Our Host
Amber lives in Grove, Oklahoma where she teaches English Language Arts at Grove High School. She serves as the sponsor for International Club: this past summer, Amber traveled with students on adventures across Japan; and this upcoming summer they will go to Venice, The Alps, and Paris. Amber is also an instructional coach for the First Class Teacher Induction Program – virtually engaged in coaching cycles and conversations on classroom management and instructional practice with second- and third-year teachers across Oklahoma. Amber promotes life-long learning for all people.
Inspiration
Years ago I began following Young Authors Greenhouse which led to glimmers of their mission appearing in my classroom – “inspire students to recognize the power of their voice and stories.” I then learned about The Opposite Shop – their proceeds fund the writing programs of Young Authors Greenhouse. One of the items currently for sale: Squid Ink Capsules. They’re $5.00; they’re used for blotting out mistakes and enemies. I need that! If you ignore creativity, what you actually get is a little jar filled with black licorice jelly beans. They also have Anti-Gravity Powder, Crystallized Clouds, and Shooting Star Dust.
Process
First, gather your ideas.
What do you need right now? Daydreams? Peace? Optimism? Guidance? Sleep? Humor?
Why do you need it? Why does somebody else need it?
Are there any precautions to take when using it?
Finally, what could the product be and how is it packaged? For example, The Opposite Shop sells a small jar of Sea Monster Scales to be used for research (but it’s actually silver glitter).
Do not overthink this. If you can’t think of what the contents could be in a short amount of time, maybe just pick the first pantry or supply product that comes to your mind: a box of bowtie noodles or the surplus of staples piling up. Follow your instincts, you can always come back to your creative process later to edit or revise.
Product Name:
Uses:
Special Note:
Contents:
Amber’s Poem
Memory Swabs
There it sits on my bedside table –
a lattice pattern glass jar
with a rose gold metal lid.
The swabs inside fulfill my wanderlust and
take me to mine: they that put my amygdala to
sleep, they that form dimples in my cheeks.
No waiting worries, no taking turns.
I don’t need to pack boiled eggs or use
my water bottle. My swabs keep me
nourished and hydrated.
But too much swabbing
can result in feeling flooded –
crying out and thrashing about.
So, I only simply, sweetly, sometimes swab.
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.
Amber, thank you for this prompt. A bit late to the party, but here goes:
Phoenix Ashes
A half-full vial of phoenix ashes,
Greyish dust with hints of silver & gold,
Lies buried deep in my workdesk drawer.
A pinch of this dust, pressed on the temples,
Awakens your familiar,
Your inner Narnia-dweller, Hogwarts wizard.
Awakens the you that rides dragons,
Tussels with gryphons, prances among unicorns.
But, dear user, be ware,
A pinch more, a milimeter off the mark,
And you’ll be Alice lost in her Wonderland,
Suffering (or maybe not) an eternity of Mad Hatter’s tea parties.
However, even a bit less than a pinch,
and Pan will never knock at your window,
and Neverland, for you, will never be.
Although you are often hidden
Enclosed in your dark den
When you greet me each morning
I feel at peace, full of yearning
Your warm bitter scent coiling up
Your visions for an overflowing cup
A purpose you are eager to fulfill
A quietness emitting, always so chill
Your work ethic is inspiring
Daily shifts without tiring
Your strength replaces 1000 filters
Saving the planet from unnecessary litter
I hold onto your strong frame
Your center woven nearly, you aim
To grant temporary sanctuary
To ground up beans or tea leaves
Oh, thank you my dear
My reusable coffee filter
*I accidentally put this on the wrong prompt! Moving it now!
I Don’t Need Things
it is strange not needing any thing
what are special supplies
to someone who will
never not
survive
suppose I need more time
and less
need billionaires who pay taxes
or rather to not
exist
suppose I need more rest
and exercise
need a country who promotes peace
or rather to not fund
genocide
suppose I need more silence
and to scream
need to legally get an abortion
or rather to not
die
it’s hard not to define need literally
yet it is clear to me
I do not need any things
Kasey, the way your two first lines contrast each other is so strong hand agreeable. How is it that we suppose to need more rest but also exercise, and silence, but also scream? Thank you for bringing this here today.
Kasey, I love the juxtaposition of the contrasting needs, which are both clearly necessary. I feel you: love this poem. Loved, especially, the beginning:
“it is strange not needing any thing
what are special supplies
to someone who will
never not
survive”
I loved the phrase “never not survive” — the syntax slowed me down which made me think more about what you were saying — and relate it to myself.
Amber, when I first read the prompt this morning, I was eager to write. But this week is one of those where I keep saying, “Life is lifin'” and I want to scream! I really need your swabs! 🥰
I love the idea of turning something into something else with a twist. Here is what came to mind after dealing with an ignorant adult.
Starburst the Stupidity Buster
Sick of the blank stare?
Tired of the shoulder shrug?
Despising the “IDK” response?
It’s time to try the
Starburst Stupidity Buster!
You know the former president?
You know the bigots in Congress?
You know the Book Ban Bobbleheads?
Give them a double serving of the
Red bag of Starburst Stupidity Busters
One chew per stupid tweet
One chew per ignorant thought
One chew per racist rhetoric
And their stupidity will B U R S T……………
Stars will shoot like rockets from their mouths
And their intellect will shine forever!
Disclaimer: The Starburst the Stupidity Buster Corporation cannot be sued for unexpected bursts of wisdom or love.
©Stacey L. Joy, April 11, 2024
This is genius! I love your voice and seriousness juxtaposed with a bit of playfulness.
I loved the lines:
Oh man, Stacey!!!! Yeeesss!!! “Book Ban bobbleheads”! The timing, placement, and topic of that alliteration is phenomenal. And I am stand up and snd shouting B U R S T! What a fun read on some serious topics. Keep those Starbursts handy.
Stacey, loved the anaphora in this — the repetition made it seem ad-like, and I loved this line:
“And their stupidity will B U R S T……………
Stars will shoot like rockets from their mouths
And their intellect will shine forever!”
Loved the spacing that affected my reading of the word.
If only it were this easy, right?
Tears
Watery eyes married several cries
Today they fell as my face started to swell
The pain felt like a hard rain
Against my face cheeks with my heart beat at its peak
Tears
They soaked my collar as I let out a roar type of holler
Couldn’t drive, couldn’t see
But my tears said rescue me
He’s long gone and I miss his home
Tears
My father, my dad, my friend
But these tears slowly turned into a cheer
As I moved into remembering what was dear
I know he is near
All the hugs. Life on the side of grief is hard. I can relate to much of this especially “couldn’t drive, couldn’t see / but my tears said rescue me”. When my person died I had to create rules for myself…one of which was not to drive while crying. I cried a lot. I still have to pull over from time to time. Thank you for coming to this space and sharing today.
Hugs to you, D! Let good memories help you get through this immeasurable loss. Thank you for sharing! Your dad sounds like a wonderful human.
So sorry for this sad moment (a memory? an immediate experience), but this poem was a beautiful bit of (hopefully) catharsis.
This line really resonated with me:
“He’s long gone and I miss his home”
I love all the whimsical supplies people have written about–but I couldn’t get my favorite pen out of my head. So this became a sort of ode. Thanks Amber for the fun journey!
Sharpie Rose Gold S-Gel Pen
Poetry requires direct connection
from heart and head
to pen and ink
Flowing ink breathes like dragon fire
burning images that are felt
not seen
Words rush, tumbling over rocks
crashing below cliffs
on their journey to the see
This pen wields magic
a wand
conjuring ideas not yet processed
by the brain
leaving tracks to follow
Meaning still to be revealed.
(Photo in blog post: https://thinkingthroughmylens.com/2024/04/11/the-power-of-the-pen-npm24-day-11/ )
Kim!!! That pen!!! It does seem magical. I like how it’s compared to a wand. Great use of imagery.
Kim, there is NOTHING like a good pen. I so appreciated this. Loved this stanza:
“Words rush, tumbling over rocks
crashing below cliffs
on their journey to the see”
I used to be a pen fan when younger and in theory I still am (especially when grading handwritten essays), but the lure of speed and the online thesaurus and rhyming dictionary is too strong, and the Dark Side has claimed me as of late. It’s a testament to your poem that it had me rethinking this…
Thank you, Amber, for such a creative prompt. I have read about so many wonderful supplies today. Your Memory Swabs sound amazing!
I had a very long work day today, so I am a little late to the game. The news from home isn’t quite reassuring, and I didn’t really know what I want except for one thing—a gigantic shovel to free my homeland from invaders, but I didn’t want to go too dark in my poem today. My students saved me suggesting a few items; I wish I had better ways to express them today.
Product Name: Choose One Fitting Your Needs
Uses: Keeps one comfortable and confident anytime anywhere
Special Note: Limitless access, but think before you choose one
Contents: One item at a time
So Many Choices
As I browse through surprising supplies—
Wonder Goggles from Joanne,
Skyline recorder from Clayton,
Rapid Reading Rake from Stefani,
A Weed Wacker from Scott,
Heavenly Meadow from Kim,
Time Bubble from Linda,
The Magic’s in the Yarn from Fran,
Extra-strength Effusion of Hope from Gayle,
The crystallized clouds from Margaret,
And all the other inventions
Of my dear Verse Lovers
That sound incredibly attractive,
My students
file into the classroom.
They
have their needs.
Amy’s suggestion, a cause-and-effect crystal ball,
Would guide her through pivotal decisions,
Delicately weighing each potential action,
Certain to ignite a ripple of reaction.
Jared’s discovery, a brain decoder,
Promises to refine the art of writing,
Translating complex thoughts,
Into Elegantly composed words.
James explores analytical marvel,
Dubbed the Ultimate Thinking Cap—
No need to explain that.
Enters Wil’s ingenious creation—
The Second Tongue it’s named,
Empowering expression
Across any language terrain.
My students’ eager aspirations
Hint their thirst for knowledge and success.
A tender Memory Holder is what I need
To cradle life’s heartwarming moments,
When sadness clouds the sky.
Oh this is so precious. Bittersweet. Yes, I hope you can hold and treasure your students’ ideas, always. I hope this lessens the sadness I know you are feeling. So many good ideas! Wil’s idea of a second tongue – that is excellent. All of them are, really.
