Our Host: Jennifer Guyor Jowett
I’m a poet! Who are you?
Are you – a poet – too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Let’s tell! They’ll celebrate – you know.
Inspiration
o, boy! I was thinking about how much writers love words and wondered if they loved letters just as much. I took a quick dive to c…er, rather, see what could be discovered and, g whiz, (too much?) came across some poems playing with the letter I: Sharon Olds’ Take the I Out and Kim Moore’s Loving the I. Let’s letter together today.
Process
Pick any letter from the alphabet. Think about its shape, its function, how else it might be heard or understood. Play with variations. See what might be discovered.
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.
Super late to the alphabet party with a ZZZ haiku.
zero to zenith, zesty
zephyr zigzagging between zones of fizzling,
puzzling, dizzle dazzle zen
Saba, I am zipping along reading this. So many fun words (full of zest). I felt myself moving my head in a z pattern with each line. So glad you made it and it’s only appropriate you ended our day with z!
This was a fun idea and I had much loftier ambitions for today’s poem — but then the day got away from me. I still am pretty proud of this sensory poem I wrote about the letter ‘o.’
Sens-O-ry
by Erica J
I see you ‘o’ — round as an ornament on a tree.
I see and marvel at the fullness of your form.
I hear you ‘o’ — the low moan before your operation
or the short stop upon realizing you hit a wrong note.
I smell you as I peel back the orange, citrus clean
and wish I didn’t when I chop the onion, clean cut.
I taste you at the start of the day with oatmeal or omelets
and the end as well with tacos or risotto.
Even now I feel your smooth curves as you pass over my tongue
and vibrate along my lips.
Letter “o” you are a surprise party every day
for without you we would have no ‘oohs’, ‘ohs,’ or odes!
Erica, your poem feels both playful (a surprise party!), starting with the -O- in the title all the way through (I formed the O sound to feel those smooth curves) right to the “oohs and ohs”, and elevated, honoring the O for all that it can be, very much like an ode.
I never thought about the letter “O” like this. It might be my new favorite.
I love this idea, Jennifer. Thank you! I’ve been thinking all day about the letter J, and this is what I came up with.
Transitional J
If you can fall in love
with a letter,
My love story started
with the letter J.
Jingle, jangle, jumprope.
That lovely hooked letter
Beginning my first name
Defined me from the start,
I loved its look and sound.
Jam, jive, jellybean.
The cursive J embroidered
on my baby blanket
That I fell in love with
And wouldn’t let go.
Jiffy, jelly, jazzy.
Taking that soft, safe friend
Everywhere I went
Up and down the stairs
To the park and back home.
Jabberwocky, jabbering
I was determined
i told my mother
I was talking my namesake
blankey with me to school
Junebug, jujubee.
My determined mother
Gradually cut my blankey
“Shrunk” it in the wash
I proudly took just the J to school
Jolly, jumping, jellyfish.
This makes me proud to be a fellow J! Especially as you have Jabberwocky in there – one of my favorites to teach. Ending the stanzas with joyful J words seems fitting, and playful – they are such fun words and make me love the letter all the more.
Thank you! When I revise – I will add the words joy/joyful. I cannot believe I didn’t think of those!
Joanne—love this — the happy j words in every stanza and the blanket story it told. Wonderful!
Love it, Joanne. My middle name is Jamar and the adjectives you’ve used could be me, too. What I like to do and what I like to eat!
Others are just wishful thinking. Thanks for sharing.
Joanne,
This celebration of you through your initial J tells me you had a joyful childhood, and I have an image of little Joanne swinging on that hooked J and cresting, always creating. But what this poem says to me, the epiphany inherent in it, is how we see our names, ergo our initial has so much to do w/ its origin story. I know that’s why, in contrast, I’ve never liked my name.
Thanks, Glenda – I love your reflective. Actually my childhood, while having moments of joy, were very stressful and upsetting to me. I overcame a lot. However, I do thing that J helped me have a jolly resilient sense of self.
My brother’s name is “Jake.” I will have to share this with him!
You are
my rod, if not my staff.
You’re both my rock and my roll.
You’ve been known to rain on my parade
and rage against the machine.
Rinse and repeat.
You
R
Ahhh, the circling back to the first words but in a new way is just perfect, Allison. I appreciate how rod and rock begin those two lines (nodding to each other despite different references). That gentle scolding of R, as if he’s a rascal, works so well too.
Allison, you sucked me in with the allusion to the 23rd Psalm, this released me with the “rage against the machine!. Love the rock and roll, too.
F has always appeared harsh to me
Maybe it’s the shape
Maybe it’s the words associated it
But I know for sure that the vowels and consonants following the letter
Will make the letter mean
F is used as an adjective to describe me
Female
Fortunate
Fun
Fantastically capable of completing tasks on time
F is also used as an adjective to judge me
Failure
Faddish
Frantic
Frustrated with my own emotions
But my favorite Fs are the ones that describe me from the perspective of my Creator
Faithful
Follower
Fervent in spirit
Fearfully and wonderfully made
So many wonderful words that come from F. And we can’t really blame the F if it’s the letters that follow making it mean, right? 😉 I love that there are so many positive ones connected to you and that they sandwich the ones that judge.
Jennifer, I love this opportunity to play with letters and words. I just wish poetry month were in June when school is out.
The ß
You know that weird letter
In the German alphabet
That looks like a groovy B?
If you sound it out,
It goes like this:
Eszett.
(ess -tset).
Actually it makes a
Pleasant hissing sound
Like the release of
Steam from the rice cooker –
Sssssssss.
You see it in words
Like Straße
And Fußball
And Blumenstrauß.
The spelling reform of 1996
Made it much less widely used.
Of course, there were protests.
Nothing is sacred,
I gueß.
Wow! I knew none of this. I truly always thought it was just a fancily formed B and now I’m just playing around with the sound, over and over again (I shouldn’t really be surprised at how German it makes the words sound but I am), which does indeed sound like steam releasing. Love this!
This is so cool! Thank you for an informative poem and the best last word ever!!
You did it, Katrina! I was asking how this assignment would work with those who speak or write another language. And you did it with another script! Cool.
I was thinking of the large number of students we have here in West Michigan whose heart language is written with accent marks that change meaning and with letters that I cannot even read. How would I know they’d completed the assignment correctly? I have to reveal my ignorance and just ask them! Oh well, teachers are learners, too.
Thanks for sharing and showing this assignment can work so well across languages and scripts.
My rainy day walk helped me pick some letters to write about today. But I was badly in need of some kind of structure. So I picked an Etheree (10 lines, building from 1 syllable to 10 syllables — or vice versa). Not sure I believe the marketing–but it is ubiquitous! Ooooh! I should have used that word in the poem!
In Three Letters
SLO
Letters
Iconic
Small town wordplay
How SLO can you go?
Plastered on walls/billboards
Imagine the possible
Puns, playful allusions, bad jokes
Alphabetic marketing reminds
This is the best place in the world to be
More on my blog: https://thinkingthroughmylens.com/2024/04/03/in-three-letters-npm24-day-4/
Kim, I had fun checking out your blog and taking a peek at SLOMA too. I can imagine all kinds of wordplay with slo but really like your “How SLO can you go” addition in your etheree. The shape lends itself to small towns (houses, roads, city blocks). Cool.
Kim, I enjoyed the Etheree and the use of the letters SLO. Your choice of Alphabetic marketing is unique. The humor part makes for an enjoyable read.
“Imagine the possible
Puns, playful allusions, bad jokes”
I’m laughing at the serendipity of us picking the same form two days in a row! Haha an etheree worked perfect for yours – and I love how you got your inspiration from your walk.
O How Confusing
O the confusion surrounding b and d.
d has a belly and the b has a butt.
b is stick and ball. c becomes d.
Students can check with two thumbs up.
Donnetta, I can just see all the littles with their thumbs in the air! Line 2 made me laugh. And I want to add in (after putting both thumbs up) that b is the head and d is the foot of the bed!
I forgot about that one…lol!
Lol. Donnetta, I’m sitting at my keyboard, holding my clenched fists up, thumbs poking skyward, and realizing for the first time ever, that, yes, indeed, my left fist is a b and my right fist makes a d. !! Is this like common knowledge? Does everyone know this!? (And I’ve also never thought of d and b as one having a belly and the other a butt! So funny!) Thank you for this!
Donnetta, I love how small but visual your poem is. I love how you visualized both the drawing of the letters and the hand motions you can use to describe them. Such a fun poem!
Donnetta,this is an interesting way to teach these letters. I have used bed to teach, with the bed drawn in-between the letters , however I prefer your take on it. Thank you
Wow! Another fun day playing with letters, words, and sounds.
Looks Are Deceiving
H – so upright and formal
with pointed edges and
4 right angles.
But, its sound
is a warm hug,
a deep breath out – huuuh,
a quiet hush in nature,
and a house full of love.
It softens its partners,
T and S to a
thhhhh and shhhh in
thither and shiver.
While I do not like the looks of it –
alone- H – or in my name – Heather,
I imagine the wind rustling its sprigs
in the moors of Europe and
remember with fondess, decades ago,
when I was nicknamed
the single letter H.
It softens its partners is such a great way to describe H! Thither and shiver are great, too.
Hey! How awesome that you are actually H! The shape reminds me of ladders and houses and all things solid and safe so maybe you can like it a little? I love that you gave us all the softness of the letter – in the breaths out and nature’s hushes and how it works to gentle its partners. But it’s that wind rustling along the moors that draws me in most – just lovely!
So clever, Heather!
Your poem conjures several strong emotions.
Your second stanza gave me such a sense of comfort:
And your last stanza conjured an intimacy of times past:
Thank you for sharing.
Your poem invited me into the letter H on so many levels! I felt as if you were holding a gem (H) up to the light and turning it this way and that, each facet giving me new understanding.
I loved “thhhhh and shhhh in
thither and shiver” and “its sound is a warm hug,
a deep breath out.”
Lovely.
A warm hug. So very true, and I do love what it does to the c and the s!
Jennifer,
Thanks for this playful prompt. I had a lot of fun adding to this list as I went about my morning routine. I admire how you made each letter into a personality. I especially liked u as “a third grader on a field trip” and “u lifts upward / arms raised to be held.”
Thank you
Thank you for the curve
of my Grandmother’s pie crust
crimped and made with Crisco
Thank you for challenging me
to climb rock walls, Cadillac Mountain,
and your close cousin, Katadhin
Thank you for the call
to be curious about causes
Thank you for the crunch
of gravel as I cruise along
on my cycling commute
Thank you for the choice
to be calm in a crisis
or call out colorful curses
Thank you for the chill
of Barton Springs
Thank you for the curls
upon my husband’s head
when he was younger
Thank you for the chomp
of carrots and cucumbers
Thank you for the chuckles
my colleagues and I share
about the comical comments
of our seventh graders
Thank you for chatty
Christmas cards
Thank you for the courage
of my cancer-facing mother,
never complaining
Thank you for the care
and concern of cousins
Thank you for every crumb
of my mother’s chocolate
chip cookies
Thank you for the community
and celebratory culture
of my classroom
Thank you for the cool
of a classic cocktail
Thank you for charm
of clever couplets
Thank you for the combination
of cat and cow
Thank you for the comfort
of cuddling
Thank you for the clash and clang
of cymbals
Thank you for the compositions
of Chopin
Thank you for the Canterbury
of Chaucer
Thank you for chunks of cheddar
and the cream of Camembert
Thank you for the chocolate of cake
Letter C,
You’re a champ
I also wrote about C. Our poems are so different. I really enjoyed all the treasures that C has given to you.
