Friday, April 22, 2016

A to Z on a Plate - S


Today is day 19 of the A to Z Challenge (see navigation on sidebar) - the letter S.  I've photographed and alphabetized vanity plates from our local area in Maine, and am writing poems to go with one for each letter of the alphabet - plus and extra on Sundays, since it is National Poetry Month and I'm committed to writing a poem a day for April.  I am also linking to Margaret Simon's challenge to write a poem in response to a picture each day.  Most pictures are a bit more "picturesque" than mine, but it is still a picture!
And again, if you have a poem inspired by one of these plates, please include it in your comment, or email it, or tell me where to find it on your site, and I will include it in the Sunday review here. 

#atozchallenge #NaPoWriMo #imagepoems

It is also the 22nd day and 22nd line for the Progressive Poem, the brainchild of Irene Latham. Check on the side navigation to go to today's new line.

Oh, my, and I forgot!!!! It's Poetry Friday!  Can't miss that!  Check out the poetry links at:
Jama's at Jama's Alphabet Soup

How High is the Sky?

How high
is the sky?
Where is its top?
How far can you go
Before there's a stop?
When does it change
from blue to a black?
And if you went there,
Would you ever get back?
How high
is the sky?
I think it's so far
I'd shoot past the moon,
Head to the north star.
Earth would look smaller
As I zoomed past the sun
And trailed tails of comets
For some extra fun.
How high
is the sky?
I'd like to go see -
If I could be back 
by quarter to three - 
For chores must be done:
The dog must be fed,
Then cleaning my room
Before off to bed;
How high 
is the sky?
I may never know,
There's not enough time
To get up and go.

by Donna JT Smith, 2016, all rights reserved
And then, suddenly, as I was posting my link on Mr. Linky over at Jama's, my eye fell on this link: Liz Steinglass (Things To Do If You're the Earth)
I haven't gone there yet to see what "To Do"s she has there, but this poem suddenly needed to be written, and now that I've done it... Hey, Liz!  I'll be right there!

Things to Do If You're the Sky

Hold the clouds
And bounce a bird;
Fill the space
Around the world;
Be dark at night
and light at day,
and when it rains
turn into gray;
Play with kites,
Give room for trees,
Fill with snow,
And push with breeze;
Glow with morning
Wakening rosy,
Gold-foil the sunset
Making cozy;
Urge me ponder
At your size;
Let me wander
Through you, Sky.

©Donna JT Smith, 2016, all rights reserved

















See you tomorrow for a plate of T!
Please leave a comment and put your url or link in your comment, so I can jog on over to your site! 

21 comments:

  1. Cool post! Visiting from atoz

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  2. Loving all your plate poems this month, Donna. Both sky poems today are wonderful! That "V" on the plate reminds me of geese formation too.

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    Replies
    1. That would have been a good tie in with the geese in the sky.

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  3. Thank you! On this Earth Day, I love where you've taken us with two sky's-eye views. I love, too, how content the poems make me feel to be grounded in the reality of a world that limits me physically, but not in imagination. Thanks for the joyful journey! I'm intrigued, too, by the blatant red V on the license plate as it relates to your first poem. V for Veterans, Victorious in facing limits and opportunities. How far did the vets go? How high did they go in reaching and exceeding personal limits? In fighting fears to meet our needs as a nation? God bless our Veterans--especially the ones who have come back with physical and emotional challenges that have left them wondering if blue sky turned black or grey will ever turn back to welcoming sunny for them again. Thank you for two amazing thought-provoking poems! God bless you.

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    Replies
    1. Good ponderings. We (and I) have quite a few Veteran plates here. I have one later that I am using for V, as I've only found 1 other for that letter, and it isn't too poemable.

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks, Lynn. Sky is a tad gray today. Afraid we won't have any golden sunset or full moon.

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  5. Those are both wonderful. I like the joy and concept of the second, imagining I'm the sky is fun. Makes me feel like a kid again. I liked your S plates too much, and I couldn't decide. Here are my two:

    pale crescent moon
    gleams through bare branches
    snowy owl glides

    silken tabby Sass
    exhausted from rolling in catnip
    grooms her paws

    I had to shorten them a tiny bit for the tweets, but they are substantially the same.

    Happy Poetry Friday!

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    Replies
    1. Two great picks! It was hard to decide this time! Glad you were compelled to write two!

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  6. Both wonderful for this our earth day, Donna. We have the fluffy (& warm-looking) clouds in our blue sky today, no snow coming anytime soon this weekend!

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    1. No snow! I guess we've had snow in June before, so it isn't out of the question... but please! No snow! I am ready for the green of grass!

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  7. I absolutely absolutely totally love this.

    Tommy AotZ http://stumblestandfly.blogspot.com/

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  8. Great post. I love the Things to Do If You're the Sky. What a great exercise for any noun. A classroom might enjoy doing this as a group exercise so each child could add a line. All the license plates are spectacular. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it! The Things to Do poem format does make a fun one for a class.

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  9. So fun! I love your theme, and what you've done with it.
    JEN Garrett

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    1. Nice to meet you, Jen! Glad you enjoyed your visit!

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  10. Your collection of plates is truly impressive! Jama mentioned in her comment to me, that we were on the same "sky" wavelength. Indeed! Love both your sky poems, but am partialest (is that a word?) to the last one.

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    1. Sky did seem to come into play today. I'll pop on over to your place in the morning. I just noticed what time it is!

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  11. I love them both, but I'm glad you answered the muse and wrote the second -- it makes a terrific companion to Liz's earth poem!

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