Leiyla! I love, love, love that you had these discussions with students. I can understand not getting certain words out. I am curious about your shovel poem. Perhaps one day it will peek out and show itself. Your students are thoughtful and engaged. What a great way to show tribute to them and what they need right now.
Leilya, I love this! Your students’ suggestions are quite amazing — the Ultimate Thinking Cap, The Second Tongue, the brain decoder, and the cause-and-effect crystal ball — all are wonderful. I love your Memory Holder the most, though, and hope you can use it during these difficult times. My thoughts are with you and your homeland.
There is just so much love in this poem even with sadness lurking everywhere. It’s quite beautiful- your perspective, your students, your deep awareness.
Thank you for writing this sweet poem.
Leilya,
I noticed you read a bunch of poems I bypassed. As you probably know by now, I don’t read poems from those who don’t reciprocate, so I only read the poem of one person you mentioned. Oh well. I’ll live. I love the way you tapped into your students for suggestions. I particularly like Will’s because it reminded me of the Pomegranate Phone, a fake product w/ a video I used to include in my unit teaching students to analyze websites. I’m drop i g. link and hoping it doesn’t generate an embedded video.
Also, I know you don’t want to write dark poetry, but I’d encourage you to share stories about Ukraine. Too many in this country are ambivalent. We have short attention spans and need to stay focused so we can put pressure of the Putin enablers in the GOP.
https://youtu.be/1e4X10hOh9o?si=k_qeU6OeNjTPHV-J
Leilya, this might be my favorite poem ever from you. Its sweet authenticity brought tears to my eyes, and I loved the structure of it — how you started with the Verselovers and then transitioned to what your students needed — so interesting to compare and contrast the two, the young and the old(er)!
A Day with Multiple Activities
“Teaching is a calling.”
“It’s all about the kids.”
“I touch the future; I teach.”
True, true, true.
Blah, blah, blah
Another truth…
I love days with multiple activities
Especially, when we are only weeks
Away from the end of the school year.
Yes, 39 students were absent today!
They were out
For the state speech and debate contest
And for boys tennis and for girls tennis
And for the track meet which our school hosted
And for a golf tournament
And for the Oologah Jazz Festival
And for the FCCLA State Convention!
I am truly sorry for ZP and for AB
And for LD and for MC who were home sick.
And for PS who was suspended,
Bless their hearts.
But, I live for days like this.
It is quiet.
We get to slow down.
We make up work that needs to be done.
I grade and plan and take a breath.
It is just wonderful.
I hear you, Katrina! You need some time to get things done and “take a breath.” We had a storm day yesterday, so campus was closed, but I don’t teach on Wednesday. Today, the parking lots were half empty, but all my students were in classes, except for two. I love my kids ))
So many students out and doing great things! (Sorry for the few who had sadder reasons.) I know you enjoyed the quiet.
Hi, Katrina! I don’t know what it is, but it must be that time of year when I am right there with your “blah, blah, blah”.
Spring is an odd time of year at school. Lots happening. Lots of students revolving in and out.
Katrina, I know this feeling! We need days like this; this is, indeed, a truth, too. “We get to slow down. / We make up work that needs to be done. / I grade and plan and take a breath. / It is just wonderful.” Nice!
Well- this sounds EXACTLY like my thoughts today. Hear! Hear! I, however, haven’t quite achieved your final maturity- ha!
Katrina,
LOL! I recall days like this. Welcome to high school teaching. These were lab days in speech and in-class write time in AP Lit kind of days. I don’t think elementary teachers have a clue what it’s like to juggle attending g to all the spring activities and subsequent makeup work
Katrina, I so, so agree! Everyone is trying to cram in all of those last-minute field trips right now, and spring has brought with it sneezes, sniffles, and allergies. Here’s to taking a breather.
I had trouble with this, but when I mentioned it to my mom she really wanted to help me write this because she loved the prompt. This poem was written by me and my mom, where she was talking about one of the many gadgets she buys that me and my brothers laugh about.
My Mom’s Jade Massage Roller
As the only female in a family of five, my mom endures stepping out of her hive. Questions, comments, humor and stares, we often chide her with comical glares.
But on her bedside, a symbol of care, a jade massage roller precious and rare. A gift of love from her own mom. A simple ritual before she sleeps reminds me of how she rolled away the stress of our days.
A gift of love, a peaceful sight. Guiding her to a peaceful night.
“a jade massage roller precious and rare.” Your poetry is special in so many ways. I love this idea of a massage roller that sits near her bed, offering a peaceful night. Something beautiful in the midst of so much testosterone! So special that you compliment her ability to alleviate your stress. I also love the sweet rhyme of care with rare.
Andrew, this is so great that you shared the prompt with your mom. I, too, asked my students to contribute ideas. In your poem, I like the lines:
“a symbol of care, a jade massage roller precious and rare. A gift of love from her own mom.”
Care about our loved ones is so heartwarming. Thank you for sharing!
As the only female in my household…and a mom of boys at that, I appreciate this so much, Andrew. Being a big mom and all the laughs is a treasure for me. It’s interesting, too, because just last week my son asked what his name would be if he was a girl. Jade. His name would have been Jade. “A gift of love, a peaceful sight.” I am joyed your mom has this.
Andrew, I love this and now I want a massage roller! Thank your mom for encouraging me to give it a try and thank you for sharing this gym of a poem with us.
Andrew, this was a lovely snapshot. Loved the internal rhyme and the way you structured your stanzas: very cool! Loved that middle stanza with its beautiful description and this elegant phrasing:
“a jade massage roller precious and rare.”
And this final stanza! So simple and pretty:
“A gift of love, a peaceful sight. Guiding her to a peaceful night.”
Who doesn’t need more time?
Time
To answer emails, grade papers, plan lessons
To speak with students
And colleagues
To be human at work
Time
To spend with my boys
To travel the world on an adventure with them
To stay home and be safe, play loudly
To be human at family
Time
To remember her
To celebrate a life well lived
To honor her sacrifices by living mine well too
To be human in grief
Who doesn’t need more time?
Time to be
Sarah, yes, to have more time is definitely an overwhelming desire for me. I was moved by the reasons you need more time such as to remember her and to be human in grief. Unfortunately most people are not given the grace they need to grieve. Your poem shares such a tremendous message and I love that you closed your poem with “Time to be”on its own line. Powerful and compelling poem!
We all need more time. Very poignant that you named “To be human in grief.”
I am right there with you, Sarah! I absolutely need it “To be human at work” and “To be human at family me” Wonderfully said!
Time to be human…ah yes. Time is such a precious commodity and you capture its essence so well. I definitely need time to play loudly!
Hi, Sarah! Your last line is sitting with me for the rest of the day, if not the week or even month…maybe even summer. “Time to be” — I just want to rest in it and snuggle into it.
Sarah, this is spot-on! We all could use “more time”! I love your repetitions: “To be human at work,” “To be human at family,” and “To be human in grief.” Thank you for writing and sharing tonight!
Sarah, this poem is deeply moving my soul. I’m attending a memorial service tomorrow for a dear friend who didn’t live one day without a smile on his face! He brought so much joy to all who knew him. It’s hard to imagine now not having him around.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I wish I had a little more time with him. But I’m grateful for the time I did have.
Love this refrain so much. You have such a way of phrasing feelings, and the authenticity of your words is really touching:
“To be human at work… human at family…human in grief…”
I so agree that there is just no time…to be human. Rush, rush, rush.
Also loved this sentiment:
“To stay home and be safe, play loudly”
Bravo!
Long before my ex-husband was my ex-husband, he was my boyfriend and we were teenagers and once he gave me a glass box with a purple glass top. He said it used to have a ball of purple in it, but it escaped. So long before THAT, I started wishing for a ball of purple. This awesome prompt reminded me of that!
A ball of purple
Do not think
paint ball
light ball
purple marker on a page
food coloring
ink blot
playground ball
crayon shavings bunched up
water color drops
ball-shaped pillow
NO.
This is a
ball of
purple.
PURPLE.
the
color
is
it
When the lights turn off
and you think there is no color
the ball of purple
falls in your outstretched hand
defying the laws of
color science
leaving no mark
besides
the smile
the laugh that escapes you
in pure
purple
joy
Ona,
Im impressed you’ve penned such a gorgeous poem inspired by an ex-husband memory. They’re not all bad, are they. As I read I thought about how close to black purple can be, especially reading the lines about holding a ball at night. I also love the opening list. I love purple and had a purple car (Accord), a purple front door, and purple carpeting in the basement. Such a gorgeous color and poem.
What a gorgeous thought – purple is the color when the lights go off. I am lifted by this thought. Yes, we all need a ball of purple.
Ona, I love this PURPLE ball already! Thank you for sharing the background story as well. This moment sounds magical:
“When the lights turn off
and you think there is no color
the ball of purple
falls in your outstretched hand”
Thank you!
Ona! Oh, wow!!! The background story to this is intriguing. Thank you for your poem. I particularly like the line breaks. A lot! I can’t express what or why, but I’m in it! You bring me in.
Today I had lunch at a local restaurant. The owner sat down with me to talk and shared about his favorite color being prime. Today is purple: “the / color / is / it”
Ona, purple is my favorite color so I loved being able to live in it for a little while here.
Lovely poem! The “ball of purple” was maddeningly imprecise — purposefully, obviously, and so whetted my curiosity and stimulated my imagination. Loved the “crayon shavings bunched up.” Thanks for this today!
Amber, I really gave this the old college try…I’m not even sure what that really means. But, I’m just too tired mentally and physically to poem. So, here’s my best for today…
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
It’s been a long week,
and this is the best I can do.
Thanks for sharing today in spite of the exhaustion! Tomorrow is Friday!
Donnetta,
Friend,
Sister,
I know this garden of flowers.
I know it all too well.
And I’m applauding you – because I understand, and there is such truth in your verse.
It has been a long week!! Hope tomato’s soft and easy.
Dearest Donnetta,
This is just right.
Thank you for showing up and being with us today in the way that you are choosing today. Long weeks happen. I trust you are always doing your best. The proof is in the poem and the way you show up. Hugs, friend.
LOL!! This literally made me laugh out loud. I think that we are all feeling this way right now — I know I am!
Thanks, Amber, for sharing this prompt!
Clone me
I
need
a me for
teaching
parenting
piles of work
coaching a team
planning for 3 preps
grad classes at night
fixing up the house I bought
reading for pleasure
playing sports
socializing
vacation
family
needs
more
me
This really resonated with me! I love the look of the poem as well, as if it’s running away from you in a sense of urgency… Thank you!
