Sun
by Kelly F. Barr
I miss your warmth
And your bright glow.
You tease me
As you peek through the clouds;
Only to duck behind them again
As they spill their raindrops
Upon my head.
Rain, rain day in and day out
Makes me want to scream,
“Sun, sun come back again
So we may dance and play
Within the reach of your rays!”
Life is full of twists and turns;
some caused by circumstances
others caused by choices we make.
Stupid choices made when we were young;
wiser choices made from experience.
Some choices will come back frequently to haunt us;
some we will never revisit.
When I said some caused by circumstances,
I was thinking of circumstances
outside of our control.
You know, things that happen because of
the decisions of others around us or
with authority over us.
Sometimes I think if I had made
a different decision when . . .
then I would be living a different life.
Would that life have been happier?
Would it have been sadder, harder, more of a struggle?
It’s a fruitless exercise,
thinking on these things.
What is, is what was meant to be.
But, sometimes, I can’t help but wonder.
written by Kelly F. Barr 5/11/2016
Well, today is my final poetry post for National Poetry Month. I hope you have enjoyed the poetry I created to share with you this month. This doesn’t mean that I won’t ever post more poetry. It just won’t be two or three times a week.
Reading in the apple tree.
Exploring long mountain paths.
Missing those who have passed in and out of my life.
Interpreting the broken English of my Asian friends to others.
Nice was the word others often used to describe me.
I loved studying the works of William Shakespeare.
Singing to the posters of movie, t.v. and music stars on my walls, hairbrush in hand.
Caring for the little ones in the neighborhood.
Experiencing the heartbreak of unrequited teenage crushes.
What do you think about when you reminisce?
Did you have a favorite poem that I wrote for this month?
My boys have participated in a writers’ club during the school year, and their final assignment was to write/create three poems, one of which was to be a headline poem. This was so much fun that I got in on the activity, and it took us about two hours to complete these fun poems. I have decided to share both of my boys’ poems as well as my own.
This first one was created by my youngest son. As you can see, the idea was to go through magazines and cut out words to create a poem. He did not give this poem a title. I know some of the words are small and difficult to read, so this is what it says:
God created creatures, skies,
flowers, birds, humans,
the sun, the moon and stars.
God’s creation is worth exploring,
Even in your own backyard!
My older son entitled his “Champions”. This is what it says:
Every day give it your all
Never quit, never stall
Stay focused, play hard
Train your body, raise the bar.
I believe mine is pretty readable, but to be sure, here is what it says:
The best family fun
is found in real moments
in our favorite things.
We like to find fun
in the freedom
to explore places we love,
to travel on the road;
to play, love and smile
in every mile.
Have you ever tried to create a Headline Poem? I hope you enjoy these. We certainly enjoyed helping each other find the words to cut out to create them.
The Weeping Willow
by Kelly F. Barr
The willow weeps over the fresh grave
underneath the shade of her branches.
The grave of a child whose life ended
much too soon.
A child who used to sing, dance and laugh
under the willow’s loving arms.
A child with golden curls, laughing eyes,
freckled nose and dimpled cheeks.
She held tea parties with Mr. Bear,
Susie Hedgehog, Peter Rabbit and
Jenny, her ragdoll, on a blanket
beneath the willow’s protective leaves.
Today the willow’s branches hang a bit lower;
her leaves droop in sadness,
and the willow stands alone.
Today’s poem is my attempt at writing a Free Verse Poem. Do you write Free Verse Poetry? Have you written any poetry for National Poetry Month yet? Leave a link in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to stop by and read them.
The sky begins to grow light,
casting beautiful colors as it grows bright
at sunrise.
I love to watch it shoot through the clouds
as my heart warms and I cheer aloud
for sunbeams.
Through the window I glance
while dust particles dance
on sunlight.
Shades of pink, orange and red
fill the world above my head
during sunset.
