forward...clutCH!

It's the last week of my Forward...MarCH CHallenge and I can't begin to thank the other folks who are taking the time to meet this CHallenge with me!  So I'll begin the week with two lists--first, our words for this week, and then the names of all those who have contributed poems so far.  I'm pulling together the "StretCHiest MarCHer" prize this week too, to be awarded to the player who contributes the most poems.

Our words this week:
23 clutch
24 crouch
25 snatch
26 perch
27 quench

And our participants so far, in random order--HOORAY for all of you!!!
Charles Waters
Diane Mayr
Mary Lee Hahn
Donna JT Smith
Kate Coombs
Joy Acey
Jone Rush MacCulloch
Matt Forrest Esenwine
Carol Varsalona
Robyn Hood Black
Tegan, Eli and Hania from Mrs. Doele's class
(Hope I didn't leave anyone out!)

And then--no kidding--my kids started talking at dinner Sunday evening about that slogan you see up there.  I was all like, "What a coincidence."

Here's the Urban Dictionary definition:

clutch

Performance under pressure

"In the last few seconds of a close game, only a player with clutch can lead the team to victory."

There's also "Exactly what you need, exactly when you need it."

However, neither of those uses is a verb, so I have to work around that somehow.  Here goes:

Clutch

I need them

when I go to bed.

I need them when

I'm sick.

I need them

when it's time to play

zoo, 

fort 

or picnic.

I pull them in

my wagon.

They're with me

day and night.

I hold

those snuggle pets

so close.

I clutch them

good and tight.

I wrap them in

my blanket.

No two are
the same.

I squeeze 

those snuggle pets

so close,

Clutch is my

middle name.

HM 2015
all rights reserved


Let's see what you're clutCHing in your hot little hands this Monday!
*******************
Forgive me, people, for being so late today--I'm a little under the weather and it's the end of the Marking Period, and NO SNOW DAYS!

As usual Charles has done all his homework in advance, and he gets extra credit for this companion poem to his choo-choo poem from last week.

NURSING HOME

When I was little Grandma used to say to me,

“I can’t get over how much you look like my father.”   

Now, clutching Grandma’s checker spotted hand,

Grazing her frail fingers, she asks,

“Could you please read me another story, Daddy?”

“Of course.”  I say.  Opening up another classic

From her childhood.

(c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.

Next up is Joy with this story from Phoenix: "Right now in our desert the baby quail are hatching and we'll see maybe 25 of these little golf ball sized puffs racing around two adults.  Bridget Magee's husband Joe calls them goofballs.  I call them quaillets."  Here's her poem for today:

Baby Quail

A clutch of small quail
skitter and scatter,
run under the brush.
Mama quail calls,
rush,
        rush,
                rush.


I wonder why Joy didn't use that lovely "quaillets" in the poem?

Carol's poem is about fashion and serves as a PSA for H.E.L.P. International.  Check out her post for more information:

For fashionistas, a clutch
is a must that cannot hold much.
It is dainty and sweet,
compact and petite-
a place for lipstick 
and mirrors to meet.

Glamorous stars clutch 
their Red Carpet clutch
that doesn't hold much.
They stop and they pose
but it is not their clothes
that tiny cameras seek.
What is wanted is a peek
inside the Clutch Cam
that cradles the clutch
where fans look, not touch.

Advice for the stars
on Red Carpet Day
when in a clutch
get a soft mani touch
so your lovely hands
can showcase the clutch.

Advice for everyday shoppers:
Look for the Mothers of Masese clutch
fashionably crafted by women's touch.

Carol Varsalona (c) 2015. All Rights Reserved

 Mary Lee is back with some wisdom that seems also to apply to me today: "sometimes you just have to say, "Good enough. At least I wrote," and move on."  So true, Mary Lee, especially when we're stretching ourselves like this!  But I think this goes somewhere, especially in the larger context.

NEXT READ ALOUD

Book wanted:

Must
grip listeners,
hold interest.

Make them
clutch cliffhangers,
cling to characters.

Encourage
relaxed conversations,
and unloose imaginations.

Culminate
a community of readers
and an elementary school career.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015


Lots of eggs appearing today--this one is from Diane:

Spring Notion

Within a nest
of moss and poplar
fluff stitched together
with glimmering
spiders' webs lays
a clutch of eggs
so diminutive one
cannot avoid fanciful
thoughts of fairies'
market baskets.

This is lovely, lovely hummingbird delight!  In contrast, Donna drives down both lanes: the clutch under the hood and the clutch that's a brood:

A Clutch Situation

I clutch my clutch
march to the car
step on clutch
put it in gear
down the driveway
chick clutch appears
I clutch the wheel
and try to steer
stomp brake and clutch
as I near
car starts to veer
they thought I had
them in my clutches
but I've avoided
them with sheer
luck and clutch
no clucking clutch
need ever fear
as long as this
lucky clucky clutch
    clutch clutching
        car clutching
           champ is here -
I'm done
      hands off
          my story's done
don't clutch my throat,
       I'm done,
           my dear!

©Donna JT Smith

What a cliiffhanger!  Finally, just put yourself in Kate's small moment of anguish here--I've certainly heard this quiet reverberation:

First Day

I’m here.
Does anyone
care?
I clutch
my courage
in my hands
but it slips
and falls
on the floor
with a little
clang.

—Kate Coombs, 2015

I could just clutch you people to my bosom out of appreciation and admiration!  You have definitely got clutch!  Now to get busy crouCHing...