Category Archives: poetry

Try a Triolet?

poetry, Uncategorized

What happens when you try a triolet?
Do your words come out the way you hoped?
Can you write or does your brain betray?
What happens when you try a triolet?
Will all the rhyming words be in disarray?
Your readers might think you have joked
What happens when you try a triolet?
Do your words come out the way you hoped?

Change’s Triolet

poetry

April’s almost over, then it will be May
Ends of things are coming much too soon
The way things are, they cannot stay
April’s almost over, then it will be May
I talk a lot, but there’s so much I will not say
Thankful for time to breathe when we break in June
April’s almost over, then it will be May
Ends of things are coming much too soon

Sound Off

poetry 
Decisions are made 
Around you?
By you?
You don’t know
You won’t say

I wonder, are you
a master manipulator 
Or just a clueless pawn
In this sleazy game where the 
Emperor has no clothes?

I’ve already learned this
Lesson, been burned
before by letting jerks
Manipulate the truth
Said I’d never do that again

Said I’d listen to my instincts
And here we are
With you in charge
At a quiet standstill
The idiots are winning

I have sarcastic things to say
Questions I want to ask
For instance, did you know
Not only does he not have clothes,
But that isn’t the Emperor anyway?

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Sound Off Poetry was today’s prompt on Ethical ELA

Elfchens

poetry

Here are a few Elfchens…

Weekends
Come late
in the week
after a million days
Break!

Write!
Pen to
Paper, words flow
make it make sense
Think!

Sleep
Head on
Pillow, close your
eyes, empty your brain
Rest

Elfchen
Counting words
Boxed in format
Makes writers work for
Poetry!

It’s April! I’m looking for poetry challenges. Here’s a fun format I just found – called an Elfchen: 11 words in 5 lines of 1,2,3,4,1. I found it described here!

Countdown Calendar Math

poetry

It’s almost May
countdowns have started all around me
but no countdown can beat
ours
because you have to be especially good
at calendar math
follow along
it’s okay to count with your fingers. . .

Today is Wednesday
but the day is almost over
which means it’s basically
tomorrow
Thursdays are Friday Juniors
which means it’s basically
the weekend
the weekend goes by so quickly
so basically there’s just
one more week
until I see you, friend

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I decided a free write was just what I needed.

Chaucer Says

poetry, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of the Slice of Life on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol24. I’m slicing on Tuesdays. I hope you’ll join me!

I’m searching for a seed
of a story
that shows flowers after showers
like Chaucer says.

Instead, I’m back in eleventh grade
Memorizing The Canterbury Tales
Recording my performance on cassette
in a closet off the classroom.

Is this a real memory? It must be.
For decades I’ve randomly
thought, “Whan that Aprill…” and wondered
Does everyone else remember the rest but me?

So I get it, Chaucer
with the showers then the flowers
I just don’t think you knew
how long the rain can last.

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I found one by checking out Ethical ELAs prompt:: “April Showers Bring May Flowers”

Lucky Earth!

haiku, poetry

Lucky Earth!

earth is lucky to have this day
this let’s all celebrate earth today day
right here, in the month where words play
to praise the beauty, to worry and pray

earth doesn’t ask for much, you
can write a haiku if you’re the type who
likes to count 5-7-5…all the way to
17 while you vividly describe a view

earth breathes deeply, tries smiling, relaxing
knows your care is most likely just passing
why can’t she always have this much backing
most days she watches as we’re all trashing

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I found one by checking out Ethical ELAs prompt:: “Thank You Mother Earth”

I’ve Been Writing This Since

poetry

I’ve been writing this since
I noticed that I keep noticing
spring trees lining a path
Maybe every spring
I don’t know the names of trees
even the ones you think I should know
but I see them with their small spring blossoms
line the road, your driveway, some sidewalks

I’ve been writing this since
I drove by a lone tree in a front yard
just today
it had purple flowers, a flat top
I guess that the trees don’t have to line a path
for me to dream of sitting with them

I’ve been writing this since
I got married down a long winding
tree-lined driveway
it felt like windswept magic down that drive
I don’t know the names of trees
even the ones that lead the way

I’ve been writing this since
I took my dog on a walk on Saturday
I stopped to smell the sweet white flowering tree
next to the sidewalk
I don’t know the names of trees
even the ones that smell almost
but not quite
like lilac

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I found one by checking out Ethical ELAs prompt. Today’s linked to an earlier post: “I’ve been Writing this Since.”

Telephone

Family, poetry 

I got a phone for my birthday once
like a corded one
for my room
pink
landline
land
line
I got in trouble for talking
on my phone too much
not being
not using 
talking
Talk
ing
with my voice 
to my friend’s 
into their ear on the other end
to my boyfriend
sometimes all night 
until we’d fall asleep
the phone would fall too
Luckily he wasn’t long distance
Not to get all 
Taylor Swift on you
but I’m not sure
lucky 
would be the word I’d use for 
him
even though HE dID latEr know how 
to 
get lucky 
with the other woman
At some point we must have gotten
call waiting
We’d have 
had to
since I was on the phone 
all night
long


I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I was inspired by “Noteworthy” on Ethical ELA, and the prompt to reflect on communications from the past.