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Friday, June 2, 2023

Meadow Song + Moon Invitation!

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit terrific Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for Roundup.

Happy birthday today to my sweetheart Paul, who thinks June birthdays are simply the best birthdays...hard to argue with that, given all that sunshine and laketime and fireflies flickering! We're definitely in the "sunrise sunburn sunset repeat" mode around here. Though I have been spending a good bit of time with my cello, especially since I receive the music for the cello camp I'm attending in July. 

It's A LOT. 

If I wanted to, I could be completely overwhelmed. Instead, I'm taking it one song one measure at a time and trusting what I know to be true of musicmaking (and writing!): yes, it's a challenge, but I won't be sorry I did it. Joy!

Invitation: Friends, I will be hosting Roundup on the last Friday of this month, June 30. I'm in the process of creating educator resources for my forthcoming THE MUSEUM ON THE MOON, and of course I'd like to give them lots and lots of poetry! With that in mind, I'd like to do a "Moon in June" themed Roundup! You're invited to share a favorite moon poem (yours or someone else's), a moon story, a moon memory, a moon dream...or whatever your moon-heart desires! Together we'll be able to provide a moon-poetry-landing for all. Thank you!

This week's ArtSpeak: LIGHT poem is kind of fun...or at least it was fun to write! I hope it brings to mind wonderful summer memories. xo


Meadow Song

Meadow may I
dance with you?
Swing and sway
and sing with you?

Meadow may I
bring a friend?
Giggle and picnic
until day's end?

Meadow may I
share your light?
Fireflies and I
will glitter all night!

- Irene Latham

Finally, two more things to share today:

1. If you need a good book recommendation quick, try Shepherd.com, which invites authors to share their favorite books in a fun and friendly way. I've discovered some really great lists, like "the best contemporary nature poetry." 

2. I just read and loved BITTERSWEET: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain (author of QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking). It has changed the way I think about myself. Are YOU bittersweet, like me? Take Susan's quiz to find out!


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18 comments:

  1. Robyn Hood BlackJune 2, 2023 at 6:36 AM

    I remember when you took up the cello - have always admired that among the million things I admire about you! I'm sure those songs will tumble out beautifully after all your practice. Glad you're enjoying lake season, gazing up at the moon after days of sun - can't wait to see your new book! The cover is glorious. And I LOVE your poem of address to the Meadow! What if we modern humans approached our interactions with Nature like that all the time? Sigh.... xo

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  2. Susan T.June 2, 2023 at 9:33 AM

    "Meadow may I dance with you?" is the perfect question to start off summer. Love your moon poem idea, Irene.

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  3. Linda BJune 2, 2023 at 10:23 AM

    Happy Birthday to Paul with lots of great celebrating, Irene. I find it so admirable that among so many other things, you play the cello AND you're going to cello camp! Wow! Do I love all things about the moon, YES! My students & I did moon-journaling for a month several times through the years, so often a favorite time to love night's beauty! Thanks for the invitation. And, your poem is a summer invitation of things to love, "giggle and picnic" - so true. I will always miss the fireflies from my growing up. They do not live here in Colorado! Have a special weekend, Irene!

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  4. laurasalasJune 2, 2023 at 1:36 PM

    I love this polite and delicate poem and its gestures of invitation. And BITTERSWEET--oh my gosh, she's writing about me! I took the quiz. Now I'm just trying to figure out whether to go audiobook or print. Thank you for the recommendation!

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  5. jamaJune 2, 2023 at 2:14 PM

    "Meadow may I dance with you?" is so fresh, surprising, uplifting! How do you do it? And Happy Birthday Paul! I agree that June is a good birthday month. Paul McCartney (June 18), and Paddington Bear (June 25). :D Thanks for the links -- I will have to check out Bittersweet and shepherd.com! And I love that you play the cello. xo

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  6. Margaret SimonJune 2, 2023 at 4:29 PM

    My mother, sister, and niece were all born in June and my granddaughter (born in December) is named June. I love the idea of writing a poem for the moon. I love your dance through the meadow. I wish I could be dedicated to a musical instrument. My mother and brother are both musicians. We say it's in the left hand because they are both lefties. I just bought Bittersweet on Audible. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  7. Linda MitchellJune 2, 2023 at 6:23 PM

    Yay! June is a wonderful month. I'm so glad it's here! I will be gathering with friends and family in a big meadow...love the poem!
    Hooray for new books. Don't miss the Brene Brown interview of Susan Cain about Bittersweet on Spotify. It's a good one and a two-parter. I have NINE days left of school...and then I am belly-flopping into summer...look out for my splash!

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  8. TabathaJune 2, 2023 at 7:56 PM

    I didn't know whether I would be bittersweet, but I'll bet you could have guessed that I am! I expect people who love poetry tend to fall in that camp. I have sunrise, sunburn, sunset repeat going through my head now. Good luck with your cello pieces! xo

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  9. mbhmaineJune 3, 2023 at 7:03 AM

    You're always an inspiration, Irene! I love your approach to the intensity of your upcoming cello camp. "If I wanted to, I could be completely overwhelmed. Instead, I'm taking it one song one measure at a time and trusting what I know to be true..." Your meadow poem is a joyous delight. That beginning question sets the tone perfectly. I suspect I'll be whispering it to my own back meadow before too long.

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  10. Rose CappelliJune 3, 2023 at 9:39 AM

    So glad I stopped by today. This post is full of goodness, beginning with your poem to Meadow. Your verbs dance, picnic, glitter are perfect for summer. And yes, I am bittersweet, too, and I just ordered the book on Audible. Thank you!

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  11. Patricia FranzJune 3, 2023 at 5:35 PM

    How often I have walked into a meadow and glimpsed the mule ear dancing among themselves -- I would stand silently by like a wallflower, watching them enviously, never considering to tap one of them on the shoulder and ask "May I cut in?" :)

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    Replies
    1. Heidi MordhorstJune 4, 2023 at 6:37 AM

      Patricia, this is a poem waiting to be shaped. Lovely!

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  12. Heidi MordhorstJune 4, 2023 at 6:41 AM

    Irene, so much to enjoy here today! I will gladly join your moon party on the 30th, and congrats on the new book. I was particularly interested by the blurb at the end of the Bittersweet quiz which notes high sensitivity and correlation to anxiety and depression...explains a lot!

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  13. JoneJune 4, 2023 at 8:16 PM

    I love that you are attending cello camp! I remember you playing on Zoom for us. I am going to check out Bittersweet and I love the moon theme for the end of June.

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  14. Carol VarsalonaJune 5, 2023 at 6:29 AM

    Irene, I read your blog post yesterday and fell in love with so much of it. Your gentle, calm way of looking at life is so full of joy. Happy belated birthday to Paul. I hope you float on light-filled days and moon-glow nights. I am definitely happy to dip into my moon poems and join you on June 30th. Your meadow poem has me imagining a beautiful day strolling in life. I could actually use one of those days after the stress-filled time we've had lately. Thanks for letting us know about Bittersweet. Have a carefree week bringing sunshine into the world.

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  15. Karen Edmisten June 7, 2023 at 8:12 PM

    I'm loving all the summer poems from the past week, and adding yours to the "loved it" collection. I also love Susan Cain's work. Her book, QUIET, is a favorite and yes, I scored high on the Bittersweet quiz (9.7). :)

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  16. Marcie Flinchum AtkinsJune 9, 2023 at 5:21 AM

    So many good things in this post! I can't wait to write a moon poem. And I took the quiz and I'm definitely bittersweet. 8.3!

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