Mainely Write

Linking to Poetry Friday at Heidi's "My Juicy Little Universe and putting out a call for poets and classrooms to participate in March Madness 2015! Moon and icicle sky from my porch Here's the repost from Monday part (see below for an actual poem AND a rewrite of it I did this morning - forgetting that I'd added to it already online, so now you have two poems that start the same and end differently): <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ed DeCaria at Think, Kid Think is starting the March Madness poetry writing tournament beginning on March 8. Click on the link to go there to learn more about it and see who's in it this year (I made it!).  That's the day the poets in the line-up will receive their unique word and write a kid's poem that includes that word.  The first voting round will

Linking to Slice of Life Tuesday - and putting out a call for teachers to get their students excited about poetry by registering and participating in March Madness 2015! Ed DeCaria at Think, Kid Think is starting the March Madness poetry writing tournament beginning on March 8. Click on the link to go there to learn more about it and see who's in it this year (I made it!).  That's the day the poets in the line-up will receive their unique word and write a kid's poem that includes that word.  The first voting round will be on March 12, when poetry lovers of all ages and registered classrooms will be able to vote on their favorite poems.  The winners of each round will go on to compete until on April 2 there is one poet left standing. I will at least be competing in the first round!  Yea!  Maybe I'll move on to the next round - that would be exciting! Hope you will consider joining in on the reading and voting.  It is going to be a fun month! Who knows...maybe sp

This is a submission to Author Amok's 2015 poem-a-day sounds project.  Here are the guidelines for participating .   For Day 20, the prompt was write to the sound of the reptile you chose.  My choice: The Common Garter Snake - which is plentiful in Maine. Common Garter Snake -- Thamnophis sirtalis S s      ss            i i          s s    i i       l         l                i i            e    t     y                               n I crawl to be         over rocks              and under tree                   and then I stop     and all you heard         was the            crinkly word                   of a leaf                        I crossed or a                crossing bee.         you won’t                 hear                    me.

It's Poetry Friday and hosted by someone I like to think of as a friend that I have never met but feel like I know - Linda Baie at Teacherdance .  If you don't know Linda yet, go there to meet her and make a new friend!  Oh, and find more poetry linkups there, too. Additionally, on Wednesday the new Poetry Jam prompt was issued... "Write about loneliness or solitude."  I have written a poem to address the issue. Solitude or Loneliness, Who Cares Which? I’m all alone at home again I’m writing, and I’ve tried to ignore the constant scuffling of two dogs by my side, and then there is the white cat being obviously denied access to his sleeping place and where he likes to hide. Oh, I talk to them - they listen with their heads cocked to one side. So if I say I’m lonesome I'd have have to say I’ve lied. My days are not my own, I could use some solitude. Can't say that I don't like my pets; I'd never be that rude, But when I tr

At the request of Lynn Proctor over at "My Life as Lynn Proctor" , who commented on yesterday's posted poem called "Icicled Sight" , I have written a poem as she requested, but the topic of which she did not request.  She requested a spring poem, but when I tried to write one, having just read the weather forecast and looking out over all the snow - which would make it very easy to jump out a window right now (like maybe you'd want to after this winter!) and not get hurt - I ended up with another winter poem.  And as I told her, I will try again later when the weathermen stop saying, "Here, have just another little bite of snow!" So to make the ado short, here is what I came up with on short notice under duress of more snow...speaking of which, here we are this morning...one more time...everybody sing! Snow, snow, I love snow, I'm absolutely, positively wild about snow.  Can't go around it I gotta go through...I said EVERYBODY sing!

