Pigeon Song poem

proud to be Pisces!

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Laura Purdie Salas for Roundup.

I'm away from my desk today for some early birthday-ing! Shout-out and Happy birthday to my fellow February-born Poetry Friday peeps! I know there are quite a few of us. (We NEED some birthday-celebrating on these cold February days!)

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO is the first of several art pieces I've found that feature pigeons. I did a little research to find out more about Picasso's passion for pigeons, and I found this cool article about pigeons who have been trained to 90% accuracy to recognize art by style! 

In another article I learned that Picasso's father was a painter of pigeons, and perhaps that's why Picasso was repeatedly inspired to paint them as well. 

So many things impact our creativity...and sometimes there are no clear answers at all, just guesses. And that's okay! We don't really need to know WHY to enjoy or create art. We just need to be in the moment, allowing our bodies to absorb all the sensory details and our minds/hearts to make those leaps into our own very personal experiences. 

I expect to write a few more pigeon poems this year—we'll see! Thanks so much for reading!

Pigeon Song

Hello, pigeon.
Is that you
or the stars
coo-cooing?

Oh, pigeon.
The truth is
love waxes
and wanes like
yonder moon.

Rest, pigeon.
Fold yourself
into blue.
Night has come
to console
you.

book love poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Linda at TeacherDance for a Valentine's Day "love" themed roundup!

Before we get to my offering, I'd LOVE to invite you to a FREE virtual poetry reading in celebration of Read Across America Day (March 3). We're so grateful to The Writing Barn for hosting this event! It will include 18 poets reading their poems from If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility (poems selected by Irene Latham & Charles Waters, illustrations by Olivia Sua, brought to us by Candlewick Press). It promises to be a joyful and inspiring event, and we hope you'll join us! REGISTER HERE.

Looking ahead: Got questions about poetry and punctuation?

I will be teaching a virtual workshop May 6, 3 pm cst,  titled "Harness the Power of Punctuation to Create More Impactful Poetry." Just $25! Register at Inked Voices.

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO is a love poem, as our host Linda requested! So many things I could have written about! But one of my most abiding loves in my life has been book love. And so. . . a book love poem! Thanks so much for reading.

book love

the best books
crack your spine
deckle your edges
dog-ear your heart

- Irene Latham

Flower Girl Wedding poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink for Roundup.

It's February! Have I mentioned before how much I love February? 

Side note: I read recently that in a poll, one-third of American respondents said their LEAST favorite month was January. Maybe the after-holidays lull? The turning-of-the-calendar pressure to "do better"? The weather? 

Whatever it is, yay for February. :)

Over at Smack Dab in the Middle I wrote about the not-always-popular choice to LET GO of a writing project. Letting go is hard, isn't it?

And here is a hot-off-the-press book that's a great way for readers to really get to know some of today's poets writing for children! 40 Poems for 40 Weeks. It includes lovely poems, photos, and personal notes from the poets...and word ladders! Kudos to David Harrison and Tim Rasinski for creating it. I'm honored to be included.

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO was inspired by a video sent to me by a friend whose two-year-old greatgrandgirl was trying on the flower girl dress she'll wear at a wedding next month. Greatgrandgirl was twirling and squealing and completely in love with the dress! And so...a flower girl poem!

Another note: this poem is a viator poem. Earlier this week I was reminded by Ruth of this February bird viator I wrote a few years ago, and I thought maybe it was time to write another one!

Flower Girl

She carries flowers
down the bedazzled aisle—
Make way for the bride!

Her little dress twirls.
She carries flowers,
scattering smiles & laughter.

Every heart is a church,
doors flung wide.
She carries flowers.

- Irene Latham