonderful poems. I, too, love the "thread on the spool." And thank goodness for the wife that sews, Haha. Your poem is so lovely. Wish I could be lost in a forest right now, but the winds are howling here as the temp drops. It's currently about 2 below zero. Stay warm!

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  7. Your advent cheese and poetry snacks sound great, Irene. I had no idea there was food available for advent following. Molly's poems are thought-filled and wonderful. I love the sewing references, wisdom and laughter, too! And your poem, a lovely nod to bird-lovers, right? Happy Christmas and thanks for hosting this Christmas Eve eve.

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  8. Love Molly's poems and the insight behind her writing! Loe your haiku, too. And I do have to say, an Advent cheese box is brilliant - I'd need to come up with a Valentine's Day cheese heart box, too! ;)

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  9. Thank you for hosting and for the lovely flower/hummingbird poem. And I love to see your mentoring of Molly!

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  10. Thanks for hosting Irene and for sharing Molly's lovely poems and thoughts as well as your own. There are many take aways for me in this post, but one thing that struck me is how you guided Molly's self-reflection by having her think of the difficult, the delicious, the fresh. I wrote those phrases in my notebook. I think it's something I'd like to use with my own writing and in analyzing poems. Now I think I'd like to get lost in a forest.

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  11. Oh, what beautiful poems from Molly! Also, we wanted a cheese advent calendar, which we had seen last year at Aldi. But we didn't realize people waited for that day and you had to get there THAT day to get one! Ah, well. Maybe next year :>D Your hummingbird poem is so delicate and evocative. My life feels a bit like that forest right now. So full of beauty that it's hard to tell what's what. We have so much going on--all wonderful things--but I'm a bit lost in a flurry of snow, wings, leaves, laughter. So...I don't have a post this week, but wanted to stop by, read yours, and say Merry Christmas and have a beautiful New Year's!

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  12. Oh, your post is filled with all sorts of wonders, Irene, each one delightful on its own and then enriched by its companions. I love your relationship with Molly, her poems, her thoughtful responses to your prompts, your hummingbird and forest, and the idea of a cheese that's a pizza in one bite. Wow! Wishing you all the best during this holiday season. Thanks so much for hosting!

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  13. What a gift to know Molly! Thank you for sharing her poems and her inspiration.

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  14. Irene, your piece is so lovely — oh, to be lost in the intertwining beauty of hummingbirds and flowers. And Molly! Well done, Molly! Irene, thanks for sharing this young poet's delightful work. Thanks for hosting, too!

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  15. Thanks for hosting us, Irene, and thanks for introducing us to Molly and her delightful poems! Today is a nose-falling-off kind of day! As for the hummingbirds, I was transfixed by the Anna's Hummers that were EVERYWHERE in northern California in late November when I visited. What a treat to hear their whirr and chirp!

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  16. You had me at 'cheese', Irene (and Smidgey) and then you added wonderful poetry. You truly are a gift. Thank you for hosting. Sending you and yours warm wishes for the holidays.

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  17. Molly sure knows that metaphors carry a poem to the next level, an aha moment! What a special relationship you two have. I hate to see the animal poems go but I'm sure you have a wonderful idea for 2023. Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  18. Irene, I read your post several times but totally forgot to comment. Thanks for the roundup and introducing us to Molly. I look forward to hearing more about her work and your guidance with her writing. ArtSpeak is coming to an end with animal poems,-Sigh! Your work carries on. Enjoy every bit of the holidays and New Years!

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