The ending of this poem hit me in the face! You have beautifully captured how hard it is to stretch through all of these roles.
Beginning with I, ending with me, starting skinny, bulging and then getting narrow again. There is so much power in the way this poem looks and reads! (I think I need another me, too!)
A clone!! Great idea! Hope the two of you share one set of amazing memories.
Yes, yes, yes to a clone that will take half of the responsibilities! The way you formatted this concrete poem works so well beginning with “I” and ending with “me” – a full circle here. “Family needs more me” is an absolute truth. Thank you!
Holy moly!!! The flow of this visually and how it rings when read aloud is very calculated. I got chills as the poem wound down. I can feel the thinness to which you must be stretched. A second you may help. This is a lot and all worthwhile.
I need one too!!!! This poem helps me to know we are not alone!
Enjoy your weekend ahead and find the me you crave to be. 💛
I yearn for peace. I yearn for rest
My mind is longing for a day of silence
A day that may never come.
My body is yearning for solitude as I spend my days being moved by the force of others
I yearn for a day where a variation of my name is not called
In attendance…
In inquisitiveness…
In a state of being essential…
My body is tired, as is my mind.
And when I lay down at night I rest.
For my body is tired, and yearning for solitude that I once knew.
(Sidenote: I dont know why I feel a slight guilt, writing and feeling this, but I feel the need to mention that I’m a parent to a sick toddler and get no sleep these days)
Katherine,
The trio of lines that being with “In” and end in ellipses are perfect. I see the ellipses as symbols — each of those dots the ongoing, incessant demands. The final line is compelling in the “that I once knew” and the melancholy or ambiguity of when or if the solitude will come again. That is a paradox so difficult to resolve, no?
Hugs,
Sarah
Katherine, your poem really resonated with me – especially that last line: “yearning for a solitude that I once knew” for me as I a new parent and first year teacher. Thanks for sharing and I hope we can find that peace & rest soon!
I hear your exhaustion, I feel how you are pulled in so many directions. That idea of “being moved by the force of others” really resonates. I hope things get easier for you.
Katherine, you could have written, “I need” or “I want,” but your use of the word “yearn” reaches far beyond “wanting” or “needing” solitude.
Katherine, I wish I had the right words to say throw that guilt out the window. But as a mom who knows this weariness. I would rather come beside you and maybe even recite this with you. Just to be there with you. Sitting in that awkward silence of not having any words to say but just being in it with you. Tired with you. It’s okay to not be okay. Hugs, friend.
Amber, thanks for hosting today. My poem is not quite where I want it to be.
Bulletproof
let me don
invisible chains
of anti-pain
immune to rejection
barbed words or
cruel inspection
free to float
blissfully smiling
never crying
to enjoy each day
like a river boat ride−waterfalls
my only downfall
Barb Edler
11 April 2024
Barb,
Often I read your words and wonder why my feeble mind didn’t think of that. I need “invisible chains /of anti-pain” most days. I can’t imagine “never crying” since my waterworks have a free-flowing tap. Your poem may not be where you want it to be, but it’s catharsis for me. Thank you.
Oh, Barb. Bulletproof. Yes. I found myself at once nodding along for I wish this — immune to rejection — and then the paradox of not wanting to abandon the sensitivities that make me, me. And then this tension of strength that endures all the rejection and cruel inspection alongside the wish to only feel the weight of a waterfall. So much here for me, your dear reader, to ponder. Thank you.
I think poems like this — not explicitly grounded in a biographical scene but still specific — welcome our own literal interpretations within this figure of bullet proof and river boat rides. Thank you again.
Sarah
Oh, how I too want to be “immune to rejection/ barbed words /cruel inspection” – yes! That phrase barbed words really stung me, as I am so sensitive to the thoughts of others. I hope you find a way to freely float!
Barb,
that last haiku is great. I was thinking about that river boat ride, with the excitement of only occasional waterfalls and not the painful rejection and barbed words or cruel inspection. Those are some powerful things to put invisible chains on.
This idea of “anti-pain” is truly a free floating sensation, I think. I love that you described it so, “blissfully smiling.” And then you remembered the daunting possibility of waterfalls- ha! This made me smile.
Barb, I want to read this over and over and over “invisible chains / of anti-pain,” “immune to rejection.” The rhyming of rejection / inspection creates such a dynamic move showing your strength and resilience even further in the following stanza. I needed this poem today!
Hi, Barb! You got my attention right away in the first line with the word “don.” I also particularly like the use of all lower-case. A sense of rawness, but realness.
Barb, your poem may not have been what you intended, but it was definitely what I needed! I’m ready for some waterfall downfalls myself! 🩷
Amber,
Thanks for hosting and tapping into a need I have: something to activate my memory. I see this prompt has evoked lots of creative responses, so kudos to you. Denise and I are on the same wavelength. I chose to think in terms of subtracting rather than adding, however.
Eliminator Contentonator
our culture can’t deny
the siren call to buy
we listen to the screed
for things we never need
and fill our empty cart
instead of living smart
it’s time to say enough
to all the junk and stuff
except for this last thing
you see upon your screen
each person can decide
escape the sales pitch ride
the contentonator—
our eliminator
can vanquish all our waste
and save Earth home post haste
on Earth Day we have choice
to raise a quiet voice
this is the time to say
let’s find a better way
blue marble is our home
protect her heavenly dome
say NO to new supplies
before our Eden dies
Glenda Funk
4-11-24
*Canva photo via Pixabay.
Wow, what a fantastic poem and message. Your Canva image is sensational. I love the way your poem flows so effortlessly, and I loved so many of your lines such as “raise a quiet voice” “say NO to new supplies” “vanquish all our waste”. Your powerful voice speaks a truth that we must all listen to be “our Eden dies”. Thanks for sharing such an important message today!
Glenda,
The “empty cart” parallel to how people buy buy buy to fill emptiness without ever actually touching it was so powerful in your poem! The call to action is clear!
Happy early Earth Day, Glenda. This is beautiful! Some of my favorite lines are the last four stanzas, especially:
“say NO to new supplies
before our Eden dies”
Masterful rhyming today! And the Canva photo and image communicate very effectively.
Loved your take on this – The siren call to buy! Such a fabulous message.
Your poem showers the reader with wonderful rhyming couplets, honoring Mother Earth. Yes, we need to stop all our consumerism and waste. That final couplet is spot on:
say NO to new supplies
before our Eden dies
If a poem can be both convicting and beautiful, yours is. And I love “blue marble is our home.”
I am with you, Glenda: “it’s time to say enough / to all the junk and stuff.” How much more do we need? The most important things we need as humans and as society are not stored on the store shelves. Happy Earth Day!
Glenda!!! What a great approach with eliminating. I hadn’t thought of that. It’s useful! Afterall, I did have mixed feelings when I went through the past three months of mail that was piling up…it felt good that it wasn’t there anymore, but it felt conflicting of why it had to exist in the first place just to become waste…I could use that couplet “could vanquish all our waste / and save Earth post haste”.
Glenda! How gorgeous and important! May I use it for Earth Day? My students can analyze and then create their own poems to about how to help heal Mother Earth. I just love this. 🩵
This challenge tripped me up a bit, Amber, only because I tend to long for very little. I’ve always been the sort that wakes up and goes after the needs I define for myself (which are very little). I loved the line, “I don’t need to pack boiled eggs,” because I’ve never packed eggs for any occasion and now I’m wondering if I’m missing out. I did, however, go to the medicine cabinet and took photographs. That’s all I needed to get going (I thought I posted before dinner, but I can’t find that post, so going at it again now).
All I Have is a Medicine Cabinet
b.r.crandall
I’m decisively Emerson
when dictating the dork-dom,
that is deliciously me.
(I dance with Sinead, freely,
not wanting what I haven’t got,
because I drink fresh water in the dry-desert
with or without wearing any deodorant).
Sure, I long for laughter,
look inward for answers,
but the body lotion is rain-kissed with leaves
& the net always appears when leaping
with Listerine. (Lysol wipes are good, too).
As are the Rosuvastatin & Lisinopril…
& my multivitamin monologue that is overtly
frightened by the Famotidine
(and the ten tubes of toothpaste for my teeth).
I do not want
nor do I care
what I’ve got.
Those bacteria bluebirds,
Those witch hazel viruses,
I’m armed with Grogu bandaids
& three kinds of glass cleaner.
(Don’t make me get the Clobetasol spray)
I rub self-reliance on my feet
like its hand a sanitizer
and use the Neti pot
to water those flowers in my ears.
The Arm & Hammer nasal mist
cleans the clipped fingernails
before I mail them to friends)
I care not what I want,
but do sing my morning solos
with sea-stained shaving cream
& all the rhythm
I do not got.
oh, and tissues are for my snot.
Brian, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your poem.
Bryan, that was so fun to read. “All I Have is a Medicine Cabinet” that’s great. I love the catalog of all the things in your medicine cabinet.
I guffawed at this:
Bry, what a great idea! You’ve managed to make a great poem using your medicine cabinet. It balances the need for these things in a fun way such as mentioned how much toothpaste there is and the possibility there may not be deodorant in use, and tissues for snot. “I care not what I want” seems to be a powerful line and a shift or establishment of tone amidst all these things that maybe seem opposing to that truth. I like the balance and humor. So great as always to share this space and time with you in this way.
skyline recorder
once our eyes close,
our reflection glows,
in an everlasting replay,
of our days, deciphering our ways.
we watch our lives from one till death,
our judgement is of ourselves.
A skyline screen,
that lies between,
our dreams,
pastures green,
and paradise unseen.
Every choice we made,
every price we paid,
every wrong we faded,
every soul we jaded.
Our story plays through,
for us in a skyline view.
We control the climax today,
we are the main character in our own play.
The end is a surprise,
it awaits us in disguise,
our presence secures us from demise,
our past cannot be revised.
so as we prepare for the big show,
today, we must ever glow.
For we all know,
our story must flow-
with purpose, meaning,
And
accomplishments of what we are dreaming.
We will all have a ticket,
to be our own critic,
Of our skyline story,
to make the cut –
Into paradise glory.
• Boxer
Wow! The rhythm and rhyme is ear-catching. I also like the idea of having a “skyline story”…each of us with our own. The imagery in that is compelling…and I wonder what a gallery of all of our skylines together would look like.