Sharon, so many pieces of your C note that invoked memories for me – Crisco crusts, chatty Christmas cards, cookie crumbs. I love the pairings you made in the cat and cow poses and cymbal sounds, the cheddar and Camambert (either I was hungry before reading and drawn to your food or you’ve made me hungry by drawing me to your food!).
I love how you honor the letter C for all it provides. It reminds me of prayer.
This was fun! Here is my poem “a pair, the letter P”
Poised, Purposed, Powerful – P
como un padre
pleasing, playful, patient … see?
A Proud letter, sixteen
Producing from clay
Poised, Purposed, Powerful – P
skipping past me, yippee!
tasting a parfait
pleasing, playful, patient … see?
Professional degree
Peak Performance day
Poised, Purposed, Powerful – P
quietly sipping coffee
supper; time to pray
pleasing, playful, patient … see?
passionate, Practical, free
a Poet per se
Poised, Purposed, Powerful – P
pleasing, playful, patient … see?
You must be perfectly proud of this poem. I can sense your joy and playfulness in each line.
The repeated endings make us see P all the more. I love your addition of Spanish and adding Papa into the center of that stanza balances the stronger P words of line 1 and the more rambunctious adjectives in line 3. Your pairing plays well throughout.
This is such a joyful poem! I really love the refrain of P and See–the alliteration and rhyme makes this feel like a song.
It was an absolute pleasure to read your poem! It gives me a newfound appreciation for the letter “p”. The repetition of the ending of “p–see” and lines like “skipping past me, yippee” and “como un padre” made it playful and fun to say aloud, too. Thank you!
This was a struggle for me – I was so impressed by everyone’s poems! But I tried to play along…
For Michael (F)inn
My funny, fantastical, fierce, fellow
Whose name carries the weight of a
family
history of Fs:
from Finnegan, and Fleming, and Ferlito
from Triple F farms
from flippant remarks to frequent hugs
from fingering the ivories after school
from first-born pressures
from family game nights
from fights with peers
from figuring out his place
from focusing hard on his schoolwork
from flexing his musical muscles
from forwarding his kind spirit
from frustrating tears and sorrows
from fascinating insights
from fixating on Gorilla Tag
from filling my heart with joy
from finishing our days with purpose
from all of this
to forever and back again
Sarah, I would never have known this was a struggle – the lines just seem to flow. I like that it feels like a new version of an I’m From poem while adding in the layer of all the words beginning with F. Such beautiful ending lines!
Sarah, this was so fun to read! What fantastic memories you have recreated for us. Fabulous!
I enjoyed reading this! I liked that “from” starts with F like Finn, but also ends with M like Michael.
Sarah, love, love, love — your poem conveyed so much of it! I can see how much creativity went into this — those “f”s! The verbs! And it just warmed my heart! Love this! <3
Sarah,
I also would not have guessed this was a struggle. I love the repetition and the range of images. Fantastic job showing us Finn’s personality. Sweet ending.
What a creative way to talk about F with showing us the history of your family.
Hi, Sarah. It is so good to see you here! What an ode to (F)inn you delivered here. Love the beginning where you list all the traits of your “fellow / Whose name carries the weight of a family.” The consistency with “from” allows to build up your son’s journey to a grand finale “from all of this / to forever and back again.” Skillfully done! Welcome to the #VerseLove!
from this big brother, I’m fixated with the fabulous of this fantastic fun of ffffffff, and “funny, fantastical, fierce” poetics. Go. Go. Go.
Jennifer, I am in love with this prompt and your poem! I let my mind go to my far reaching memories of singing the alphabet song. It hit me! I knew exactly what letter/s to use and I knew it needed to be for little ones to enjoy.
Ella
Ella Menno called me
Ella Menno had tea
Ella Menno is she
Four letters before P
Ella Menno won’t sway
Ella Menno likes Jay
Ella Menno makes way
Four letters after K
©Stacey L. Joy, 4/4/24
Ooh whee! I am playground chanting and kindergarten singsonging. I love that your letter(s) became a character named Ella Menno (so delightful!) and that we learn her position with other letters (an additional challenge with 4’s), all while fitting into rhyme. I don’t think I will hear the alphabet song without thinking of Ella.
Wow, these letters came to life in your poem! It’s nice to meet Ella 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
So fun, Stacey! Your poem evokes an innocent little girl learning the alphabet. I can just picture her concentrating in class, but then doing her own thing on the playground. Love it.
Such a unique way to combine the letters we all manage to smoosh together, and so much fun to read!
This is absolutely fantastic! I like how you took “LMNO” and turned it into the phrase Ella Menno. I can just hear my young learners singing the alphabet with your phrase.
I will be singing this in my head. I love the sounds and the way the letters look.
stacey,
This is so clever. My high school mind is jumping back in time. I’m thinking I’ll soon be welcoming an ear worm!
Stacey, I think you have the start of a story book here. It is so clever and catchy!
who else loves that Ella Menno P is personified here in perfection?
Ella Menno!!!yes!
Stacey, this is such a fun take on the prompt! I love how you turned the alphabet song into a character and also described the position in the alphabet. So fun!
Ella Menno will stay with me, Stacey! What a fun poem for kids!
Jennifer,
This was a really fun prompt. Thank you! I plan to add this to my Poetry Friday activities. My students will love it!
Love these lines in your poem: “u hold/everything inside,/hands cupping rain”.
W
does not hurry
but relishes the whooshing, whispering wind
& willow trees that bend and bend
Welcomes wanderlust and & wishes
& waterfalls that spill like crystals
Waves of crashing blue and windows through
Wardrobes and wickets
wands and wizards
words, wondrous
warble and wobble with
W
Tammi, this was so fun for me to read aloud and also to see. All those zigs and zags I the w make a nice sea saw foe the rhythm of words. Fun.
Yes, those words do warble and wobble with w. I am loving reading all these w words together. Beautiful!
Tammi, the wanderlust…..I’m with W for that reason and the wands and wizards! Well done!
Tammi, so glad you had fun – I could tell as this was fun to read! There’s a softness to the W that slows down words and allows us to linger that you captured in your first stanza with so many lovely words. I found myself playing with syllables and finger-forming w in the air while pronouncing wanderlust and waterfalls (that mimic the 3 in double u). Hope your students have fun too!
W is so cool presented by you, Tammi! I love the image and sounds of “whooshing, whispering wind & willow trees.” Most importantly, words begin with w too. Awesome!
I love the way the Ws roll around in my mouth, from wardrobe and wickets, to warble and wobble with. Thanks for this!
Your imagery here is superb! Love the waterfalls that spill like crystals, so vivid!
So many wonderful W words. I loves the sounds your words create.
Tammi, I love the alliteration you used with this poem. I could hear every sound you described and it weirdly made me appreciate the letter W. You also provided such pretty visuals. So fun, Tammi!
Jennifer, you crafted a superb poem with the vowels. A challenge , but I gave it a go.
Rise up to T
Rise up and taste
different types of tea;
apple tea, black tea,
cinnamon tea,
darjeeling tea,
many kinds of tea
a, b, c, and d
Turn on the T.V
ten golfers
tee off all
morning long
Wistfully recounting
to Titi
how three Ts,
were created
with twigs
in the tent.
Juliette, your title carries much weight for the actions of the T – I’m envisioning awakening (rising) for tea and also rising to tee-off, along with the shape of teepees and twigs and campfire building and all of the other t things that your words invoke.
Juliette — really love the rhyme and rhythm or your first stanza and the many facets of the letter T.
Juliette, so fun! I love the apple, black, cinnamon and darjeeling, and the a,b,c,d, (which I didn’t catch at first, but loved looking back and finding the abcs of tea). The last stanza fascinates me too. Fun!
I loved your beginning here, pulling together all the Ts. And then how it veers into new directions, so much fun! Thank you for your beautiful words!
I love how you move from a sing song topic/stanza, to the TV, and then to a conversation with Titi.
“C”
Two different personalities alternate-
peer pressure
influences which side you will show the world.
one soft, soothing and satisfying
other kickass, kinking, kingpinning
Your subtle, subdued sound sings
during your duet with
e, i or y.
Your French family bonds
genetically determined this for you.
When a, o or u
follow your lead
your aggressive nature rises,
hardness always present
when you are the final member of a word.
Your Anglo-Saxon English roots
ingrained this identity.
C – do you ever wish you had a
voice
of your own?
How grateful I am that I am pondering so much today! You carry the influence over C throughout the poem, from peer pressure to genetics. I’m reminded of Frost’s melting ice in all the soft C sounds of “subdued sound sings” in those French duets. I teach some history of English to the 7th graders and we consider how the Anglo-Saxon roots along with the Norman invasion influenced our language. Your poem illustrates this perfectly!
Thank you. I did a bit of research on C and learned about the French and Anglo-Saxon influences on its sound.
Cathy, your use of phonology (in English and French) is intriguing.
Thank you.
Absolutely love the way you have incorporated linguistic and language into your poem. The ending is just perfect!
Thank you. As I was writing the poem, it made me wonder what sound C would make if it has an independent choice.
Ooh, this was so thoughtful – I loved it! And how the lines could apply to us as readers too (maybe I’m just feeling the alternate personalities in me right now as I read this… is it also my aggressive nature?) Thanks for this!
Thank you. Since my name starts with C, I was thinking about my alternate personalities as I wrote this and which on my friends bring out different traits in me.
I am learning so much with letters in poems today, Cathy! As a linguist, I know about articulation, annunciation, when and how each letter sounds in any given phonetic environment. What fascinates me is the associations you draw, as in “Your subtle, subdued sound sings / during your duet with /
e, i or y.” Love the alliteration here. The ending of your poem also makes me wonder whether being a part of the whole ever allows anything (or anyone) be truly independent. Thank you for such a thoughtful poem!
Thank you. I really enjoyed thinking about letters in a different way today.
C certainly does have many personalities. I love the question at the end. You make me think of this letter very differently.
Hello, sister C-poet,
As you mentioned, our c-poems are quite different. Fun to see the different paths that we took.
What a cool alliterative language lesson. I didn’t know that the different sounds came from French and Anglo-Saxon. I like how you combine this history/language lesson with the personality of the sounds. I especially like the metaphor of “peer pressure” and
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. I discovered many things about the sound of C when I went down a rabbit hole yesterday
I’m 4 months pregnant & we recently found out our baby’s gender – here’s an alphabet etheree to commemorate our excitement!
