Snow Birds

There are. few things I really don't mind about winter in New England.

• Getting to wear my oversized snuggly sweaters,

• The amazing blue color of the sky

• How thick, rich, warm soups taste on a snowy day

• and if you just stop and listen, the silence you hear trudging through the snow.

  
  

But I have to admit.... on a few of these sub-zero days, I begin to understand why snowbirds fly south. Brrrrrr!

Outside my window this week during the blizzard.

Inspired by New England winters, here are the colors I chose for this week's poems:

• White

• Shadow

• Sun Glow

My first poem, "White," was written for one of Georgia Heard's wonderful webinars. She hosted Grant Snider, Author-Illustrator and poet extraordinaire, who generously illustrated a few of our poems.  I highly recommend Georgia's webinars at The Poet's Studio (see more here) and Grant's book POETRY COMICS. He is brilliant! Here is an example of his work:

A nice marriage of poetry paired with simple illustration in comic-book style.

So... without further ado, let's start with:

 White

This is the poem that started my fascination with writing poems inspired by color. Pondering the color "white," I started by thinking of all the boring things in a kid's life that are white— a piece of blank paper, a bland bowl of cold white oatmeal, white paint or crayons, etc. Then I thought how the one white thing a kid would LOVE is snow. When I decided to use the word "appetite," it seemed right to end with a food metaphor. I could just imagine the red cardinal as the cherry on top.

A favorite photo of my backyard.

Shadow

I have only skied a handful of times in my life, but all of them have made me feel this way. But with courage and perseverance, each ride down built my confidence, and I really enjoyed it. At 6'2" tall, the runs felt incredibly steep to me. I remember wondering whether the reason small kids are so fearless is that their line of sight is much closer to the ground.

Sun Glow

With 24+ inches of snow this week, I must say, a getaway to Florida is sounding better and better. For this SUN GLOW poem, I thought of a child hearing that his grandparents were snowbirds and misinterpreting it... literally!

Thank you to Margaret at her blog Reflections on the Teche for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Be sure to stop by and see the other great poems linked on her blog. If you'd like to know more about Poetry Friday, this is a great resource from Renee LaTulippe.

See you next week!

I am Embarrassed to Say...

Growing up in a mostly white town, my only interaction with people of color were Karen Miller and Pat Davis in my home room, who were bused in from Boston in the late '70's VERY early every morning to the suburbs for their education. And even then, homeroom was so short that you really didn't have time to get to know each other. When I think about it now, I can't imagine the stress busing added to the students and their families.

I am embarrassed to say that, till recently, I never took the time to explore the rich black history out there, and get to know the incredible people who lived it. Books have opened that door for me, as they can for you and your kids. I wish my community had been more diverse back when I was growing up. I would have been so much richer for it.

Recently, however, I have enjoyed learning some of this history through novels and movies.

In 2024, at Boyds Mills (Highlights Foundation) I was blessed to have Charles Waters, Irene Latham and Lacresha Berry as mentors- three talented poets and authors.

Irene Latham and I at NCTE 2024 in Boston for the poet meet-up.

Lacresha Barry and I met up on an early morning walk around the Highlights grounds (2024) and had a lovely conversation .

Charles Waters and I at Highlights 2024

Charles was the first person to make me feel like I was really a poet. I am grateful for that.

One morning, during a break in the presentations, I browsed the library, where they sell books, and picked up Charles and Irene's novel, AFRICAN TOWN. Thumbing through the first pages, I was immediately hooked. This amazing novel pulled me right into the hearts and experiences of African men, women, and children torn from their native land. It was inspired by the story of the last slave ship, the Clotilda. It is told in easy-to-read poetic dialogue. Waters and Latham cleverly gave each person a unique voice through the way they used their texts. The verse novel format was very effective in expressing so much in very few words.

AFRICAN TOWN is a powerful book that brings history to life. "Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse. Told in 14 distinct voices, including that of the ship that brought them to the American shores."

