Thanks to Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup for hosting Poetry Friday this week!
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Happy National Poetry Month! I cannot believe that I have not posted since February! I have been hyper focused on writing and revising in 2016 and
have not posted as regularly as I would like to. I am thankful for those of you
who stick with me and read when I do post. ☺
I
could not let April slip by without recognizing National Poetry Month! Founded
in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month celebrates the
importance of poetry in our country. Schools, libraries, book sellers,
publishers, poets, and readers all join in the fun with programs and
events celebrated each year during the month of April.
Yesterday I spent time with some wonderful 5th graders, talking about
different poetic forms and celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day. By the end of the workshops, each student had chosen a poem to carry
in his or her pocket and share with family and friends, and everyone was hard at work creating his or
her own poem. A favorite again this year were book spine poems (to read more
about this poetic format, click here). Next week I will be leading a poetry
workshop with some kindergartners—I especially love sharing the magic of poetry
with very young learners!
Since
tomorrow (April 23) is William Shakespeare’s 452nd birthday, I am
sharing one of his poems for my Poetry Friday post today. I hope you enjoy
it!
A Fairy Song
by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire!
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours;
In those freckles live their savours;
I must go seek some dewdrops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