XX, XY
Y
or X
just one sent
from him to me
determines the sex
first and second came an
X, but what came next? Inside
me a Y, a guy surprise for
our gang of gals – fate’s testosterone
gift for dad: a son to wrestle, to raise
The science geek in me loves the way you explained and rhymed the chromosome combinations for gender!
Oh, Rachel! You’ve brought the science to the fun and look what they created! What a fun form that starts with just one letter and builds up to a whole being (in 10 lines/months too). I’m imagining all the gender reveals that could happen from this. Congratulations on your upcoming baby! I’m sure all the girl gang will surround him in love.
Yay, genetics! congratulations!
Congratulations and such a lovely reflection on the power and implications of these two letters in imaginings of gender. “Gang of gals” and “gift” offer musicality in the fun of family.
Rachel,
Congratulations! The etheree was a great choice to convey your joyous announcement!
Congratulations! Love the way you brought in the gender reveal here with the letters!!
Congratulations! This poem is a great way to celebrate and remember this special moment in your life.
Love this–and love an etheree (yes, once again we picked the same form–what kind of coincidence is that?). Congrats on that boy-to-be!
Congratulations on a Y-gift to your family, Rachel! Such a sweet poem to celebrate a little guy.
Rachel,
Congratulations!!! I love it all and I’m so happy for you.
G
Gee is just grand
The way it curls around and holds
Out it’s hand.
Always offering help like an anchor
for letters like H and L and R.
It seems to be quite at home
ending words like running, and
in singing it sits
both middle and end–
Not many letters can do that with such grace.
The way Gee sounds, gosh, it’s great!
Both Gaga and Gigi agree,
Gee is just grand.
Jeania, you must share this with Glenda, who found less grandness in the G. Your beginning lines lure me in, curling and holding out a hand, which creates such lovely gestures for the G. And then you ground it with anchor and home, so nice. But it’s your description of its placement in middle and end that gave me pause to ponder the gentleness of the letter.
I like that it holds out its hand and starts words like Gigi and Grand! What a lovely rhyme and a keen glimpse into G.
Jeania — I just love this image “The way it curls around and holds/Out it’s hand”. G really does look like a curled hand. G has great affirmation words too.
Jeania, so fun! I love that you thought about where in the word the g was, and as anchor to h, l, and r. “Not many letters can do that with such grace” I am loving reading these poems, and I think we should make an ABC collection!
“Just Grand!” I love this ode to the letter G. Gaga, Gigi… My mother is now a great grandmother called Gigi. Just grand, indeed!
Jeania,
This is delightful. Dare I say, grand! G sounds much better the way you’ve envisioned it than it does in my poem. 🤷♀️
Hi again, Jeania! Your ode to G is gorgeous in addition to great and grand. “Always offering help like an anchor” makes it also noble in my eyes. Love Gaga and Gigi references in the end. Thank you for sharing!
I can hear your poem as I read it–love the G and Gee and of course, Gaga and Gigi.
Awww, how cute is this! I love these lines most and I’m sure all the poets here who have grands would too. I don’t have any G-babies but I have a G(great)-niece! 💜
How can we type
sans that one
letter?
Are we refused
to exclude others
absent a nameless
pronoun?
Would we change our
outook
only to be
flummoxed by
the blanked out
eye?
I see what you did there (and I like it!). That blanked out “eye” is everything. I appreciate the use of the unusual too (sans, flummoxed) – words that challenge students to uncover.
Eric, that was qu*te a challenge to type that up sans the letter eye! Clever poem!
I love what you’ve done here. I can see this as a challenge for students- having them write a poem sans a certain letter of the alphabet. Wait a minute, I’m going to try it first. Thank you!
Thank you for your clever poem with thinking about the absence of letters, too! I also love the words “flummoxed” and “sans” which gave it a next level for us to understand and then to dig deeper as a result.
Wonderful thoughts on i; I adore the misspelling of “i cannot pour from an impty cup”
Jennifer, I am sure this is a fun prompt for students to play with words. Thanks for hosting today.
Two Faces of M
M is moody
magical and menacing
madness, manure, masochists
a macabre mishmash making knees weak
but M can be magnificent
like mystical moonlight
marvelous mountains &
Mississippi magic
Barb Edler
4 April 2024
Beautiful Barbara. Love the flow and contrast between the moody and magnificent!
Barb, all of these m words make me go mmmmm! Seriously, the ratio of m’s to the 25 other letters makes this one delicious poetry bite. And I can’t decide if I like the dark side of macabre mishmash or the ethereal mystical moonlight – it’s like trying to decide between dark and milk chocolate!
I thought about a deep dive into M, since my name begins this way. (I am moody, lol) These M possibilities are a wonderful ‘mishmash’…such an array. I smile at ‘making knees weak’ – and I love the ‘mystical moonlight’. M with two points should have two faces, yes? Nicely done, Barb!
Mississippi Magic – the River of mystique! I always enjoy your river photos! Yes, those M words can divide up into 2
camps on either side of the letter’s ^ fencing.
Barbara, I enjoyed your poem, the way you started with “moody” Ms but ended with “magnificent” Ms. The antonyms separated the poem, beautiful.
Barb, I am currently visiting family in Mississippi. Not really feeling the magic, though. Maybe the magic of memory?
Barb,
I love all these M words. I see mountains when I see M but couldn’t think of how to traverse them. When I turn your poem sideways, I see M. Clever!
Barb, I will take the second side of M any day, and I live “Mississippi magic,” which we frequently enjoy. I also understand the world can’t exist without “menacing / madness, manure, masochists.” I also appreciate M for Mom, memories, and music. Thank you for this beauty!
My poem was about the alternate personalities of the letter C. Enjoyed your description of the opposing faces of M- magical and menacing.
Now, I am thinking how moody M is – melancholy, morose, miserable. I loved the words you used and the change to the marvelous.
Barbara, I love the transition that “M” makes in your poem, and who can resist “mystical moonlight.”
Barb,
This is fantastic! I think I need to try something like this with my class.
These lines should be in Susie Morice painting!
Kasey, i love the idea of writing about the tendency not to capitalize — which can be a more metaphysical choice than a lazy one. (Alright, with some kids, it’s a lazy one.). XD
Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer,
This was quite the mind bend. First thing I thought about when I saw the prompt is how harsh my name sounds, especially the /G/, so after some contemplation, I decided to explore that, and because I’ve long been interested in bibliographic studies and the evolution of letters, well, that took me places. I learned tons! Thank you for this prompt, and I do love being cradled in that U with you and this community. I could not get the typeset the way I want, but the Canva shows g w/ its ear.
Gstory
G, without you i’d be lenda,
oft misidentified moniker—
g, you’re a utilitarian little letter
hanging things on your open tail,
a chameleon with two fraternal twins, gap-tailed g & closed-loop g—
conceived in Old Latin as C’s variant
unvoiced /k/ whisper with voiced /g/—
like a middle child not alpha or omega, you embody an untold multivocal
history. your single-storied tail
closed the gap C left open & the
sequel inked your double-storied
loop-tail closed-bowl letter to
Roman type loves in its excerpted
short tale, making room for more lines
per page. your typed little g with its
upper right orbed “ear” invites letter
lovers to listen learn write & notice the dangers of knowing a single storied g
like that glottal stop German /G/ spitting incomprehensible names into the wind.
Glenda Funk
4-4-24
Here’s a link to one site I found about G and little g’s variants: https://www.typeroom.eu/the-elusive-mystery-of-letter-g-explained#:~:text=The%20letter%20'G'%20was%20introduced,sometimes%20looptail)%20’g’.
Whew, Glenda! The places you’ve been (today)! I felt the thrill of the rabbit hole deep dive as you explored. Why haven’t I thought to look into the evolution of letters before – it’s fascinating. Your writing reminded me of something I used to do with students about how paragraphing and reading changed throughout time and now I need to go back and find that. (I’m always reminded of lovely things when I see your name – glens and Glendale and my MIL, who shared your name).
Glenda, your poem is marvelous. I love how you’ve captured so many interesting insights about the letter g and how people may mispronounce your name. I love the physical descriptions and that last line is incredible. One of my favorite characters is Glenda, the good witch. Such a lovely, beautiful lady singing “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”
What a world of information you learned about g – and the poem shares it so marvelously with us. I am ‘hooked’ on your poetic explanation that g is “hanging things on your open tail” and that it has “upper right orbed “ear” – and this is fantastic: “lovers to listen learn write & notice the dangers of knowing a single storied g” Yes! Yes!
Glenda, you’ve been on the learn today! And I think the learning is like another joyful adventure for you! I like the line that without G you’d be lenda. I like the g with the ear and the closed loop tail.
And he falls in love with a poem after,
I was won over and I love this poem.
Glenda, thank you for the poem and an excursion through g-history. Separate thank you for the link! I learned about the letters and graphemes when I studied English in college, but reading about it here gives me so much pleasure. I will be teaching about written language in the upcoming weeks in Linguistics course and will discuss some of the interesting nuggets about letters. Like Bryan, I loved your poem from the first line! Long live Glenda!
Glenda,
This prompt also sent me on a typographical research mission. I love how you took the physical characteristics of the letter and related them to the historical significance and origins of g. It was such a clever move and it took the poem in a fascinating direction. And the “dangers of knowing a single storied g” is such a great line!
Well, Lenda, Ayle is thrilled to learn about the letter that sh misconstrued as boring! I am so sorry, g. You are absolutely Great!
Wow, Glenda, you took a deep dive into the letter g. I loved reading a poetic version of that history. It seems you thought of all the details of the letter. I like this: “a chameleon with two fraternal twins, gap-tailed g & closed-loop g—”
Jennifer, thanks for the prompt–this was fun!
I Wonder
There’s no i in team,
but there is an i
in imagination,
inspiration,
and innovation.
In ignorance,
insolence,
and insouciance.
I,
insinuating self-importance.
the i of the needle,
the i of the storm,
the seeing i.
1 of 1.
the middle of the map on your
i-phone.
Such a plain looking letter,
standing up for attention,
screaming for a serif,
and then looking like a
short, stout H turned on
its side.
It’s okay, I,
you’re always needed,
so there’s no need to feel
self-conscious. I promise.
You might be the “only child”
of the alphabet, but u
will always have a spot
on the team.
Love this riff on the letter “i” (I picked on I in my poem) So many great lines here – “You might be the ‘only child’ ” – Yes! “standing up for attention,” and then looking “like a short, stout H turned on/its side.” So clever, Dave! I am also reminded of my teenage son telling me, “Yes, Mom, there is no I in team, but if you rearrange the letters, you get ‘me'” Oh my, the letter I.
Hi there, Dave! Your many uses of I (needles, storms, seeing), along with those familiar phrases (no i in team) gets me thinking more about your line that i is the “only child” and how, perhaps, it is the only letter to look like a child. And then, I wonder if its the solitary stance of the I that causes us to have to build it up, reassure it, remind it that it’s ok. Really, though, its placement with imagination, inspiration, and innovation give it all it really needs, and I’m so glad you made us think of that, here, today.
