Poetry Challenge #307-Paradise!
Paradise Lost! Paradise Found! There are as many ideas of paradise as there are people. When James Baldwin is mentioned, it’s definitely The underside of paradise that comes to mind.
James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924, in Harlem, New York. A poet, playwright, novelist, he’s known for writing unflinchingly about the racism, race relations and what it’s like to be Black in America.
He found freedom as a human, and an author, after moving to Paris on a fellowship. A move, he noted, that allowed him to write more about his personal and racial background.
"Once I found myself on the other side of the ocean, I see where I came from very clearly...I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a writer. I must deal with both," —Baldwin, NY Times
James Baldwin’s first novel, Go Tell it on the Mountain, was published in 1953.
"Mountain is the book I had to write if I was ever going to write anything else. I had to deal with what hurt me most. I had to deal, above all, with my father.”
While James Baldwin is perhaps best-known for his essays and books such as Nobody Knows My Name, More Notes of a Native Son, and The Fire Next Time, he also wrote poetry.
This poem, “Le Sporting-Club de Monte Carlo,” Baldwin wrote for Lena Horne
In light of the freakish frightening weather patterns—including the torrential flooding in Vermont—the adage “be careful what you wish for,” came to mind after reading Baldwin’s untitled poem:
Poetry Challenge #307
Paradise!
As shown in Baldwin’s poem “Paradise” (above) everyone has their own idea of paradise.
Bonnie Raitt song, “Who But a Fool” written by Tom Snow & Nan O'Byrne has another version. The song begins: Paradise /I’ve got a man who loves me/in this life, puts no one else above me/it’s paradise…
What’s your idea of Paradise?
Aug 2 is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day—for some that might just be it!
The Saturday Review noted the success of Baldwin’s writing was that it “possesses a crystal clearness and a passionately poetic rhythm that makes it most appealing.”
Write a poem about one kind of Paradise.
Do as Baldwin would and define it with “crystal clearness” and “poetic rhythm.”
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, Write It!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2600+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
HAPPY GOLDFISH DAY!
Fin-omenal Printables and Puzzles
GET YOUR GLUGS ON!
GLUG! GLUG! Happy Goldfish Day!
August 2 is officially National Goldfish Day!
A whole day in praise of Goldfish! We’re Celebrating with Treats for Everybody!
Here’s to Norman &
GOLDFISH EVERYWHERE!
Celebrate Goldfish Day with some goldfish fun from Norman!
Look there’s MORE! more fintastic activities, downloadables & Crafts
FINTASTIC activities, downloadables & Crafts
on my Pinterest Page @notnorman
And what every goldfish friend loves reading the most!—GOLDFISH BOOKS! SCARY GOLDFISH BOOKS!
For More Goldfish Love, Write to Norman. He’s a great finpal! Here’s How!
Here at the Fishbowl, every day is Goldfish Day! Glug! Glug!
Fin Pal Ask Norman: Are you Happy?
The painting above is by Emiley. And here’s her letter:
Here’s the scene from Not Norman, A Goldfish Story, before the boy cleans Norman’s fishbowl. See all the green gunk? Yuck!
What does Norman do after the boy drops him into his nice clean bowl?
So what do you think? Is Norman happy?
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
But first a finny:
Q: What’s Norman’s favorite bedtime song?
And now for Norman’s answer. But this time, instead of Kelly writing a response, let’s let Norman show you. What does Norman do when the boy drops him into his nice clean bowl?
Look at the picture and then you tell us: Is he happy?
What to know what happens next? You’ll have to read Not Norman, a Goldfish Story.
Here’s a link to the Author Read-aloud!
And the answer to the joke:
Q: What’s Norman’s favorite bedtime song?
A: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Starfish.”
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish- about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Don’t forget to order your copy of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY and NORMAN: ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!
Poetry Challenge #306-Can You Haiku?
Happy Birthday to Jim Kacian (July 26), haiku poet and co-founder of The Haiku Foundation which has wonderful resources that might spark your own haiku ideas.
He’s written sixteen books of poetry, fourteen of which are dedicated to haiku or haiku-related genres.
Jim Kacian is also owner and publisher of Red Moon Press.
While Haiku is serious poety, it doesn’t have to be serious.
Check out the “Outside the Box” Haiku Comics like the strip below by Jessica Tremblay.
Find more comics, stories and conversations on the Haiku Foundation website:
“Haiku, like any viable art, is shifting continuously, and what will emerge in the future can only be guessed at. But it is safe to say that it has become a viable, popular form of literature throughout the world, capable of being written, shared and appreciated by many cultures, in their different ways, in all parts of the world”—Jim Kacian
To experience some of Jim Kacian’s work, and for Haiku inspiration click on Long After (below) and keep clicking through the pages. It’s way cool!
Below is one of the poems from Long After.
Poetry Challenge #306
Can You Haiku?
In honor of Mr. Kacian’s birthday, write haiku-like poems: 3 lines, 5-7-5 syllables, don’t rhyme, about nature. Don’t be afraid to break every one of the rules!
How many haiku can you write in 7 minutes?
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, Haiku!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2600+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
Poetry Challenge #305-Stick Out Your Tongue Eve!
A name’s a noun a proper noun, laugh so hard it knocks you down.
I learned that jaunty jingle when I was a kid. I hope my teacher also taught us other parts-of-speech jingles, but “Name’s a Noun” is the only one that stuck, and after reading about Eve Merriam, I can imagine her writing it.
