molecular, bedeviled

Welcome, all, to Poetry Friday!  It's March 8, a date which has been International Women's Day since 1911.  If you've never explored the history, get it here.

I had planned to go broadly international for you today with a few poems from women around the world, but then something less exotic yet somehow more universal caught my eye.  It's in the title; it's in the way we all comb our hair and dreams sift out; it's in the way nothing is very serious and yet we all worry about forgetting the way home. 

Bon Courage | Amy Gerstler

Why are the woods so alluring? A forest appears

to a young girl one morning as she combs

the dreams out of   her hair. The trees rustle

and whisper, shimmer and hiss. The forest

opens and closes, a door loose on its hinges,

banging in a strong wind. Everything in the dim

kitchen: the basin, the jug, the skillet, the churn,

snickers scornfully. In this way a maiden

is driven toward the dangers of a forest,

but the forest is our subject, not this young girl.

 

She’s glad to lie down with trees towering all around.

A certain euphoria sets in. She feels molecular,

bedeviled, senses someone gently pulling her hair,

tingles with kisses she won’t receive for years.

Three felled trees, a sort of chorus, narrate

her thoughts, or rather channel theirs through her,

or rather subject her to their peculiar verbal

restlessness ...    our deepening need for non-being intones

the largest and most decayed tree, mid-sentence.

I’m not one of you squeaks the shattered sapling,

 

blackened by lightning. Their words become metallic

spangles shivering the air. Will I forget the way home?

 

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Find the rest here, and meet me in the woods at dusk.

 

In case it's possible that anyone has missed the March 1 launch of the new Poetry Friday Anthology, Middle School edition, please visit the blog to learn more. I'm delighted to be included in yet another stellar collection of work for children and teachers to enjoy together.

I'll be rounding up in three waves today and look forward to seeing what everybody's been up to while I was "resting." Please leave your links in the comments (since me and Mr. Linky have yet to get it on).

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Margaret is doing the Slice of Life Challenge at the Two Writing Teachers, and her students are, too.  Her post is a little haiku inspired by "I Haiku You" by Betsy Snider and the comment exchange with one of her students.

Laura Shovan concludes her fascinating postcard project today with a truly international post at Author Amok, coming to us from AWP in Boston.  Congratulations on finishing your 44-poem project, Laura!

Bridget has an original triolet up this week at Wee Words for Wee Ones, called Doll Making.

Laura Salas shares "Ordinary," a cinquain about a pencil which, I believe, was one of the very first poems I ever wrote in 2nd grade.  I'm sure Laura's is much better, and it comes with a video poem-starter, which we never had in 1971.

Joy joins in with a spring poem (lucky Arizona duck) and a PFAMS t-shirt!  Must get one of those for sure....

Robyn celebrates International Women's Day with her mother, her daughter, and Anne Bradstreet--by way of Buzz Lightyear!

Charles shares a sample poem from his new YA novel-in-verse, FIRST KISS, at Father Goose.

Linda at TeacherDance brings us a poem for children, or perhaps teachers, and then children again.

Our friend at Books4Learning shares an interesting review of Blue Lipstick, a book of concrete poems by John Grandits.

Myra is in with some love for ee cummings, a feeling which I carry with me wherenever I travel!  It's  at Gathering Books.

Renee gets us all whipped up for this year's March Madness Poetry Tournament by featuring Stephen Cahill, last year's winner, in a video of "Girlzilla Gorilla". Find it all at No Water River.

I'm laughing already at the title of Greg's original this week, "Sequester the Tester."  Get your giggle at GottaBook.

Julie at The Drift Record offers a short but dramatic poem by Walter de la Mare with musings on March.

Mary Lee is currently consumed by the "bracketology" of the MMPT and the 5th Grade Battle of the Books at her school, and shares a nice bit of student bracketology to go with it!

Tabatha's in with a poetic smorgasbord today at The Opposite of Indifference.  Sounds tasty...and I apologize for the mislink!

Mandy comes to us from Enjoy and Embrace Learning with poetry already from THIS morning's walk!  Thanks for sharing your slice of life.

Travis joins in with a short but extremely effective book spine poem at 100 Scope Notes.  He'll be posting them all month and invites us to join in.  I just might try it today...