Dave, I love the personification you’ve created with the letter I. You’ve captured a wide variety of attitudes and images. I especially enjoyed “short, stout H turned on/its side.” Fantastic opening and ending!
Dave,
Your poem is a perfect companion for Maureen’s poem. You both touch on I’s attention-grabbing style. I love the implied comparison/contrast in your two word lists. “screaming for a serif” is my fave!
I love your tribute to i. I have never really thought about how independent i is until you pointed out “there is no i in team” and it “might be the ‘only child.”
Let that seeing “I” do as it shallow do. Teacher, Poet, Literacy Leader, Scholar and magical igniter of the power of the educator,
I see u, and I see this poem
Dave, I have There’s no i in team in my classroom but now I want the rest of your stanza to accompany it. What a brilliant understanding for students.
And could the ending be any more perfect?
Bravo!!!! Team or no team!
Dave, this is great! Fun, well-crafted, just an all around clever ride! (And bonus points for working “insouciance” in!) I loved all the play here, especially in your third stanza: “the i of the needle, / the i of the storm, / the seeing i. / 1 of 1. / the middle of the map on your / i-phone.”
Jennifer, having been reminded so much these past couple of years about being alert to other languages and cultures, this poetry prompt took on new dimensions for me. I was thinking about the words that begin in English with or have in them theletter “M”,may begin with or have other letters in other languages. How would you recommend we adapt this lesson to take that into account? Just the word “grandmother! in other languages has such a range of spellings, shapes, and sounds that it would not work in my poem.
Mushy, Mushy “Me”
“m” is a pair, ready to share.
“m” is for mother and man.
It takes two to fulfill that plan!
“m” is arms reaching down to help,
Hugging the child who’s been hit with a whelp.
“m” is for Grammama. See the three “m’s”?
She’s the third generation and knows how it’s done.
She knows it takes more than just one.
“m” ends the word team to show when we start
Working Together Each Achieves More.
So, when you see “m” know for sure
That “m” also means that on this life tour
That we all can do better together.
Love the message here, Anna – we can do better together. I am particularly smitten with your observation, “See the three “m’s”?
She’s the third generation” about grandmama.
Anna, how delightful are those 3 m’s sitting in Grammama – of course there needs to be three for the third generation! I would love to see what students who speak languages besides English would do with this and imagine all that they could teach us. I’m thinking of the variety of accent marks (and how they change sound) and symbols (how the shapes reflect the words), even in how a letter that starts an English word might be completely different in another language and what we could learn!
This was a fun one to read, Anna. You’ve really embraced that M!
one idea due other speakers of other languages could be to compare their alphabet to English. Which letters might we have that they don’t and vice versa. Or they could write about a letter that is hard for them to pronounce.
XYZ
X marks the spot:
Sign here
X____________________
Tax returns, Loans, Medical documentation
Dates where no rooms are available at the hotel,
The concert seats that are taken,
Used to indicate a strike on a bowling scorecard
Y-O-U
Are the next contestant on The Price is Right
Y are you still here?
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u…and sometimes Y
25th letter of the alphabet,
The last letter of every day of the week
And 4 months of the year
Z is for the zebras at the zoo,
The symbol for sleep…catching some “z’s”
Last letter of the alphabet,
In chemistry, the letter Z is used to denote the Atomic number of an element
The “s” in use sounds like a z,
Rarely used in Scrabble,
Zimbabwe, a country in Africa
Writing a poem about XYZ
As easy as 1,2,3
Or ABC
Heidi, what a clever ending to your poem dedicated to those last three pesky letters. I loved your beginning just as much! While x marking the spot connotes fun, there are ever so many more x’s for reservations (I’m reminded of the sound on Family Feud for wrong guesses).
Fun focus, those last three letters of the alphabet. I sang out those last three lines!
Heidi, your poem would be a great example to share with students. It feels like a stream-of-consciousness list that all students could do. Loved the ending!
Wow, great job embracing the challenge of XYZ! I loved the chemistry reference in your poem – very clever!
Kasey, three good tries is all it takes to give it a go! I appreciate the balance between the title repetition and the final line. And finding that third repetition in the middle makes it purposeful. The individualism of the i and the insistence on not capitalizing it go hand is such a good pairing.
Hi, Jennifer! Thank you for hosting today. I adore letters and love how you wrote inside the vowels, to borrow from your title. I love that u forms “the soft curve of a smile,” and “hands cupping rain / not spilling a drop” is priceless. You are so precise with your descriptions.
I was in a meditative state most of the day. Maybe because recently we spend many days in clinics and hospitals with my husband, and I want some peace of mind. It needs more work, and I will go back to it later to play with words and letter more.
Taking You for a Morning Walk with Alphabet
As first rays of sun hug the Earth,
Bleak image of dawn is fast gone,
Come, witness the light’s birth.
Day’s promises, still unbroken,
Eagerly wait for their turn while
Feathers of wind brush our faces with
Gentle strokes of hope.
Hand in hand, sharing melody of peace,
In the silence of the early hours, we walk
Jotting down this moment in the memory of
Kindness softly whispering into the breeze—
Love lingers in every blossom, leaf, limb.
Morning energy fills our being,
Notice little things—tangible, simple—
One at a time, embracing each for what they are.
Promises may not be kept;
Reasons may not be enough;
Stars may be too high to reach, but
Things, you, and I are found
Undeniably present in this vast expanse of blue.
Vibrant colors of spring sing in tune
With each step, a new journey begins,
Xanadu exists for dreams to ascend.
Yearning for healing, let’s transcend.
Zest for life, in each letter we find,
A walk with alphabet filled with peace and calm.
I missed “Q” – Quality lack, what can I say? 🙂
*Quilts may not be patterned right
Oh, Leilya, I want to walk “hand in hand” with you through this morning poem with the sun hugging the earth and promises still unbroken. This feels peaceful and hopeful and a place where good things will happen. I hope your meditative state allowed you more reprieve and I’m sending hugs and wishes for all of you.
Ha! I didn’t even notice that you had missed “Q,” I was swept up in the beautiful and calming lines of your poem. You used so many meditative words – sun hug, promises, embracing, transcend, peace, calm, linger, simple…I could go on. This seems the perfect antidote to days of being in hospital and clinics; I hope your husband is on the mend. I love K & L especially, “Kindness softly whispering into the breeze—/Love lingers in every blossom, leaf, limb.”
Leilya, what a beautiful poem. I used to have my students write what I called an alphabet poem at the beginning of a creative writing class. You’ve created such lovely images on your peaceful, gorgeous journey.
Leilya, I just loved this idea! The momentum and flow when you got rolling g was magic.
Leilya, this is absolutely beauitful. I’ve read it several times for the celebratory calm it offers…your poem exudes gratitude for the gift of being alive. The poem IS a gift. I believe I love these lines best of all:
Come, witness the light’s birth.
Day’s promises, still unbroken
Leilya, what a beautiful meditation. Yes, here is to healing for your husband. “Yearning for healing, let’s transcend.” “A walk with alphabet” is indeed a peaceful journey when let loose like this. So beautiful.
Leilya,
Theres a reverent, prayerful quality to your poem. It makes sense given what you shared that you are reflecting on your relationship w/ your husband as you spend the day tending to his medical needs. Sending healing thoughts to you both.
Ode to Z
You are the shiver in a blizzard
But you zip up our coats
You are the pattern of three sassy snaps
and you mind your biz
You’re an outer space laser -ZAP! ZORP!
And as earthly as a pollinator’s sting zzzzzzZZZ!
You drizzle on chocolate
Zest a lemon for pucker
You jazz up the plainness
And yet, lull us to sleep
Love, love, love you ode to z, Emily! I have read the other poems about Z today, and each one presents it so beautifully. I like how you built up the poem in couplets finding the words that show the opposing sides of z, especially in the first and final stanzas. My favorite lines are: “You jazz up the plainness / And yet, lull us to sleep.” I think I am going to recall your poem each time I use or hear a word with z now. Thank you for sharing!
Emily, these contradictions are so fun with the entire pattern of the poem dashing back and forth and back again – much like the z shape. My fave is the “pattern of three sassy snaps!” though “shiver in a blizzard” is right up there too!
Beautiful! “the shiver in blizzard,” the “drizzle on chocolate,” so many wonderful z’s.
Yes! I absolutely love the dichotomies, z really is all about opposites! An ode–the perfect form for this poem about Z.
Why Y?
It is what it is.
Literally, y asks why
I can remember asking as a child
why we can’t spell some words with just one letter
why can’t b say bee or be
why can’t c say see
but every word must have a vowel
Or so I’ve been told – but do all languages have that rule?
first graders, and second graders too,
often believe that consonants have two sounds
like the letter b says /b//e/
bet for beet
or bst for best
y not?
y not ys?
This is a million dollar question, Kimberly! I don’t know “y not,” but I love your take on the letter “y.” Indeed, the way we pronounce letters and then sound them out in words differently is confusing for children. I think maybe in a couple hundred years people come to simplifying spelling. That’s what the history of language proves. Thank you for your poem today!
Oh! What a fun question! If our ideas are effectively communicated, then I agree, “y not?”
Kimberly, if only we could simplify the spelling in this language of ours. And now I, too, want to know if these rules carry over to other languages and am rambling through the alphabet looking for other possibilities (t for tea/tee, r for are)!
Toss in the shortcuts we use when texting, and you have one confused new reader! Love that you ask these thoughtful questions of y!
Ys, indeed, y not? I was considered a why/y poem today, and you have made it magical, so I’m glad I didn’t go there. The Why? ubiquitous question of childhood is honored in your poem. Well done!
It’s Mostly Ever Only I
I had pigtails.
I had a home sewn apron.
I was cooking in her kitchen.
I can do it myself, [annoyed]
I told my hovering mother when
I was nine.
I didn’t know
I would say it again ninety-five hundred days later.
Ninety-five days.
One six-month-old.
Thousands of diapers.
One second grader.
Hundreds of homeschool lessons.
One mother.
No father.
For ninety-five days
he didn’t show up.
Ninety-five days.
We moved on
like the traffic passing
an accident on I-44,
getting back to 75 mph –
we are going places.
Ninety-five weeks.
One two-year-old.
One fourth grader.
One mother.
No father.
Ninety-five months.
One seven-year-old.
One tenth grader.
One mother.
No father.
Who’s showing up?
I will – I do.
I can do it myself. [surprised]
This poem builds and builds, creating this tension about maybe this father will show up again. I kept returning to look at the math and see how the dynamic shifted over time, and it seemed to teeter into heartbreak, but then this steely resolve pops up in the last stanza at your own strength. I really loved this, and I’m grateful you shared this!
Amber, your resilience and strength are evident throughout, from the chosen letter I to the mantra of I can do it myself. I feel like chanting well-done and you go, girl after every stanza. The reflection of one in I and the play with days, weeks, months around 95 pushes me to reflect on time and space.