This is a compound word poem, taking a word from the title, writing about it and ending each stanza with a compound word using that word. I hope you enjoy it!
For today I chose to share two poems that I created from classic works of literature. This type of poetry is part of “Found Poetry” and is known as “Erasure Poetry”. You simply select some text from your favorite book, a newspaper, magazine, etc. Then you take out (erase) words and create a poem of sorts from the text. Always be sure to list the text you took your Erasure Poem from to avoid charges of plagiarism.
I found this type of poetry quite delightful when turning to the classics. It was easy to create poetry this way and it was fun to do.
The Importance of Working Together by Kelly F. Barr
Mole and Rat went to work;
Rat cared for the horse,
lit a fire,
cleaned cups and platters
and got ready for breakfast.
Mole trudged to the village
for milk, eggs
and various necessities,
Toad had forgotten.
The hard work had been done
by the time Toad appeared.
He was fresh and cheery,
remarking what a pleasant easy
life it was now
compared with the cares and worries
of housekeeping at home.
*Taken from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Tea Party by Kelly F. Barr
Wonderful tea
with a nice brown egg,
lightly boiled,
sardines on toast,
buttered toast,
toast with honey,
and a sugar-topped cake.
When Lucy tired of eating,
the Faun began to talk:
Wonderful tales
of life in the forest.
He told of midnight dances;
of how the Nymphs and Dryads
came out to dance with the Fauns;
about hunting the milk-white stag
who could give you wishes
if you caught him;
and about treasure-seeking
with the wild Red Dwarfs
beneath the forest floor.
*Taken from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Okay, so even if you’re not a poet or aren’t interested in poetry, I’m sure you could create an Erasure Poem. Why not give it a try? Let me know if you do by posting your poem or a link to it in the comments section below. Have fun!
I came upon a road
that twisted and turned through a wood.
Upon my back I carried a heavy load
I’d rid myself of if I could.
I trudged and plodded along
until I crossed your path.
You were kind, merciful and strong.
You eased my burden, gave me peace, love and made me laugh.
Now You and I walk side by side
and when I’m weak, you carry me.
You are my constant guide.
You are molding me into what I was meant to be.
I wrote this poem, creating each stanza to be a Quatrain.
Have you written any poetry for National Poetry Month yet? Maybe you feel some inspiration when you look at my photo above. Go ahead, try and write a poem about it, and post it or a link to it in the comments section below.
For my first poem for April – National Poetry Month, I have decided to attempt to write a couplet. I hope you enjoy it!
Life of a Bookworm
Page after page I turn,
the midnight oil I’ll burn
because I cannot stop
til the climax I top.
I have a need to know
to whom her heart will go.
Have you written any poetry for April yet? If so, leave a link in the comments section below.
My friend, Sue, of Sue’s Nook, has informed me that April is National Poetry Month and she has challenged me to write more poetry during the month of April. I told her that I haven’t written much poetry in years, and that I’ve never written poetry unless I was inspired or creating my own greeting card (that is, until last Thursday’s blog post).
I was discussing this with my oldest son who then suggested that I read more poetry, which I have not done in years. That got me to thinking about the fact that I am completely unfamiliar with modern poets and their poetry, aside from Sue’s.
Therefore, just before writing this post, I spent about an hour reading some poetry by Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, John Ashberry (whose poetry I didn’t really care for), and Wendell Berry. I am intrigued and will continue to explore modern poets and poetry over the next few days of March, and I will try to create some good poetry to share here on my blog during the month of April.
Sue also shared the following information and links with me:
Writer’s Digest will have daily prompts during the month of April http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/2016-april-pad-challenge-guidelines
A link that lists the different poetry forms and types:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/glossary-terms?category=forms-and-types
The link to National Poetry Writing Month:
How about you? Are you up for trying to write some poetry in April? If you do, leave a comment with a link in the comments below, so I and those who visit here can read your poetry in April too!
Kelly F Barr 