Friday, April 25, 2014

Ayuh to Z Challenge - V

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! 
 
Welcome to V!


 V is for 
the giVer riVer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To help make up for the lack of V titles, in addition to using two titles in one poem, I will use a V poetry form: the Villanelle - a nineteen-line poem with a rhyming scheme of: aba aba aba aba aba abaa.

 The first and the third lines in the first stanza are repeated in alternating order throughout the poem, and both are in the last two lines of the couplet at the end.
River
by Debby Atwell
The Giver
by Lois Lowry

The giVer riVer

I’d like to be a river,
winding round the bend -
a rolling life giver

whose cold spray sends a shiver
as over rocks I wend.
I’d like to be a river

I’d start out as a sliver -
a wide bay at ocean end.
a rolling life giver

who’s able to deliver
whatever men would send.
I’d like to be a river

to set a bear aquiver
sniffing fishes he would rend
a rolling life giver

quenching thirst before a wither
the world’s best friend
I’d like to be a river
a rolling life giver

©Donna JT Smith, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Debby Atwell lives in Rockland, Maine.
"River" tells how a clean river became dirty and polluted but with care recovered.

Lois Lowry lives part-time in Maine.
"The Giver" is about a perfect world. The Giver holds the memories of the pains and pleasures of life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wrote this poem first when I wasn't sure I'd find a V title (which technically I didn't do).This book began with a V, but Jill Krementz is not a Maine author.  However there is a  connection to Maine, in that the ten-year-old trumpet player, the subject of her book, is Josh Broder from Portland, Maine. 
"A Very Young Musician" shows, in photographs, Josh and how his music plays a role in his everyday life.

A Very Young Musician
by Jill Krementz

A Very Young Musician

An old tin can was a drum
His dirt clad hands would beat
Some measuring spoons on a cord
Made him stomp his feet,
Two pencils slapped together
Made such a happy sound
A paper tube against his lips
Could toot a tune, he found.
Teaspoons clapped together,
Rubber bands stretched out tight
Could be firmly rapped and strummed
To give a sound quite right.
His audience was an Army man,
Teddy bear and Lego toy,
A space cadet, a farmer,
and a bow-legged cowboy.
He played upon the rock top
Sunny or cloudy skied 
His notes sprang forth and touched my heart -
As I watched from inside.
Though he was just a young one
Such music in his soul
Every heartbeat was a note
And every note pure gold.
©Donna JT Smith, 2014


Brought to you by the letter V!

Vivacious!

Wonder where the Wubbleyou went?

27 comments:

  1. interesting and thank you for sharing. I am following you on the kitty blog as well as this one!!

    thanks for stopping by

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    1. I'm glad you returned the visit! I'm also glad you got to visit "I, Noah Cat". We are almost at the end of the alphabet!

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  2. Where there is water there is life.
    I enjoyed your 'GiVer RiVer'.
    I hope you managed to get my instructions for joining the 'as-you-go' blocks, Donna. I think it was Monday when I posted this.
    I'll visit again soon.

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    1. I have to go there now! I've been so busy here, finishing up the end of the alphabet, I haven't been bopping around as much. Thank you for posting that!

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  3. I really need to read The Giver. It's been on the list for years.

    Beautiful poetry! I totally got wrapped up in your river imagery.

    True Heroes from A to Z

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    1. Thanks, Crystal! | I just left and ordered The Giver for Kindle | I'm back! I have to go for a long ride soon. I just ordered The Giver for my iPad to read on the way. I'm doing it! I dare you to do it, too!

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  4. V is a hard one. Can you believe I've never read The Giver?

    Your poem "The giVer riVer" is lovely! I enjoyed every verse. :)

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    1. The Villanelle is an interesting format and was fun to write with those constraints. I also need to read The Giver! So, yes, I can believe it!

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  5. Loved your riVer poem. The Giver is a powerful book, and I was obsessed with Jill Krementz's Very Young series when I was a kid (my very favorite was the one about equestrienne Vivi Malloy--another V!) I'm sad to have not found your wonderful blog until this late in the A-Z! I've been talking poetry all month too. Thrilled to meet you!

    Laurel's Leaves

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    1. I would have been a fan of Vivi Malloy, also. I was so in love with horses.
      I'm happy you found me. I write poetry on my blog every Friday and sometimes Wednesdays; and Tuesdays are a Slice of Life. So I hope you come back, and peruse the rest of April's poems. I will be back to check out more of your site, too!

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  6. I have never read the Giver despite the fact it has been laying around my house for years.

    --
    Timothy S. Brannan
    The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches

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  7. Loved these poems! The use of the word "wend" in "The Giver River" brought a smile - a word I only realized was a word a couple of months ago. And "A Very Young Musician" conquered up moments with my grandsons - very touching.

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    1. I was picturing my son as a child, and the big rock we used to have on the side lawn. I would help him up onto it and he would sing his heart out up there!

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  8. Lovely Donna, and creative the way you sneaked in the V. The villanelle is not easy and your poem is nice, but I like the second one best, nice heart there. After The Giver, there are three more!

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    1. Maybe next year I'll just focus on sneaky ways to get a letter! As I was telling Wendy, my son used to sing atop a big rock when he was 5 - I had him in mind when I wrote it.

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    2. BTW - Daughter is having lots of Braxton-Hicks tonight. Up late, trying to determine via chat if she should go in or not. But it seems that's all they are. Should be any day now.

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  9. I enjoyed both poems, Donna. The villanelle form captures the sense of the river flowing on and on. The last line of "A very young musician" is gold itself.

    Violet N.

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    1. Thanks, Violet. I liked that line, too, when it came to me.

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  10. Outstanding! I am impressed with your poetry skills! Wonderful poem.

    What a wonderful theme you chose for this year's A to Z. :-)

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    1. Thanks, Teresa. I'm so glad you dropped in! I've discovered where your site is and will drop a comment!

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  11. Okay, and I thought MY Poetry Month project was hard? You continue to amaze me that you've found books by Mainers, AND written poems, AND followed the alphabet. This series deserves to be published!!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I wish I could "like" this comment!

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    2. Well, I wish I could "like" both your comments! Thanks!

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  12. Good luck with the baby's arrival! Nothing can really compare to that!

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    1. I'm trying to convince my daughter to illustrate for me! She'll just have two small children at home and nothing to do! Ha!

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  13. The Very Young Musician looks like a must-read. My daughter and I finished doing a read-aloud of The Giver a year ago and we are looking forward to (and partly dreading) the movie adaptation. Thank you for sharing the beauty of villanelle.

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