Oh my, Amber! Your “I” carries so much weight. as I read, I hoped for some relief and appearing of “you” to lessen the burden a little. I trust you will do, and I trust you can. I wish it could be easier. Kind wishes and thank you so much for this poem of strength and resilience.
The resilience of your “I” is remarkable. Each stanza, the workload gets harder and harder. What a stunning ending –
Bravo to you!
This is a unique prompt. Thanks, Jennifer. Here goes my try…
When I read, write or speak,
into Alphabetville I sneak.
First, I have a look around,
then take the letters I have found.
The ones that will express my thoughts,
or let me read the book I bought.
Hours upon hours I have spent.
contemplating what joined letters meant.
My life would be so lonely, be so still
without the population of Alphabetville.
I love how you create your own world of letters that you can “sneak” into! The escape at any level of reading and the meaning we get from it is really beautiful here.
Rita, how fun! This makes me want to spend time in Alphabetville, sneaking a peak at what I might find within all the letters and immersing myself in the books. My reading voice immediately fell into the rhythm and rhyme and had my head bopping along.
Rita, I love the sound of Alphabetville! Indeed the life can be lonely without this magical place. Thank you for this gem today!
Sweet town of Alphabetville! Love this rhyming pair especially, “First, I have a look around,/then take the letters I have found.”
Rita, very clever poem. I love how you used rhyme to structure your poem and to show the power of expressing one’s thoughts.
There’s wonderful playfulness with this, Kasey (including the title, which is perfect). I never thought of the stuttering “I” but it does personify itself that way (I dot my t’s and cross my I’s often). Loved the poetic nugget your delivered here.
Do not speak to me of letters.
Have we not supped
together at the
the feast
of literature
of stories
of poems
of words upon
words upon worlds
peaked, together,
the Mysteries
of the unknown?
Do not speak to me of letters.
Have we not stood,
cheek by jowl,
gasping,
together,
chorus like,
witnessing
the horrors
of Oedipus,
his realization
that he himself
decided to plunge
the brooches
into his own eyes
to blot out
the unimaginable?
So, please,
please,
do not speak
to me
of letters;
we are passed all that,
passed the mundanity,
the banality of all that.
We have
have we not,
at last, at long last,
partook in the taking
and the leaving
of Hamlet’s life?
We have shared
his last breath, and
the knowledge,
the secret knowledge,
of his final gasp
of the realization
that “this fell sergeant,
Death, is,
[indeed,]
strict
in his arrest.”
“Had we but world enough
and time”–
Um, yeah, totally,
absolutely, right,
I was just,
you know,
wondering
why I got
a B+
on my
last essay.
__________________________________________________________
Jennifer, thank you for this fun prompt and for your mentor poem! I loved your play with the letter “U”: “u form / the soft curve of a smile” and “u hold / everything inside” and “u lifts upwards / arms raised to be held.”
As always, Scott, you deliver a keeper…a teachable tale of poetic quandary and meandering (all because of the letters). I personally like the A- because it is an A with its tongue stuck out. I love the repetition, “do not speak to me of letters”, and the brilliant wink of that B+….love it even more considering you punch this essay with a poem!
Ba ha ha! There’s kind of a Seussian repetition, and yes, we can so get carried away with ourselves in the beauty and meaning of what we teach, and for some, it comes down to the letters, indeed. Oof – hilarious and true.
Scott, if only those darn letters could just go away so we could focus on learning for learning’s sake. I feel you, especially in the time the poem spends within the learning before it boils down to the grade, much like some students in the classroom.
So fun, Scott – um, um, please let me speak to you about letters.
Hahahahahaha! Let’s not talk of LETTERS, you little grade-grubber! This was fantastic!
Scott— your poems require as much scrolling as it takes to reach my birth year for online forms! So much to take in, and then the end…. Love this!
Oh! I love the last line!!! Almost like an I standing in defiance. I know how painful it must have been to not capitalize all those I’s!
Oh, Zed,
I wish I could
Call you that name.
Zed is tall
Proud, sharp, seamless
Patiently waits
But Z? Z is boring
Z pales against Zed
Oh, if only I was born
Across the pond
I love the way you compare Z and Zed. I also find amusement in z being boring when it also is the letter we draw when capturing sleep — clever!
Ashley, I love that you thought about the difference in zed and z, how it sounds when pronounced and looks when placed on the page. There’s so much personality in Zed (almost a character opposed to the initial z).
Zed has a much more stylish sound, yes ‘proud, sharp, seamless’ – wonderful detail to notice. Poor Z.
Ashley,
Love the romance of Zed and the wistfulness of
Because I’m feeling a little contrary today, I went with numbers instead of letters. I hope you don’t mind.
A Brief History of Nothing
By Mo Daley 4/4/24
In Mesopotamia somewhere around 3 B.C.,
Someone invented zero.
Let that sink in for a minute (6x seconds) or so.
Some (presumably) guy was probably lying around,
Enjoying the sunny weather, when he thought,
“These grapes are yummy.
I could eat 2x or 3x more of them.”
The poor fella had to have been furious
When his wife brought him a tray of just 2 or 3 grapes!
Another day, when he was feeling hospitable,
And quite proud of the newfangled bricks he used
To build his home, he likely invited a mate over.
“Do you need my address? It’s 1xx93 River Road.
You know the place, don’t you?”
His buddy was probably the inventor of the phrase, “Huh?”
So, our hero had to invent zero- a placeholder for nothing.
The rest, they say, is history.
Oh, contrariness becomes you, Mo (though I feel the need to type Mx here instead – ha! And yes, I know o is a lowercase letter and not a number but contrariness is inviting). Anyway, I love what you’ve done with the place”holder” here. How fun to add in numbers. And I learned a lot too. And from a woman 😉
All to the imps, the mischief of following directions in the poet’s way….I’ll not have that today….numerical brilliance! Mo is greater than Less. Sometimes I think the greatest writing (the Daley adventure) comes from the rebelliousness of, “oh, no I won’t”. But I will, and I do.
I just love it!
Mo, I love your rebellious nature today! Numbers are quite fine. The final two lines caught me chuckling:
“So, our hero had to invent zero- a placeholder for nothing.
The rest, they say, is history.”
Mo, delightful play on zero; I appreciate your contrariness. Best line for me- “our hero had to invent zero” – I just love that.
So glad you chose to break the rules today! I have always been fascinated that the zero was an invention. Your poem made me laugh!
K
K is known for its power
Standing alone it can communicate so much
K. I’m done with this conversation.
K. Don’t talk to me again.
K is known for its hatred
Put three in a row and immediately we’re reminded
of a time so bleak that we don’t need to be reminded
K can be violent
Kill, Kick, Knockout
Knuckles clinched
A Knife in the back
Keep Out of the way
of K.
But, K is known for its duality too
K gives us Kindness, Kittens, and a boiling tea Kettle
K promises to bring forth Karma to those who have misused its power
K gives us fuzzy Kiwis
and a long anticipated
Kiss
A Kudos to the chef
A chance to Know
A chance to Keep going
or maybe even growing
A Kinship
A Kid
A Key
I think K is OK
and something worth Keeping
Oh, I love this. K? But you Ks with the period after offer that full stop and rhetorical tone. Nice.
Sierra, I feel like K still has more to say and that I’d better keep out of the way! I love what you’ve done here – shown us the kicka$$ k and its other side to, the one with kisses and knowings. Your words are very worth keeping.
Amazing! I love the way you point out all the variations of K’s personality. This is a keeper!
Sierra,
I like the variety in your poem–both in the ways you use K as a sentence, initial letter and, tripled, an acronym of hate and the variety of positive and negative images you present.
This stanza is so powerful:
Sierra, I so enjoyed all of you Ks here and your subtle use of italics (and bolded words) to intensify your message. I’m also drawn to your rhyming in “anticipated” and “Kiss” and “Know” and “going” and “growing.” Thank you for this!
Z stands tall
A zigzag, sharp and true
Inscribed in pages, old and new
A letter seldom called upon
Yet passion winds
A power all its own
Zestful zephyrs
In every language, Z, speaking softly like a star
It ends the line, concludes the tale
A zest for life, it does imply.
A spectrum vast
A final flourish,
A closing note
Let’s cherish the Z
Its shape and sound,
It sets us free.
Rachel, this needs to be the final word, the parting poem, in a book called Alphabeticals (I’m going to get on that!). Every poem here today sings and yours is full of life and zip, and yet I’m reminded of zzz’s in your softly speaking letter and in the dreams that come in being set free. Just lovely.
I like the closing note of the cherished and shapely Z.
Rachel,such a lovely observation of Z as “speaking softly” and compared to a star. Such a letter as having a capacity to set free is an idea I will carry with me today. Z.
Rachel,
Z inspired me to day as well. I love how you use “zest” to describe it and emphasize the letter!
Jennifer, I have never thought of letting in poetry, but now I’m going to have to spend some time. I think the y has potential…but this morning I couldn’t decide. In your poem, I love the thought of u lifting it’s arms to be held, and the o circling the wagons up tightly. Your intro made me smile, too. Thanks for this interesting prompt!
a’s bobbed tail
b’s oft flip fail
c’s open quote
d’s half note
e’s toothy grin
f’s shelf built in
g’s beckoning
h’s reckoning
i’s reaching
j’s leaching
k’s a kicker
l’s a licker
m’s a mountain
n’s spilled fountain
o’s looking round
p’s feeling proud
q’s dainty
r’s fainty
s’s slither’s slow
t’s a compass rose
u’s embrace
v’s a vase
w’s two vases
x’s holding spaces
y’s the wise owl
z’s zigzag scowl
Denise! I had to slooowww down in the reading while my brain envisioned each letter, which I loved, especially in the imagining of the water spilling as an n and the punter shaped k. I can feel your play throughout the poem – what a treasure to ride along with you through the alphabet.
Whoa, Denise. You lettered your way through the alphabet. I love how all the apostrophes add a flourish like a 🎈 to each celebration. And your poem works to collect the sentiments of so many poems popping up in this space today.
Sarah
Boom. The whole dang gang. Perfect. Brilliant to share with students.
I’m in love.
This prompt is highlighting the “clever” gene in everyone. This is an adorable take on the letters, one that could easily make it’s way into a children’s alphabet book. Imagine the illustrations. Get on this, Denise. You have a winner.
I love the visual personification of this poem!
Denise, I am taking your poem to my students on Tuesday. So much wisdom here! I love each line, but the ending is epic:
“v’s a vase
w’s two vases
x’s holding spaces
y’s the wise owl
z’s zigzag scowl”
Amazing!
Denise, your poem would make a great children’s book.
What imagination, Denise! This is amazing. “e’s toothy grin” – I see this!! Then you coupled it with f with the rhyme “built in” …I see that shelf, I really do. Wonderful examination of playful details..”w’s two vases”…so great…I cannot decide which of your lines is most fabulous; the poem is astounding.
