I’ve been writing a poem a day since December 1st, though I’ve only posted a few. Most are still in progress. They begin as observations and grow into poem-fragments, and eventually become poems. Here is an observation-fragment from a recent walk.
Painted with yolk-yellow sunshine, the forsythia blooms drip their excess onto the daffodils poking up beneath them.
My own photograph of the crane dancing right before his feeding didn’t turn out, but here is the poem I wrote afterward. The crane reminded me so much of my nephew sneaking up on my mother, it made me laugh.
Dancing Before Dinner
The crane moves
to the rhythms
of a wild orchestra
only he can hear.
Wings open, waving
and jerking,
exaggerating,
running on
giant tip-toe steps,
like a young boy
sneaking up behind
his grandmother
sitting at the table
sipping her tea,
pretending
she doesn’t see
or hear him.
I try to take a walk most mornings and write a poem before I do anything else. If I can accomplish that, then the rest of the day can take care of itself. This is a poem I wrote awhile back, but I dug it out when I stepped into this gorgeous morning.
On Waking
Hold your hands out to the sky.
Bend into the morning light
the way a musical note bends into silence.
Who’s to say we don’t tend toward love?
This January marks my first in 30 years that I haven’t been a children’s librarian or classroom teacher when the ALA children’s book awards have been announced. I wasn’t always able to make it to ALA Midwinter, but I always had my own lists. And some years, I had mock committees voting in time for the announcements. This year, I’ve done more writing than reading, so I have a lot to catch up on. If you do too, here are the winners:
For the Randolph Caldecott (illustration) — The bear who compelled me to write. FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BEAR, written by Lindsay Mallick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
For the John Newbery (children’s literature) — usually a middle grade novel, but this year, the rare picture book! LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET written by Matt De La Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson.
For the F. Sibert (informational book) — FUNNY BONES, written by Duncan Tonatiuh.
For the Michael L. Printz (young adult literature) — BONE GAP, written by Laura Ruby.
For the Pura Belpre (author) — ENCHANTED AIR, written by Margarita Engle.
For the Pura Belpre (illustrator) — DRUM DREAM GIRL, written by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez.
For the Coretta Scott King (author) — GONE CRAZY IN ALABAMA by Rita Williams-Garcia.
For the Coretta Scott King (illustrator) — TROMBONE SHORTY written by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier.
These winners and the honor books can be found at the American Library Association’s site.
The announcements were a welcome high point during my week down with a cold. You may have noticed that I have a brand new “news” page, and I am still working out the kinks (as in, where are my accents and other special characters?). I will make corrections once I find them. My poetry blog and other children’s lit blog are out in cyberspace somewhere I suppose, but no longer here on my website. HAPPY READING IN 2016!
“Like poetry, baking is a rather melancholy vocation, whose primary requirement is free time for the soul. The poet and the baker are brothers in the essential task of nourishing the world.” ~Isabelle Allende
Among other writing resolutions, I’m challenging myself to write a poem a day in 2016. We’ll see if a public declaration helps or hinders . . .