Thank you for this lovely idea to transform the ordinary to the magical. I went slightly off the path, but I was inspired by the prompt.
I used to be part dragon
Didn’t I tell you that?
I had a magic machine
Three drops of one elixir
Plus two of another
I transformed
Breathe in deep, deeper still
Then smoke curling out
A gentle rumble from within
A hum from my magic machine
Hands shaking
It is working
My dragon powers waned
My magic machine gone away
Grown ups tell me I’m better
No more elixir
No more dragon smoke
I had transformed
When I pick up a sax
The horn blows becomes my fire
Eyes closed I transform
A dragon once again
Ashley, this is great. What a journey you took us on. Your last stanza really had me smiling.
Ooh, I love this so much, Ashley. I used to play clarinet, & I play the piano still. I don’t think a dragon is the right comparison for either of those – but I definitely relate to the feeling of an instrument transforming you into something else when you play. I would love to hear you play your sax – keep it up!!
I was won over with, “I used to be part dragon,” Ashley….the sax. Alright now. I need to hear this music!
Ashley,
Just love the voice here and the move in the direct address to the reader (me) in the “you” creates an intimacy, like you are sitting me down for a story about your dragon powers. And I enjoyed the final stanza of “When I pick up a sax” as my brain kept wanting to go to “ax” or “stack,” but “sax.” Yes!
Sarah
Ashley, the power in the line “it is working” had me almost cheering out loud here.
Your poem sweetly reminds of a time I spent as an educator with young children in nature. I had jars they could fill with different nature items, and we could drop in lavender, mint, cinnamon sticks, etc. then when they smelled their potions they would turn into magical creatures. It was so fun being imaginative with them. And I like that your poem has brought me back to that memory.
Ashley,
First I thought about Puff the Magic Dragon when I read “smoke curling out,” and then you invited me to think about a saxophone as an image of a dragon. Joe delightful. I can see it. Your poem reminds me I never know what to expect in a poem and often find fun surprises in this group’s verses.
Glenda, your response made me chuckle. I had to use a nebulizer as a child–at school sometimes too, and it bothered me so much. One day after a trip to the ER, the nurse said “Pretend you’re a dragon.” I leaned into that memory for this one.
Amber, this was such a fun and inventive prompt! Enjoying a post-dinner glass of wine, my mind wandered to the spice dispensers on my counter (one of my favorite kitchen appliances) and somehow came up with this:
Upon my counter, under shelf
Dispenser sits to soothe myself
Providing time, informing rhyme.
While lubricating mind with wine,
Compose contraption light of weight
Dispensing time with no great haste
But adding just a year, a minute
Containing needed time within it:
Low-hanging fruit, of course some thyme
To add some earthiness, sublime
So every extra sec is grounded
Nature loving is compounded
Minty time will spread like fire
Moments filled with bold desire
Time like cinnamon will season
Sweetest moments, whatever reason
Ginger time will pacify
Times hard-to-stomach, by and by
Salt will feed time’s needed tears
And yarrow nullifies one’s fears
Thus, this dispenser moments spice
And flavor them all, in a trice
To lengthen life, infusing us
With spice to make us stronger stuff.
Your poem shows such a romantic view of spices, and the play on time is intriguing.
Oh, the thoughtfulness behind each herb or spice you’ve chosen! Your rhymes are wonderful. You make me want to drink wine and write more.
Haha!!
Wendy, what a delightful poem. I love the language you’ve used. A very spicey fun poem!
I love how you wove time into your spice rack theme!
How fun! You do such great work with syllabication and rhyme, Wendy, I love it. What a lovely ode to your spice rack, bringing such significance to each dispenser. I love that they each treat our pains and joys…
I am so wildly impressed you just had this poem ready to go on a whim from what sounds like a relaxing dinner. The way the words just seem to flow in these stanzas and rhymes had me in awe. Yarrow!!! All those double letters together in “yarrow nullifies” grabs my attention.
This was a challenge for me, Amber. What do I need? Gosh…I’ve never needed anything and if I do, I tend to figure out a way to get it for myself. Ah, but then I opened the bathroom cabinet to see if there was poetic inspiration. I love your line, “I don’t need to pack boiled eggs.” It has me wondering why I don’t pack eggs of any kind. Am I missing out on something? Ah, it took me several hours, but I think I have the word-play that is beginning to make sense to me.
All I Have is a Medicine Cabinet
b.r.crandall
I’m decisively Emerson
when dictating the dork-dom,
that is deliciously me.
(I dance with Sinead, freely,
not wanting what I haven’t got,
because I drink fresh water in the dry-desert
with or without wearing any deodorant).
Sure, I long for laughter,
look inward for answers,
but the body lotion is rain-kissed with leaves
& the net always appears when leaping
with Listerine. (Lysol wipes are good, too).
As are the Rosuvastatin & Lisinopril…
& my multivitamin monologue that is overtly
frightened by the Famotidine
(and the ten tubes of toothpaste for my teeth).
I do not want
nor do I care
what I’ve got.
Those bacteria bluebirds,
Those witch hazel viruses,
They know I’m armed with Grogu bandaids
& three kinds of glass cleaner.
(Don’t make me get the Clobetasol spray)
I rub self-reliance like its hand sanitizer
on my feet and use the Neti pot
to water those flowers in my ears
(The Arm & Hammer nasal mist
is for cleaning the clipped fingernails
mail to my friends)
I care not what I want,
but do sing morning solos
with sea-stained shaving cream
& the rhythmI do not got.
And the tissues, they’re for my snot.
An ode to ablutions? A List-erine? I admire your approach- I’m not sure I could get a poem out of my medicine cabinet, much less a good one! Well done!
Bryan, I’m cracking up at the Neti pot watering of flowers in your ears
and the clipped fingernails in the mail……and the morning solos with sea-stained shaving cream and the got and the snot rhyme. The randomness of your poem is so appealing, and it captivates the reader.
Palm Balm
Before I cupped
a remote mouse,
before I rubbed
a track pad, when
I traveled with
a ten pound lap
top to seven class
rooms on three
floors, I was
not resting palms
on arched keys
keying meaning
my tongue resisted;
I was grabbing purple
Flairs, stretching blunted
points of lead to press
one last word, reading
imaginings way more
than I write them now,
now my palm aches
in the scrolling, craves
a classroom away from
mice, pads, and arches;
this balm wills my
palms into the next
decade of
making words.
So beautifully crafted. Well placed line breaks pull me through & surprise me. I love all the tactile images.
Hi, Sarah! This balm sounds much needed. I can feel the aches and pains that need this balloon s as a relief. I particularly enjoy the rhythm and flow of your last four lines.
balm* (not balloon s)…now I wonder how many other typos I have in other responses I have made from being in touch on my phone the second half of the day rather than my laptop. Yikes.
Same, same, same: I felt this, Sarah!
You know what? I’m not thrilled with all this one-to-one technology. In middle school kids need the tactile feel of writing and drawing and making things. I agree. Let’s bring back some (re-cycled) paper!
Sarah,
The lines “now my palm aches/ in the scrolling, craves/ a classroom away from/ mice, pads, and arches” struck me because I rarely ever use a pen or a pencil anymore, and although I often write these with an Apple Pencil on an iPad, it is not the same. Your poem made me want to find a space to curl up and write.
This is wonderful rhythm and word play, Sarah,
Everything about this poem takes me back (The Things We Carry). Stunning. Definitely a poem to tuck away for the opening of a book!
I love the way this flows with the line breaks. So good!
Sarah, I am fascinated by your poem and the images you create throughout it. I understand the physical aches that can occur from gripping a mouse and the ache of choosing the right word. A balm can be soothing and necessary to continue doing what you’re doing. I feel the weight of that 10 pound laptop and the history of writing, the need for it. Such a provocative poem. I hope I will be reading your words for several decades.
Sarah, I love your fond recollection of “purple flairs and blunted points of lead.” I love the gentle resistance of the Flair that allows you time to think.
Feelin’ Groovy
By Mo Daley 4/11/24
Are you an old lady who is in a rut?
Is your life an endless treadmill
with no end goal in sight?
Are you missing the funk and boogie from your youth?
Has the daily grind ground you down?
Well, worry no more!
Stella’s Deep Reachin’ Phonographic Style(us) is here for you!
Stella got her groove back and you can too!
For the low price of $78 you can spin like Stella!
Use daily for between 33 1/3- 45 minutes
and you’ll be bussin’ like Beyoncé!
Caution: If you accidentally sit on
Stella’s Deep Reachin’ Phonographic style(us),
you may have to get up off your butt
and make things happen for yourself.
Record player not included,
but the world’s smallest violin is
if you still feel sorry for yourself
after trying our product.
Act now!
Mo, all the slogans and phrases entangled in this are enriching. Let’s get grooving!!!!
Oh, Mo. The voice/tone in this made me smile. That line” you may have to get up off your butt/and make things happen for yourself.” This is the beauty of this poem prompt and why I struggled to get started. Every solution balm, lotion, product I thought of was one I have the power to enact/make with my own choices (which I resist making). And then “but the world’s smallest violin is.” Perfect.
Sarah
Mo, you had me at your opening question. Hmmm, yes that could be me. I love your sales pitch voice in this poem. Truly fun details to help this old gal get her groove back. Still smiling! Thank you!
The Slumber Sham
Tired of laying awake night after night
Feeling endlessly exhausted?
Try the slumber sham
Guaranteed to serenade you to Sleepytime
Its quiet musical rythms
Are activated when your head
Has reached its day’s final resting place
Soon you are lulled to Lullaby Land
Dreaming of the delicious day ahead
PS- I need one of these STAT!
Oh, this is perfect. I was going to manifest some slumber lotion, but I saw that it already is available for the cost of your poem! Ha! I welcome this lull to Lullaby Land. Yes.
Sarah
Heidi!!!! That title! Whew! I could use this. The alliteration of delicious day stands out to me, too. A good sleep can do that too a day. How great!
I needed the slumber sham desperately last night. Just when I thought sleep would come, my dog decided he was awake for the day. Oh to be lulled to lullaby land and dream of the delicious day ahead!
