Greetings, Poetry Lovers! I'm still "pausing for poems" each weekday in April with mini poem movies featuring some of my published poems and haiku. Today, it's "Mural Compass" from THE POETRY OF US, edited by J. Patrick Lewis (National Geographic, 2018). Here's the video link, which goes live at 12 a.m. April 10.
Thanks to Matt Forrest Essenwine for last week's heads' up that this anthology was chosen as the April 2020 "Book of the Month" for Read Across America by the National Education Association. A great choice for folks unable to travel right now! Click here for a teaching guide from NEA.
My poem takes readers to Philadelphia, celebrating the country's largest community outdoor art project. It is a 'kyrielle' - and that was a fun challenge!
Mural Compass
Tall figures rise from city ground.
They speak to me without a sound
from vibrant faces, facing sun -
these paintings are for everyone.
Chartreuse and purple pop the street,
kaleidoscoping at my feet.
Graffiti marks are now long gone.
These paintings are for everyone.
On buildings bare and bridges wide
where history and hope collide
shine songs of freedom, fame, and fun -
these paintings are for everyone.
©Robyn Hood Black
For a bit more about this poem and book, you can read a post of mine from Sept. 2018 here. [I don't think I mentioned in that post how this poem was written in the middle of a hurricane evacuation... a story for another day!]
Here's a link to my YouTube Channel, where during April I'm posting published poems for kids every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and published haiku suitable for kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Subscribe if you like, to catch all of them!
Oh, and if you want to visit artsyletters land, here's a link to my fresh-off-the-virtual-press Spring newsletter. (You can subscribe to that, too! I only have my act together to send one out three or four times a year.)
Wishing you safe poetic travels as you enjoy all the offerings rounded up for us this week at one of my all-time favorite destinations, THE POEM FARM. Thanks for hosting, Amy!
(Children under the age of 13 may only comment with demonstrated parental consent - Thank you!)