  As we drove by on our way home on Saturday, I spied this house.  It just looked so much like the icicles were keeping the owners from escaping, or from intruders entering (not sure which). I had to go back to take a picture. And then I had to write this Monorhyme ...a poem in which all the lines have the same end rhyme. Icicled Sight We quietly dripped through the night As long we grew and held on tight, To mimic cavern's stalactite, And gain immense reverso height. Once waking, you beheld your plight Behind our bars of icy white, And seeing this, forsook the fight, Submitting to our gripping bite. Imprisoned in the dark of night For no good reason but for spite (Or maybe just because we might)! You must remain till sun grows bright And we are feeling more contrite Then we will melt, allowing flight, And you can once again feel light; And all the world will seem just right As rain, with butterflies and kite Instead of snow and icy blight. But don'

It's a blustery, blizzardy day today, and we could not make the trip in to church.  But that did not prevent us from reading devotions.  First thing this morning I wrote a bit of a thought, too.  So if you can't make it to church today either, don't forget to take it to God. God in Me or I in God When I stand alone I am surprised that I do not always remember to muster with prayer and awaken my spirit to the Spirit of God For it is then that He fills and floods my insides welling up expanding until there is no more room and He seeps out flowing through pores, an Invisible River of Goodness and Peace He surrounds me, encompasses me hedges me with his Power and Comfort until every fiber every molecule every atom of my being is comforted, caressed, consoled by His presence and I am In Him as He is In Me;  And that is how  I know Heaven will be.

It’s Valentine’s Day a day for sweet cards and chocolates or wordy candies and red, red roses and softly scented candles - A day for sweetheart kisses and unexpected hugs or a whisper that tugs on your heart; but I will settle for - ...no... I will crave - an omelet fried potatoes a cup of strong coffee a small oj and my son to join the two of us for breakfast at our favorite diner; for there are no finer times than those real life moments to get sappy over. Happy Valentine's Day!

Cold Morning in Maine - today Cold Meet Cold cold of ocean ocean deep cold meet cold where snowbanks steep cover rocks and seaweeds creep where cold meets cold and icicles greet the ground and reach to frozen beach shaking hands seas and lands shivering timbers quivering sands meeting up with silvery bands and slivery strands of ice and snow where men may go where no one could set foot before the throes of winter snows. ©Donna JT Smith, 2015 Snow is over halfway up most everyone's doors - including our garage doors. Our house sits pretty high, so it is keeping our doors and windows free of snow.  The icicles are impressive, too.  And after one blizzard and a couple major snowstorms and a bunch of minor multiple inches of snow, we are being readied for a second blizzard starting tomorrow night (Saturday) through Sunday. Our snowbank is quite high at our house and our icicles very long.  Usually right on the coast as we are, the snows turn to w

Silence Silence is precious But not with a child; A mother gets nervous Without sounds of wild Voices and clunking And carrying on, For that means there’s trouble She’ll soon come upon. Silence is golden But only at night When visions of sugarplums Replace the day’s fight Of brother and brother And sisters and such, When hitting and shoving Become sleepy-slouched touch. Silence is rare; Don’t take it for granted - If you have a child, Silence is enchanted. ©Donna JT Smith, 2015 Today's prompt at Poetry Jam is to write about Silence.

To Charlotte I hope to see you again where and when our paths cross; until that day I feel the loss. When I need to share some news and toss a thought into the blue of you to separate the dross and find the true I’m at a loss again. But I have gain for having known and laughed with you; and that will have to do and hold me till the where and when our paths cross again. Donna JT Smith, 2015

Today I am posting a bit late for Poetry Friday hosted today by Elizabeth Steinglass , and for Poetry Jam , where the prompt is to write about some sort of journey - and since I have just taken a journey by train, I opted to go literally and make up a format. See if you can tell what the pattern is that I used. On Amtrak in Connecticut in the Storm Clickety-Clack, Train on a Track train on a track clickety-click        clickety-clack        in snow and sleet              clickety-cold        clickety-street              of ties and rails                   clickety-steel              clickety-wails                    wind whips aloft                         clickety-strong                    clickety-soft                         almost asleep                              clickety-lull                         clickety-beep                    through each town               clickety-in                    clickety-down              over each hill          clicke