--happy because I am about to meet my modest but important goal of writing 4 new poems (and posting 5) each week this month using some interesting, muscular words;
--happy because some of my favorite poetry friends have joined in tackling this challenge with me;
--happy because I've gotten to know some new poetry friends quite well through the four weeks; and
--happy because, well, words and poems and goals and friends!
I CHose the word "quenCH" for this last day of the CHallenge because I actually thought my desire to write very regularly might be quenched by the end of four weeks. More fool me.
Whetted (a jump rope rhyme for poets)
I like coffee
I like tea
I like a word
that tickles me
I like soda
I like juice
I like to rhyme
like Dr. Seuss.
I like lemonade
I like milk
I like people of the
poetry ilk
I like cocoa
I like pop
I'm still thirsty
I can't stop
I like water
drink and drink
Am I quenched?
Well, what do YOU think?
HM 2015
all rights reserved
I'm so excited to share all the last poems from this just-about-a-month of challenge, and I'll spend some time this weekend sorting and analyzing all our work from the month (to use Ed DeCaria's word, "poemetrics"). And of course I'll try to determine if there is one "StretCHiest MarCHer" who contributed the most poems, since I have promised a prize to that person. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to draw a name, or send out several prizes, because there have been some thoroughly faithful MarCHers along with me.
In the meantime, I'm thrilled to say that I need not go thirsty into April, because I'll be participating in two National Poetry Month projects this year. First, I'll follow MarCHers Jone and Joy by adding the 3rd line next Friday of this year's Progressive Poem, curated by Irene Latham. This project is always an interesting experiment in collective composition.
And second, I'll contribute a guest post to Laura Shovan's April Project, "What Are You Wearing to National Poetry Month?" My piece on clothing and its meanings will go up on Monday, April 13, and as a true student of what we wear and when and why, I am inexpressibly excited about this series.
And now, without further ado, the final contributions to my Happy Birthday Forward...MarCH Poetry CHallenge!
****************************
Mary Lee is drinking up someone special today. Is her Po-emotion "relief"?
YOU
Like the relief of water
after salty popcorn
your smile
quenches
my thirsty spirit.
Like a bucket of water
on the campfire embers
your calm
quenches
my spicy temper.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015
Charles is doing his drinking in the library (and wherever reading is possible):
BOOKS
I quench my restlessness
by breaking
Open published
documents of what
It means to be alive,
then watering
My curiosity with images
and words.
(c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.
Diane's offering today is one of my favorites of her consistently fine work this month:
Pushing Buttons
Alone and stuck for
hours in a bus station.
Pushing buttons on
the only vending machine
that is still plugged in.
Pushing buttons to dispense
cloyingly sweet root beer
that doesn't quench thirst.
Pushing buttons on the
coin return that refuses
to return my change.
Pushing buttons to clear
the memory of the buttons
we both pushed last night.
Carol returns us to winter for some last whisperings of that which, although we may resist, only winter can bring:
Majestic Winter, you
have quenched my thirst for stillness,
filled my space with
peaceful white drapings
and satisfied my
unquenchable desire for positivity.
Amidst your frequent
flurries, dusty landscapes,
and howling winds, you
illuminated the night
with sparkling snow and
surprised many daylight hours.
I nod my head in
gratitude for your sweep of grandeur
over the land and your
sense of wonderment from
tempest storms to the gentle cascading of snowflakes.
With joyful exuberance, I
dedicate a visual gallery of
unique artistic
expressions, Winter Whisperings,
soon to be unveiled to
all who recall your beauty.
Kate is outdoors with the rain today, quenching seedly thirsts:
Planting
Time of yearing,
out back clearing,
springtime makes us glad.
Digging, hoeing,
garden rowing,
working with my dad.
Packet reading,
garden seeding,
cover them with dirt.
Getting hotter,
turn on water,
now we quench their thirst.
—Kate Coombs, 2015
And Donna scores again with a masterful monorhyme:
What to Say and How to Say It
Shovel divulges, “I’ll trench.”
Tired back stresses, “I’ll wrench.”
Waterfall gushes, “I’ll quench.”
Coach advises, “I’ll bench.”
Rain insinuates, “I’ll drench.”
Fist determines, “I’ll clench.”
Muscle man proclaims, “I’m hench!”
Skunk alerts us, “I’ve stench!”
La jeune fille dit, "I'm French."
--Donna JT Smith
It's greedy to ask for more, but you Poetry Friday visitors are very welcome to add your "quenCH" poem today too! Jone herself has the round-up this week at Check It Out. Do check it out--Jone announces her own April chaLLenge using words with double L's (oh glory), and she also has a post rounding up all the NPM projects going on in the Kidlitosphere. A person could easily drink themself* above the legal limit for poetry consumption by the first day of Spring Break. Bottoms up!
(*trying out the new nongenderspecific pronoun use)
The variety today is astounding! Brava and bravo!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, you almost make me willing to embarrass myself with a jump rope!
Planting
ReplyDeleteTime of yearing,
out back clearing,
springtime makes us glad.
Digging, hoeing,
garden rowing,
working with my dad.
Packet reading,
garden seeding,
cover them with dirt.
Getting hotter,
turn on water,
now we quench their thirst.
—Kate Coombs, 2015
The word today is "QUENCH". Because I wrote a monorhyme for it, there are a lot of ending ch words... I liked the last line because it actually has two -ch words. Get it?
ReplyDeleteWhat to Say and How to Say It
Shovel divulges, “I’ll trench.”
Tired back stresses, “I’ll wrench.”
Waterfall gushes, “I’ll quench.”
Coach advises, “I’ll bench.”
Rain insinuates, “I’ll drench.”
Fist determines, “I’ll clench.”
Muscle man proclaims, “I’m hench!”
Skunk alerts us, “I’ve stench!”
La jeune fille dit, "I'm French."
©Donna JT Smith, 2015
Oh you guys!! Kate, yours is just so fine for this time of yearing, and the voice is perfect. Donna, le tien est plein de bons mots! It reminds me of the fork poem I wrote recently:
ReplyDeletehttp://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2015/01/it-had-to-happen-fork-poem.html
Quench Your Thirst
ReplyDeleteOld prospector out on the trail.
He and his burro are starting to fail
From the heat and the dust in the air
and searching for water that isn't there.
Then finally, a cabin, that's practically bare.
The shade from the roof beams are his last prayer.
There,
rusty and hardly able to work
he finds an old pump handle
and gives it a jerk.
Nothing.
Down at the base is a sealed Mason jar
with a note telling him
how to make the water go far.
"Use this water to prime the pump.
Don't think the worst.
Water will come
to quench your thirst."
I like people of the poetry ilk too! :) Seems to me, Heidi, your birthday month was filled with good, soul-quenching poetry and lots of it. Well done, all of you!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, a bittersweet ending it is to Forward...MarCH Poetry Challenge. I enjoyed the journey into the different ways to use clever ch words. Reading masterful work from colleagues was a real pleasure. Thank you to everyone who linked up.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your poem, Heidi! I tried to write with a "jumprope" rhyme, but couldn't make it happen. Love, love, love how yours turned out! Thanks for a super-fun CHallenge! (and for making it in MarCH!!)
ReplyDeleteYour poem makes me want to find a jumprope! I loved the idea of your challenge, Heidi, and I played with a few words, but nothing clicked. Ah, well. You never know when something will slip into place and suddenly "work." Looking forward to post on Laura's blog!
ReplyDeleteI love Mary's spicy temper.
ReplyDeleteJumping into the puddle
I quench my thirst for Spring.
Terrific group of ending poems for this MarCH, Heidi! Kudos to all.
ReplyDelete