Words Take Wing #PoetryFriday #NikkiGrimes

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! Irene Latham is hosting this week’s festive gathering on her blog, Live Your Poem. Won’t you join us there? This week we are celebrating the one and only Nikki Grimes and her amazing accomplishments. If you don’t follow Nikki on Twitter (@nikkigrimes9), you are missing out. Her words are uplifting and always inspiring. And her recent memoir in poems, Ordinary Hazards, is on top of my summer stack waiting for me one week from today when my school year FINALLY wraps up. 

If you are new to Poetry Friday and are ever wondering where to find the weekly host of the roundup, you’ll find a list of hosts and their blog links here.

The inspiration for my poem is Nikki’s fabulous verse novel Words with Wings and it’s heroine, Gabby. I threw out “words with wings” to my Kindergarten poets, and one astute young naturalist/writer said words having wings reminded him of dandelion seeds floating in the air. His image served as the seed for my poem. 

Many thanks to Irene for hosting this most joyous of roundups, and for all of Nikki’s words that have taken wing and flown into our hearts. Be well, friends!

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Sunset Streams #PoetryFriday #poemsofpresence

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! Michelle Heidenrich Barnes is hosting this week’s gathering on her blog, Today’s Little Ditty.  Won’t you join us there? If you are new to Poetry Friday and are ever wondering where to find the weekly host of Poetry Friday, you’ll find a list of hosts and their blog links here.

Michelle welcomed the one and only Nikki Grimes for a visit and celebration of her new stunner of a book, Southwest Sunrise. Nikki’s lovely verse, accompanied by gorgeous artwork from Wendell Minor, celebrates the beauty of a part of our vast country I have yet to explore.

Nikki threw out a challenge for us to create a poem inspired by either an image from the book or another. I chose Michelle’s image of a fence covered with “an abundance of blooms,” which spoke to me, and I’ve borrow her words for my first line. I went for Nikki’s bonus points by creating a haiku (or tanka), my go-to form. It’s just a quick draft, but…

And speaking of fine weather, we have finally had the most gorgeous week of weather here in New England. Each day was filled with the most glorious sunshine after what has been a dreary and chilly early spring. We aren’t out of the woods yet, since a touch of snow is predicted for overnight tonight, but this week has me feeling much more hopeful about what is to come, both literally and metaphorically speaking.

One stunner of an early evening, while scribbling in my notebook on the porch, the following poem of presence came to me.

Many thanks to Michelle for hosting our festive event this week, and for Nikki’s generous time, too. Be well, friends!

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