D
Having internet issues – will try again.
Whooaaaa, Denise – this is AMAZING! You are some kind of wizard! Seriously, this is magical. Every rhyming line mirrors the letter like some kind of spell…pun kinda intended, but still, it’s true. I think my favorites are “e’s toothy grin/f”s shelf built in”) – it’s perfect. I am just awed.
Denise,
Gurl, you have to be a skilled observer to come up w/ all these metaphors for each letter of the alphabet. This is not at all what I expected. Now which letter is bow? It’s time for you to step up and take one.
D is only half rounded
waiting for another D to make
her a complete, tranquil circle.
D holds a surprise
inside her tummy
because she is pregnant.
D can’t be pushed from her back.
She will tip on her belly and rock
yelling “Damn!” because
D won’t be able to get up.
Your last stanza make me laugh.
Susan, what fun this is! You’ve put D to action. I’m reminded of how maternal she is (though D would normally feel daddy like) as she find completion in another similar to her, brings forth a new one, and enters into old age. This is delightful (and now I’m realizing that I should have included a joyful word celebrating everyone’s letter – darn!)
Such a fun tribute to the letter D! The way you took D’s shape & made her come to life with it is perfect. The image of pregnant D tipping over & getting stuck on her belly made me laugh, too. Made me think of the “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” alphabet book. Thanks!
D does look like she’s late term! I hope she doesn’t get pushed over. So many fun D’s in here!
That last stanza!!!
How fun, Jennifer. I love what you created. I couldn’t narrow down so I went in a different direction. If you want to see what letters I was trying to describe, check out the comments.
squiggles and wiggles
a cartoony smile
a winding snake
a fishing hook
a birthday cake
a tool to dig
a tall flag pole
a claw to pinch
a digging mole
a chair to sit
another to face
a pair of humps
a strumming bass
lowercase letters
to many they seem
but to my little eyes
they help my brain dream
~Susan Ahlbrand
4 April 2024
u, z, j, o, v, l, c, p, b, d, m q
This was cute. I imagined it as a children’s book!
Love, love, love this Susan. This would make the perfect game for littles (and tallers) to guess the letters (I guess most correctly but a couple stumped me, until I saw the letter!)
I agree, this has the solid beginnings of a children’s book! I was trying to guess the letters and that was half the fun.
I “see” each letter, Susan! This is so adorable. Thank you for your visual mind 🙂
Today is one of my best friend-from-high-school’s birthday: Donald Tubbs. We affectionately called him the triplet (yes, I’m an identical twin). So, today’s poem is for Don.
S for Lefty
There is a certain curve of the road
that reminds me of you–
takes me around and over things
I haven’t seen or felt the momentum from
in quite some time.
It is a gentle winding;
a snaking back and forth
that somehow seems to end
parallel to where we began.
The next time I see you
we will mention
the curve of our separate roads
and how it brought us home again
on roads running in the same direction
just from a distance.
Whoa, Keith! This is exquisite in its form, wording, meandering, and meaning. What an honor for Donald, to have such a triplet as you, one who can eloquently share the depth of the friendship. You have me traveling that S right there with you. Just beautiful.
It’s the last four lines for me,
Two roads diverge in the woods….and yours make all the difference. Love the bro’ love to Triplet Don!
Keith the title is intriguing and makes me wonder if your friend is a lefty or if maybe Lefty is a nickname. Your poem resonates with me today. I’ll be traveling to my hometown for my brother’s wedding this weekend, and we make that five hour drive today – – and place is such a harborer of memory. I carefully chose one of my late mother’s necklaces to wear, one she wore back in the 1970s on a pretty frequent basis, and I also chose a dress with a flounce top, the kind she used to make for me on her sewing machine. I’ll be traveling those roads – – Kings Way, Ocean Boulevard, Mallery Street, and Magnolia Avenue – – and remembering with every curve the bike riding we used to do, the puttering around in our old Volkswagen Squareback I learned to drive on, and crabbing off the pier. We’ll gather in the same church where my dad was/is minister for three terms there, where I was baptized, where my mother’s funeral was held. That line…..
takes me around and over things…..how it brought us home again……precious, precious feelings!
Keith – I love everything about this! Esp the curve of our separate roads… what a lovely tribute. S
Keith, this is a precious meandering S through memories and life. I think we can all relate to “the curve of our separate roads” and memories of relationship that have changed over the years. Happy birthday to Donald.
Lovely poem, Keith! Definitely gave the feel of gentle winding. Beautiful tribute!
What a beautiful poem. It reminds me of a recent meeting I had with a friend I’d not seen in fifty years. I love the line, “a gentle winding,” The last three lines speak of the promise of future meetings. I hope that for you and Lefty. I hope that for my friend and me.
I love this poem of friendship and love. It perfectly encapsulates how old friendships that endure really do come together again – but from the distance of separate lived experiences. You do this all while also describing the letter s.
Oh, Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer. This was a radically cool challenge and I thoroughly am overjoyed by having the opportunity to be silly & creative this morning. This prompt is everything. I most definitely became a ‘third grader bounding on a field trip’ (if you know, you know. I chose the first letter of my name, but decided it would be more fun to make it disappear. Here you go.
just let it…
.r. crandall
i know what you’re saying
“oh, great, another odacisous
ona fide ohemian rhapsody
from ryan ripley crandall
it’s true. I don’t elieve in love like Cher,
or eauty & the east — nope,
illie jean is not
my lover, but i’ll sing
rown eyed girl, any day,
as I eat around the ush –
rrrr, I think it’s cold in here,
there must be some pressure
in the atmosphere.
nope, i never was an omshell,
even when given the
enefit of the dout.
it’s always een
ack to the drawing oard for me
ack to square one,
so, i just lets it e,
arking up the wrong tree (woof woof)
eatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
no abe magnet here.
i’ll just ite the ullet
to ring this poem efore you –
an ackseat driver.
ringing home the acon
yes, i’m ad-ass, froggish itch
(translate: he’s an idiot)
the ol’ ait & switch
cuz whatever will e, will e
Ravo, Ryan! It’s funny how that disappeared B just magically appeared through the reading in my head but even funnier were the ountiful oh-so-familiar phrases feeling not so-oh-familiar. As much as I laughed out loud at the ad-ass itch that you are, I adored that last line, especially in our letter play today.
Ravo, Ryan….sounds like Scoobie Doo responded to my post. I LOVE it.
Bryan, this is so much fun! I am truly inspired by how you did this poem, and I might try a similar pattern, if I may. Thank you for your beautiful words! – S
This was TOO fun to read, XD
This was really fun to read and a clever take on the prompt.
Bryan, or should I say *ryan?
This is a hoot, *ut I promise I did not read your poem *efore writing mine. Of course, I’m thinking about where we would *e w/ out your * or any of our letters!
I think this is rilliant! The idea thoroughly entertained me straight out of the gate..and I marveled at the ease with which I could read these increasingly hilarious lines. I found myself rolling on the floor laughing ’til I was lack and lue – can’t even pick a favorite line ecause I love every single it (egging your pardon for imitating, ut isn’t it the highest form of flattery?)
Ryan—so many things to love here. Ut it is too hard to pick just one it of your eautiful poem!!
Jennifer, thank you for the prompt! This one was fun to play with!
J
J jockeys to be heard
Before the children’s chorus of
“Elemenopee!”
Soft “juhs” evade young tongues,
Often turning to guttural G’s.
Jordan’s become Gordon’s
Yet, see how it gently scoops I,
Beckoning us to juggle, no, to
Get hooked on these phonics.
Because once we have that flow,
We can jive, jam, jabber, jape,
Join together to our own beat.
Oooh! I’m glad you took on the J – you’ve hooked me with your poem today, from the chorus of middle letters (my fave until my next fave appeared) to the gentle scooping of the letter prior (which became my fave after reading further) and all the jumpin’ J words. Very happy to join you on this journey!
This is so fun in the sounds and the way your words show the embodiment and humanity of letters living in juhs a gutterals. No AI in these.
The early literacy teacher in me LOVES these lines:
Soft “juhs” evade young tongues,
Often turning to guttural G’s.
I love that “once we have that flow…..” because I hear the song The Glow from the movie The Last Dragon. I loved that theme in that show, and you, with the flow, have me singing your poem to The Glow. I like that there is a beat here, a rhythm, a pull to jive and jam.
I like J. There is some kindred to G which gets pronounced like a J or an H in Spanish. J hooks me and beckons me to pronounce correctly. There is Jamacha Blvd. near where I live. Everyone gets it wrong. In this case the J is silent. Hee!!!
Jordan, this poem jammed! Loved the sounds in it, especially:
““Elemenopee!””
Jordan! What a fun one! This takes me back to my days of being in a preschool classroom. I also like the images that come to mind with the line “We can jive, jam, jabber, jape”.
Article
a is not a the
does not name a particular
thing or way or narrow
a seeing or feeling or connect
your imaginings to mine in
a that or this or these that
I or we witness together but
a can name the vague
inclusive of any iteration of
a memory that is close enough
a hurt almost like I know
a love my heart echoes
a grief cavern holding space
a poem-making of letters
Sarah, you are in this poem, in the inclusivity, the heart echoes, the poem-making (that last line is a title, I think, of some future tome). Thinking of the letter as an article, indefinite and vague, is a great spin, another layer, and just the kind of interesting thinking that I love these prompts invoke.
I’m recalling my happier days with Fonzy, here…..aaaaaaaaa! I’m applauding your poem, too, because the prompt (thanks again, Jennifer) elicit an e.e. cummings quality to how poets respond. Will definitely tuck this poetic challenge into my front pocket. All of this is to say, I’ve read through this poem, Sarah, several times, because I love the rhythm, the oddity, but mostly the play.
It’s a love of language and I love that.
Sarah, these words really speak to me this day:
a love my heart echoes
a grief cavern holding space
Thank you for your beautiful poem, it inspires me!
Sarah, I loved how this entertained the nuance of “a” vs. “the.” The kids are always kind of surprised to think about it this way in class, since we often take those little words for granted as interchangeable. XD
I particularly am enjoying the flow of the poem with the lines “or connect / your imaginings to mine / in a that or this or these that / I or we witness together”.
Sarah,
Yes, “a can name the vague.” This morning as I thought about today’s prompt I considered choosing a or the, noncount vs. count nouns in the parlance of transformational grammar (I’m reaching back a long time.) Learning the nuances of these articles was revolutionary all those years ago.
A Tribute to S
The curves and circles within the letter
make me think that c wishes
it could be in an S
but maybe it
wasn’t bold enough to stand upright
and handle the complexities of the letter
S symbolizes strength, serenity, the significance
of women, scrumptious, sexy and sassy
When you put an uppercase S in front of
letters, it hovers over them, as if saying,
” look at me, my arcs, my capital height,
my diametrical openings…..”
I change quantities.
Plus I’m the beginning of one of the
most eloquent and multifaceted
cuss words that exists.
