MY FAVORITE POEM

Friday night marked the 8th annual My Favorite Poem event in Birmingham. It's modeled after Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project, in which a variety of members of the community share a favorite famous poem and talk for a few minutes about why it's important in their lives.

It's always an amazing, inspiring event. This year it was my pleasure to recruit 5th grader Hope who read "Jimmy Jet and his TV Set" by Shel Silverstein. She was great, just as I knew she would be! Here's the poem:

Jimmy Jet And His TV Set

by Shel Silverstein

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet --
And you know what I tell you is true.
He loved to watch his TV set
Almost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all night
Till he grew pale and lean,
From "The Early Show" to "The Late Late Show"
And all the shows between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,
And his bottom grew into his chair.
And his chin turned into a tuning dial,
And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,
And his face to a TV screen.
And two knobs saying "VERT." and "HORIZ."
Grew where his ears had been.

And he grew a plug that looked like a tail
So we plugged in little Jim.
And now instead of him watching TV

We all sit around and watch him.

All the readers were fantastic. But there was one who really stood out: 94 year old retired nurse Jane Woods who recited a lengthy section of Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech. She said it was still with her after she first memorized it 77 years ago! We gave her a standing ovation. What an amazing moment, and what a testament to the power of words. Here's a picture of Hope and Jane (this year's youngest and oldest readers!).

MORTIMER IS IN THE HOUSE!

Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Amazing Amy (for those who don't know, this is a reference to a book you really should read: GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. Our Amazing Amy is nothing like that Amazing Amy!) at The Poem Farm for Roundup!

 Last week Janet Wong, who happens to be one of my favorite poets, tagged me for the Children's Poetry Hop with the oh so adorable Mortimer:

Here’s How-to-Hop, “Mortimer Minute” style!

• Answer 3 questions. Pick one question from the previous Hopper. Add two of your own. Keep it short, please! This is a Blog Hop, not a Blog Long Jump. This is The Mortimer Minute—not The Mortimer Millennium!
• Invite friends. Invite 1-2 bloggers who love children's poetry to follow you. They can be writers, teachers, librarians, or just-plain-old-poetry-lovers. 
• Say thank you. In your own post, link to The Previous Hopper. Then keep The Mortimer Minute going: let us know who your Hoppers are and when they plan to post their own Mortimer Minute.

Ready? I'll start with one of Janet's questions... and end with a couple of stories Mortimer will not like all that much. Sorry, Mortimer!

Mortimer: What do you have in your refrigerator?

IL: Leftovers. I love to cook. I also love leftovers. My fellas? They do NOT love leftovers. So, yes, I have a collection that builds over the week... and I eat leftovers for Saturday and Sunday lunches (while the guys make themselves sandwiches).

Mortimer: What is the best part about writing poetry for children? 

IL: The opportunity it provides to look at the world with a child-like sense of wonder, and how it makes me feel connected with the world and children and wonder and love -- and with the child who still lives inside me.

Mortimer: Funny poems or beautiful ones?

IL: Oh, beauty! I love a meaningful poem, one that touches me emotionally. Sometimes that can be a funny poem, but in general, I go for the beautiful ones. 

And now, I am happy to announce that I've tagged Jone MacCulloch to join the Children's Poetry Blog Hop.

Jone contributes each Friday to the Poetry Friday community.  She also interviews and features poets on a monthly basis. During the school year, she’s a teacher librarian and the rest of the time she’s either writing haiku and other poetry, or playing with her camera.  Her passion for poetry is shared with her students and staff and on her two blogs.  She’d rather write poetry than memorize it. 

 

Her blog Check It Out 

features the work of her students, poetry books for children, and poet interviews. Her school's "Poetry Postcard Project" for National Poetry Month is in its sixth year.

 

Her blog Deowriter

 

 is her online notebook for haiku and other poetry forms. You can find out what happens in the library and books she's reading through twitter @JoneMac53

.

She also heads up the Poetry category of the CYBILS awards... and she is the author of a lovely book of haiga (haiku + photographs) SOLACE IN NATURE. Look for her post October 11.