You will feel their joy in dance and celebration, their fear and confusion as they are pulled from all they know, and their incredible spirit of hopefulness, courage as they persevere, always looking toward a better future.

The extensive back matter is FASCINATING and a great finish, answering many of my questions about what happened to the characters I grew to love. This is real American history about rising above hate, prejudice, and horrible events to create the home, family, and life you desire. A great catalyst for important discussion with your children. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

"I will give every last drop of blood in my veins until this monster called slavery is dead."

 -Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqoEs4cG6Uw

Then, awhile ago, my husband and I watched HARRIET, the story of Harriet Tubman. I had heard her name growing up, but never took the time to learn her story. (Shame on me!) Working as a slave, she made the gut-wrenching decision to escape her captivity and run to freedom. Leaving her husband and family behind, she traversed alone over 150 miles on foot to freedom. The amazing thing is that she turned right around and over 10 years, as the most well-known conductor on the Underground Railroad, made 19 trips back to the south to help over 300 slaves get to freedom- and "never lost a single passenger." The movie Harriet should be a must-see movie for all. What an inspiration!

I am so grateful that, as I have gotten older, my community has become so much more diverse. I seek out people's stories and love to hear about their history, experiences, and faith. I see the world, not as black and white, but as a colorful spring bouquet, each blossom unique and perfect and beautiful.

Thank you to Charles Waters and Irene Latham for their beautifully written, meaningful, and poignant poetic exploration of slavery. Every person young and old will be enriched by AFRICAN TOWN and HARRIET. I hope you will check them out.

The Colors of Kindness

During the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020- May 2023), the word KINDNESS began popping up everywhere. One of my favorite places was the Kindness 101 segments on TV. They were a welcome respite from our isolation and lifted morale across our homes. CBS's Steve Hartman and his children hosted KINDNESS 101, a series of classes featuring inspiring stories of people being kind. You can read more about them here. (These are great things to share with your kids.)

Here is one of my favorites: "Don't forget to show love."

During the same period, Crayola heard from parents wanting to teach their children additional social-emotional skills, particularly kindness. So, in 2021, Crayola introduced "The Colors of Kindness" crayons, colored pencils, and markers. The box included 20 pre-existing Crayola colors and added four new ones, "specially labeled with warm words to inspire smiles and happy thoughts."

They featured inspirational messages of kindness like:

• Kind to the Core  for the color "Granny Smith"

• Keep moving forward for the color "Inchworm."

• Be sweet to each other for the color "Cotton Candy"

  
  

You can buy a set of kindness posters here.

Look at these lovely colors! Don't they make you happy?

It was hard to choose.... but these are the colors I chose for this week's poems:

• Pink Sherbert- Have a Scoop of Fun

• Oatmeal- A Warm Hug

• Macaroni and Cheese- Life is Gouda

It's Poetry Time!

Pink Sherbert- Have a Scoop of Fun

This first poem was inspired by the true story of my father driving the family to Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors Ice Cream Shop one very hot summer evening for ice cream. I will never forget the warmth of the breeze in my hair and the feeling of being a bit naughty because I was in my pajamas.

Oatmeal- A Warm Hug

To this day, there is nothing I like better than a warm, creamy cup of oatmeal on a snowy winter day. Recently, when 24" was expected, I found myself, nose pressed against the cold glass, watching the snowflakes dance. Memories poured back of snow fights with my brother, wet mittens, cold pink cheeks, and frozen toes, as I sat pulling off my boots.

Good times ...

Macaroni and Cheese- Life is Gouda

Writing about my grandchildren's meal of choice was a no-brainer when I saw the name of this crayon color. I looked up any words that rhymed with "cheese."Then, since the refrain in this poem almost wants you to sing it, getting the beat (meter) right on the other lines was important to me. I think both kids and kids at heart have fond memories of this dish and will have fun with this poem—we just need a little beatboxing background!

Thank you to Susan at her blog Chicken Spaghetti for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Be sure to stop by and see the other great poems linked on her blog. If you'd like to know more about Poetry Friday, this is a great resource from Renee LaTulippe.