Poetry Friday: Rainbow Haiku

The Poetry Friday Roundup is with Ruth at There is no such thing as a Godforsaken town.

Rainbow photo by Molly Hogan

This week is state testing week, so I did not pull my gifted students out from their regular classrooms. I’m on stand-by to help if needed. But I do get to see my youngest ones. William, first grade, was only recently placed in gifted services. His gifted brain is so full of ideas that he can barely settle on one thing. I asked him to work with me on a haiku about a rainbow. We talked about how a haiku form captures a single moment in time, usually about nature, and has 3 lines, short, long, short. We played around with word order and placement of his ideas. Then he came out with the word “surprise.” Ah yes, that’s it!

Reflex (relects) in the warter (water).
a rainbow comes out of clouds.
surprise in the sky

William’s first haiku, 1st grade

Carson in 2nd grade has been working with me all year long. He’s more independent in his writing, but still needs reassurance. I showed him a video from Mystery Science about how the rain becomes a prism to refract the white light into a colorful rainbow.

Rainbows are still a mystery to me even though I have this knowledge. When I see an actual rainbow in the sky, I often take a picture. My husband knows to stop for rainbows. If you are drawn to them, to Molly’s amazing photo, and want to add your writing to the collection, go back to this post on Wednesday.

Sunlight prism
in the water makes rainbows
arch of colors

Carson, 2nd grade

While I was checking my Fanschool post, I realized that even though Adelyn was not coming to class, she checked on our weekly “This Photo Wants to be a Poem” post and wrote. She is crazy about all things mythological. Can you tell?

The great color arc,
stretching above us.
As water vapor shimmers bright
in shining light,
Iris glows.

Adelyn, 5th grade

After a skipped day on Thursday (no worries, just busy life), Karin introduces a new character.

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Over the Rainbow

Photo by Molly Hogan.

Welcome to Wednesday This Photo Wants to Be a Poem Day. While you are here, take a moment to be in/ with the featured photograph. When you feel moved to write, write a small poem inspired by the photo. Leave some or all of your creation in a comment. Respond to other writers with positive feedback.

Today’s photo was taken by Molly Hogan. She is a teacher-poet-photographer friend in Maine. When I first saw and saved this photo, I hadn’t seen the full reflection in the water. I’m not sure where this photo was located, but I want to be there today. Don’t you?

God encircles us
rainbow stretched over water
glows endless hope

Margaret Simon, draft

Molly has the Progressive Poem today.

Slice of Life: Earth Day Poetry

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Monday was Earth Day and the weather could not have been more perfect. A cool front came through, so our temps were in the 60’s. I took each group of students outside for writing time. I opened the Merlin app and we talked about the birds’ songs we heard. It was a good day for listening, teaching, and writing. State testing starts Wednesday, so I was happy for the opportunity to sit outside and forget our worries.

Kailyn’s notebook page

Earth Day is also my father’s death day. He loved double numbers; his birthday was 11/11/33. He passed away on 4/22/22. Ethical ELA’s prompt gave me the space I needed to write about him and his love of trees.

Dark Clouds by John Gibson

Earth Day Dedication

My father’s compass pointed
to the trees, how the branches
bent and blocked light
shadows dotting landscape.

Once he told me trees grounded
him in the present, reliable–
long standing
safety for Mother Earth’s children.

Yesterday I heard the “kow-kow-kow”
of a yellow-billed cuckoo
stopping in our tree from its journey
across the Gulf.

The journey of life,
as the cuckoo calls,
is hard and easy. Some days
you find rest, take a breath,
sigh for Mother Earth
and sing loud.
(Margaret Simon, draft)

Progressive Poem Moves Onward

Janet Fagel has the Kidlit Progressive Poem today here.

Thank you again to Margaret, friend and host, all the poets growing this poem day by day and Irene who began it long ago. Where will our two go from here? Head to Mary Lee’s tomorrow (whom I happily get to see this coming weekend in Ohio!) I love the Poetry Friday community even when I am away. Inspiration, creativity, poetry and friendship stemming from our devotion to children and their growth. I recognize so many friends participating and am happy to be a part of this.

cradled in stars, our planet sleeps,
clinging to tender dreams of peace
sister moon watches from afar,
singing lunar lullabies of hope.

almost dawn, I walk with others,
keeping close, my little brother.
hand in hand, we carry courage
escaping closer to the border

My feet are lightning;
My heart is thunder.
Our pace draws us closer
to a new land of wonder.