Okay, someone hold Mortimer's ears. One of my earliest memories is of my father butchering and stringing rabbits on a line. (My parents went through this farming/self-sufficiency phase...) Not a sight for young eyes let me tell you. A few years later, when I was 8 or 9, my parents agreed to let me keep some rabbits as pets. I was quite the animal-loving gal -- still am, though I sorta traded in the vast menagerie for a smaller one that's easier to maintain with the humans we added to our lives. We kept the rabbits at the back of the property, because of the smell. I was very good about checking on them and feeding them and playing with them -- until a freak ice storm hit our area (Folsom, LA, just north of Lake Ponchartrain). When I went out to check the rabbits, they had turned to popsicles. I cried and cried. Learned a lot that day...

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT is still one of my most favorite children's books. And WATERSHIP DOWN. And TO RABBITTOWN by April Halprin Wayland. And THE VELVETEEN RABBIT.

So many wonderful rabbit books! Readers, can you name some more titles? Now I am wanting to have a little rabbit reading party. Thanks, Mortimer. :)

THE NOT-SO-LEANING TOWER OF BOOKS

view from bottom looking up

Finally FINALLY we were able to visit Ford's Theatre Museum on our recent trip to Washington, DC. The ticket includes a tour of the Petersen House across the street, which is where Lincoln spent his final hours.

(Interesting thing I learned: there are no living descendants of Abraham Lincoln. I suppose I would have heard about them, if there had been. But this fact kind of stunned me.)

There's more museum stuff at the Petersen House, including a temporary exhibit of letters written to the parents of Matthew Shephard. Tough stuff, and yes, there was a box of tissues on the bench in front of the display. It reminded me of Leslea Newman's lovely book of poems, OCTOBER MOURNING: A Song for Matthew Shepard.

view from the top looking down

The centerpiece in the gift shop/museum was a tower of 1500 books written on the topic of one Abraham Lincoln. 1500! Writers, just think about that anytime you're worried something's been done before. Of course it has! But you can certainly bring your unique slant to a topic, and readers will gobble it up.

Here's pictures of the tower. It's enough to make a gal wish she'd written an Abraham Lincoln book. :)

AUTHORS ARE MY ROCK STARS and other tales from the National Book Festival

Wow, what fun we had at the National Book Festival! It was my first time to attend, and you really can't understand how BIG it is until you're there... I mean, those tents (set up on the National Mall) are HUGE! The news said over 200,000 people attend this event every year, and there are approximately 100 authors present. When I stopped by the Sales tent to sign stock, I seriously couldn't believe how many books were in one space. This is one amazing organizational feat!

I was stationed in the Pavilion of the States, where attendees are invited and encouraged to take a map around and have it stamped/stickered by folks at each state exhibit. Here's a completed map that my sweet husband completed as a keepsake for me. The "Alabama" sticker was of a little elephant, in honor of Millie in DON'T FEED THE BOY. Conveniently, the elephant is also the mascot for the University of Alabama,which is home to the Alabama Center for the Book. Win-win!

 One of the highlights for me was meeting Kristin Levine, author of THE BEST BAD LUCK I EVER HAD and THE LIONS OF LITTLE ROCK. Kristin and I share an editor and have been in touch since her first book came out in 2009. I have always wanted to meet her, and now I have! She is every bit as delightful as I knew she would be. Photo is courtesy of her book-loving 7 year old daughter. Thanks, Charlotte!

 Here's Donna Adcock, who heads up the Alabama Center for the Book, and is responsible for the amazing calendar-posters as well as for packing up all 17 boxes of promo materials and sending them ahead of time to the festival. Also pictured is her husband Phil, who also does important work for the University of Alabama. What dedicated folks! So honored to spend time with them.

 Here's Kathy, uber-book-lover, who sported my favorite t-shirt of the day: AUTHORS ARE MY ROCK STARS.


Big, big smile! Thank you, Kathy. Hope you got to meet Margaret Atwood as you hoped!

 My sweet husband took a number of candid shots, but it was difficult, due to the many, many folks! I appreciate his efforts (and the bottled water and hot dog for lunch and carrying my bag and and and...). We enjoyed our weekend away so very much. It was our first time to go to DC just us, no kids. We liked it. :)

One of the great folks I met was the official event photographer, Pat Fisher, and she said it was like COMBAT PHOTOGRAPHY. So many people!!  She was accompanied by Melissa Wagner, who was careful to write down the correct spelling of every person who was photographed. What a great team! Thank you, ladies, and to everyone who make this event happen seamlessly.