April 4, 2024
Seana, these letters are taking on their own personalities today and S really brings it (while C lags behind, poor C). You owned me right at the start and just built from there with all the symbolizing and self-awareness that S offers.
Oh, Seana. This first stanza is quite sensual in my reading. You are embodying these letters, personifying the shape they have lived in and giving them a wanting. Wow.
Sarah
Seana, Brilliant. I love that you are creating word envy,
And the muscle here. BOOM,
Wonderful response to this prompt!
This is thoughtful! It’s reminding me of about a month ago when my 10yo son ordered a drink at Starbucks. His name is Silas, but they spelled it Cylis. That C…wanting to be an S. If I remember, I might read him this poem later (if you don’t mind) and see what his response is. I’ll wonder if he remembers what I remember, or if there is another part of the poem that speaks particularly more to him since S is a pretty big deal for him.
Seana,
I’m imagining S reading this poem, filled with pride to the point of gloating at
Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer, I love how your poem has a double meaning behind the letter u. Thanks for this quick prompt. I went straight to my favorite letter.
M is for miracle,
mountain of twin peaks,
how mothers are made, become Mamères
watching a boy learning to write his name-
“up, down, up, down”
ride the pen roller-coaster
how calligraphic M wears a fancy dress
to the letter party.
Maybe M moves mountains,
makes miracles, but most of all
M glows in the heart when your child mutters,
“Mom, I missed you.”
Margaret Simon, draft
Margaret, “the calligraphic M wears a fancy dress” is a beauty of a line – I want to be at that letter party (though J doesn’t look quite as fancy, it is a bit freeing). I can envision kindergartners all smarted up for this kind of event. I love your humor and the sweetness that comes from that last muttering.
I’m with the others…the ‘calligraphic M’ wearing a ‘fancy dress.’ Perfection.
Margaret, the Mom and Mamere and missing you tug at my heartstrings this morning! That pen roller coaster for M is fantastic, and I love that you have a boy learning to write his name in here. I’m imagining this might be one of your grandchildren. Lovely!
Oh, Margaret. This is wonderful! The calligraphic M in its fancy dress illuminates the poem, but the last line says it all!
Beautiful poem. I loved your last 4 lines, especially – the mountain/miracle coming back from the beginning & the sweet resolution. I can’t say I’ve picked a favorite letter, but I might borrow M too 🙂
Jennifer, what a terrific, inspired, and unique prompt! I’m home on a “power outage day” off (we have power — school doesn’t — can it get any better??), and when I started to write, I…kind of went off on a tangent that I hadn’t expected! The Muse had me in her clutches. XD.
I loved, loved your poem! Can’t even pinpoint a line or lines I loved because the flow was just so beautiful, honoring those chosen vowels. Your imagery and metaphors were just perfect.
A Woman of Letters
My weary eyes do graze the page
as writers strive to set the stage
with letters loopy, fat and thin:
Let essay reading now begin.
Some are scrawly, stilted, haunted
as author’s craft is wrongly vaunted
(“Wait – did Gatsby kill…himself?
Grab that book from high on shelf…”)
And Hemmingway in error doubled
(His doubles always did start trouble…) –
Other letters, still, are squat
With bubbly, rolling, roiling fat –
Like joyful babies, letters burst,
each essay wishing to be first
to dazzle me with great insights –
which I’ll correct with bold highlights –
Then there are fonts appearing typed
as if AI had human wiped
from seated place behind the sheet
to claim its throne with style petit
(Tiny, letters, blocky neat –
I weep for easy-reading treat):
Oh frabjous day, aside I’ll lay
My reading glasses near and bray:
“No more essays! No more hooks!
No more misread school books!”
Those dear, sweet kids I’ll sorely miss…
But squints at writing? Won’t miss this.
Haha, Wendy! Your writing I adore today (the rhythm is still with me). I felt drawn along the writing journey, happily bounding forward through all the handwritten fonts with more frabjousity than you likely felt (oh, how I can relate to this). You’ve made reading essays fun, at least for the poem readers who sat beside you). This is a true delight!
This is so teachable, Wendy. I hope you share with students and colleague. It’s a poetic confessional and I loved every line!
Wendy – YES! I love it, and boy does it resonate with me… OH FRABJOUS DAY, let us exclaim it to the rooftops!
Wendy–oh frabjous poem!!! I smiled and then smiled some more–recognizing each and every one of those essays! I think my favorite stanza was this one–
Like joyful babies, letters burst,
each essay wishing to be first
to dazzle me with great insights –
which I’ll correct with bold highlights –
I miss the teaching. I do NOT miss the grading!!!
Haha! XD
Thank you for this prompt, Jennifer! I like its simplicity and straightforwardness along with its ability to be so adaptable.
Here’s an homage to the first letter of my name! 🙂
The Way of the “L”
L for the way
it loops and twists
to be the most lovely letter
L for the way
love takes root
in people’s hearts
L for the way
people like to say
”take the L and
move on”
L for the way
heartfelt letters rest
in their desk drawer homes
L for the way
a look can send you spiraling
out of fear or excitement
L for the way
a landscape unfolds
in farmlands and hills and valleys
cradling its people like a lover.
Larin, W for the win here today! I love that the L soothes from the very beginning loops all the way to the landscape unfolding and the lovely rolling over the hills and valleys. Each stanza felt soft (even in the L movement I envisioned in the fingers to forehead movement while taking the L).
Larin, I love the direction you took this in! Creative, and I loved how each stanza was its own little story-picture.
I’ve always loved the way L looks in cursive – looping & twisting – and the way you can make a chain of cursive L’s together. I love all the “l” words you chose to incorporate – loop, love, letters, looks, landscapes. AND I also love your form & the repeating first line – it makes your poem sound like a love song. Beautiful!
Jennifer–this was so much fun! I have always felt that letters have a certain personality–G is really boring, by the way–but I agree that U is a very uplifting letter (sorry–I had to do it), in all the ways that matter. Your poem was an inspiration. I will sit on that 3rd grade bus with u any day!
…but the Q can’t stand alone
I was wandering through the alphabet yesterday,
saying hello to my old friends–
Good old affable A, unpredictable C–
(you never know what her mood will be–cautious? cynical? chiding?)
I moved along, avoiding the bully, K–
(fricatives are so aggressive, although they are helpful for cussing)
LMNOP always seem to stick together, and have formed a do-wop group.
(good harmony, but their lyrics are repetitive)
Q stopped me and needed to talk.
Again. He always does.
His best friend, U, is hanging out at the end of the alphabet
with his loser buddies, VWXYandZ.
(Have you noticed that few letters want to stand by X or Z?
There must be a reason for that…)
Anyway, Q can’t go out alone, and U has been avoiding him.
Perhaps it is Q’s questionable odor–he lives in a quag, you know.
(I must admit it makes me a little queasy, but he can’t help it.)
And Q is known to be a bit of a quidnunc–
always gossiping about the quintet that lives next door.
(L, M and P Nattered On about that to me on my last stroll)
It might be that he is so darned querulous–
U has complained that he can’t find any time to be alone when Q is around,
and I have to agree. Q does seem to have a quirky, possessive quality to him.
I commiserate with Q, but have little to offer.
U should be allowed to hang out with his other friends sometimes.
He is an unusually adaptive fellow, blending well with the other vowels.
He moves smoothly between most of the consonants
(although I seldom see him with K–he does have good judgment there)
U deserves a life of his own!
Q just needs to become more flexible,
work on developing his qi so that he is not so dependent on others.
Gayle (boring G) Sands
4/4/24
G whiz, Gayle (never boring!) – you or the letter. I adore this. Absolutely everything about this, from the narrative to all the letter personalities. I read this with a big smile that kept getting bigger and didn’t want it to end. I’ll never hear the alphabet again without that do-wop group sounding. This is a delight!
Gayle, I love the playful way you speak of these letters as if they are your friends, the people you spend time with every day. What a fun mash of words!
hey Gayle – a boring person would never write anything as clever as this! Brilliant! You had me laughing all the way through
Gayle, this is just a gem of a poem. I laughed at the fricatives being good for cussing. This is the part I love most that personifies that Q
Anyway, Q can’t go out alone, and U has been avoiding him.
I don’t blame U, but I do wish that when I play Scrabble, it would make an exception and come to the party with Q, because those points…..those points…..when on a triple word, my goodness!
Gayle, this poem was anything but boring. I loved the attitude and voice. And those parenthetical statements are so clever.
That loquacious Q, tongue always dripping with non-stop gossip and conversational bliss. This poems is so much fun, Gayle (gorgeous G) Sands.
Marvelous!! I am trying to think of words with Q and x y z, lol. There aren’t too many !! They really don’t hang out – “(Have you noticed that few letters want to stand by X or Z? ) “Your aside has me chuckling. Great fun, Gayle!!
Gayle, this is priceless for a dozen reasons at least, beginning with the beginning, wandering though the alphabet… LMNOP as a do-wop group (it’s true! They ARE!) with repetitive lyrics…oh, your wry observations are just a riot! Quidnunc?? That’s new vocab for me! I could go on but just know that every single line is gold…and yeah, Q really needs to back off so u can hang out with more friends…maybe just not eating kumquats, as things might get super strange with Q AND the elusive K…
G is not boring, my golden letter-neighbor friend!
Gayle,
G boring? Ouch! 😬 I’ve always thought of it as harsh when lounging next to L, but in your name you have that lovely lilting blend of ay next to G. In your poem I see the alphabet as a middle school full of cliques gossiping and ostracizing some letters while the popular letters congregate. Very clever my G friend.
The World Would Be A Better Place
take the I out
I beg you
take that big steel beam I
the all about the yo
the insistent incessant trio
me, myself, and I
and replace it with
we
or
all of us
or even
you
imagine a world
where everyone
holds the other
what do you need
instead of
what I want
if this is too much to ask
might you discard
the big glaring
I
am the only one
with Lucille’s lowercase i
remembering
how small i really is
how i am in the midst of
how we are in this world
together
Maureen, I can imagine this world, in all its love – “where everyone holds the other” – such a beautiful image. I see you building it from the many I beams, each one supporting the next, held within the cup of you.
Maureen, i LOVE THIS! I’m cheering the exclusion of I. Agreed – – this world WOULD indeed be a better place without the magnifying glass at ten times power on I. I love a lowercase i in poetry. And it fights me every. single, time, you know? When i try to make it stand alone, the computer comes to its defense when it tries to stand its ground that it should always be capitalized. idiot i.
“imagine a world/ where everyone/ holds the other” hits hard this morning as I selfishly hide out for my me-time for writing. You gave me much to think about.
Maureen, this was a beautiful call to action! Loved these lines, especially:
“take that big steel beam I
the all about the yo..”
