POETRY FRIDAY: The Poetry Friday Roundup is here this week!

ROUNDUP TIME

by Becky Shillington

Once again it's Roundup time,

So wrangle up a bit of rhyme.

Or rope a rhythm ’round the beat,

Then clap your hands and stomp your feet! 

If smart free verse is more your speed,

Let that lively prose stampede.

Just lasso in your favorite style,

Then hang your hat and stay awhile! 

I am so excited to be hosting my first Poetry Friday Roundup this week! I hope you’ll grab your favorite hot drink, settle in, and enjoy all of the wonderful poems and poetry-related fun our writer friends are sharing this week! I’ll be enjoying my favorite writer’s hot toddy today, a (non-alcoholic) ginger tea warmer:

For the quick and easy recipe, click here.

Please comment below and include your name, topic, and website. I will add them to the list throughout the day. I look forward to visiting you all! Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and happy writing!

This Week's Roundup:

To kick off our party this week, Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy is sharing a fun Thanksgiving poem and poetry prompt. Please visit Joy at: www.poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com/2014/11/mr-t-speaks.html.

Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge reflects on season of change and the blessings of friendship, and shares a wonderful Thanksgiving poem from an anthology complied by Lee Bennett Hopkins. You can check out her beautiful post at http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=977007.

Iphigene from the Gathering Books blog shares a moving original poem titled "Monsters in the Darkness" at http://gatheringbooks.org/2014/11/21/poetry-friday-monsters-that-lurk-inside-us/.

Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup is showcasing 21 Cool Gifts for Poetry Lovers! Please visit Jama at http://wp.me/p1GE6P-3FL.

Diane at Random Noodling has a fun poem by Robert Francis called "O World of Toms" on her blog: http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-friday-o-world-of-toms_20.html.

At Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet, Kurious Kitty shares a wonderful poem from the 1949 anthology My American Heritage: A Collection of Songs, Poems, Speeches, and Other Writings Dear to Our Hearts: http://kuriouskitty.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-friday-thanksgivings-comin.html.  

At Today's Little Ditty, Michelle has two special guests, Bridget Magee (who's written a great limerick about a turkey) and Tom the Turkey: http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2014/11/limerick-alley-bridget-magee.html.

Linda at Teacher Dance has a contemplative poem about a horse that she will be sharing with her class soon: http://www.teacherdance.org/2014/11/a-poetic-search-for-special-class.html.

Bridget at Wee Words for Wee Ones celebrates National Adoption Day at her blog: http://weewordsforweeones.blogspot.com/2014/11/adoption-day-celebration.html.

Matt at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme shares his original poem "Steam Train" on his blog: http://wp.me/p2DEY3-173. 

Carol at Beyond Literacy Link has a monster-inspired poem to share today: http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2014/11/monster-inspired-haiku-poetry-friday.html.

At Charles Waters Poetry, Charles recaps lots of fun literacy- and poetry-related goings on at http://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/#!POETRY-TIME-BLOG-#18/c23vc/A57E4F53-09AF-4EC8-9420-45B325DBD4CB.

Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference has a poem by Rose Solari to share today: http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-thousand-elements-conspiring.html.

On her blog today, Liz has an original poem about the cold weather that has been so prevalent this week: http://elizabethsteinglass.com/2014/11/unseasonably-cold/. 

Margaret at Reflections on the Teche shares a poignant poem about the bunk bed her girls shared when they were small: http://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/bunk-bed-fills-the-room/.

Amy at The Poem Farm shares her poem "Morning Song" on her blog today: http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2014/11/morning-song-copying-rhymes-rhythms.html.

At Hope is the Word, Amy shares a wonderful review of David Elliot's By the Sea: http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2014/11/21/in-the-sea-by-david-elliott/.

Katie at The Logonauts talks about poetry memorization with kids and discusses a poetry anthology entitled "Forget-Me-Nots, Poems to Learn by Heart": http://www.thelogonauts.com/2014/11/poems-to-learn-by-heart.html.

On her blog today, Karen shares a poem by David Kirby about the magic of poetry: http://karenedmisten.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-friday-this-magic-moment-by.html.

Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town shares "Ode to a Box of Tea," by Pablo Neruda: http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-friday-odes.html.

