Category Archives: poetry

#Sol18 March 21 Spring Snow Day

March 21, 2018Family, poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Spring Snow Day: A day in a few words

Delay!
Cancelled!
Yay!

Coffee?
Coffee?
Coffee?

Clean
Your
Stuff.

Chores?
No!
Chores!

Whine?
Too
Much.

Wine?
Too
Early.

Chores?
No!
Chores!

Ignored
Annoyed
Tired

Roads?
Clear
Enough.

Lunch
Shop
Home

Vet
Karate
Grandparents

Home
Snack
Write

Clean
Your
Stuff!

Hope
Bedtime’s
Soon.

#Sol18 March 19 We don’t want to write tonight

March 19, 2018Family, Guest Blogger, poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

We don't want to write tonight 
A poem in two voices
by Me and H

We don't want to write tonight. 
I know, I'm so tired. 
Let's just write it together and get it done. 
Ok.
What slice of life did we share today?
Wait, what? What slice of life did we share today?
What part of life did we share together that we could write about together?
Our brakes were stuck, we went to the park. 
I wasn't there. 
You picked us up from Starbucks. 
I did!
You came to my classroom. 
I did!
I made those hockey sticks. 
You did. 
We're writing this slice!
WE ARE! 

Co-written with my son, H and co-posted on his classroom slice of life

#Sol18 March 11 Sundays around here. . .

March 11, 2018Family, poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Sundays around here. . .

We aren’t so good at Sundays
when our break just expired.

We aren’t so good at chores
when we’re traveler tired.

We aren’t so good at homework
when we waited a week to start.

We aren’t so good at grocery shopping
when we keep buying a la carte

We aren’t so good at laundry
when it’s piled up with socks.

We aren’t so good at bedtimes
when we had to change the clocks.

We aren’t so good at vacations
when they are at their end.

We aren’t so good at school
when we’re not ready for it again.

#Sol18 March 9 If I’m going to be a writer

March 9, 2018poetry, Slice of Life, TeachersWriteonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

If I'm going to be a writer

I need a room of my own
or at least a quiet desk somewhere
if I'm going to be a writer. 

I need a time of my own
or at least a quiet 20 minutes sometimes
if I'm going to be a writer. 

I need a daily walk of my own 
or at least a quiet walk with the dog
if I'm going to be a writer. 

I need a way to finish my thoughts
or at least a way to start them
if I'm going to be a writer. 

I need a handy writer's notebook
or at least a corner of a page
if I'm going to be a writer. 

I need a bunch of revisions
or at least a few harsh critiques
if I'm going to be a writer. 

I need to send a query letter
or at least do more than a twitter pitch
if I'm going to be a writer.

I need to live a writerly life
or at least a few writerly minutes
if I'm going to be a writer.

#sol18 March 2 Up Up Up Up

March 2, 2018Family, poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

I wake up at 2:30* to the sound of a sick kid. We clean kid, clean sheets, clean rug. Then, I try to settle him back to sleep next to me, and try to fall back to sleep

Up at 3:40

Up at 4:30

Up at 5:30

Up at 6:30

Up at 7:30 – This time to H holding my laptop in front of my face, “Want to read my slice**?”

Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 12.30.41 PM.png

*All times approximate, I have very little recollection of the details in the middle of the night.

**H’s slice posted here with his permission.

A few slice haiku

February 20, 2018poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

Oh, man – almost March.
Better start writing again
Daily habits – ugh.

Hope writing becomes
My procrastination win
Slice and allow mess

Laundry? Add blog post
Dishes? Lunches to pack? Write!
Kids? Work? Sleep? Slice – duh.

Oh, man – almost March.
Get me out of this slump now.
Allow writing please.

