Since my work a week ago when I conducted a mini-lesson on writing Haiku at Wetland Education Days, I have been thinking a lot about writing. One of the most common questions I received from the students was whether their haiku needed to rhyme. Of course not, was my response! Flow trumps rhyme in poetry…
poetry friday
Poetry Friday: Haiku
If you read my blog yesterday, you know I’ve been teaching during the last two days. Today, was more of the same – connecting students in grades 4-8 to our local lands through writing Haiku. The theme was wetlands but many wrote about Autumn, tree color, and other such observations that were encouraged in my…
Poetry Friday: Meaningful Monarchs
Today is Poetry Friday and since I spent much of my week educating school children about Monarchs and their habitat, I thought I would write a poem about this wonderfully unique creature. Poetry Friday is sponsored by the Teacher Dance Blog this week. Thank you for hosting this wonderful community of writers. Meaningful Monarchs Meaningful…
Poetry Friday: Weddings
White Wedding Dress. Table Top Ferns of Green. Comfortable shoes for dancing. Favorite Comfort Foods Served. The first dance – Classic music gathers friends and family, Glenn Miller’s In the Mood affects old and young, alike. Smiles all around. Reusable straws gift us all – present or not. Weddings reflect the bride and groom. Their love…
Potential
I’ve been thinking a lot about potential lately….. Future Potential, Unrealized Potential, Untapped Potential, or even, Staying because of Potential. It is an odd contemplation. Unrealized potential is a little easier to digest, yet the saddest, because it might not be self determined. This includes those who cannot find their groove, succumb to circumstance, or…
Poetry Friday: Poetic Advice
Earlier this week I got the chance to hear a spoken word poet by the name of Chris James. He was the speaker selected to address the winners of the 2019 Congressional Art Contest in Washington D.C.. Most of his speech was motivational and inspirational for the 433 young artists and their family members who…
Poetry Friday: Frog Invasion & Sunflower Sneaks
Today is Poetry Friday. Sadly, I missed the last couple of weeks, just due to a busy schedule and not being able to slow down to write a mindful poem. Yesterday was warm, sunny, and I found time to sit listen, watch, reflect, and write. I hope you enjoy these poems. Thanks to Reflections on…
Poetry Friday: Stones
What follows in a piece of free writing that I did two weekends ago after a Hike and Write workshop. I have not yet gotten to edit but thought I would publish what ten minutes of an uninterrupted stream of consciousness writing produced. I was happy with the results. Now, to fine-tune it. Tell me…
Poetry Friday: Trees, Butterflies, and Rivers, Oh My!
Driving to work, I have the immense pleasure of passing by an expanse of the Mississippi River. My first poem was inspired by these trips in the last few weeks. Most people know of my affinity for the Monarch Butterfly that spans almost two decades. But, when I first came to Wisconsin, I learned of…
Poetry Friday: A Stab at Book Spine Poetry
Today, I decided to try my hand at writing some book spine poetry. This is a form of poetry I have heard about but never written. Earlier this week I saw a social media post from our high school showing students in the library, working on book spine poetry. Not having any background in this…