Like others today, I chose an item that can capture time. And oh, do I want to actually have this so badly. What moments would I pick? What would you pick? I sense another prompt coming on…. 🙂
Minute Passport
On my wrist I wear
an item I hold dear –
not just one, but 20
silver charms, linked together
some have tiny images:
a wheelchair
a treehouse
stadium lights
two pairs of lips, pressed
a black limousine
wobbly feet stacked on chubby ankles
when I select a charm and hold it tight
I’m back – fully back
I hear the band around me
crystal laughter
or the music from the car speakers
I smell the cans of paint
feel the smoothness of those lips
taste the double lollipop
see the blades of grass, blue sky
I’m there, again,
for just a minute
to relive, remember, relish
and then, some are blank silver
waiting, still, to be filled
with moments from my past
I must choose carefully
for once they are filled
I cannot add more
Rachel,
Oh, “and then, some are blank silver/waiting”– this is a lovely turn and so vivid.
Sarah
Rachel, your poem brought me back to my charm bracelet which I have not worn in years. It sits in a dark box. I must bring it out because I love how you select a charm and hold it tight to go back to the memory. You can always add another chain when your blank silver pieces are filled.
Hi, Rachel! I got goosebumps reading this. I definitely have memories tied to some of these things you listed. How great a charm bracelet like this would be…to be back in that moment, actually and not memorially.
Reflecting Box
Held in my hand, finger scrolling down and up and down again
Here there is triumph
There I find hurt
and anguish
and fear
Words that are scattered reminders
Me holding you steady
You pushing me up
You falling apart
and going away
and suddenly you’re back
and you’ve already gone.
Ohhh! My heart! The push and pull between the “you” and “me” is captivating. Well crafted! Hugs, friend.
A reflecting box, huh? I like the give and take in your poem. I get a sense of sadness.
EMVR, whenever I read poems in settings like this, I try to imagine the impetus, the item, or the experience that prompted the poem. I thought I had it in your poem, until the end At first, I assumed this poet is writing about using a cell phone,reading texts, posts, and messages. Then…hmmm. the phone is talking to the poet!
Well, if nothing more, your poem has got me thinking. And wondering. You gonna tell us who the speakers are or must we just apply this description to something we already know?
Thanks for sharing, anyway. 🙂
Ok. Uncut. My friend shared a porch with me. For years we watched out for our kids and bartered favors and vented every evening. She had addiction well in her past, wasn’t showing the familial mental illness. A couple years ago something somehow happened and she moved and I barely heard anything. She was spiraling and took her life last week in an extremely sad story I can’t share.
What a unique prompt, Amber! I love it and I really like your mentor poem!
Empathy Ointment
People need help
seeing things from others’ viewpoints
They need to know
what others feel and
how they experience the world.
They need a little new product
just approved by the FDA . . .
Empathy Ointment
A little dab’ll do ya . . .
Rub it in and you’ll get
that burst of adrenaline
that morphs into anxiety
and then to full-blown panic.
Thataway, you’ll never say,
“Just relax; it’s not a big deal”
to someone debilitated by anxiety.
A little dab’ll do ya . . .
Rub it in and you’ll
experience the complete discomfort
of being a minority
and often targeted for wrongdoing
because you “fit the profile.”
A little dab’ll do ya . . .
Rub it in and you’ll feel the life
growing inside of you
wishing you were thrilled but
instead scared of raising a child alone
filled with thoughts of going to the clinic.
That dab should do ya
but reapply as needed
unti your heart is filled with compassion
and your feel are filling others’ shoes.
~Susan Ahlbrand
11 April 2024
Susan, thank you for this poem! I love the idea of an ointment, your line “a dab’ll do ya” and the scenarios you highlighted throughout. We may not share the same lived experiences but we certainly have the capacity to empathize and reflect on our responses to these situations. Going back to the line I highlighted, it makes me think about how just a little bit of empathy can go a long way!
I LOVE THIS! The repetition of “a little dab’ll do ya” was effective. Personally I can relate to the anxiety stanza. So many are in need of this product.
Susan! Yes!!! This is needed. It’s painful hearing how others respond to the pain of others. More, more, more empathy please. Keep using your voice in a way others can model and learn. Thank you for sharing this and shedding light on this point.
Susan, what fun to see ways a clever poet like you can mix metaphors and make them work. We know “a little dab’ll do it” and “walk a mile in my shoes”, but seeing them together in one poem to describe desired behavior takes skills. You’ve show it here.
Thanks.
Thank you, Amber for the poetry idea and the links for the Young Authors Greenhouse. I needed a little kick in the imagination! Thanks again!
Product Name: Wonder Goggles
Uses: See your world in a whole new way.
Special Note: This product can be addictive
Contents: I pair of rose-colored wonder goggles.
Tired of the same old thing?
The same old routine?
The same old people?
The same old places?
Put on a pair of Wonder Goggles
And see your whole world brighten!
Old things become new, improved things
Say good-bye to boring –
every hour is a new adventure!
Travel to beautiful places
and meet amazing people.
Your world and your attitude
Will become multifaceted,
Multicolored like a rainbow
Emerging on a dark, rainy day!
Joanne, thank you for your poem and your idea of the “Wonder Goggles”. I appreciate this notion of essentially how changing our outlook and mindset can make such a positive impact overall. The repetition of “old” and then shifting to the sale’s pitch-like line “say good-bye to boring–every hour is a new adventure!” also stood out to me. I read it like those infomercial narrators and it definitely cemented to me the message of how every hour matters, too.
Hi, Joanne! I am so enthralled in the idea of wearing wonder goggles. Enchanting! Helpful!
You had me at “travel.” Yes, please!
Joanne,
I love this! I would love to own Wonder Goggles to have a renewed awe of things.
Joanne, I would love a pair of these! I love that my attitude could be changed with them – – sometimes I need that! It kind of brings to mind that woman in the Christmas choir with those sparkly glasses that is shaking that tambourine and everyone else is singing and she is putting on a show. That’s what I think wonder goggles would do – – I would want to shake a tambourine.
Thank you for the prompt, Amber! This organization looks amazing, and I definitely look forward to exploring more of their items that benefit their young writers.
Stolen Kisses
These sweet drops were easier to come by
in locked dorm rooms, between classes, behind
darkened buildings illuminated with stars on liquor-soaked nights.
The jar was filled with sugar-rolled drops
sweetened with milk, honey, rocks that
popped and clashed on the tongue.
Now, the drops are darkened cocoa
bon-bons. Each drop of sweet dissolves
in a second so as not to irritate aging teeth.
However, the bitter lingers on the tongue,
reminding us of lost moments. Best enjoyed
after bedtimes, between Zooms, in the subtext of emojis.
Jordan, what a “sweet poem.” The bitterness that lingers on the tongue is a small price to pay for the sweet drops of stolen kisses.
I love this. The flavor changes as we grow, but they’re still just as special. I’m laughing about “between Zooms, in the subtext of emojis.” Relatable!!
Hi, Jordan! Stolen kisses!!! What a great thing to have and hold onto. I like how you’ve introduced some times of when to use them! I just want to hug these drops so close and so tight!
Jordan, intriguing, intriguing, intriguing. Love it.
A jar of cocoa beans
a stimulant
relaxes the blood vessels
helps with climbing in high alitude
(a secret of the Incas
(but I’m not plannng to go to the Andes.)
This jar of cocoa beans
should be by my bedside
within arms length
to grab a handful and begin to chew
before the day.
A jar of chocolate covered cocoa beans
are better yet
as a snack through the day
but not too much
you’ll get a get jittery
A jar of cocoa beans
full of caffeine
will put me on my feet.
Susan! I can see your energy now in that final stanza “A jar of cocoa beans / full of caffeine / will put me on my feet.”
I took students to Peru once, we stayed in the Andes for a couple nights. I remember a restaurant we went to there having the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had anywhere. Served with a little mint leaf. So, having a jar of those by the bedside sounds delightful!
Susan, I need a jar of these on my desk at school to get me through the day. Do you think these would lower my blood pressure?!? 🙂
I need a jar of those cocoa beans! I love the last stanza because I was thinking about needed something like this to give me some energy because I want to crawl into bed.
Cocoa beans!! And chocolate covered ones at that! I need this jolt of caffeine most mornings, friend! I’m buying your beans.
Amber, what a fun prompt! Thanks for introducing me to The Opposite Shop; I may start a personal Surprising Supplies Store section of my notebook to curate more of these fun ideas!
Product: Word Catcher
Uses: Captures the words that fly out of your head before you can say them.
Special Note: It makes an excellent gift for your 60-something friends.
Content: A silver ring of circles (1)
Word Catcher
Sometimes a word escapes me –
mid-sentence or mid-thought,
but now there is an answer –
that can easily be bought.
Wear it on your hand each day,
then hold it to your cheek.
It will help you find your words,
so you do not misspeak
Rita! I adore the idea of having a section of a notebook for this. It has been a great way for me to think and materialize what I might need, but to add a bit of whimsy to it…to soften any struggles there might be.
What a great product you have. I like the imagery of how it’s in the hand and that it be brought to the cheek to be used.
I need this! NOW! Great idea!
Rita, what a wonderful ring. 🙋🏼♀️Yes, please. I need this, and I so love your sweet rhyming poem that is so fun and flowing to read. Great rhyming.
I’m not quite 30 & I already need one of these – yikes! Haha. Beautiful rhymes & such a fun poem.
I would be buying a lot of things today if these products were real. I need a word catcher. I have been tripping all over words this week.
Oh, Rita…this would be a huge seller! The number of times in a day I struggle for the word…
Are these real, Rita? Like a dreamcatcher for the wrist? Wow. Wonderful word play with your opening,
Amber, thank you for opening my eyes to Young Authors Greenhouse – what a wonderful organization!
hold gently
this may look
like an ordinary
paper towel roll
look closer
invisible celestial images
inscribed on its side
glistening stars
moons angel wings
and rays of sunlight
gaze inside
all that
truly matters
is present
within
contemplate
the essence of
joy hope love
write
Hi, Maureen! Wow! I am eager for the next time I cross an empty paper roll. The “glistening stars” and “rays of sunshine” from gazing inside are so so so inviting.
I’m glad you are now introduced to Young Author’s Greenhouse. It is an incredible organization with incredible people. I have grown so much from just following their journey from afar, virtually. (Which reminds me, if you are in touch with them, they may even lead a workshop online with you and students. They really are just so incredible.)
Wow! Love this – hold gently, look closer, gaze inside, contemplate, write. The structure is go wonderful and guides us to our purpose.
Maureen,
This is so exhilirating!
Love your use of italics for the commands.
