POETRY FRIDAY IS HERE: New Poetry Anthology by Carol Labuzzetta

Welcome to Poetry Friday!

What is Poetry Friday? It’s a group of bloggers who write about poetry and share their work. Find out more about Poetry Friday Here.

This week, thrilled by the warm weather, I finally bought a few impatiens and planted them in pots. Due to the local deer population, I’ve curtailed my gardening ambitions, restricted my flowers to the porch. These healthy plants look small, but with time they will fill the pot.

GARDENER'S QUESTION 

humble impatiens--
should I count buds everyday?
or be more patient? 

© Janice Scully 2024

But let’s get to the heart of my post. Two weeks ago this book appeared at my door, my awaited copy of a new anthology of poetry for students by Carol Labuzzetta. There is already a buzz on Poetry Friday about this book. Available on Amazon, it is full of nature photos and poems inspired by them. Carol did a wonderful job showcasing each poet’s work. I have no favorites but will share one of my poems and two others from the book, all about animals that will interest kids.

Thank you Carol for your careful editing as you put this book together. Below are three photos and poems inspired by them.

I took this photo in Santa Cruz, California:

AN AFTERNOON NAP
by Janice Scully

   What a comfy pillow
     comrades make,

  when my belly is full of
     squid and hake.

     Snoozing on
  this slippery bed,

  with clouds and seagulls
      overhead.


NOISY GUESTS
By Sally Murphy

What's that ruckus
   in my yard?
  A feathered trio
   laughing hard.

What's that rumpus
   I can hear?
 They're carolling
 that rain is near.

What's that riot
  on my fence? 
  Kookaburras
 making sense!

I love that kookaburras are “making sense.” Animals are sensible and do things that help themselves as a species survive. Here’s a poem and photo by Carol Labuzzetta

LEOPARD FROG
by Carol Labuzetta

Mossy leopard frog

Hiding near the water's edge

So still and quiet

Until footsteps approach you

Jump! Splash! Off you go to swim!

I was reminded when I used to walk next to a nearby stream just after a rainstorm. Hearing my footsteps, frogs would jump from the soggy water’s edge and hide in the stream with a plunk, plunk, plunk.

I hope everyone is finding time to be outdoors now that spring is here. If you have a blog to share, add your URL below.

30 thoughts on “POETRY FRIDAY IS HERE: New Poetry Anthology by Carol Labuzzetta”

  1. Thanks for sharing those delightful poems from Carol’s anthology. Thoroughly enjoyed them — and congrats on having yours included too! I envy your impatiens; because of our deer, we can’t have any flowers except daffodils. They’d march right up to our front porch and munch away like they’re at a salad bar. No fear at all. Thanks for hosting this week! (my post goes live at 6 a.m. Friday morning).

    1. Yes, gardens are salad bars for deer. Isn’t it great they don’t like daffodils! Thanks, Jama.

  2. Hooray! I just got my copy of the anthology too. I’m just starting to dig in. What a celebration of this community of poets. Three cheers for Carol for sticking with her plan to get this anthology done…with it’s ups and downs and challenging bits. Look at you getting the word, “hake” into a poem. Wow. Plus, it’s a super cute companion to Sally’s backyard guests and Carol’s leopard frog.

  3. I like your clever impatiens poem Janice, and I know that they will totally fill their container. Congrats on your poems, in Carol’s “Picture Perfect Poetry Anthology”— That’s a wonderful pic you captured, the poem is delightful, and perfect with it! I also enjoyed all the ruckus coming from Sally’s poem and Carol’s splashing leopard frog—You created a critter luscious post! Thanks also for hosting!

  4. Kookaburras making sense! Love this fun selection of poems. I also posted about animals today. Thanks for hosting!

  5. Congratulations, Janice, on your fun poem – “sealed” with a comfy nap, in this new collection (& great pic!). Carol’s anthology looks & sounds wonderful! A perfect way to start the summer. :0)

  8. Carol’s anthology is so lovely, and congrats on being included! And ha! Who would have thought hake could be so poetic? 😀

    Your impatiens are so pretty. My husband has planted impatiens for years and I love them!

  9. Thank you for hosting and for sharing my poem along with the others. I love that this book is sharing so many wonderful poems by the Poetry Friday community.

  10. Thanks for sharing this peek inside Carol’s book, Janice – you picked some wonderful poems! Sounds like the book has some great variety in subject and style. (And thanks for hosting!)

  11. Janice, congratulations on being a fellow poet in Carol Labuzzetta’s Picture Perfect Poetry Anthology. I plan on sharing Carol’s book also. I think this book will be a hit in classrooms. I especially enjoyed An Afternoon Nap poem. The photo is charming. Carol L. and Sally Murphy’s ekphrastic poems are a great addition to the book.
    Today, I was so exhausted after having the catheter removed so my post will probably be ready tomorrow. Thanks for hosting.

  12. I do love the poems you shared, Janice. the anthology is so special! And your “impatient” poem of those lovely, will be growing, impatiens, gave me a big smile! Sorry for the deer! Living in the city, it’s the squirrels that do the bothering! Thanks so much for hosting!

    1. Tricia, for some reason I can’t comment on your blog. It won’t let me. But I read your poems inspired by Lucille Clifton and loved them both, so interesting to write about body parts in such an individual and engaging way. Well done! I love also the video of Clifton reading her poem. Love her humor.

  14. Thank you Janice for hosting and also highlighting this special collection of ekphrastic poems. Carol’s great efforts in editing and publishing this book have come to fruition in this anthology. It is rewarding to be part of this curated collection of poems and pictures. Enjoy the improving weather- a sign that signals a decline in our weather fortunes in the wintery southern hemisphere.

  15. Janice, I love your play on words in this sweet haiku about patiently waiting for the impatiens to fill in. Thanks for sharing the sweet poems from Picture Perfect Poetry and for hosting today.

  16. Thanks for sharing these poems from the new anthology. We can all use a dose of patience. I love how the seals make a comfy pillow for each other.

  17. Thank you for sharing these wonders, Janice! Carol’s book looks full of goodness, and your impatient impatiens poem charmed the blooms right off me! We have deer issues too… we also have a fluffy dog who must be groomed weekly, so I use her discarded hair as a deterrent, and it has made my plants quite happy! xo

    1. Thanks for your book review and especially the square poem blue bells ringing, birds hatching and so much action inspired by a colorful painting. The poetry form looks like a fun one. I love counting syllables! xo

  18. Oh, gosh, that book looks wonderful. Also, I’ve ALWAYS been amused by the name of impatiens — I loved that you played with that. Thanks for hosting this week!

  19. This whole anthology looks so great! The really big sea lions are out taking over now – between bickering, we’re seeing a lot of giant comrades napping, the noisy beasts. This is lovely. Thanks for hosting today.

    1. Tanita, I so enjoyed your post and for some reason I couldn’t post my response there. Anyway, I loved reading the lead-up to your poem about your calves. Perfect choice and your poem was delightful and truthful. It’s such a curious and often debilitating thing, women’s relationship to their own bodies and wondering if one’s body is good enough, if it fits in. Great post.

  20. Heehee, being patient is hard for both gardeners and writers! Thanks for all these poems and for hosting, Janice. I love your comrades and hake and the feeling of lolling below clouds and seagulls.

  21. I just made my way through the entire roundup and realized that I had forgotten to thank you for sharing these peeks into the new anthology and for hosting us this week!

  22. I am in awe of your “sealed” image & poem. What a stunner, from an ekphrastic collection that looks so creative. Brava a! for being included & appreciations for sharing in this generous way.

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