Finally, here's a picture of us with my friend-from-childhood Kim, and her gorgeous family! It's hard to believe Kim and I have known each other since we were 9 years old... so glad to have an excuse to see her!

HELLO FROM THE NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL!

...and Happy Poetry Friday to you! The ever-inspiring Tabatha has Roundup The Opposite of Indifference.

By the time you read this, I will either be en route or settling into my hotel. I'm traveling with my best assistant ever, and we have a jam-packed agenda! More on our adventures next week.

Meanwhile, here's a little something I whipped up for the occasion. (Also available as a printable PDF on my website.) It's a scavenger hunt for kids reading DON'T FEED THE BOY!

And here's a little poem that expresses how I am feeling as I leave home:

Something Missing

by Shel Silvestein

I remember I put on my socks,

I remember I put on my shoes.

I remember I put on my tie

That was painted 

In beautiful purple and blues.

I remember I put on my coat,

To look perfectly grand at the dance,

Yet I feel there is something 

I may have forgot--

What is it? What is it?...

CYBILS: MY SECOND TOUR OF DUTY

I'm so excited to be serving again as a judge for CYBILS, this time in round 2. Thanks to all the amazing CYBILS folks, including Jone, who give so tirelessly to be sure good books receive the attention they deserve.

Here's the fabulous folks who will be joining me:

Linda Baie, Teacher Dance
http://teacherdance.org
@LBaie

Matt Esenwine, Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme
http://mattforrest.wordpress.com 
@mattforrestvw

Renee La Tulippe, No Water River
http://www.nowaterriver.com
@ReneeMLaTulippe

Julie Larios, The Drift Record
http://julielarios.blogspot.com

And here are the Round 1 judges, who will be winnowing the list of nominees to just 5-7 titles:

Ed deCaria, Think, Kid, Think!

http://www.thinkkidthink.com
@edecaria

Kelly Fineman, Writing and Ruminating
http://kellyrfineman.livejournal.com 
@kellyfineman

Jone MacCulloch, Check It Out
http://maclibrary.wordpress.com
@JoneMac53

Anastasia Suen, Poet! Poet!
http://asuen.com/poetry
@asuen1

Sylvia Vardell, Poetry for Children
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com
@SylviaVardel

April Halprin Wayland, Teaching Authors
http://teachingauthors.com@aprilhwayland

Bridget Wilson, What is Bridget Reading?
http://whatisbridgetreading.blogspot.com
@bridgetwilson

Yay, and congratulations to all!!

Serving as a round 1 judge was one of my favorite things of 2012. I loved reading and discussing the books, and you know, I really learned a lot about what makes an award-winning poetry book. Consistency in voice! Fun! Unique! Quality on every page! I was pretty definite about which books I considered my top titles. But to winnow that list to just one winner... yikes!

One of the difficulties I have in considering books for awards is a dislike for direct comparison. I mean, how do you compare a book of poems for the very young like IN THE SEA by David Elliot to a book of poems for teens like LIES, KNIVES AND GIRLS IN RED DRESSES by Ron Koertge?

Tastes and favorites are so individual... I look forward to the challenge 2013 titles will present. I've already got a few favorites I hope will turn up on the Finalists list. We'll see.

Congratulations again to all the nominees and 2012 Poetry winner Laura Purdie Salas's BOOKSPEAK! Be sure to nominate your favorite title when nominations open in October!

TWO FOR MOVIE MONDAY

With nothing much to beckon us to the theaters -- and football, oh my LORD, football! -- we watched a pair of movies new to DVD. (Seriously, Birmingham is a ghost town when Bama is playing. Best time in the world to go to Publix. :)


First, LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED (isn't it?!) a Danish romantic comedy starring Pierce Brosnan. It's not a perfect movie, but I really loved all the threads, and how things came off in the end. Plus, it's set in gorgeous Italy and included some stunning shots. Someday we will go! Meanwhile, the movie provides a nice fix. Sweet and sad and funny and ends just right.

Next a gritty Sally Potter film GINGER & ROSA, about two girls living in London during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Elle Fanning plays Ginger, and what a charismatic gal she is! The movie is about friendship and family, and how we sometimes embrace causes beyond our control with such fervor because we feel so out of control of our personal lives. Great food for thought. Oh, and Ginger is a poet (not poetess, thank you very much).