Donna from Mainely Write prepares for the MMPT 2013 by asking "May I Have a Word?"

Cathy is also participating in the Slice of Life writing challenge with an original called "The Writer." Her blog is Merely Day by Day.  Glad you're joining us, Cathy!

Andi has haiku today with a flower story--I didn't know about Clivia--and photos at a wrung sponge.

Tara at A Teaching Life has a poem about daughters and hugs.  I thought I was prepared to be quick enough, but I see now how I've been slow...

Tamera Will Wissinger is in today with a poem that didn't make it into her newly released Gone Fishing, a novel in verse--entitled (hee) "The One That Got Away."  Find it here.

Linda at Write Time has an original poem about friendship. 

Diane has her usual multiple musings up at Random Noodling (haiku), at Kurious Kitty (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) and KK's Kwotes (Browning again, as part of a month of quotes from women).  Again, apologies for the mislink, Diane.

Catherine from Reading to the Core shares a view out her window today.

From Jama comes a poem by Frances Kakugawa of Hawai'i--most fitting for International Women's Day!  Find it at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

Join Matt on "A Search" at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme today!

Amy's poem today started with a drawing; she shares the book that inspired it all.  Go to The Poem Farm for "Shell Teeth."

Violet is in today with a bit of doggerel (yip-yippee!) that crosses MMPT with an episode of the Food Network's "Chopped."  Gosh, I love poets.

That's the Morning Edition done....check in after lunch for more, and thanks again for stopping by!

Siesta time for sensible people, but for us at Poetry Friday, it's more, more, more (how do you like it? but I warn you, the video is a terrible letdown).

Liz says hai -- ku from Growing Wild with poems about late winter, or is it early spring?

Dori has March Madness Poetry Tournament jitters today at Dori Reads.  Don't worry, Dori; we're all wondering why we signed up for this crazy challenge, in some cases, AGAIN.

Mother Reader shares a poetry collection today called A Poem of Her Own.  Sounds like what I was thinking of--thanks, MotherReader!

Janet has "Mailboxes in Late Winter" at Across the Page.  It's by Jeffrey Harrison, which has me hoping I'll finally get in touch with my oh-so-important DeadHead 9th grade English teacher!

Congratulations to Kerry who's posting some poems from this month's Ladybug Magazine, including one of hers!

Little Willow shares lyrics from "Sail On" by the Good Mad at Bildungsroman.  It's not a good Poetry Friday without song lyrics, I reckon.  Thanks, Little Willow.

Sylvia has stopped by to let everyone know that there's a contest to win a free book at the PFAMS blog as well as wordplay by J. Patrick Lewis at the Poetry Friday Anthology (K-5), too.

Welcome to Keri, who posts today for the first time with her own poem about feeding the reptiles at Keri Recommends.

Ruth has a very fresh--even raw--draft to share today.  Bon courage, Ruth and son.

At Check It Out, Ms.Mac has student poetry postcards and at DeoWriter she shares haiku.

Joe points us to his site and his e-book, 101 Secrets.

Anastasia shares Do You Have a Dog? by Eileen Spinelli at Booktalking.  Hooray for women poets indeed!

From Lorie Ann we have a new haiku at Winged Words, and at Readertotz a video moment with Paul Simon at Julio down at the schoolyard on Sesame Street!

Lorie Ann's good friend Dia joins us this afternoon with a Lightning Dance , which is just perfect since I'm rearranging furniture for a seriously moonlit dance party tomorrow evening.  49 is the new 21, says the birthday girl.

Now, is 5:00 too early for a cocktail?  Not, I think, on Poetry Friday, especially when I've had a visit from M.M. Socks, also known as Alvaro Salinas, Jr.....AGAINST WHOM I AM PITTED in Round 1 of the MMPT!!!  Nice to hear from you, MM--I'm gonna knock your socks right off, my friend. 

I'll check back in one more time this evening, folks.  For now, it's time to make my own proper rounds to all your intriguing posts. 

Closing us down this evening are Betsy from a beautiful day in Michigan who shares a dandelion poem at Teaching Young Writers, and Janet with a review of Words, Wit and Wonder, a kids' guide to writing your own poem at All About the Books.