GloPoWriMo Day 9 - encyclical from the cardinal

 

Each day the folks at NaPoWriMo are offering a prompt, and I'll start there and see what happens. I'm using my daily drafts to work on a middle grade book with the working title of TREEOGRAPHY, so there will be a lot of tree drafts this month. 

APR 9

Marianne Moore wrote on many themes… many poems about – or in the voice of – animals, such as “The Fish,” “Dock Rats,” “The Pangolin,” and “No Swan so Fine.” Today, try writing your own poem in the voice of an animal or plant, or a poem that describes a specific animal or plant with references to historical events or scientific facts.

This one is not at all in the style of Marianne Moore--I'll come back to that--and it's not springy, but my book will be all seasons, so here it is, a pantoum.

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Encyclical from the Cardinal



I rebel, my red against the gray:

All winter I surprise your eye again

While the planet’s ills around you weigh

While the air is chill and branches bare




All winter I surprise your eye again

My mate and I remind you, flashing cheer

While the air is chill and branches bare

We swoop and wing our joy: another day!



My mate and I remind you, calling cheer

However dread the news, my red rebels

We swoop and wing our joy: another day!

We do not leave; we weather it, we stay



However dread the news, my red rebels

While the planet’s ills around you weigh

We do not leave; we weather it, we stay

I remain the red against the gray.

poetry friday round-up: open house

Yes, indeed, friends--my house is open!  Today at 1:30 pm children and their families will surge in around the lists posted in the foyer of the school to see who has which teacher, and then the new 2nd graders will surge up the stairs to the 2nd floor for the first time to find their new classrooms, and then 16 of them will surge through my door looking for a new home away from home.  I hope they find it, and I hope you will also find a home away from home here today in this community, in a poem someone has posted.  I almost always find something just right!

Three Little Birds
(a mindful breathing practice)

Criss cross. Sit straight.
Hands out. Reach and gather.
Gently scoop it to your belly.
Hold it there for 1, 2, 3
feathered seconds.
Its bones are hollow,
its eyes are bright.

Now lift. Lift it up
with gentle hands
and let it fly lightly away
taking your breath
along with it.

Reach again and scoop
a second one.  Don't worry
about a thing.
Hold it, counting 1, 2, 3,
and then let it fly.

Once more, a third little bird,
reach and gather, hold it
to your belly.
Hear a melody pure and true,
and let this one fly too.

draft (c) HM 2016
with thanks to Bob Marley

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I won't be available to do any rounding-up until much later today, but the link-up will automate us and I look forward to reading your posts as I get a chance over the weekend!

An InLinkz Link-up