A POEM IS A CITY

Happy Poetry Friday! Jen has Roundup at Teach Mentor Texts.

...from our "transportation" trip to NYC. Note
also the handwritten note from a subway clerk.
And they say people aren't kind in NYC...
NOT true!

I've got cities on my mind, as next weekend I will travel to Washington, DC, for the National Book Festival. I'm excited! 

I like DC, but my heart belongs to New York City. For many years Paul and I visited once a year. We took our kids there one year for a "transportation" themed trip. Our goal was to experience as many forms of transportation as possible. We'll be taking them again in 2014... not sure what our theme will be with them as teens. :)

Anyhow, all this city-love reminded of the late great Charles Bukowski poem featured below. I've always loved how raw and unschooled Bukowski's work is... it reminds me that a poem is more about heart than polish. Or at least that's the way I like poems!

a poem is a city

 by Charles Bukowski

a poem is a city filled with streets and sewers
filled with saints, heroes, beggars, madmen,
filled with banality and booze,
filled with rain and thunder and periods of
drought, a poem is a city at war,
a poem is a city asking a clock why,
a poem is a city burning,
a poem is a city under guns
its barbershops filled with cynical drunks,
a poem is a city where God rides naked
through the streets like Lady Godiva,
where dogs bark at night, and chase away
the flag; a poem is a city of poets,
most of them quite similar
and envious and bitter …
a poem is this city now,
50 miles from nowhere,
9:09 in the morning,
the taste of liquor and cigarettes,
no police, no lovers, walking the streets,
this poem, this city, closing its doors,
barricaded, almost empty,
mournful without tears, aging without pity,
the hardrock mountains,
the ocean like a lavender flame,
a moon destitute of greatness,
a small music from broken windows …

a poem is a city, a poem is a nation,
a poem is the world …

and now I stick this under glass
for the mad editor’s scrutiny,
and night is elsewhere
and faint gray ladies stand in line,
dog follows dog to estuary,
the trumpets bring on gallows
as small men rant at things
they cannot do.

ONE DOOR A DAY

Our Dream House...until our dream changed. :)
I did lots of painting in that house too... and I
still wear the same painting attire 20 years later.
Yay for scrubs!

 So, on the topic of the joys of home ownership: the other day I heard a dripping noise, just as I settled in my favorite chair to write. I got up to investigate and discovered a crack along the entire left side of the toilet in our half-bathroom. I shut off the water and mopped up with towels.

Later, my husband I went shopping for a new toilet. Who knew there were so many varieties! And me feeling time-crunched... so we pointed and picked and brought our new baby home.

When the plumber came to install it, he was pulling the old toilet off the wood flooring when a terrible odor invaded the house. He, in his gloved hands, poked around, and said, um, I can stick my finger through this flooring. No new toilet until the flooring is replaced.

Turns out, those three little boys who all potty-trained on that toilet? Well. They left behind enough of their "misses" to irreparably damage the wood! This should tell you something about my housecleaning. Hmm. In my defense:

"a clean house is the sign of a dull woman."

SO... next we had to decide on new flooring, which we did, which had to be ordered.

Meanwhile, I decided I wanted to paint the walls. Which I did. Which revealed how long it had been since we painted the trim.

THAT led to a gallon of trim paint, a new angled brush, and my new mission: paint a door a day (and the surrounding trim). It's only an hour of my day... and in a month, we'll be all spruced up around here!

Bonus Flashback Photo:

Potty-training days!

Movie Monday: THE WAY WAY BACK

So it's been a while since I've posted a Movie Monday -- not because I haven't been going to the movies, but because I haven't seen anything lately worth blogging about.

That's right: I save this space for only the movies that really REALLY speak to me. THE WAY WAY BACK is one of those movies. We took the whole family to see it, and it seemed to hit a chord with each of us. Why?

Well, without giving too much away, it's about Duncan. He's 14. He's the unwilling participant in a summer trip that's been orchestrated by Trent, the man who is dating his mother. This man is the King of Say the Right Thing But Do the Opposite. Duncan is on to him and doesn't understand why his mother isn't.

