During the month of April, I will write poem-ish pieces inspired by my frequent walks in the natural world. Trails, paths, signs, and views always intrigue and inspire me. I have left my challenge open so that the poems may take any form — haiku, free verse, borrowed line, blackout — and who knows which direction they will go in or how often they will appear.
A peek at my process —
Yesterday, I participated in a 2-hour haiku workshop co-sponsored by our local library and community gardening group. Featuring a brief lecture, nature walk, and independent writing time, the event was held entirely outdoors on the banks of the Assabet River. Although the sun was shining brightly, it was brutally cold. The wind chill did indeed chill me right through to my core, despite my best “teacher dressed for winter recess” gear. After the leader’s riparian (I couldn’t resist!) remarks, we took a short walk into the Assabet River Wildlife Refuge and returned by the rail trail that separates the refuge from the river. At this point, at the 90-minute mark, most participants departed with teeth chattering. Three of us hearty souls — the leader, myself, and one other participant — stuck it out in a sunny and slightly sheltered picnic area, scribbling inspiration in our notebooks for an additional 30 minutes. No pain, no gain, right?
And introducing…
On Friday, members of the Poetry Friday family launched the 10th annual Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem originally organized by author/poet, Irene Latham. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche took over two years ago as the organizer. Many members of the #PoetryFriday family have signed up to provide a line for the 2022 poem. Today, Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core takes over. Her line is here. Participants are borrowing lines from literature. I’m excited to provide the 19th line on April 19th. I hope you’ll join us to see what happens. An adventure has begun! Here’s the itinerary for the poem.
2022 Progressive Poem Itinerary:
April 1 Irene at Live Your Poem
2 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
3 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
4 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
5 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
6 Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
7 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
8 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
11 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
12 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
13 Karin Fisher-Golton at Still in Awe
14 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
15 Carol Labuzzetta @ The Apples in my Orchard
16 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
17 Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town
18 Patricia at Reverie
19 Christie at Wondering and Wandering
20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
21 Kevin at Dog Trax
22 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
23 Leigh Anne at A Day in the Life
24 Marcie Atkins
25 Marilyn Garcia
26 JoAnn Early Macken
27 Janice at Salt City Verse
28 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
29 Karen Eastlund at Karen’s Got a Blog
30 Michelle Kogan Painting, Illustration, & Writing
Wondering and Wandering 
March really doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo that it’s time to leave! Sounds like a fun workshop!
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We need to nudge March on its way and hope that April floods us with sunshine. Perfect poem for your writing walk-workshop, hope you’ve warmed up, thanks!
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