I bristle against rough brush—
poppies ahead brighten the browns.
Morning light won’t stay away—
hearts jump at every sound.

I hum my own little song
like ripples in a stream
Humming Mami’s lullaby
reminds me I have her letter

My fingers linger on well-worn creases,
shielding an address, a name, a promise–
Sister Moon will find always us
surrounding us with beams of kindness

But last night as we rested in the dusty field,
worries crept in about matters back home.
I huddled close to my brother. Tears revealed
the no-choice need to escape. I feel grown.

Leaving all I’ve ever known
the tender, heavy, harsh of home.
On to maybes, on to dreams,
on to whispers we hope could be.

But I don’t want to whisper! I squeeze Manu’s hand.
“¡Más cerca ahora!” Our feet pound the sand.
We race, we pant, we lean on each other
I open my canteen and drink gratefully

Thirst is slaked, but I know we’ll need
more than water to achieve our dreams.
Nights pass slowly, but days call for speed
through the highs and the lows, we live with extremes

We enter a village the one from Mami’s letter, 
We find the steeple; food, kindly people, and shelter.

Poetry Friday: Haiku with Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe.

For Poem in Your Pocket Day, I invited Marcie Flinchum Atkins to join my students by Zoom. We were able to get a small 30 minute window of time while she could visit. What a treat!

Marcie is a master at haiku, and no wonder, she writes one every day. She usually writes in a small notebook to photos that she has taken. Beautiful photos!

Her easy-going way led to a comfortable, safe environment for writing. My students wrote. I wrote. Like Marcie, I wanted to use a photo and Canva to design my haiku for publication. Maybe one day I’ll send them out on postcards.

At one of my schools, we are rejuvenating the butterfly garden. The purple salvia has come back after winter and is thick and covered with blossoms. We’ve been spending recess time there among these flowers, tilling and planting new feeding plants. Avalyn, my garden partner, wrote a haiku and asked me to put it on Canva like mine.

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Catherine Flynn today. Check on our little immigrant hero.

NPM24: Poem in Your Pocket Day

What is National Poem in Your Pocket Day?

What poem will you carry?

I am taking along a bit of kindness from Danusha Laméris Small Kindnesses.

Kidlit Progressive Poem is moving along with apprehension and worry for our two refugees.
See the latest line at Opposite of Indifference with Tabatha Yeats.

Taste a Bite of Poetry
after Mark Strand

I have been dining on poetry
that tastes like cookies.

Someone pressed in a dash
of salty tears, balancing the sweet.

Someone topped them with chocolate.
The brown ink stains my fingers,

So I carry this verse with me,
eating bit by bit,
filling my wistful soul.
@Margaret Simon, draft

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Butterfly Garden

School Butterfly Garden

We’ve started getting the school butterfly garden ready for spring. I was a bit overwhelmed and excited to see all the plants that survived the winter. I was particularly taken by the purple salvia which last year was a small percentage of planter box space and now is practically taking over. But it’s so beautiful.

A closeup of purple salvia

Yesterday on Ethical ELA, the prompt from Dave Wooly was a new form to me: Kwansaba, a praise poem based on #7. Seven lines, seven words, seven or fewer letters each word. The letter count stumped me because I wanted to write about the butterfly garden. Butterfly is 9 letters long, off limits. I felt like I was putting together a complicated puzzle where the pieces wouldn’t fit together. I’m sharing my effort, however, along with my garden partner Avalyn’s garden celebration.

Purple Salvia Kwansaba

In our school garden, spring rises in
purple salvia opening with violet nectar.

Beauty abounds here, left after winter’s freeze
bidding hummers, bees, moths, pollen seekers come.

I want to plant a home garden–
enrich, connect place to place where life,
a sense of hope, comes richly back to us. 

by Margaret Simon

Avalyn’s Garden Kwansaba

Garden

Such a pretty flower, dancing flowers behold.
The wind cannot uproot even in storms.
You are such beauty I cannot explain.
You are the scent I want to smell.
You stand for happy, so much color!
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
A praise poem to all the flowers. 

How are the flower gardens doing in your part of the world? Please consider writing a small poem in the comments and encouraging other writers with your comments. Happy Spring!

