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.
Come, Follow Me
A peek at my process —
I’ve had the photos of these adorable trail signs in my photo feed since the darkest days of the pandemic. Every day my husband and I went walking and we had the opportunity to explore new trails in our area. I discovered these in May 2020 while walking the Foss Farm trails in Carlisle, Massachusetts. As soon as we returned home, I dove down a cyber rabbit hole to learn more about them. They were created by Carlisle Middle School Art Club members, and apparently, there are lots of them scattered around the extensive trail system in the town. You can learn more about that here and see them all here on trail Bingo cards.
I always knew I wanted to do something with the images, and so I decided to write a story poem for my Kindergarten naturalists. Because I truly believe, in the words of Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, that “poems are teachers,” I include a reference to May’s Flower Moon, the full moon in May — the month the photos were taken. I’m going to ask my students to help me write additional verses to go with some of the other critters featured on the trail markers. How fun!
And introducing…
This month, members of the Poetry Friday family are participating in 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, Jone Rush MacCulloch takes over at her blog. Participants are borrowing lines from literature and songs. 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 Linda at A Word Edgewise
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 