And the end of your poem brings me such joy!
Thanks for sharing!
Maureen, what a meditation invitation. This is perfect. I’m going to try one to slow me down and “contemplate the essence of joy hope love” and then “write” It sounds like a good activity for granddaughters too.
I love your directions in italics. I will never look at a paper towel roll in the same way again.
Maureen, I love how your poem opens with “hold gently” and invites the reader to look closely. Your ending is pure joy: “write”. Magical piece!
Maureen,
I thought of a kaleidoscope as I read and all the colors and images it creates. It taps into our imagination, which I love. These lines have a duality of meaning that are simply gorgeous:
“gaze inside
all that
truly matters
is present
within”
Winston ourselves, and within the lens through which we look Lovely and profound
Amber, how interesting. I loved looking through the Opposite Store, and I was tempted to order a tee-shirt, so that’s how I thought of the unsurprising supply I wrote about today. Thank you for this prompt. I have come to appreciate the word swab in your poem today. The alliteration and gentleness of your last line is staying with me today.
————————————————————–
Entrusted Earth Dust
Earth has been entrusted to humans,
But we have neglected our vocation
For the heavy and habitual lust of the
“Ever-expanding consumption of goods”1
Entrusted Earth Dust
can help restore you to your original
anti-consumerism commitment
Curb your buy-ological urge
with this extraordinary powder
Just sprinkle lightly
On your prefrontal cortex
To ease the addiction
And restore
executive functioning
Made with 100% recycled
crushed Amazon returns
Free digital delivery
sent through WiFi
(No fossil-fuel-guzzling
delivery trucks needed)
Cost: absolutely free
Our Mother will thank you
———————————————————-
1 https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/consumerism
Denise, I’m so glad you enjoyed the prompt today. I, too, am often interested in purchasing some merch from their shop. So, I like how you incorporated that in your poem today. I especially find joy and smiles in this line “Made with 100% recycled / crushed Amazon returns”. The word “crushed” was just the right touch for the mood.
I am imagining standing (outside, I think!), taking earth dust, and”Just sprinkle lightly/On your prefrontal cortex” – this image alone makes me smile. I believe you are right – if we all did this, paused and held and savored a bit of the earth, I am sure we would spend less. “Our Mother will thank you” – beautiful!
Denise,
You and I are channeling the same inspiration today, which I love. “Entrusted Earth Dust” is a cool thing to offer as a supply. That opening line is perfect, a push back on the “be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over” mindset. I love that you’ve called out “fossil-fuel-guzzling” and have made reference to the Amazon, which has been on my mind this week as I begin anticipating summer travels. I think you’ll like the look of my Canva today!
Ha! That’s clever–especially that “buy-ological urge.” How soon can you ship some?
I keep thinking about these two lines, Denise,
and how deeply these words resonate with a punch I’m not quite ready to process (or admit). Wonderful wording.
Denise, wow, what a powerful poem and your first line says it all. Loved your line “Curb your buy-ological urge”. Fantastic closing line, too. Yes, she will! Thanks for sharing the link which adds more background to your incredible voice and poem!
Denise, the 100% recycled crushed Amazon returns sticks right in the mind for a while to truly make me think of the impact of wastefulness. I think we were both thinking of the earth today.
Anber, thanks for the prompt to remember. It was fun pulling this together poetically.
Remember to Remember
I forgot to remember
Until the pictures started popping up
I forgot to remember regularly.
Recalling the people I’ve met
Reveling in places I’ve traveled
Reflecting on presentations I’ve witnessed
And reviewing lessons I’ve leaned
Now pretty pictures pop up daily
Right on my cellphone screen
Evoking myriad moments and memories
Of people, places, and presentations seen
Pictures prompt me to give thanks
And also clarify my credit card bills
Those photos Illuminate ever so clearly
Why so few bucks remain in the bank.
Anna, I am enjoying this poem very much. I do like those memories that pop up and remind me of things “I forgot to remember”. And what a buggar…those bills. One day maybe it will be that we forget to remember we had those bills.
Memories are truly unleashed when “the pictures started popping up” – such a simple way to travel again, I think, to go down memory lane.
I loved the verbs in stanza 1: “recalling, reveling, reflecting and reviewing”
I also laughed at giving thanks and clarifying the credit card bills
Ah, what price can you put on happy memories?
Product Name: Full-Freedom Front closing Bras
Uses: Support
Special Note: Wireless
Contents: one (choose purple)
Freedom of underwire
no eyes needed behind your head
no swirling undergarment around your chest
moderate comfortable support while
sleeping, lounging, vacationing, chilling
no need for octopus arms
Written by Seana Hurd Wright
Seana, I LOVE THIS, and I need one! Your poem made me smile. 🙂
Seana, I would love a purple bra like this. You have thought of everything! The older I get, the more valuable this would be.
Hi, Seana! You already have me giggling at “(choose purple)”. So spunky, so fun! This product sounds freeing for sure!
This is awesome! “no eyes needed behind your head” – and “no need for octopus arms” – I hear you! Why in the world can’t they be designed like this?
Yes, Yes, Yes! Great idea and love the color purple!
Practical and purple! Excellent!
Love this! My favorite line is “no need for octopus arms.”
I think this is a poem that wants to be a story (and maybe a creepy one):
Product Name: Chilhood Pauses
Uses: Are your kids growing up too fast? Do you wish life could slow down so they (you) could enjoy their youth? Try our Childhood Pauses (now available in Grandiose Grape flavor) to keep them young for a little bit longer.
Special Note: Some generations may experience extended benefits and possibly refuse to leave your home.
Contents: photos, tickets, souvenirs of all shapes and sizes, report cards, pretty rocks, bandaids, baby teeth, and birthday cake
She kept a small box
full of memories
on her bedside table:
report cards
baby teeth
pretty rocks of all
shapes and sizes.
Each trinket
was full of stories,
experiences,
and wonder.
So every night,
she took a nibble
or a bite
to keep them a part
of her for
a little
while
longer.
I need these! What other flavors do you have? 😂 But seriously, I do this just about every night with my memories! I have only one left at home and I want it to be ten years ago!
Oh, Eric, this is so precious. I love “each trinket is full of stories, experiences and wonder” and just taking a nibble out of each to remember. Beautiful.
Ohhhh! Wow! This poem reminds me of the hilarious moment my sister and I had as grown adults going through my mother’s jewelry box that was kept on the dresser at the end of my mom’s bedside. She had all our baby teeth in there. We laughed so much. Thank you for sharing this. You capture the way we as moms try to freeze time and to just keep them little “for / a little / while / longer.”
I love the idea of “Grandiose Grape” flavor and the ability to take “a bite
to keep them a part/of her.” Children grow too fast, and grandchildren grown exponentially faster.
Oh, this really spoke to me. I have a box of special cards accumulated from over 30 years of teaching. Before I retired when I was having a bad day I’d open the box and randomly pick one out to remind me why I was doing what I was doing. Now they are incredible memories. Thank you for reminding me.
Mmm that last stanza. I love that she tastes them. She doesn’t just hold them, she ingests them, “to keep them a part / of her.” Absolutely beautiful.
The sweetest idea ever.
I love the nibbling, Wilkinson…Actually, I love the nibbling with reference to the trinkets by the best…and, truthfully, this is just a wonderful poem.
Love this! Way to go Coach Amber!!!!
Awe! Thank you! It’s great to have you hear in this space with us today.
Amber,
Thanks for hosting this magic playtime.
I’m charmed by this details of your poem:
i love the line:
I also like how the warning of the danger of excess is mitigated by your alliterative closing:
Yes, please!
Future Glimpses
Not sure
what life will entail
if you chose x over y?
Future glimpses to the rescue?
Slowly unwrap the blue striped paper
as you think about a path
you’re not sure about travelling
Place the unwrapped yellow oblong
on the center of your tongue
Jump up and down—
high
three times
Close your eyes
Slowly begin to chew your future glimpse
As you taste the brace of ginger
you will receive a non-binding ninety-nine second
future glimpse!
Sharon! This seems like a very fun way to get that future glimpse which can otherwise be a little intimidating or scary at times. I am particularly fond of the playfulness entwined “Jump up and down– / high / three times”
This is a very clever and necessary creation – I love especially that it tastes of ginger and offers “a non-binding ninety-nine second/future glimpse.” How helpful this would be with our decision-making!
Sharon, I love all the details in your whimsical poem. Blue stripes and ginger are wonderful!
Not only do I love the idea, but I really love your directions for use. So cute and clever. It sure would be nice to have a chance to glimpse ahead for making a decision.
Product Name: Unexpected Kisses
Lately, all I need is an unexpected kiss
But it doesn’t seem to come along all that often
However, they serve a great purpose
While they can’t be contained to a jar or a can or a box or a ziploc
(if they did, I would have used them all by now)
They are tricky because…
They are everywhere, in plain sight, and yet…
I find myself playing hide and seek with them
Most days, my day is full of nonsense
With demand after demand
And I think an unexpected kiss
Would just make things a little better for a second
But for now,
When I go home,
Little licks from a lab will do just fine
Rachel! Thank you for sharing this with us today.
Your poem of unexpected kisses gives me happy memories of something I didn’t experience until really, really late in life. What a happy treasure to know what those are. I melt into your line about how they “just make things a little better for a second.”
How might we package unexpected kisses? Truly, these are amongst the rarest and most divine of all joys!
Rachel,
This is delightful.
I especially love this stanza:
So true!
Thanks for sharing.
Ha! Yes. I agree, a loving lab is the best. The double meaning of kiss gives this poem so ooomph that I love.
Amber, I am so taken in by The Opposite Shop. So many great metaphors and words to shop for. I chose crystallized clouds, used for a good night’s sleep, contents of white glitter. I am currently at a hotel writing in the lobby. I’ll be presenting this afternoon with Irene Latham at the Fay B Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. I am surrounded by accomplished authors. It’s both thrilling and intimidating.
There-in the crystallized clouds
I find a good night.
Sleep comes under a strange blanket
that smells of distant rain.
I’m traveling in a new town
among authors, illustrators, people I idolize
Where does my glitter shine?
Don’t we all want to be seen?
Where does that leave us?
alone in a hotel lobby
wondering where everyone went.
There-in the crystallized clouds.
Oh, wow, Margaret!!!! What an honor you get to have today. I can see why you might need these crystallized clouds. Shine bright! I know you will.