Duncan escapes the awfulness by taking a job at a local water park where he meets true friends (Owen! LOVE HIM. There is this moment at the beginning of the movie where he does the most unexpected and telling thing... I want to be more like Owen!) and learns a lot, and yes, there's a little romance involved. But mostly it's about a kid finding a way to create a good life in the midst of circumstances beyond his control. Funny moments, sweet moments, break-your-heart moments. Go see!

SCAFFOLDING by Seamus Heaney

image found here

Hello and happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit fantasy-loving, postcard-sending, poetry-writing/teaching Laura at Author Amok for roundup.

Such sadness to hear of Seamus Heaney's death. So many of his poems speak to me... my favorite perhaps ever is from his Glanmore Sonnets. Scroll down to "X." LOVE.

When I read that his last words were a text that included a Latin phrase for "Do not be afraid," it reminded me of this poem. And then I read about a gift he'd given to a newly engaged couple and simply had to share for PF! Listen to Seamus reading the poem here.... and here's to poets performing unexpected kindnesses.

Scaffolding

 

by Seamus Heaney

Masons, when they start upon a building,

Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,

Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the job’s done

Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be

Old bridges breaking between you and me

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall

Confident that we have built our wall.

GONE WITH THE WIND SKY

I took these pics in my neighborhood, and okay, this sky is more pink than red, but the silhouette-at-sunset totally reminds me of Tara, and of Scarlett's father telling her the value of land, and of Scarlett vowing never to go hungry again.

Also, this, after a busy start to the school year:

"I am restored in beauty, 

I am restored in beauty, 

I am restored in beauty."

- Navajo prayer

I'LL BE CHARMED

Our youngest son wanted to start a business. He brainstormed all sorts of things and, after our trip to the make-your-own jewelry place in Auburn, Alabama, he settled on making charms for necklaces. He's made some sales at his school and hopes to reach out to a broader audience at his etsy shop: TastefulTrinketry "Nothing But Necklaces"

Here's a pic of his newly-listed pieces, just before we poured in the resin. I bet there's something here you'd like for yourself or a friend!

VALERIE WORTH POEMS ABOUT ODD THINGS

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday. Be sure to visit the every-inspiring Tara at A Teaching Life for Roundup.

Today is the final post in my Valerie Worth summer series. Thanks so much for reading! It's been such fun to share her work with all of you. We'll revisit Valerie with a "fall things" post later in the year, but for now I want to focus on some poems that I found unusual in subject matter, which automatically made them stand out. (Good tip for we who like to write poetry... go for the weird!)

amoeba

Never wondering
What shape to take,
But with a
Slow shrug
Making a start
In any direction,
And then following,
Flowing wholeheartedly
Into the fluid
Mold of the moment.

- Valerie Worth

What to say about amoeba? What an inspiring way to live: "Flowing wholeheartedly/ Into the fluid/ Mold of the moment."

rags

Stuffed away into
An old pillowcase

Dragged forth again
In crumpled clods,

Torn to wash windows
Or tie up tomato plants,

Thrown out at last--
Poor sad gray wads

That once were faithful
                                        Flannel pajamas,

                                        Favorite pink-
                                       Flowered underpants.

                                      - Valerie Worth

As a seamstress, I can attest to the glory and usefulness of rags, otherwise known as "scraps" or a quilter's stash"... love me some rags. :)

telephone poles

Close by,
They're stolid
Stumps, sweating
Black creosote,
Scarred with
Bolts and tin
Numbers, clumsy
Old dolts
Of lumber;

But wandering
Away, they
Lean into
The cloud's
Drift, the
Swallow's slant,
The graceful
Influence of
Grass; and
Lifting up
Their long
Electric lines,
They hand
Them on
And on, in
Gestures of
Exquisite
Gossamer.

- Valerie Worth

Most people would say telephone poles are an eyesore, but no, Valerie worth gives them "Exquisite/ Gossamer." I will never look at another telephone pole without thinking of that bit of unexpected wonder.

soap  bubble

The soap bubble's
Great soft sphere
Bends out of shape
On the air,
Leans, round again,
Rises, shivering, heavy,
A planet revolving
Hollow and clear,
Mapped with
Rainbows, streaming,
Curled: seeming
A world too splendid
To snap, dribble,
And disappear.