Eve Merriam, July 19, 1916-1991, said she didn’t choose poetry; poetry chose her. She said it was the rhythmic rhymes—those jingles!
What endeared Merriam to me especially is that it was musicals— Gilbert and Sullivan albums her brother played—that set her off.
She began writing poems when she was seven or eight years old and never stopped—nor did she stop writing poetry for children. Eventually Merriam became fashion copy editor for Glamour magazine. In the meantime, her first collection of adult poetry, entitled Family Circle, won the 1946 Yale Younger Poets Prize.
“Out Loud” was Merriam’s mantra. She maintained that no one learns to love poetry without hearing it read out loud ...
“If we can get teachers to read poetry, lots of it, out loud to children, we'll develop a generation of poetry readers; we may even have some poetry writers, but the main thing, we'll have language appreciators.”
"Whatever you do, find ways to read poetry. Eat it, drink it, enjoy it, and share it."-Eve Merriam
Listen to Eve Merriam’s poem “Weather” read-aloud and discussion by Tavis du Preez: Weather by Eve Merriam - YouTube
Poetry Challenge #305
Stick Out Your Tongue Eve!
Choose a noun that tickles your funny bone. Purple…Bumbershoot…Parsnip…Bloomers…maybe Tongue. (After all, July 19 is “Stick Out Your Tongue Day”).
With that word as the title, play with the word, bounce it around, roll it, twist and tangle it and others into a playful romp of a read-aloud poem.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, Write It!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2600+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. (The link to comments is below to the left of the heart.)
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
Fin Pal Ask Norman "Are You a Piggy Fish?"
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
But first a finny:
Q: Q: Why did the robbers try to steal Norman?
Q: Why did the robbers try to steal Norman?
A: Because he’s a Goldfish!
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish- about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Don’t forget to order your copy of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY and NORMAN: ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!
Poetry Challenge #304-Pablo's Tuna is Your_________
Pablo Neruda was born July 12, 1904, in Parral, Chile. He is called the “most influential Latin poet of the 20th century.”
He became a published poet at age 13.
His father opposed his interest in writing and literature, but . . .
by age 16 he was writing poetry full-time.
In 1971, he won a Nobel Prize in Literature "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams."
“I want to do with you what spring does with cherry trees.”—”
In the U.S., Pablo Neruda is mainly known for his love poems and odes translated from Spanish.
For example, his Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market honors the food we eat, comparing the tuna to a torpedo, a well-oiled ship, and the only true machine of the sea.
Poetry Challenge #304
Pablo’s Tuna is Your ?
Read Neruda’s poem, “Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market” and then think about a visit to the market and a food you want to honor.
Write an ode to this food, speaking directly to it.
Use similes and strong verbs to show how much you appreciate it.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, Write It!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2400+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
What Inspires Me? Smiling in the Nighttime Mirror
You drink your coffee from a reusable cup, tote your own bags to the store, say “no” to Styrofoam, compost, recycle, reuse…at the end of the day, flossing—just as the dentist ordered—you look yourself in the mirror, feeling good about doing your bit you smile and then toss your floss.
Oh the tangled web we weave . . .
Dental floss may be good for your teeth. But it is not good for the earth. It is not good for the dogs—maybe your dog—that might eat it.
It is not good for the animals and sea creatures who might become tangled in it.
If you flush it, is not good for your pipes…
Dental floss is made of nylon. Most dental floss packages are made of plastic.
Nylon is the material most commonly used in clothing, parachutes, and— smile—toothbrush & floss pick bristles. Nylon is not biodegradable.
Please! If you use nylon dental floss:
Do NOT flush it.
Sewer systems become backed up with discarded plastic floss, that twists with hair strands, that clump wet wipes that clog…
Do WAD it into a tiny, tangled ball. Knot it. Clump it. Tangle it.
Yes! Absolutely! It will still stay in the landfill for eternity. But at least if you wad it into a knot the floss will not be nasty long string just waiting to tangle with everything else— (see above.)
If you’re a good patient and floss as your dentist advises, the way your dentist advises, every day, 365 days a year, imagine how much floss you toss?
Even if you’re a conservative floss unspooler that 365 ft of floss from you alone. Now multiply that by the number of regular flossers in your home, your office, your building…. It’s fodder for a horror film.
Invasion of the Giant Floss Monster!
Believe it or not, in this case, those floss sticks, picks, brushers are a better option for at least they won’t tangle around wee warbler feet. Or tiny turtle necks, and feetsies, and intestines…. Have you ever tried to break floss with your hands, you know how strong those strands are. Imagine how an otter might feel trying to gnaw its way through a floss tangle. (Be happy there’s no photo inserted.)
What to do? Water Pick! Water Picks work! And they are reusable. If charged on solar even better.
Wah, not a fan of the waterworks? Me neither. I’ve got 3 words for us:
Biodegradable Dental Floss
The most common materials used in biodegradable dental floss are silk and bamboo. One I found is corn-based.
Ironically, just as the first sandwich wrappers were biodegradable plant leaves, the first dental floss was made from silk.
Let’s go back to better! And really have something to smile about!
Here are some eco-friendly dental floss that are biodegradable and compostable. (These are just a few brands available wherever you buy the icky, non-earth-friendly, uncool dude brand you currently use.)
