Thursday, April 24, 2014

Ayuh to Z Challenge - U

 My theme: Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and a poem for that title each day for the month of April.
The poem is not about the book, but is written with the title as inspiration!
Scoot to the bottom if you are here for Poetry Jam!  You'll find the Desert there!
 Welcome to U!
U is for:
Up the Mountain
written and illustrated by Charlotte Agell
Up the Mountain
Haystack Mountain, Castle Hill, Maine, taken by me
Up the Mountain

I set out to go up the mountain
it wasn’t very high
mountains in Maine do not grow much
before they touch the sky
the path was easy to follow
though roots and rocks were rife
much like the path we follow
as we wander throughout life
squirrels ahead took refuge
in trees as I passed by
chipmunks scampered into holes
both creatures “stranger shy”
I wondered how it seemed to birds
to be soaring free and high
and suddenly in their endless view
see a point of land in sky
an island peak to stop a while
if they were needing rest
like the boulder kindly offered me
as the mountain’s honored guest
sunlight filtered through tree limbs
to needles that still crinkled
and ledges where the rain and dew
lay in secret pools and twinkled
zigzagging up the steep incline
I kept pushing on, ascending
as shadows thinning overhead
foretold the climb was ending
domain of wind and hawk
atop the mountain keep
where even pine trees had no hold
on ledges hard and steep
upon the crest of mountain
I surveyed the land around
past the roads I’d traveled
above any human sound
trees and hills crossed my view
I touched the sky and cloud
eye level with the clear horizon
I felt the quiet so loud 
there's beauty always up there
and the beauty is what's below
you have to climb away from it
so you can see the show
up the mountain you will find
this view of life is rare
things below impose up close
hiding what all mountains share
when I traveled up the mountain
I learned there's more to see
a happily ever after
up the mountain there for me

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Up the Mountain is a young child's book about four friends that go up a mountain on a not so sunny day, but spend the day together on their trek, which ends up in a nice day.

Charlotte Agell's website
http://us.macmillan.com/author/charlotteagell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and

Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet Beecher Stowe
(not a young child's book, but I couldn't leave her out)

Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in Brunswick, Maine, when she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Her husband was teaching at Bowdoin College there from 1851-1853.
Uncle Tom's Cabin Available through Amazon here.
Download and listen to Uncle Tom's Cabin at this site - LibriVox.  It is in the public domain now.
Online text of Uncle Tom's Cabin here.
or a variety of ways here, Kindle included.

This post was brought to you by the letter U!

Unnerving!

If V would please step forward...>>>>Clear the way, please>>>>

Poetry Jammers...I had a couple more minutes to concoct this:

Deliriously Delicious Diamante

Desert
arid, camel-filled
scorching, evaporating, shifting
erosion, dunes, indulgence, confection
savoring, craving, indulging
moist, caramel-filled
Dessert 

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

AND inspired by Wendy Burke's line: "it was hard to tell the deserts from the seas"

From the Desert to the Sea

Desert
arid, rocky
scorching, evaporating, shifting
erosion, dunes, sand, waves, erosion
chilling, pounding, churning
misty, deep
Sea

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

14 comments:

  1. Love the way you make the desert come alive. Great use of words and form.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I did not know she lived in Maine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think she was here for 3 or 4 years - the years she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her house is at 63 Federal Street in Brunswick.

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  3. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a great choice for U! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She wasn't here long, but it was at the right time!

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  4. I think I deleted my comment by mistake. I enjoyed the whole blog post. Great idea to use book titles as inspiration. Thanks for writing about deserts as well and posting for Poetry Jam. Write on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Peggy! My A-to-Z Challenge theme has been fun.

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  5. Well done!!! I enjoyed all the poems.

    Thanks for coming by to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The poem does capture the essence of the surroundings and in a nice rhyme too. Haven't read Uncle Tom's Cabin as yet. Don't know why.

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    Replies
    1. I read Uncle Tom's Cabin on my own as a kid. I should read it again.

      Delete
  7. Your theme has been awesome, Donna.Now I'm wondering how you'll make it through these next tough letters. I love this poem, the detailed images and the rhythm, the voice. Just great, the message too!

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  8. Your rhyme in 'Up the Mountain' is so effortless ! I wish I could come close! And LOL at the desert to dessert ... yes, caramel-filled is perfect!

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  9. What a nice offering here, Donna! I especially like the desert diamante.

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