"All this happened, more or less."

Inspiration for this poem came from  http://www.ethicalela.com/8-verselove-2019-with-travis-crowder/  for #verselove2019. Instructions were to: " choose an image–a photograph, an image from history, a gorgeous landscape–and let your thinking land on the page. Let the words pool and then, once the collection grows, start arranging them. Let the poem sit for a moment, then return to it. You’ll be amazed at the thinking you want to add ." Following the link to the  New York Times Year in Photos for 2018 , I found several photos that inspired writing. Here is the result of one of those photographs:

Inspiration for this poem came from  http://www.ethicalela.com/8-verselove-2019-with-travis-crowder/  for #verselove2019. Instructions were to: " choose an image–a photograph, an image from history, a gorgeous landscape–and let your thinking land on the page. Let the words pool and then, once the collection grows, start arranging them. Let the poem sit for a moment, then return to it. You’ll be amazed at the thinking you want to add ." Following the link to the New York Times Year in Photos for 2018 , I found several photos that inspired writing. Here is the result of one of those photographs:

#Verselove2019 (Day 11) asks about the places that give us "the feels." I definitely have a favorite place, but I have written a prose piece about it previously - one I share with my students.  I decided to take that prose piece and clip lines from it in order to cosntruct a poem. I actually found this really rewarding, as it prompted me to think about which lines are truly important and which aspects of the experience are worthy of repeating as I transformed the message into a new genre.  I also refrained from using any punctuation at all - quite a feat for me! I do enjoy a good punctuation mark ;)  Original prose piece:  http://ambercounts.blogspot.com/2014/06/whither-thou-goest-i-will-go.html   For more writing inspiration:  http://www.ethicalela.com/eleven-verselove2019-with-travis-crowder/   New poem about my "happy place":

I didn't get past the first line of the day 7 #verselove2019 challenge:  What books nudged you as a reader?   I did trace my hand on the page of my journal (boy, are some of my fingers crooked!), and I began filling it with the books my mom read to me, the ones I read during the year that influenced me the most (4th grade), and the books I read during adolescence. I listed such an absurd variety of texts, but I am so glad that those books allowed me to explore the world. The greatest gift my mom gave to me (other than my life, of course) is a love of reading.  For more poetry inspiration, check out  http://www.ethicalela.com/7-verselove2019-with-travis-crowder/

The second #Verselove2019 inspiration/prompt called on writers to capture the best part of themselves. Boy, did I struggle with this one! I'm not very good at tooting my own horn, so to speak, but I'm working on that.  I am sure of one strength - one that helps me connect with and care about my students: empathy. See this site for more poetry-writing ideas:  http://www.ethicalela.com/two-verselove2019/  

Happy Poetry Month! I will do my best to write a poem each day this April; however, it will be difficult. I am already behind, but I will write 2-3 poems on days I can, and hey - any amount of writing is always better than none. I am writing this during reading (SSR) time in class, so please keep in mind that this is a quickly-scrawled draft. This is no masterpiece, but it means something to me today, in this moment.  Please look for inspiration here:  http://www.ethicalela.com/one-verselove2019/  #verselove Instructions were to write about something good. I noticed, as I started drafting, that I had a lot of sound imagery, starting with my original first line "It might sound trite..." (which I crossed out), so I stuck with sounds. I might complete a series with other sensory imagery as well. The #verselove blog also suggested playing with dashes and repetition. I ended up with only one dash and a sprinkle of repetition. Thanks to all my family and friends for your sound