Robyn Hood Black - children's author, poet, artist

 

Howdy - Quick Wave today as I'm on the road! Just a reminder that Monday will find myself and others gathering for a free reading of Irene & Charles's wonderful new collection, IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY. Registration details are here. Denise has this week's Poetry Friday Roundup today here; thank you, Denise!  And she has some poetic thoughts on Liberty. (Speaking of which, I plan to show up for a local protest by an Indivisible group on Tuesday, March 4.  You might see if there's one in your area if you're interested!) Take good care & see you soon, Robyn

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers - I'm feeling overwhelmed this week at the dismantling of our country, and now, the blowing up of 80 years of American leadership on the global stage. Initially I was heartbroken for the millions of hungry and hurting children and others abandoned with the gutting of USAID, and the many here who are suffering/will suffer from reckless, unnecessary, and just plain stupid cuts and policies, not to mention misinformation/disinformation.  Reform is one thing; fine - but the glee and inherent cruelty of the complete destruction of what's held us up for almost two and half-centuries is something else entirely. And now the President has changed sides in a war and turned his back on our allies. How does one measure the loss of trust? Billions, trillions, of dollars doesn't touch it. 

 

 

 

breaking news breaking everything

 

 

©Robyn Hood Black

 

 

I know many of us are calling and some are marching.  A streamlined way to contact elected leaders for any zip code is through 5 Calls.  My hubby directed me to their phone app which makes it even easier.  Remember to leave your full street address if you have to leave a message, so your call will be counted for that day. And remember to be kind to the person on the other end, who must be fielding all kinds of strong emotions with every answered call. 

 

The amazing and thoughtful Laura Purdie Salas has our Roundup this week; thank you, Laura!

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers!  Happy Valentine's Day.  I'm delighted to share the love today... for a brand new poetry collection from the I&C Construction Company, better known as Irene Latham and Charles Waters. IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY - Poems of Possibility officially blooms on March 4, but I received a contributor's copy this week.  Squee!  This new volume from Candlewick Press offers 31 poems (all beginning with the word 'if') celebrating possibility, soaring on the wings of imagination and hope.  (See the publisher's page and purchasing links here.) Colorful cut-paper illustrations by Olivia Sua are full of heart and bring the words to life.

 

I don't know about you, but I can sure use an anthology like this about now.  The collection celebrates possibility in all its beautiful colors, with diversity among poets and in the words and heart-warming images. The book's title comes from the title of a wonderful poem by award-winning poet and writer Lisa Rogers. (And it makes me wonder, what would YOUR best day include?  Hmmm....)

 

Irene and Charles have included poems by several familiar Poetry Friday folks, as well as some classic poems and works by superstars Joseph Bruchac, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Georgia Heard, Nikki Grimes, and Janet Wong, among others (see above). I'm delighted to have a short poem, "A Glimmer of Peace,"  in the last section, "Anything is Possible." I'll share it in a couple of weeks.

 

In the meantime, here's just a morsel or two from the book to whet your appetite. 

 

In "What Kind of Word is If?" Georgia Heard begins:

 

If is a wise word, 

a wishing word,

  a winged word

  that flies in the blue

  sky of hope.

 

I didn't add them up, but the number of poems in this book (including mine) which feature birds, wings, and flight would be a high percentage!

 

It would very hard to pick favorites, but some of the poems which particularly sparked magic for me include Sarah Grace Tuttle's "The Rock," Gabi Snyder's "Blue Bike," and Guadalupe García McCall's "If I Were a Bookworm."  BUT - they're all wonderful.  As Irene and Charles write, "Every child has spent minutes, days, years in the land of "if."

 

(And many of us have never quite migrated from there!)

 

An Emily Dickinson poem is included in "The Power of You" section, and I think its spirit pulses from cover to cover of this anthology.

 

 

If I can stop one Heart from breaking

I shall not live in vain

If I can ease one Life the Aching

Or cool one Pain

 

Or help one fainting Robin

Unto his Nest again

I shall not live in Vain.

 

 

Amen, Emily, and thanks to Charles and Irene (and Olivia Sua and the Candlewick team) for offering this gift to the world.  It's been many years in the making, but the timing seems perfect.

 

But wait - there's more!  The Writing Barn, along with Irene and Charles, are hosting a free poetry reading with 17 poets from the book in celebration of Read Across America Day.  Registration info and details can be found here.  

 

For lots of poetry love this week, head over to TeacherDance, where our amazing and generous Linda has the Roundup.  Happy Heart Day, Linda! 

