Our Host
Stacey L. Joy is a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, L.A. County and LAUSD Teacher of the Year. This is Stacey’s 40th and final year of elementary classroom teaching. She currently teaches 5th grade at Baldwin Hills Gifted Magnet and Pilot School. Stacey is a poet at heart with one self-published book and several poems published in various anthologies.
Inspiration
In the spring of 2025, Leilya Pitre introduced me to the fun poetic form called a Tricube. I wrote a spring poem to her prompt and had been eager to write a tricube poem again. If you want to revisit Leilya’s prompt and responses, visit this link.
Here we are in February with so much to celebrate: Black History Month, Snack Month, Library Lovers Month, American Heart Month, and Hot Breakfast Month. I’m inspired to write a tricube and I hope you are too.
Process
A tricube has three stanzas containing three lines, and each line has three syllables (3/3/3). You might choose one of the February celebrations or something else that speaks to you.
Try to answer the question: What do you believe in? Then, compose your tricube poem or write your poem with or without a poetic form. Most of all, have fun writing!
Stacey’s Poem
I Believe in Waffles
Waffle waits
Warm butter
Syrup drips
Not too sweet
Cooked just right
Crispy edge
One bite then
Many more
I devour
© Stacey L. Joy, 6/23/25
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to 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. 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. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers.
I’ve been writing tricubes for a few weeks since it was a Poetry Sisters challenge for January on Poetry Friday. A great form for capturing a single image. I smiled at your waffle poem, so evocative of syrup and butter.
I Believe in Morning
reflections
bayou glows
heron hunts
chickadee
dee-dee-dees
feeder swings
doodle curls
on my lap
All is well
Stacey, thank you and Seana for hosting this week! I appreciated the forms and inspiration, and the opportunity to write with others. Oh, that syrup! Believing in waffles is believing in all the sweet goodness life offers on a plate! I saw The Wizard of Oz on Friday, and so many people in Las Vegas were out and about wearing sparkling red shoes – heels, Converse, flats, boots. It has me believing in the power of shoes to transport us to new places…..and of course, home again.
I Believe in Ruby Slippers
Dorothy
and Toto
a Wizard
a scarecrow
a tin man
a lion
in the Sphere!
L. Frank Baum
a classic!
One of my breakthrough books as a kid. I love The Wizard of Oz. I just finished The Antidote by Karen Russell. It’s an incredible read…The Wizard of Oz was one of her inspirations. You might like it. Its not a quick read though. I definitely slowed down for the lyrical writing.
Stacey, thank you again for hosting and waking us up with a desire for warm, gooey waffles. I had to look back at my April tricube, which alone is a fun experience and a rabbit hole.
I Believe in Librarians
omnileg-
ent, well read
empathy
tsundoku
piles of books
banned prefered
biblio-
taph, hoarder
of love, life
Ahhh, Stefani! Absolutely love all the unusual words here that I feel I should already know as a bibliophile. I’m going to have to start dropping tsundoku and bibliotaph into my language so I remember them. As much fun as those words are, yours ring true – piles of books/banned preferred and hoarder/of love, life – and hold truth and beauty.
Stefani, librarians hold the keys to the universe and can solve all the problems of the world – I, too, believe in them! You’ve taken this form and a concept and put them together for the maximum enjoyment! Bibliotaph. Oh, to hoard love and life. Those are my people.
Stacey, thank you for returning us to this form. I’ve noticed writer-friends using it these past two days. Your poem is just lovely to awake to: waffles with their crisp edges and warm syrupiness – I must eat now!
The Power of Three
life cycle
be-mid-end
birth, life, death
measure time –
past, present
and future
triplings
emphasize
completion
Good morning Jennifer, what is it with 3? I find so many (too many?) groups of three. There must be some science or mysticism behind the power of three. I really enjoy the word “triplings” and how you’ve included it as well. Thank you for sharing.
Jennifer, I love looking for threes. I’m sure that there is some obsession with finding threes and that there is a name for it. Fairy tales, points in an outline, trimesters, Holy Trinity, and so much more. I’m with you, believing in the power of threes and seeking them.
clever! and, true.
Good Morning! Apologies for my lack of feedback yesterday. Time simply got away from me. But, I have gone back to yesterday’s poems and feasted on the goodness there. I left a few comments.
I’m up at my regular time because my alarm woke me. But, no school! It’s another snow day. Wheeee! I’m feeling happy…and will until I need go out and shovel.
Five o’clock
wake-up time
No it’s not
winter winds
are blowing
It’s snowing!
School’s called off
look outside
Far and wide
It’s snowing!
It’s snowing!
It’s snowing!
Good morning Linda,
Doesn’t it often feel amazing to wake up early when we don’t have to go anywhere? And even better, when it’s a surprise? Enjoy the respite and stay warm! Thank you for sharing today.
The best gift ever! So happy for you and the non-wake up time. My favorite lines: winter winds/are blowing/It’s snowing! There is such joy in those 9 syllables. Happy snow day to you!
Awww, Linda! What a gift! The gift of time, a day to read, a day to stay in bed in the warmth of the covers. And stay in pajamas because no one will drop by. And eat hot soup. Oh, the list of things…..and a book…..Enjoy your snow day!
This prompt brings so much excitement and joy in this topic- sorry about the shoveling! I’m enjoying my delay couch coffee this morning.