- Valerie Worth

How great is "Mapped with/ Rainbows" ?? Perfect!

*All photos today courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Do YOU have any  poems about odd things? Tell me!

STREETLAMP SKY

For as long as we've been married (22 years!) Paul and I have reserved Saturday night as our date night. Usually this involves supper and a movie, as it did last Saturday night. We ate at P.F. Chang's and walked down the gorgeous outdoor staircase that leads from B&N to the fountain (and Sur la Table!) below.... and we took this picture of the streetlamps just coming alive in the darkening sky.

We mosied along, in no particular hurry, as our movie didn't start until 8 pm. Or so we thought... when we got to the theater lobby, the guy said, no, the paper was WRONG! Sadness. We were not able to see Woody Allen's BLUE JASMINE. Maybe next week! (Why oh why didn't we cross check on Fandango? Sigh.)

Oh! Of course I always check the B&N shelves for my books. No sign of Whit, but I did find LEAVING GEE'S BEND face-out on the "New" shelf. Three and a half years old and still new... gotta love it!

THE SKY BETWEEN US

I've just completed an extensive round of edits on my next collection of poems for adults. It's entitled THE SKY BETWEEN US. Rather fitting for my "sky" year, don't you think?!

To give you an idea of what the book is about, here's a word cloud I created from the draft before this one:

Those of you familiar with my work will recognize themes of love, loss and longing... and this collection is strongly rooted in ocean and forest and (yes!) sky. 

The collection actually started in response to photographs from the National Park system archives (originally titled INTO THE WILD CATHEDRAL), but after a number of editors took it to acquisitions meetings only to have it rejected, I took their advice and pulled it away from that photographs, opened it up and let it become what it was always meant to be. 

Don't you love when that happens? 

More on this as the January, 2014 release date approaches!

VALERIE WORTH POEMS ABOUT FARM ANIMALS

Hello and happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Betsy at I Think in Poems for Roundup.

So, farm animals. I may be live in the suburbs, and I may lovelovelove the energy of big cities, but my heart is and always will be in the country. At the start of our marriage, my husband and I tried on the country life with 40 acres, a garden, a chicken coop and goats. Alas, as soon as the children began to arrive, the country girl gave way to the city comforts. I love where we live now, with all its conveniences and don't have any desire to return to country living full-time. I do, however, love to visit! These Valerie Worth poems gave me an opportunity to do just that:

horse

In the stall's gloom
His back, curved
Like a high sofa,
Turns on unseen
Legs, looms closer,
Until his long
Head forms above
The door, his face
Of thin silk over
Bone: to be stroked
Carefully, like
Fine upholstery
On a hard chair.

- Valerie Worth

scene from the movie

There's never in the history of the world been a more horse-loving girl than I was. I knew everything there was to know about horse. I lived and breathed and dreamed and hoped horses. Some of the best hours of my life have been spent in the company of Daisy, Starfire, Rusty, Honey, Cherry, Cinnamon and her foal, Sugar. I've never met a horse book I didn't like, and if I could have traded places with Alec Ramsey on that deserted island with the Black? Oh, I would have, snake and seaweed and sunburn and all. One of these days I'm going to write (another) horse book. (Pretty much all my childhood writing centered around horses!)



cat

The spotted cat hops
Up to a white radiator-cover
As warm as summer, and there,

Between pots of green leaves growing,
By a window of cold panes showing
Silver of snow thin across the grass,

She settles slight neat muscles
Smoothly down within
Her comfortable fur

Slips in the ends, front paws,
Tail, until she is readied,
Arranged, shaped for sleep.

- Valerie Worth

For the love of cats! I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't have a cat. Our current cat-residents are named Maggie (for my paternal grandmother) and Bobby (for my mother-in-law, whose name was Bobbie). 



duck

When the neat white
Duck walks like a toy
Out of the water
On yellow rubber-skinned feet,

And speaks wet sounds,
Hardly opening
His round-tipped wooden
Yellow-painted beak,

And wags his tail,
Flicking the last
Glass water-drops
From his flat china back,

Then we would like
To pick him up, take
Him home with us, put him
Away, on a shelf, to keep.

