Poetry Friday 26-0501
#NPM 26
It’s been a happy National Poetry Month!
I celebrated Poetry Month by pairing quotes about poetry (Poetry is…) with images.
I shared one each day without commentary. Below are the last ones, those from April 25 to April 30.
But first, here’s a poem that I think will resonate with everyone who has been writing poetry
this month for an NPM26 project or challenge.
Thank you to “Rabbit Room Poetry” for sharing.
If I HAD NOT BEEN WRITING THE POEM
Renee Emerson
The laundry would be done and folded;
in fact, I would have made our own clothes
by hand, from sheep I raised myself. Yes,
the toys would be picked up, carpets
vacuum-furrowed, no dust feathering
each door and picture frame. The children
would obey the first time. I would not
even have to ask them to obey. My hair
wouldn’t frizz, I’d be thin. I wouldn’t
have forgotten, I would have been there
early, known what to do, who to ask. . . .
You must read the rest of the poem "HERE"
Renee Emerson is the author of the poetry collections Keeping Me Still
(Winter Goose Publishing 2014), Threshing Floor (Jacar Press 2016),
and Church Ladies (Fernwood Press 2023). She lives in the Midwest
with her husband and children.
Poetry is … Week 4
April 25
April 26
April 27
April 28
April 29
April 30
And finally, we are at the threshold of a new month–YEA for MAY– and I will be taking a long anticipated vacation at the Oregon coast. So I just had to post a favorite quote and a photo from the deck of our favorite house at the edge of the ocean.
“Everyone has oceans to fly, if they have the heart to do it.
Is it reckless? Maybe.
But what do dreams know of boundaries?”Amelia Earhart
This week’s Poetry Friday roundup
is hosted by Rose at Imagine the Possibilities
Thank you, Rose, for hosting,
where Alice Nine teaches language lessons that
Empower Students to Read and Write
LIke/Follow Alice Nine Academy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.nine.academy
I’m so glad you visited today,
and I do enjoy hearing from you!
Please share below.
Your comment will appear as soon as Alice Nine reads it.
Emerson’s poem is spot on. We can all relate, Alice. Sometimes I know I should be doing other things, but in the end, I come away feeling like I left a part of myself on the page and am satisfied.
Well said, Cathy! And, years later, it is satisfying to see that part of myself on the page.
Ah, that opening poem is spot on, lol! Love it. And these quotes are all deliciously good. What an inspiring month of words you’ve given us, Alice!
Thank you, Karen. Good to know you enjoyed the quotes.
Ah, what do dreams know of boundaries…yes.
And I love that opening poem!
Thank you, Patricia. Amelia Earhart’s quote inspires me.
These pairings are just wonderful! I’ve jotted a couple of my favorite quotes into my notebooks. I also really enjoyed the Emerson poem you shared and its wry tone. The title would be a great prompt. Enjoy your time at the beautiful Oregon coast!
I have to laugh every time I read that poem. Such a characterization. So many applications beyond writing a poem.
Renee Emerson’s vision of a perfect life is…interesting. Not one I would aspire to! I do love your quotes/images. You have a knack for pairing works and pictures! They would make a great daybook or journal!
Thank you! I have a “work” in progress. Thanks for the encouragement.
Oh, Alice, have fun on the Oregon coast. That image and Earhart quote are gorgeous. “If I Had Not Been Writing This Poem” is so fun. I can relate to some of those things!
Thanks, Denise. I am sooooo looking forward to waking up and going to sleep with the sound of waves.
Alice, your collection of poetry related quotes is most engaging and informative. I do like the Rene Emerson poem. it puts into words thoughts we have all entertained at some point. I once read in a book about the writing life that must be quarrantine time and be a little selfish in order to produce our respective truths.
Love that “quarantine” image. Thanks!
You had a really great month. The pairings were wonderful. I loved the poem you started with. It reminds me of the poem, “Dust if You Must”.
Thanks, so much! Yes, the two poems should be together in our commonplace notebooks.
Thank you for the great poem and the quotes, Alice. I copied my favorites into my notebook. Enjoy your time away. The Oregon coast is so beautiful, I’m sure you’ll be inspired.
So glad you enjoyed the quotes and found some to keep in your notebook.
What a wonderful poem — so true!! Thanks for more fab poetry quotes. Have really enjoyed them. Have fun on your vacation too!
Thank you! Ah, and it’s not just any vacation… it’s at the coast with a front row seat to the surf and sand.
Alice, I adored “If I Had Not Been Writing The Poem”! It makes me want to write one using that as a mentor poem. Thank you for sharing it and all the poetic musings this month.
Great idea, Tracey. I may try my hand using it as a mentor. Also check out “Dust if You Must” — similar theme.
What an amazing quote to end on. I love it! And, what a fun April project! It’s so thoughtful and provocative. Thanks for sharing your work. There’s so many beautiful definitions of poetry. The poem above gives me giggles. I don’t know why I, a mother of four kids close in age, decided to practice poetry…but Rene Emerson seems to have been there in the thick of it because, dang! She hit the nail on the head of what it was like for me. What a great read. Thanks so much.
Thank you, Linda. You would enjoy reading about Harriot Beecher Stowe’s homemaker conditions while writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin as related by David McCullough in his book Brave Companions. Maybe I’ll share some of it in a post sometime.
Thank you for sharing the Emerson poem! It’s fabulous and something that creative people can relate to. It’s impossible to do everything, and some things get left undone.
First time I read it, when I got to the lines “My hair wouldn’t frizz,” I laughed out loud — the idea that writing a poem would make my hair frizz. BTW, I know what it’s like for hair to frizz.