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! This week, I am happy to share the rest of the wonderful New Year Poem Postcard Swap treasures that made their way from many regions of the country to my mailbox.  Thank you, Poetry Friends!  Our Swap wrangler Jone Rush MacCulloch always invites participants to explore the theme of the Lunar New Year (which buys us a few weeks of sending time!), but that is not a requirement.  I'm always delighted to read/see the thoughts, inspirations, and clever creations folks come up with. It's a great way to start a new year, maybe this one more than ever. (And we get to enjoy the word, 'Apricity'!) Enjoy!

 

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CHOOSE JOY

 

LOVE ANYWAY

 

gorgeous handmade prints

strung together ©Mary Lee Hahn

 

 

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Apricity

(the warmth of the sun in winter)

 

Awakening the day's

Promise, sun's warmth.

Reaches

Inside the depths of winter's 

Chill

Inviting us to 

Tranquil hearts and souls

Yielding peace.

 

©Rose Capelli

 

 

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FEAR

 

I ache whenever I see Liberty faltering.

 

I cringe whenever I hear the fiery blazes.

 

I grieve whenever I think of tomorrow.

 

But not today.

 

Today I will wear my full sunshine

 

and bask in hope where the yesses are.

 

Liberty, look at me.

 

Blazes, hear me.

 

Tomorrow, think of me.

 

 

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

 

©Denise Krebs

 

 

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Temptation Wins

 

This is it.  This will be the year.

I'm gonna rein it in.  I'm too old

for these late-night shenanigans.

I gotta leave it to the young-uns.

An ol' Ky-ote can be content

under a sky full of memories

 

leading the pack, the night runs,

the thrill of the chase, all creosote

and rabbit musk - this year, 

I give it up.  I'm two days in,

relyin' on stamina,

controlling the urge, ignoring...

 

aw shit... why do I even try...

Ow-woo!  Yip-yip-yip! Ow-woo!

 

©Patricia J. Franz

 

   

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PERKS OF BEING A SNAKE

 

  At birth a snake

     is qualified

 to taste the world,

with tongue as guide

 

  Need some room

  inside your head?

  A snake's jaw is 

  known to spread

 

Snakes molt as needed 

   (shed their skin)

Now is a good time

      to begin

 

©Tabatha Yeatts

 

 

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iris is a waterwheel

pupil is a solar cell

eyelash is a gear & sprocket

muscle is a thermal well

arm is a rotor blade

blood is an ocean swell

 

body is a generator

heart is a battery

I believe that we can solve

our energy emergency

 

©Heidi Mordhorst

 

 

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gather

ingredients

without a recipe - 

trust that your instincts can

               create

wonders

 

©Sarah Grace Tuttle

 

 

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I Walk the Beach at Dawn

 

The tide crashes onto the skerries

rocking and roiling, stirring up

sand grains, sea kelp, and flotsam

 

a wood snake, last night's driftwood arrival

hisses, take note of your dreams,

I make list in the sand, throw a rock into the sea

 

for health and joy of those I love

for guidance from the ancestors

the asking prayer for the year

 

©Jone Rush MacCulloch

 

 

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moody, gray, cloudy

 

day, a stand of aspen

 

trees golden leaves

 

light our way

 

©Gail Aldous

 

 

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Year of the Snake Etched in Stillness

 

evening settles

in winter's shadowed silence

sparkling like diamonds

silhouetting against the sky

nature spreads its charm

 

©Carol Varsalona

 

 

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Advice from a titmouse

 

         Show up

       Be curious

   Don't let your size

determine your goals

       Hold on tight

when the wind blows

 

        Never forget...

You were made for flying!

 

©Molly Hogan

 

 

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 To Your Future Self

 

Tell me about 2025.

Tell me about rising and shining.

Tell me about moving and making.

 

Tell me about white roses in crystal vases.

Tell me about purple silks and silver stars.

Tell me about mothering your soft animal you.

 

Tell me who you lifted.

Tell me who you held.

Tell me why you cared.

 

Tell me what you forgave.

Tell me when you bowed your head.

Tell me that you made it.

 

©Mona Voelkel

 

 

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These poems and images (many original or by family members), along with the few I posted week before last, have been lovely gifts with which to start the new year and arm my mind and soul.  Now it's time to turn out attention to the holiday of LOVE - Carol at Beyond Literacy Link is ready to help us all do just that as she's hosting the Roundup this week.  Thanks, Carol!  (Also, speaking of postcards, I sent a bunch of original Valentine postcards to the shop in Beaufort, SC, where I still have my wares for sale, and listed a few in my Etsy shop.)