- Valerie Worth

I have fed lots of ducks in my day, and geese. I can't think of a better way to use up the last of a loaf of white bread! A book that often comes to mind is David Shannon's DUCK ON A BIKE. Leave it to a duck to start a farmyard trend. :)






pig

The pig is bigger
Than we had thought
And not so pink,
Fringed with white
Hairs that look
Gray, because while
They say a pig is clean,
It is not always; still
We like this huge, cheerful,
Rich, soft-bellied beast --
It wants to be comfortable,
And does not care much
How the thing is managed.

- Valerie Worth

Of course, who can think of a pig without thinking of Wilbur in CHARLOTTE'S WEB? Also, I was born in the Year of the Pig, which is considered good fortune. For a long time I was a bit annoyed that I should get "Pig" when I would have chosen a different animal for myself. But, you know, I've grown to love this about myself.



cow

The cow
Coming
Across the grass
Moves
Like a mountain
Toward us;
Her hipbones
Jut
Like sharp
Peaks
Of stone,
Her hoofs
Thump
Like dropped
Rocks:
Almost
Too late
She stops.

- Valerie Worth

I can't think of cows without thinking of my mama. During her childhood she was very involved in 4-H and raised both beef and dairy cattle. Her prize-winning dairy cow was a Jersey cow named Penny. I love this picture of my mom and Penny(with her 4-H sponsor and a slew of awards!):

tractor

The tractor rests
In the shed,
Dead or asleep,

But with high
Hind wheels
Held so still

We know
It is only waiting,
Ready to leap--

Like a heavy
Brown
Grasshopper.

- Valerie Worth

Okay, so this isn't a living farm animal, but it's pretty essential to farm life... and it can be something of a beast. My father has taken some amazing photos of old tractors, most recently in North Dakota (where he lives). Here's one I like a lot:

How do YOU feel about farms and farm life and farm animals?

AND THE GARDEN KEEPS GIVING

One of the great things about living in the south is how the growing season is so very long. Just yesterday, my dear friend Pat brought me more bounty:

homemade salsa!

 okra!

   farm fresh eggs! (don't you just love that teeny tiny one?!)

here it is, a bit closer up:

tomatoes!

green beans! (not one, but 3 piles as big as this one!)

...and that's not even counting the many tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and watermelons (oh LORD, the watermelons this year!) my brother-in-law Carl has given our family. :) 

Eating is SO MUCH MORE FUN this time of year.

SHOPPING WITH BOYS

Hurray for back-to-school!

While there are a lot of things I will miss about summer -- like waiting around until late afternoon to decide what to eat for supper -- and then dashing to the market for what I need -- fresh starts are always exciting. And this year I had tons of fun clothes shopping with the boys. I took each boy individually... and each picked clothes with lots of color! This is a pleasant departure from the black/white trend long favored by two of the three boys. Here is a sampling:

One great thing about shopping with boys is if they like the shirt/jeans/whatever, they like it! They tend to be pretty decisive, which is not what I hear from my friends who shop with their daughters. :)

I love it that my boys are not all that concerned with labels. We can shop at discount stores and thrift stores -- though this year Urban Outfitters was the store of choice for our college-age son. Also, there's not a lot of time spent in the dressing room. Once we know what size, it's just a matter of picking the colors. Stress-free! Easy! Fun!

I encourage the kids to try things they normally wouldn't, and to choose things that make them feel comfortable and good about themselves. One son came home with a couple of funky bow-ties. Like I said: fun!

VALERIE WORTH POEMS ABOUT SIMPLE MACHINES

Well, hello there. How did it get to be Poetry Friday again?? Lisa has Roundup at Steps and Staircases.

Here, I am continuing my series of Valerie Worth poems, which, could, if I wanted, go on FOREVER. Such wonderful, inspiring work! Alas, I will be winding it up the last Friday of the month and moving on to something new for September. I mean, isn't that what September is for? New and sparkly things? If you're thinking "school," then yes, new and sparkly, indeed. My guys go back next Monday, which means I will once again transform from lazy-morning-pajama-mom to fierce carpool queen. Hey, somebody's gotta do it!

And now, without further ado: simple machines!

magnifying glass

Small grains
In a stone
Grow edges
That twinkle:

The smooth
Moth's wing
Sprouts feathers
Like shingles;

My thumb
is wrapped
In rich
Satin wrinkles.