Margaret, you are without a doubt, “There-in the crystallized clouds” – how magical to write poetry in a hotel lobby, in the midst of other wonderful authors and illustrators. Enjoy yourself! Happy presentation!
There’s a dreamy quality to this…lovely. And, I can’t wait to hear about your presentation. You’ll share, right?
I just want a Weed Wacker that doles
out the cord when I actually need it to.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing unheard of.
In fact, nothing that isn’t promised
on each and every package of every
Weed Trimmer on the market.
Yet, here I am on the eve of
summer vacation, and I can’t find
a single Weed Eater that works
and I know
these are 100%
First-World Problems
folks, back in the day, had to use
tweezers or their hands or (worse)
those hand-held clippers
(those things ARE NOT safe)
and they had to walk
to school
uphill both ways.
I get it.
I’m slowly becoming the
get-off-my-lawn guy it seems
but I’m just curious as to why this
“is a thing,” why everyone accepts
this as a truth, a given
(It’s as bad as the Q-tip people thinking
we don’t actually put those IN our ears.
They know we do, and we know that they know.)
So, where does that leave us?
_______________________________________________________________
Amber, thank you for your mentor poem and your prompt! I love the warning of “over use” in your poem. Your “Memory Swabs” have a dystopian-Soma-Brave New World feel in your last stanza; hence, your reticence in their use, your “only simply, sweetly, sometimes swab.” My offering is just a simple plea to have a yard tool that performs as it claims to….and that led me to the realization that – like the Q-tip folks – some corporations, I think, are ok with gaslighting their consumers…wow, that does sound a bit crotchety … and paranoid…yikes, lol.
Scott, once developed please send me your prototype! Ugh – and while you’re at it can you please make it a little less noisy!
Scott – I enjoyed this, haha. I think what I liked most was the casualness of it.
“I just want a Weed Wacker that doles
out the cord when I actually need it to.”
I think “actually” was what made it funny for me.
Good one.
I definitely thing this is a viable plea. I am entertained by your line “They know we do, and we know that they know” because of the fun truth in that. [insert snickering…because of all the knowing others know that we know that they know]
You have me smiling, Scott! I adore the connection to Q-tip. Yes, manufacturers know our needs and our uses, and simply seem to enjoy tripping us up sometimes.
Ha! As someone about to buy a weed whacking device (because I’m still using hand clippers), when you find the right one, please let me know (electrical preferably, though I recognize this will make it likely less effective). We will not, however, ever put a q-tip in our ears after my youngest forget one was there and flopped onto a pillow.
Amber–what a delightful prompt! Everyone should have a jar of mamory swabs, to be used judiciously…
The Impossible Shop Apothecary
I stopped by the Impossible Shop Apothecary
to replenish my classroom supplies.
The list was a long one.
Impossible Things happen daily in my class.
Extra-strength Effusion of Hope
Two boxes.
(The ones in the bright yellow spray can)
Potent enough for even Very Bad Days.
Maximum Effort Tablets,
Student Dosage–three bottles
(State testing starts next week)
Time Extension Lozenges
One lozenge, placed under the tongue
Triples planning time.
Warning: To be used only in cases of extreme urgency
Extremely addictive.
Nostrum of Patience Pastilles
Top shelf, pale purple bottle, way at the back
Only one bottle left. Obviously in short supply.
Tincture of Possibility and Dreams
To be administered liberally as needed
Safe for anyone
Can be taken daily,
as you can never have too many.
Extract of Joy
Applied to every lesson,
because that is what makes the next day possible.
Again and again and again.
GJSands
4-11-2014
I would order one of everything from your apothecary. I especially love the extract of joy – for yes indeed that’s what makes our days! Thank you!
This is such a clever list of products for a classroom. I know I could use the “Extra-strength effusion of hope” and to end with “Extract of Joy”, what every classroom needs, but few actually administer. I am so tired of hearing teachers across the hall yelling at the end of the day. Can’t they take a pill of possibility to help them realize they are planting seeds and the seeds need nourishment?
What a great shopping list! Thanks for sharing.
Oh! A whole shop! This is perfect…I’ll need to go there to get some of maximum effort tablets for all of us. Spring has sprung! And I like that the “Tincture of Possibility and Dreams…can be taken daily.”
Oh, Gayle! I want to create miniature cardboard replicas of each of these gems (that are too often in short supply), so that students might hold one in their hands and be reminded to keep on giving their very best. Love all the different ways the doses are administered – extracts, effusions, tinctures, lozenges…so awesome!
Amber, thank you for hosting today and sharing this program with us. This prompt was a fun distraction that made me feel like I was walking through Diagon Alley.
Rapid Reading Rake
For Immediate Release
available now: the
Rapid Reading Rake
To help: you read
all those books
stacked on your bedside
tagged in your Goodreads profile
collecting dust in your office
on hold in your Libby app
recommended by students
friends, colleagues, media
Contents: the Rapid Reading Rake
allows for you to retain all
the feels, empathy, stomach
churning excitement, disappointment
connection with the an/pro-tagonists
key takeaways of the theory into
practice for academic genres
definition of new vocabulary
key quotes, summaries
in no time at all and for one
low price, all raked into your
being, into your experience
with one rapid raking of
all the books of the world
ALA Warning: not approved
at this time, there is not
enough time, just
rake your imagination
Stefani, Ooohhh! I need this! Every time I think I’m nearing the bottom of the pile, more (magically, it feels) appear and the stack shifts and morphs. I’ve come to think of it as a living entity that will accompany me everywhere, throughout all of my life (just trying to remind myself it’s not the weight it sometimes feels). Love that ALA warning!
I need one of these rakes — let’s get it into production asap. Lovely poem.
Stefani, Don’t we all need this rake? I feel so much guilt over the rising pile of books. It’s so intimidating. I love the line “all raked into your being” because we know if we actually read them all and raked them in, we’d be brilliant, right?
For those of us with long TBR lists, thank you for this product 🙂
Stefani!!!! So clever! I like that rake for sure! The ALA Warning is so great “just rake your imagination”. That is a great slogan.
Does this mean that I no longer have to try to remember the title by describing the characters vaguely and knowing the color of the cover?? I want this rake! (And I love the fact that you managed to include all the ways I store books as well…)
Amber, this is a throughly enchanting prompt and I am in love with the fanciful items in The Opposite Shop! Memory Swabs – what a perfect metaphor. I want these – need these. Now that you have shared this pome, the imagery will be in my own memory forever.
As for this “simple” bit of magic today – it is hard to make!! i want to play with it more but here goes…
Product Name: Sachet of Seed Ideas
Uses: Highly effective in overcoming writer’s block
Special Note: To be carried in your pocket for planting when the landscape of your mind appears barren, or for when you need a whiff of inspiration. Doubles as a talisman against despair.
Contents: one small cloth bag of dried clove buds, tied with yarn
The Magic’s in the Yarn
I bought the sachet
not even realizing
there was a small tag
attached to the yarn:
I’m always a breath away.
No expiration.
Fran, a sachet! Of all the containers in the realm of possibility, I find a sachet the most enchanting of all, especially with seed ideas. I need a sprinkling of them. I think there’s a large fox coming to my county today with a sachet just like the one you are selling today, straight from Zebulon to Zebulon.
How beautiful…and how Fran! This is wonderful…and easily made by students with this little poem attached. When I read the poem before your product description I was thinking of my grandmother and how I loved the scent of her clothes closet.
Fran, I’m struck by the wording in the Special Note: for planting when the landscape of your mind appears barren, as it’s all about the seeds – planting ideas, plot lines, thoughts… And there’s such HOPE in the tag: no expiration. Ain’t that just the truth.
Fran, the “landscape of your mind” is such a powerful image. This line alone would show the seeds are working:) Thank you for sharing.
I knew a writer who wrote a book about gris gris and with the purchase of the book gave out sachets with a small tag. I love the message “I’m always a breath away.” That’s how I feel every day. I also need memory swabs more often.
Ohhhhh, Fran!!!!! I can smell this poem! I want and need it badly: “doubles as a talisman against despair.” I’m most excited that there is “No expiration.”
I am fairly positive that I will be thinking of this product every time I smell cloves. Comforting.
OK, Fran, you must be carrying that Sachet of Seed Ideas. I love the message. “I’m always a breath away. No expiration.” Gosh, I want to tattoo (not really) that onto me. It’s just soooo beautiful. Maybe I’ll tie a yarn with a tag onto my pen. Inspiration and magic!
I love “Doubles as a talisman against despair.” I can use that indeed!
Amber, what fun it is to dream of a new product to solve an important problem! I love your swabs – when will production begin as I’d like to be in line to purchase a set!
I had fun thinking of a product but quickly settled in wanting to pause time. Here’s my very rough draft
The Time Brakes
Want to stop time?
To linger
In that perfect
Moment?
Well now you can.
Put on the brakes,
The Time Brakes,
and stay put
to savor that
instant of perfection.
Want to freeze time?
So that laughing
with your grandchildren
may never end?
Well now you can.
Put on the brakes,
The Time Brakes,
and lollygag
through your days
together giggling nonstop.
Want to pause time?
To smell the green earth
and bask in sunshine
everyday?
Well now you can.
Put on the brakes,
The Time Brakes
and putter in your garden
for hours on end.
Time Brakes are
available now
in powder
or spray
just $29.99
So order
today
Don’t delay
to allow those
cherished times
to stay
I am in love with the rhyming I hear, and your lines
Put on the brakes,
The Time Brakes,
and lollygag
through your days
remind me so much of the very line that is the theme of this year’s National Poetry Month theme – – it’s Lucille Clifton’s poem about the boats and goes something like, “and in your innocence may you move through this to that,” or something like that- – I’d rather stop and lallygag, though, with all due respect to Lucille. I want to stop moments sometimes, a little longer than a heart murmur, just to soak in the smiles and sparkles in my grandkids’ eyes. Thank you for this beautiful poem!
Christine, I love the thought of extra llollygagging time, time do nothing or anything. Thank you for sharing today.
Christine! You bring attention to things many of us most likely need or want. Your final stanza has me smiling in the fun and playfulness for the urgency to get them. I’m sold!
One of my favorite words–lollygagging! I am buying the Time Brake today!
You made this as an inviting ad for Time Brakes. I love it. I wish I could buy them now. More than using the brakes I hope a reversal power is also added. All those cherished moments!
