Happy Poetry Friday! This week our host is Molly Hogan at her blog Nix the Comfort Zone. She’s been busy lately, getting ready to return to the classroom and taking pictures of Monarch caterpillars that she shared this week on her blog. Stop by to see what she has in store for Poetry Friday.
I’m enjoying a brief on-line workshop on children’s poetry with Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich. It’s wonderful seeing poets I’ve met at previous workshops and sharing work, reviewing nuts and bolts of writing.
I’ll share a poem I wrote for the workshop last week about the wind. The prompt was to write about the wind, paying attention to verbs:
THE WIND It white-capped the lake, waves slapped at the shore, stronger and stronger, today around four. It pummeled the pebbles, an old plastic chair, our collection of driftwood and took them somewhere. By Janice Scully
Here’s a poem by Shakespeare about the wind comparing its bite to the bite of a friend’s ingratitude.
BLOW, BLOW THOU WINTER WIND by William Shakespeare Blow, blow, thou winter wind Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most freindship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky, That does not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As a friend remembered not. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly.
Have a jolly week and stay safe. My thoughts are with all the teachers and students who are planning for a return to school.
Want to know more about Poetry Friday? It’s here, on poet Renee LaTulippe’s website. Thank you Molly Hogan for hosting today!
Well done, Janice. I enjoyed your poem on the storm. The tropical storm hit Long Island hard and we were out of electricity and water for days. It must be exciting working with Georgia and Rebecca. Thanks for sharing Shakespeare’s winter wind poem. I backtracked and read last week’s poems. Loved the skinny-dipping insert.
Ha! I love that the wind took your driftwood and plastic chairs “somewhere.” Someday, I’ll find out where somewhere is! And, turning white-cap into a verb. Nice! Great post.
I also love “white-cap” as a verb and so much of your other word choice, especially those powerful verbs. Thanks for sharing!
Nicely done with your wind poem. I love “slapped” to describe waves in the wind. And even outside of the verbs, the pairing of plastic chairs and driftwood brings me right to a near-city lake scene.
That wiley wind! And that windy Bard! A breezy combo that lifts me this afternoon.
Appreciations also for bringing to mind the wonderful Georgia H. & Rebecca K.D. Makes me
want to be like your invisible mover The W. & take them off the shelf. So glad you have that
luxurious space along the Lake!
I love that “pummeled the pebbles” & like others, using “white-capped” as a verb is wonderful. I’m sure you’re having such fun with Georgia & Rebecca, again! Sorry to have missed it! Also, I love the Shakespeare but am not sure I’m ready for “Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky”. Thanks for all, Janice!
Janice, I thoroughly enjoyed your windy words, your rhyme so well employed. The metaphor of the wind as something of a trouble maker, a bully is also well conveyed. I will now straighten my hair and be on my way…
I like how you crafted your poem with those long first lines…kind of like puffs of wind. Your attention to verbs paid off!
“It white-capped the lake” — love that, Janice!
Moving poem Janice, I especially liked both of these lines:
” It white-capped the lake,”
“It pummeled the pebbles,”
Feels like I’m there, thanks!