- Valerie Worth


Are you familiar with The Private Eye inquiry method which utilizes a jeweler's loupe to change perspective and challenge you to go deep into analogies? That's what's happening in this poem... and it's one of my favorite things to do with nature items. I also love to use this method during poetry workshops in the classroom. Wonderful, mind-popping stuff!

This maple leaf photo is one my brother took after I asked him specifically to create some photos that magnified nature items. Pretty brilliant, huh? And gorgeous!

photo by MicaJon Dykes

magnet

This small
Flat horseshoe
Is sold for
A toy: we are
Told that it
Will pick up pins
And it does, time
After time; later
It lies about,
Getting its red
Paint chipped, being
Offered pins less
Often, until at
Last we leave it
Alone: then
It leads its own
Life, trading
Secrets with
The North Pole,
Reading
Invisible messages
From the sun.

- Valerie Worth

My husband has got to be the sweetest man on the planet. He often sings or emails or texts to me the lyrics of love songs. Lots of times I will pick up the phone and it will be just music as he's driving. One he often sends is an old song by Walter Egan w/ Stevie Nicks called "Magnet and Steel." He'll write: "you are the magnet, and I am steel." SWEET.



hose

The hose
Can squeeze
Water to
A silver rod
That digs
Hard holes
In the mud,

Or, muzzled
Tighter by
The nozzle,
Can rain
Chill diamond
Chains
Across the yard,

Or fanned
out fine,
Can hang
A silk
Rainbow
Halo
Over soft fog.

- Valerie Worth

It pretty much broke my heart when news reports declared hose water unsafe to drink. I can remember many many MANY times as a kid dashing from the woods or the horses or the trampoline to refresh with the hose pipe. I mean, who wanted to go inside, ever? It would be like breaking the spell to cross the threshold from heat to comfort, adventure to containment...  
pail

A new pail,
Straight, tight,
Brushed to a cold
Silver shine,

Soon learns
Other ways:
Once filled with
Oats or ashes,

Grayed by rain,
Its handle
Bent, its
Bottom dented,

Grown peaceful
And plain,
it becomes
A real pail.

- Valerie Worth

Funny thing: I pretty much never say "pail." It's always "bucket." Which of course is a bumpier word, with more dents than a pail. One never thinks of a bucket as new and shiny... always like the second part of this poem. Which term do you prefer?

kaleidoscope

Only a litter
Of bright bits,
Tipped and tumbled
Over each other
Until they huddle
Untidily all
In one corner,

Where their
Reflections wake
And break into
Crystals, petals,
Stars: only
The tricks of
Mirrors, but

Still miracles,
Like snowflakes
Shaken from jumbled
Clouds, or earth's
Rough muddle
jostled to
jewels and flowers.

- Valerie Worth


I've always been drawn to kaleidoscopes and stained glass and colored glass or jars on the windowsill. What magic, that mad swirl of color and shape! And so personal, too. Private. A secret world. I like that, too.

coat hangers

Open the closet
And there they
Wait, in a
Trim, obedient row:

Stirred by the
Air, they only
Touch wires with
A vacant jangle;

But try to
Remove just one,
And they suddenly
Clash and cling,

And fling them-
Selves to the
Floor in an
Inextricable tangle.

- Valerie Worth

Ever wonder who invented the coat hanger? I sort of can't imagine life without them. Of course their use is not limited simply to clothing. Check out 18 uses for a wire coat hanger. I do love to upcycle....

YES, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN WINDCHIMES

A few weeks ago I took two of my favorite teens to a windchime making workshop at ArtPlay here in Birmingham. The flyer said to bring along whatever household things you'd like to include in your windchime... nuts, bolts, keys, spoons, anything.

I went on a search and turned up all sorts of treasures! ArtPlay also provided beads and tubes from a chainlink fence and various thrift store finds, like pot lids and colanders and even a toy zylophone. (The instructor used a hammer popped off the color pieces.) All you really need is some discards, a drill, some sort of twine or fishing line, and your imagination.

I made one that includes things near and dear to me: glass bottle, spool of tread, tiny book, picture frame, key... it makes me think of my mama. (Obviously for indoor display rather than outdoor.)

And here's what the kids created:

Cool, huh? I'm collecting things now to make a few more, probably for Christmas gifts. :)