Slice of Life: Flowers, flowers, flowers

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

What an amazing month for flowers! They are everywhere. Knockout roses, wild purple salvia, native Louisiana iris. I even say a few poppies in a neutral ground. Jasmine is blooming sending fragrance through the windows. I am finding hope and poetry in the flowers this month. Today I want to offer two poems about flowers. I hope you are watching flowers blooming in your part of the world. Small daily miracles.

Louisiana iris clipped from our bog.

Iris in a Glass Vase

If you want to know hope
as the deepest thing,
look at each flower blossom.
The iris yellow eyes like little candlelight
wrapped in a purple gown.
Nature plants seeds for us
to notice new life
to believe that God wants
us to rise up and wink at the sun,
to hear the sounds of birds
as they shout out loud,
We are here!
We are here!
We are here!

Margaret Simon, draft written to my own prompt on Ethical ELA

This next one is after Clint Smith as prompted on Ethical ELA. Pop over to see many wonderful poems.

Today I will write
a poem
about a small white flower
opening
overnight
to burst into fragrant song–

Jasmine climbs boldly
over a picket fence
persisting to be here
in a place where no one cries,
innocently hidden from view.

The scent of it
opens
over spring breeze
announcing its place
in the family of things.*

*from Mary Oliver Wild Geese

Poetry Friday: Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival and an Ode to the Hurricane

Poetry Friday gathering this week is with Jone MacCulloch.

Being a part of the Poetry Friday community has given me much to be grateful for. We are writing together a wonderful Progressive Poem. Today’s line is with Denise Krebs and yesterday was Linda Mitchell. I’ve met these poets along with many others through our weekly postings. These posts have led to collaboration on other projects. Linda is a writing group partner and Denise and I are a part of Ethical ELA and a book we are collaborating on. (More on that later.) I would never have met them in real life. The gathering of a like-minded community of writers has all occurred right here with my blog.

Linda’s Line
Denise’s Line

This week I attended the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival and had the privilege of presenting with Irene Latham. Irene and I met through Poetry Friday and in person years ago at the Louisiana Book Festival. We’ve presented together before at NCTE.

Irene is such a humble leader. She turns every eye away from herself toward you. She makes everyone in the room feel like confident poets. What joy! You can see our slideshow here.

Margaret and Irene presenting at Fay B Kaigler Children’s Book Festival: “Poetry as a Time Machine”

Next year, you should consider attending the festival in person. They invite the most inspiring speakers. This year I heard keynotes from Lesa Cline-Ransome as well as her talented husband, James Ransome, Cynthia Leitich Smith (Southern Miss Medallion), and Juana Martinez-Neal who won the Coleen Salley Storytelling Award. Jason Chin, deGrummond Children’s Literature Lecturer, impressed me with his curiosity about the world and how that curiosity has led him to illustrating. He won a Caledecott Medal for Watercress. The book that impressed me the most was The Universe in You: A Microscopic Journey (Caldecott and Sibert Honoree). As you can see, the Fay B Kaigler invites some of the best authors and illustrators in the children’s literature realm.

And now for a poem. Following Ethical ELA VerseLove has kept me writing a poem each day. Yesterday’s prompt was an ode to the unworthy. I’ve lived in Louisiana and Mississippi all my life, so I’ve had many hurricane experiences. I wrote an Ode to the Hurricane.

Ode to the Hurricane

As the wild winds swirl
together above the Gulf,
you become a massive creation
threatening a nation.

No matter how we prepare–
buy bread, water, flashlights,
charge up Sparky, the generator,
your fierce presence is feared.

They give you gentle names:
Katrina, Ida, Andrew, Camille.
Names that will live in history.
Names that define an era.

After you pass through, an eerie
calm descends upon a community.
We band together to feed each other,
to clean up destruction you left behind.

Oh, hurricane, you are the hint of end times.
Behold your survivors–we tell your story.

Margaret Simon, draft

NPM24: I Told My Life

Photo by Peter Fazekas on Pexels.com

This poem comes from a prompt on Ethical ELA VerseLove by Joanne Emery. She asked us to read Jane Hirshfield’s poem My Life Was the Size of My Life and borrow a line to use in our own poem that expresses something about ourself. I used the line “I told my life I would like some time.”

I Told My Life

I would like some time.
I wanted to hit Pause,
rise
in another space–
maybe a vase of flowers
beautiful & scented
then tossed away.

I told my life
to hold on
while I slept,
dreamt I was flying.

What does it feel like to be free?

I told my life
I would like some time
to get back a broken piece of me.

Margaret Simon, draft

Today’s line will be added by Buffy Silverman