(Loved the double meaning of “you” that I read into this…)
Lovely sentiments; agreed. <3
*yo
I suppose (there I go again) the letter I is a steal beam, Maureen, and I love
It would be interesting to have a world of “We/Us” pronouns. The W is two V’s…wonderful, wild, worldly, womanhood. And women have always represented the truest warriors for what it means to hold life in their hands. Maybe W is the bracket that secures and strengthens the I. Phew, Jennifer Guyor-Jowett. You see what you’ve done : )
Maureen–bravo! This–
“imagine a world
where everyone
holds the other
what do you need
instead of
what I want”
If only this could be true…
Maureen, I love how you show a world that holds each other up. Working together seems more important than even. I love your opening direct voice and how you end on the word “together.” Powerful!
The world WOULD be a transformed place of true love and selfless beauty sans that letter (my response seeks to not use that letter)… such a a powerful message, Maureen.
Maureen,
This is the best poem. It is truly amazing. Yes, “take the I out” and replace it w/ a little one or better yet w/ “we.” Remember that song “We Are the World”? How far we’ve strayed.
Oh, wow, what a powerhouse. I’m so glad I came back tonight to read some more. This is such a wonderful message–humility and love and WE. Thank you for writing it. This is a lovely pairing with your poem from yesterday. You are on a beautiful roll.
Jennifer, this prompt was exactly what I needed this morning. Sometimes the topic fits the form, sometimes the rhyme works here but not there, sometimes it’s a match made in heaven between this or that, but today’s prompt is the match for my soul. Your O circles wagons OF COURSE got my mind spinning on the farm…..I looked at the keyboard, and lo and behold, there is a whole farm right there. Thank you for this gift of a prompt! I strung Haikus for a stanza’ed Acrostic, but it won’t format the way I wrote it, but here goes:
RELAXing on the Funny Farm
R hangs out in the
barn, his back against the wall
relaxing cowboy
E stalls two horses
or goats or donkeys or mules
safe from elements
L stands firm, holds reins
hitching post for keeping us
right where we belong
A swing for sweethearts
porch side sunset views, sweet tea
two-strawed Mason jar
X makes a manger
to feed all of God’s creatures
manna from Heaven
Your letter visuals are spot on – I see that relaxing cowboy, that swinging A…delightful, Kim!
Kim, I see a picture book in every haiku (hint, hint). I love the idea of a farm found in QWERTY. The relaxing R not only visually appeals but all three lines soothe and rest – just as R is meant to do. I can picture you drawing each of these (like Fran’s child in school), making the letters into images.
This is a wonderful combination of forms, showing me to experiment more this NPM and stray from the barn (so to speak). I love how each stanza creates a very clear image.
Kim, I am such a sucker for structure in poetry, so the way you unite your imagery under these haikus is just magical! As said before, the imagery of the letter is spot-on! Love the lines of “porch side sunset views, sweet tea/two-strawed Mason jar” that play with the alliteration of s to create rhythm within the haiku.
Kim–Perfection! Letters as life. I want to sit on that swing and have a sweet tea with you!!
Love the wonderful appeal of your “RELAXing on the Funny Farm”. I could use some of that sweet tea right now.
Kim, I absolutely love this – it is a treasure hunt of objects, culminating in that manger. This poem is what I need right now – the message of “relax”, the letters as elements of this farm scene – it all feeds my soul.
I love how you looked at the keyboard and found these beautiful images. The swing, the manger, the cowboy leaning against the wall. All so lovely!
Jennifer, what fun! I giggled my way through your words. You added so much joy to my morning!
Queen of Letters
Oh Q you are a haughty one
Can’t stand alone
Like all the others
Needing u to be complete
Why oh why?
All the others
Work fine on their own
But you? Oh no
You have to be
The Queen!
“Needing u to be complete”
Ha!
Christine, well, if that isn’t the truth! You’ve captured the essence of Q – “Needing u to be complete” just as I imagine so many queens (lording it over all the others) need their peasant-like followers. Such a great title too!
Marvelous! That Q does need her attendant – the haughty one!
Haaaaaahahahaha I love the truth of this. The Queen. She needs a kickstand. There is so much to love about this. We all know a queen or two who can’t stand alone. Fabulous, Christina!
I LOVE this idea! I am going to start referring to myself as Q when I talk to my wife–because I need “u” to complete me.
[patent on joke anniversary card with hallmark pending]
That’s a genius idea – one that I may have to seek a few pennies for the rights!
Yes, it does! I missed it in my poem today, probably, for the same reason 🙂 Thank you, Christine! Your poem captures Q’s essence.
So cute (q-ute?), Christine! Why is Q so dependent?? And u, so codependent – such an enabler?? Okay, okay, she’s just haughty, but-!! This is too much fun, Christine. I am so glad you are here!
Jennifer, this prompt is too much fun! I rode the contours of your poem and the vowels, marveling. The gentle, smiling, upward-reaching u in contrast to the tight o and the overused e, the overachieving a – so well-done!
As for me, welp… I gotta go with this…and thank you so much for the fun inspiration!
Ode to F
Let’s face it:
F is not the most alluring
letter of the alphabet.
It indicates failure.
It stands for an expletive.
Technically, it’s fricative,
a sound made by forcing
air through a narrow channel,
in this case, by placing the
teeth on the lower lip
looking rather like
trepidation
or, rather,
fearfulness.
Seems a humble
(if not humiliated)
letter
not to mention
nearly impossible
for a young child
to write
in its capital cursive form:
France, for example,
looks like Trance.
But
let’s face it:
F happens to be
a banner letter.
Case in point:
when a small child
has to turn her
first name initial
into an object
for a class assignment
and the girl beside her
is drawing E as
the gorgeous wing
of a bird in flight
the F girl’s got nothing
until she finally thinks
of a flagpole.
A universal
symbol of
freedom
and where would we be
without that?
It stands nobly
there in JFK and RFK
not to mention
twice ceaselessly
in F. Scott Fitzgerald.
A banner letter,
indeed
woven into the very
fabric of our existence…
how could we function
without
Fibonacci sequence
flora and fauna
forests
fish
family
or finches?
Stand tall
and proud,
oh F,
waving your
two little fronds
in the wind
forever.
Fly on.
Ah, F. You’re everywhere.
And this word? fricative. New to me.
Kevin
P.S. y’all: I have since added fearlessness and faith to the things without which we cannot function. <3
..and FRIDAY and friends. That’s all. I’m finished. 🙂
Oh, Fran, you are convincing us that F is an important letter, and like Christine said, Fran! You have inspired me to write a letter tribute poem. I think an alphabetic collection would be nice, wouldn’t it?
And what we be without you Fran?! Love thinking about all these F words in a positive way!
Fran, I adore this. You carried us through from school mark to student marking in letter formation to the mark F has on our existence while transitioning from perceived failure banner letter. And we marched right along with you. There’s something about that final description of the two little fronds waving in the wind that brings to mind bravery (fearlessness – I see it!). Stand proud indeed.
F for Fran, Franna, this is Fabulous! I walked with you down this road, stopping at this stop sign
not to mention
twice ceaselessly
in F. Scott Fitzgerald.
to laugh, and think, “Only Fran….”
The F girl’s got nothing rang out in humor, too, with her Flagpole. Those two little fronds waving in the wind forever….they do bring out an expletive every once in a while. Take Tuesday…..two donkeys turned up on the east side of the farm in my sister in law’s yard. In the country, as you well know, this is a thing, and I could join in the rescue efforts because I’m on break this week. I grabbed my farm shoes and headed out, through brambles and mud, up hills and over dales. After two hours and five more neighbors with side by sides and a trailer, I knew what she wanted to scream when those donkeys had gotten the best of us when she very politely asked ahead of the word, “Can I just say it?”
This is a charm of a poem. I love that fricative F.
Yes, F is “woven into the very /fabric of our existence” (love this!); F has a great deal to be proud of! I adore your inclusion of the obscure adjective ‘fricative,’ a word I heard from speech therapists with my young students; love seeing it here. Wouldn’t it be ironic if “f” sound wasn’t ‘fricative’?
And you, Fran, you forgot to mention you! We have all we need here with F.
I love these lines:
“woven into the very
fabric of our existence…
how could we function
without
Fibonacci sequence
flora and fauna
forests
fish
family
or finches?”
“Fly on,” indeed! Thank you for reminding of all things “F” today.
Long live the f! Fly on, Fran. After all, you’re my neighbor in the alphabet!
LOL! I have just a few minutes this morning…fun process though. I’ll be stealing time to scribble today. “A third grader on a field trip” is about exact an image as one can get. LOVE it! Thanks for the prompt.
B
second fiddle
to A…but
that bad boy is
beautiful
Linda, this is perfect in its concise truth! Let’s give it up for B!
Indeed! Go B!
Linda, a college professor once told our education class that B students had more fun than A students and that has stayed with me. I agree with Fran! This is perfection (in the way that only a B could bring).
Short and perfectly beautiful! I love that thought of B as second fiddle
B the bad boy! Love it!
I have never thought of B being a second fiddle to A. It was almost the line leader, save for one letter that beat it, and now it is forever behind. Boohoo B…..just Be you.
Punch. Drop the mic! Brevity, and perfect. You go, Linda. Go! Go! Go!
Only you and B can deliver this kind of booyah. Thank you, Linda!
Yes and yes!! concise and so true!
The first thing that came to mind was the writer Bill Martin wrangling letters together for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. (I know John Archambault was co-writer but his name didn’t have the rhythm I needed — sorry, John!)
Kevin
While Bill Martin Waits
v, too busy
chatting with z,
didn’t even see
the coconut tree,
missed it by
a mile and so
it was left to c
to find v and then z,
and bring them both back
to the coconut tree,
only to realize
that b, d and g were
now lost, too, you see,
and so what a mess
it was that morning,
with Bill Martin waiting
at the coconut tree
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicka_Chicka_Boom_Boom
Kevin, this is a veritable joy. I adore it.
Kevin, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was a favorite of both of my kids (I think I can still chant the book in its entirety). I’m so glad your mind led you to this fun this morning. I think you have a sequel in the making!
Kevin,
Chika Chika Boom Boom what a great book! Used to read it to my kids on repeat years ago. My youngest is 16!
Your poem really made me smile as it captures the feel of the book With its rhyme and rhythm.
Your first lines:
V, to busy chatting with z
Didn’t even see the coconut tree
Reminded me of the busy days of parenting young children, joyous but exhausting.
How many times have I read this adorable book to children? So fun to imagine Bill Martin (and hopefull John Archambault) “waiting/at the coconut tree” – this speaks of inspiration, where did they get the fabulous idea for this book?
Kevin, this is also a very teachable poem to bring to your students. The best part of VERSE LOVE is the gathering of incredible prompts and models to use with our kids. Not only do I love the conversational adventure between letters, but I applaud your allusions to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Wonderful
Kevin, I couldn’t let Chicka Chicka Boom Boom go this morning. I have a little girl in my life who likes to hear this book every time we’re together, and I like to read it. It’s one of my favorites. I love this behinds the scenes peek into the story.
Now I have to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Kevin! Thank you for this delightful poem 🙂
so very excellent!! It took me a minute, and then I was immersed in Chicka Chicka world! Love this so much!