Walk on Ice
Tuesday Slice of Life : December 12, 2016. First, big wet, sloppy flakes fell. Then, the wind began to howl, driving the flakes sideways, changing them to little pellets of ice. The wind blew so ferociously that when my furnace shut off, the cold that had been...
Question Poems
Poetry Friday : December 8, 2016. A couple weeks ago, Kiesha Shepard on Whispers from the Ridge shared "Leaf Dance" followed by an Invitation to Write: "Have you ever wondered what objects would say if they could speak? I wonder about this all the time! I think about...
Mother to Son
Poetry Friday : November 25, 2016. My day had started with the car service picking me up at 6:45 AM. Now, after a full morning visiting classrooms, I slipped to Mr. L's office to eat a late lunch: part from the hotel breakfast bar--hard boiled egg and orange--and part...
A Smile, A Gift
Tuesday Slice of Life : November 22, 2016. It is early. The sun has not yet risen; windows are still black with night. Waiting at Gate A4, sipping a steamy, creamy morning coffee, I casually watch fellow passengers as they gather. That’s when I see her. She is bent...
Listen for Me
But most of all, I love words. Words that form shapes and splash color on plain paper. Words that slip and tumble smoothly off my tongue. Words that make music driven by the rhythms of my heart–
In the Morning
Poetry Friday : August 26, 2016. I never tire of the quiet peace of the early morning hour with its sleepy rhythms and sweet freshness. It is about that hour -- when one day fades to a memory and the next has not yet begun -- that I write. In the early morning When...
Is summer really over?
Tuesday Slice of Life : August 23, 2016. A week of August is left. But the squirrels have already stripped the walnut tree of its fruit and buried it. At least that’s what my daughter and I think. Yesterday we stood under her old walnut tree, looking for any sign of...
Dear Beautiful Friend
Poetry Friday : August 19, 2016. This evening, I collected words that family, friends, colleagues, and former students shared on my friend's Facebook page and wrote a brief eulogy. I felted comforted as I read and gathered their words and as I put them into the lines...
Bugscuffle
Tuesday Slice of Life : August 16, 2016. It's all Robyn Hood Black's fault and she has no idea. I read her Friday Poetry blog post last week. Bugscuffle? Really! I just couldn't let go of it. She'd piqued my curiosity. Now, if anyone reads any further and clicks on...
Poetry Notebook: Day One
Poetry Friday : August 12, 2016. I really like interactive notebooks. Many teachers I know really like interactive notebooks. I've used them for years in one form or another -- binders, handmade notebooks, or composition notebooks. Today is Poetry Friday. It is...
Madut
Tuesday Slice of Life : August 2, 2016. A text from the limo service was waiting for me when AA Flt 1475 touched down four hours later than scheduled. As we taxied to the gate, I connected with my Limo driver. While I waited for my bag, our texts continued. I walked...
Sittin’ on a Tennessee Porch
Poetry Friday : July 22, 2016. She waits Gently swinging back and forth Slowly sipping cool, sweet tea The air hangs heavy-- peonies lemon grass and magnolias Two butterflies dance upon a zephyr A brave cottontail hops close by Robins pull their breakfast And a...
Living the Good Life
Tuesday Slice of Life : July 19, 2016. It is one of those days. I clearly know what needs to be done. And I'm ready to get busy. Oversized sheets of paper are on the table. Colored pencils are sharpened. My notes are gathered. Some mentor books are stacked on a chair....
The Way
Poetry Friday : July 15, 2016. According to my journal, it was during my sophomore year of college. I do not remember the exact occasion, but I do remember being so taken by its message that I committed "The Way" to memory. It offered focus to many issues as I...
I must let go . . .
Tuesday Slice of Life : July 12, 2016. As I write this Tuesday Slice of Life, I find that sentences don't work. And feelings overpower words. My best is a rough draft. I doubt I will ever revise or edit it. In this moment, it is raw, like my heart. We gather And stand...
I Saw
Poetry Friday : July 8, 2016. In a crowd yet alone touched by many loved by none he called out. I saw Hope. Moved with compassion a man reached out his hand touched him. I saw Love. With body bent in broken desperation she touched his garment. I saw Faith. Sensing her...
Blueberries
Tuesday Slice of Life : July 5, 2016. In the early morning hours of the Fourth of July, I put on my berry-picking grubbies and headed into my friend's enormous blueberry patch. The air was heavy with cool dampness. Birds were twittering their morning songs. A rooster...
Sea Joy
Poetry Friday : July 1, 2016. Sea Joy Jacqueline Bouvier When I go down by the sandy shore I can think of nothing I want more Than to live by the booming blue sea As the seagulls flutter round about me I can run about--when the tide is out With the wind and the sand...
From Seat 6B
Tuesday Slice of Life : June 28, 2016. From seat 6B, I look out the tiny window. The flight attendant holds a tray of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in front of me. Although the aroma is tempting, I maintain control with a quick "no thank you." The man in 6A...
Writing Just Because . . .
Tuesday Slice of Life : June 21, 2016. Every Monday rolls around and I tell myself that this is the day. This is the day to think about writing just because . . . Not for a project. Not for an assignment. Not because I need a model for a lesson. But just because I...
Connect With Me