Poetry Friday: This is not my morning

January 19, 2018poetryonathought

This is not my morning

This is not my morning
Wrong
My calendar was wrong
So I'm starting the day
Where I thought it would end

Late
My sockless son refused 
To leave on time

Rushed
In the car I
Grabbed bags and
Jumped out of the car
Seconds passed
Before I noticed my coffee cup tipped --
Coffee spilling out
A skinny stream
But still a stream

This is not my morning. 
Wrong
Late
Rushed
And the coffee in some hidden car crevice

Music
Doesn't help
The only magic of iPhone shuffle + bluetooth
Is the skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip
Joni Mitchell won't work
Skip
No, U2
Skip
Tori Amos
Skip Skip Skip Skip 
Try Tori again
Precious Things?
Skip 
Iggy Azalea? Loreena McKennitt? Adele? Eminem? Ed Sheeran?
Skip Skip Skip Skip Skip Skip Skip Skip 

This is not my morning 
Almost there - still in my funk
Maybe a little Hamilton 
Will get my spirits up

"I'm Hercules Mulligan
When you knock me (or my coffee) down
I get 
the ****
back up again." 

There you go. 

This is not my morning. 
wrong
late
rushed
but ready.

Thanks Poetry Friday Roundup here

A slice of not nice

November 14, 2017poetry, Slice of Life, Uncategorizedonathought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

I’m not always nice.
I think maybe I used to be nicer.

There’s this lady down the street
She has a “Love everyone” sign in her yard
But she was so mean to my baby last year.
and when I see her around, I yell at her
in my head
“Love everyone? What about a little kid trying to make his way in this world?”
But on my face, I smile.
Yesterday I saw her running by me in the park
and I’m waiting for my reward since
I did not stick out my foot
and trip her.

I’m not always nice.
I think maybe I used to be nicer.

I went on a walk with my puppy
who pulls and tugs, tail wagging to greet
every
person
he
sees
and when a young college student grimaced and hid in her boyfriend’s arms,
I raised my eyebrows and said,
“He’s just a baby”
In a sarcastic, condescending tone –
Even though I totally get why she was worried

I’m not always nice.
I think maybe I used to be nicer.

A slice of failure

November 7, 2017Family, poetry, Slice of Lifeonathought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

What if it’s not enough?
What if you have books in your house, you read to your babies,
you read to yourself, you read to your students,
you read about reading,
and what if it’s not enough?
What if you’ve failed this part?

What if you don’t find the right book for your kid?
What if they don’t fall in love with stories?
What if they don’t want to live a thousand lives by reading?
What if you are tired of saying “yet” because maybe yet won’t come?
Maybe your child isn’t a reader “yet” but maybe it’s really “ever?”
What if you’ve failed this part?

What if you’ve overdone it with the “I love reading!
Reading is awesome!” shouted from the mountain tops?
What if you’ve missed your chance, the reading boat has sailed on?
What if you’ve failed this part?

What if? What if you’ve failed?
Should you throw in the towel? Hope someone else picks it up?
Someone more inspiring, less momish?
Should you stop trying strategies?
Should you stop timing, book-talking, pretending you don’t care?
Should you stop buying books, reading books?
I mean, what if it’s over?
What if you’ve failed this part?
What if your child just isn’t a reader?

Celebrate Rainy Sunday

October 29, 2017Celebrate, poetryonathought

So happy to Celebrate with Ruth Ayres this weekend!

It’s a Rainy Sunday and I love It: A Series of Sunday Celebration Haikus

The Dog Hates the Rain
Rainy Sunday, chill
Muted color leaves, puddles
Antsy dog won’t walk
IMG_9694 (1)

Halloween: Not My Favorite Holiday:
Anticipating
Sugar, chocolate, fright night
Practice makes perfect

My Sister’s An Artist
“Half Remembered Home”
She paints, lives, miles away
Fully remembered

My Dog Loves Popcorn, and So Do I
Coconut Oil
Pop! Pop! Sizzle, dog runs, sits
Sharing Sunday lunch

It’s a Rainy Sunday, and I Love It
Window frames still life
Rain, leaves, fall, branches flutter
Write in muted hue