Wrap Up of Laura Shovan's Challenge

February was Laura Shovan's birthday month, and to celebrate, she posts a challenge to poets to write about a designated topic - and this year it was a piece of art we owned.  So we were writing ekphrastic poetry every day (that we could, or felt inspired to).  I accomplished the warm up in the last week of January, the challenge of the 28 days of February, and now I am in the midst of the wind-down first week of March.  Yesterday's ekphrastic was inspired by embroidery done on silk offered by Catherine Wallian Flynn.  It was given to her husband's grandfather by a Chinese officer when they served together in Asia during World War II. The artist is unknown.

Birds of Spring

Cutting through the evening sky
Tumble-flying joy on wings,
Dodging others sweet in song -
Waters flight-touched making rings.

These the flocks of spring to come,
Wings with song strummed in delight;
These befeathered creatures sing
In the fading of the light.

Melting ice begins to flower,
And all about is roused from frost,
Emerging once again the victor -
Proof that spring has not been lost.

By Donna JT Smith 3/2/18

The March Madness Poetry tournament officially opens tomorrow at 8 pm.  This is when the poets will get their assigned word and 36 hours to write a poem using it.  If you haven't registered to participate in the voting community either as an individual or a class of students (home schoolers, too) you can do that at any time!  This should be lots of fun for adults and kids alike, though the poems are geared to kids K-12.  

Here's the schedule for the bouts (click on the link below it to take you to the original page):

https://madnesspoetry.com/calendar

For individuals to vote:

1. Log in with Facebook. (Alternatively, sign up using email and log in.)
2. For each match-up, read both poems and consider the merits of each.
3. After deciding on your favorite, click the appropriate button to cast your vote. Votes are counted in real time and cannot be changed once entered.

Things to Consider in Making a Choice

• How well the poem incorporates the authlete's assigned word, given its level of difficulty.
• Precision: structure, meter, rhyme, syntax, etc.
• Personality: creative imagery, language, metaphor, etc.
• Power: makes you laugh, cry, want, sigh, think, dream, wince, scream, etc.
• Plus One: it is a poem you feel drawn to share with another person for whatever reason.