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading has a review-ette of J. Patrick Lewis' and Douglas Florian's Poem-Mobiles at http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-and-imagination.html.

At her blog Check it Out, Jone celebrates fellow Poetry Friday participant Margaret Simon, blogger at Reflections on the Teche and winner of the 2014 NCTE Donald H. Graves Award! Congratulations, Margaret!  http://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/poetry-friday-congratulations-margaret-simon/

At her Bildungsroman blog, Little Willow shares the beautiful lyrics to Brooke Fraser's "Brutal Romance." http://slayground.livejournal.com/796583.html
 
Doraine at Dori Reads shares a pumpkin poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, and a resting posture to revive the pre- and post-holiday mind and body! http://dorireads.blogspot.com/2014/11/talking-turkey.html

At On Point, Lorie Ann shares an original haiku titled "Fluttering Past." http://lorieanngrover.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-friday-fluttering-past.html

And at readertotz, Lorie Ann shares a beautiful bird poem from On the Wing, a poetry collection about birds by David Elliot. http://readertotz.blogspot.com/2014/11/poetry-friday-on-wing.html   

JoAnn at the Teaching Authors Blog has a Thanksgiving thanku to share today: http://www.teachingauthors.com/2014/11/thanks-from-depths.html.

Melissa at Here in the Bonny Glen shares a funny story from the Poetry Club she hosts for homeschoolers: http://melissawiley.com/blog/2014/11/21/sing-cuckoo-sing/.

At Pleasures from the Page, Ramona discusses Manger, the new anthology from Lee Bennett Hopkins: http://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2014/11/shouting-for-joy.html.

On her Booktalking blog today, Anastasia Suen shares a fun excerpt from Lisa Wheeler and Barry Gott's new book, Dino-Boarding: https://asuen.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/dino-boarding/.

Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe posted live from NCTE today about the Newtown Poetry Project, a program that began in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. Please visit Heidi at: http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2014/11/live-from-ncte-14.html. 

POETRY FRIDAY: An Autumn Haiku

Thank you to Keri at Keri Recommends for hosting Poetry Friday this week!

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The weather has definitely changed this week! Two days ago, it was almost 80 degrees where I live, so my boys and I set out for an afternoon hike with our dog, knowing that a cold front was coming and that it would likely be our last warm fall afternoon of the year. Well, it turned out that we weren’t the only ones who thought hitting the neighborhood trails was a good idea—the woods were teeming with people enjoying the afternoon, and we met joggers, walkers, dogs, and lots and lots of children playing in the woods. As we walked, we admired the leaves blazing in the sunlight. Most of the colors this week were deep gold and bright yellow, with occasional blazes of red. It was spectacular!

I’m a bit late for the Poetry Friday party this week, but wanted to share a haiku I wrote following our walk. I hope you enjoy it!

Yellow leaves break free,

Drifting, dancing in the breeze;

Autumn’s final fling.

I am so excited to host Poetry Friday on my blog next Friday! Have a wonderful weekend, and happy writing!

POETRY FRIDAY: Leaves, by Elsie N. Brady

Thanks to Diane at Random Noodling for hosting Poetry Friday today!

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Last Friday I had the pleasure of talking with fifth graders about how much FUN reading and writing poetry can be! Since it was Halloween, I read and discussed several poems from one of my favorite poetry collections, Jennifer Cole Judd's and Laura Wynkoop's An Eyeball in My Garden, and then the kids wrote their own spooky poems. I had a blast, and I’m pretty sure the kids did, too! ☺

This week, as November has blown in, I have been caught up in several beautiful leaf showers. On my walks through the woods, red, yellow, and orange leaves have fluttered and swirled around me. And today as I sit and write, I see gold whirling right outside my windows.

Inspired by nature’s annual display of colors, I set out to find a “new to me” poem about leaves to share for Poetry Friday this week. I'm so glad I did, because I found this wonderful piece by Scottish poet Elsie N. Brady:

Leaves

by Elsie N. Brady
 

How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow.

I love the way Brady’s poem captures the movement of falling leaves and the mood of autumn. It is especially fitting for cool, blustery days like today!

Enjoy the last few weeks of fall, and happy writing!