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Friday, August 23, 2024

51 Robins poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Rose at Imagine the Possibilities for Roundup.

I am celloing with my amateur orchestra friends at the University of Alabama this weekend. Fun!

Be sure and check out the latest offerings from Georgia Heard at The Poet's Studio. Among other fabulous sessions (shape poems! memoir writing! revision!), she invited me and Joyce Sidman as guests for "The Art of Nonfiction Poetry" (January 9th & 14, 2025). We'd love for you to join us!


Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem is based on a piece entitled "51 Robins" by Florida folk artist Margot Warren, whom I discovered in this book

Don't you love that title?! And guess what? There actually are 51 robins in the painting! And also a lone blue jay... of course my poem had to include him! Thanks so much for reading.


51 Robins


51 robins
flock the spring lawn.

They hop,
flutter
         splash,
mutter—

wake up, worms!

1 blue jay stays
still, silent—

not like a blue jay at all.

He'd hoped for a quick dabble,
a dip and paddle.

why oh why
did those robins
start their party today?


51 raucous robins.
1 bemused bluejay.

- Irene Latham

11 comments:

  1. Irene, I am always delighted to read your poetry. This ArtSpeak poem is one that children will gravitate toward. It is humorous. Robin's muittering is an interesting detail. This is a poem to read to my little grandgirls. The oldest is now in 2nd grade and her comment regarding back-to-school to my question on what 2nd grade is like: "Obviously, I learned Grandma." Have a wonderful weekend, Irene.

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  2. Flock. Dabble. Dip. Paddle. Bemused. What a smile-filled bunch of words you have woven into art, Irene. -- And YAY! I'm signed up for Georgia's workshop!

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  3. Yes, the title grabs, Irene! It must be a shock for that, usually raucous, bluejay when landing in a group of "51 robins". You've made the robins celebrate! Have a great time playing at the concert!

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  4. What a fun poem and art piece. It made me try to count the robins, until I realized some are hiding behind the poem. I love the story you tell about the robins and blue jay. Sweet!

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  5. Ekphrastic energy comes to fruition in your coupling of the poem and the image. Lots of active verbs sprinkle even more energy into the mix. Thanks Irene.

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  6. Such wonderful words, Irene! "He'd hoped for a quick dabble,
    a dip and paddle" made me smile. And thanks for the info on Georgia's course. I may see you there!

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  7. That ending! Bluejays are so rarely bemused.

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  8. Leave it to you to create a celebration of robins with a loan, silent, bemused blue joy! So much to love in this poem, it would definitely have made a notebook Friday poem in my classroom. Such fun wordplay here:
    "He'd hoped for a quick dabble,
    a dip and paddle."
    Enjoy your celloing!

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  9. So fun! Yeah the bluejays are such loud mouths. I love that he was outnumbered in your poem.

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  10. This Robyn smiled all the way through your post and poem. That jay - I loved that you added the "not like a blue jay at all," because I've never met a quiet one.
    Yay, cello-ing! xo

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