Thank you Amber for jump-starting my brain this morning. Your prompt inspired a drawn poem – a bottle of Stamina Suds to support my efforts to increase authentic student voice in an environment that values the five-paragraph literary essay. (photo may or may not have attached…)
Trying photo again…
LOL! Yes, please…I want some
Katherine, I know lots of students (and teachers who would share) in need of Stamina Suds. I love the addition of layering the poem with art. This would be fun for students to try too!
Love this! “Meaningful change takes time” is such truth. I could use a dose of stamina, for sure.
Katherine,
Can I get one hour shipping please? My students could use this today. In fact, I could use some. I’ll take seven bottles, one for each class and one for me and my team.
Thanks!
Yay!!! A drawn poem. This is fantastic. So sudsy…all the suds, please!
This visual is a lovely interpretation of this prompt–and fun! Thank you for sharing today.
Kathrine, what a beautiful drawn poem. I love the purpose for protecting student voice in this environment. Good for you for speaking out and creating art and poetry that just says expansive.
Hi, Amber, your prompt is so thought-provoking! Thank you for hosting us today! Those memory swabs sound exactly like something I need more and more lately, and even yesterday talked with a colleague about our memories. I think I did what you said not to do – I think I overthought and went all serious. The one thing I can think that I ever really need in this world is a meadow – – and my first two lines carry the meaning of my name. I went from the supply shelf to the great outdoors to find a lifetime supply of what I need most.
Heavenly Meadow
from the
royal fortress
meadow
cloaked
in Mother
Earth’s
embrace
arms
cradling
us
carrying
us
crossing
us
from
bosom
to
heaven
Kim, I am loving all the creative ways the royal fortress meadow is blooming afresh and sustaining you each day. It is, after all, your essence! Such beautiful, peaceful imagery here – I feel cradled by your verse. Yes… these memory swabs appear providentially today, do they not??
Kim, I am in need of a meadow too. Let’s find one together! Or better yet, let’s explore the heavenly meadow you’ve written of today. I think it was the thought of being cloaked in Mother Earth’s embrace that cinched it for me. It’s a peaceful way of transitioning us from here to there.
Thanks for joining us here today and giving us “heavenly meadow”. I like the stanza: “arms / cradling / us / carrying / us / crossing / us” because it joins the reader with others and the cradling and carrying are presenting me imagery and feelings of relaxing and freedom from the heaviness we might be in outside of the meadow.
Oh, my dear, Royal Fortress, yes a meadow “cradling” “carrying” “crossing” so beautiful. And “from bosom to heaven” The comfort and gentleness in your poem is holding me tight today.
Kim I love the simplicity of this form and the resulting repetition of us. Beautiful poem!
Oh, Kim, this is entirely healing to be in Mother Earth’s embrace. So lovely.
OK, this was so fun! Amber–you got me to tap into my silly side. I never know when my silly is going to show up. When I try to be silly I fall flat…but then silly shows up unexpectedly. Of course, it’s the rhyme that does it.
Oh, and I’d like two dozen memory swabs, please. What a great idea! And, what fun for students to come up with their own inventions. I just can’t love this prompt any more. Thank you!
My Product Name: Time Bubble
Uses: When you’re out of time before small or large deadlines, chew this gum, blow a bubble as big as the time needed to complete the work. Step into the bubble, finish work in a rose-colored focused environment. When finished, pop the bubble to re-enter life as a rockstar in any field of expertise
Special Note: not responsible for bubble bursts, gum in hair, or gas resulting from swallowed gum
Contents: One square of pink bubble gum
Time Bubble
There is a special bubble gum
Just for those who must get things done
It’s called TIME BUBBLE and it’s pink
Give it a try if you think
You need a few minutes to finish an e-mail
A couple of weeks to train a killer whale
Maybe you need days to complete a report
What kind of report? Any sort!
One piece of gum makes a bubble of time
Chew it, Shape it. Then blow air inside
Your bubble is ready for you to enter
It’s yours as a project completion center
When finished with time to your satisfaction
Simply pop the bubble with some teeth action
Your work, family, and friends will all celebrate
How calmly you handle all the things on your plate.
Excellent!!! So much fun!!! Let me get a chew!! Thanks for sharing a very creative, delightful poem!!
Linda, pass that gum over here! What an amazing poem in rhyming couplets, and it flows with such sense even in the silliness. I live in a county where we never know which animal will be reported running the streets on the loose next (chased two donkeys for two hours just last week), and so if I ever, ever, ever come across a killer whale that needs training, I will know that this gum will be the stuff of dreams. For today, I’m meeting a large fox who types poetry up at the coffee shop, and just like that we move from donkey to whale to fox. With a piece of pink bubble gum to keep us sane. What a gem of a poem! Sweet and poppy!
Where can I buy this, Linda??? It is vital! And – perfect. 🙂
Linda, this is delightful! And I’m going to have to learn how to chew more than one piece at a time so I can handle multiple bubbles at once! I can relate to the trying to be silly and falling flat. You certainly didn’t hear – the funny muse sat alongside you throughout. I was smiling at the special notes and it stayed with me all along. Such fun!
This could be a children’s book. It was so sweet. Much enjoyed.
This poem just popped out of you!? I love it, the idea, the humor, the result “calmly you handle all the things on your plate.” Can you send me a box full?
Linda! Your Time Bubble poem is so fun and silly. I am smiling from ear to ear. The way you worked in the couplets. What a happy poem that brings sense of hope and safety.
OK, Linda, here’s to “unexpected silly” showing up! Yes, indeed. So fun. It’s such a fun rhyming poem, and the whole premise is just perfect for what is needed in our distracted world. I think this should be a real item in The Opposite Shop–a good money maker for the Young Authors Greenhouse.
Definitely need lots of TIME BUBBLE to help me calmly handle all the things on my plate and on other’s plates. Sigh…
This is just great. Love these lines:
Amber, I had fun imagining all the imaginings you had with the memory swabs. And of course spent time wandering The Opposite Shop. Such a cool concept.
The Shop Opposite
There once was a shop
that sat on the corner
of Hutchins and Vine.
Beyond the plate glass,
stacked upon shelves,
shoved into corners,
and tucked into drawers,
one could find whatever
their heart desired
(you only had to speak it).
A small iron squirrel
held the arched door open wide,
inviting passers-by inside for a peek.
Or two.
Dust settled against floorboards
and light shifted across old bottles
in blues and greens
as the day wore on.
On the highest shelf sat
a forgotten jar of Moon Beams
containing silvered sighs
that attempted to escape every hour.
On the hour.
Behind the wooden counter,
polished from years of hands
resting upon its surface,
a multitude of tiny drawers
faced outward,
copper pulls winking
in invitation.
The first held
(if one were to look)
an envelope of Cloud Wisps
smelling softly of the sea
just before the sun warms its surface.
Pods of Comet Tails, their tendrils
nesting gently within drawer number five
slept in darkness.
A slip of Wolf Shadows
rustled against the wooden sides
of drawer seventeen.
Further down, a box containing
Snow Stars waited for just the right
finger to encircle.
Children came
(the clock struck quarter and half hours)
and went
catching dreams
and speaking wishes.
Oh, Jennifer! How am I supposed to write anything after reading this!!?? Every detail is magical; the fantasies in this store are—fantastic. And the clock sticking quarter and a half hours…. OK,I’m going back to sleep now. I give up! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Good Morning, Jennifer.
“A small iron squirrel
held the arched door open wide,” is the kind of detail I love in poems…it’s not every day you see something like this and yet we all know what it would look like.
The forgotten jar of moonbeams (yes, please), comet trails, wolf shadows….sigh…all things I would love to shop for. Great morning write!
Jennifer, even before I read Linda’s comment, I had copied this:
A small iron squirrel
held the arched door open wide,
That was when I knew FOR SURE that there would be magic waiting inside. You can’t go wrong with an iron squirrel. Not just any old animal can hold open the doors to magical places, but this squirrel is the one for the job, and I see him dressed in knickers, a vest, a top hat, a pair of white knee socks and flat black shoes, wearing a timepiece on a gold chain with a cane and probably he has a good Cuban cigar in his back pocket. He seems to have his own offshoot of Diagon Alley, like he’s got the market cornered in the up and coming Harry Potter series, and there is your character – – and all he sells. There is an entire book in this poem. Which character needs the Moonbeams that act like bludgers, only for good things not bad? I think you’ve written a winner of a poem.
Jennifer…you plunged me into another world. I was there and could see it all…this needs to be a whole book. I am first in line. Totally, completely, utterly magical and real – I love every single line.
Jennifer, pure magic! Oh, my goodness. Can this be a children’s book, please? Starting with “a forgotten jar of Moon Beams
containing silvered sighs”
the other items in the shop just get more and more magical. So absolutely lovely.
Jennifer, you have beautifully drawn me to The Opposite Shop with you. The imagery here is incredible.
“A slip of Wolf Shadows / rustled against the wooden sides / of drawer seventeen.”
This line stood out to me because recently, one of my closest friends I rarely get to see (thus the need for my swabs) shared a picture of him with his wolf pack saying I’m a wolf, too, just wasn’t there. So…maybe I’m “a slip of wolf shadow” and I’m “catching dreams / and speaking wishes.”
Beautiful!
I got caught up in the Opposite Store stuff, Amber. And then one of its products caught my attentio (so I veered off from your prompt). – Kevin
Quiet, like rice
in a jar, a wisp
of the Nine,
the tail dust
of a tumbling star,
the soft whisper
of a cloud,
cosmic particles
ordered, afar –
we arrive
with closed eyes,
never knowing
where we are
inspired by a Wisp Of Cloud Nine
https://www.theoppositeshop.com/product/wisp-of-cloud-nine/12?si=true
I got caught up in the opposite shop too! So fun and freeing and perfect for my inner child. All of the items in your poem are so pretty–so unreachable except through closed eyes. I love that.
Kevin, I want the t-shirt that says I ARRIVE WITH CLOSED EYES NEVER KNOWING WHERE I AM. Not that I need to wear it ~ but at least I’ll remember that there are people like that and I belong. Thank you for seeing me out here needing those words.
Kevin, this is fantastic! Thank you for veering from the prompt and showing up in a way that works for you by sharing with us this poem here. It’s “quiet”, “soft”, and “wisp[y]”. It’s providing me a gentle way to think about moving forward in time not know what will come.