Day 28 of the 2017 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem, Poetry Friday & #NaPoWriMo–Oh my!

 

It’s Poetry Friday, and the annual Progressive Poem, that began way back on April 1st, has landed at my port. Irene Latham began the Progressive Poem, in 2012.  Which begins each year April 1st and and runs through April 30th. The Poetry Friday community and all other lovers of poetry are invited to sign up and contribute a line to create one poem by the end of the month. It’s similar to an exquisite corpse drawing, although all following the poem get to see the lines as the poem develops. 

 I’m at the end, we’re headed towards the finish line. It’s taken some interesting turns in the last few stanzas and has to quickly pull together. I wrote a line, put it aside came back, wrote a variant of it, and then came back to my original. Our pirate-dragon wanted one more interlude before he/she takes their bow. Hence, without further adieu my line is the last one here in bold. I’m handing off the closing lines adventure to Charles, and then it goes to Laura.

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges–
I sprout stories that frazzle-dazzle,
stories of castles, of fires that crackle,
with dragonwords that smoke and sizzle.

But edges, sometimes, need sandpaper…
like swords need stone and clouds need vapour.
So I shimmy out of my spurs and armour
facing the day as my fickle, freckled self.

I thread the crowd, wear freedom in my smile
and warm to the coals of conversation.
Enticed to the stage by strands of story,

I skip up the stairs in anticipation.
 

Flip around, face the crowd, and freeze!
Shiver me. Look who’s here. Must I disappear?
By hook or by crook, I deserve a second look!

I cheer. Please, have no fear. Find the book.


But wait! I’ll share the lines I know by heart.
Mythicalhowls, fierytones slip from my lip
Blue scales flash, claws rip, the prophecy begins
Dragonworld weaves webs that grip. I take a trip…

“Anchors aweigh!” Steadfast at helm on clipper ship
a topsail schooner, with sails unfurled, speeds away
As, true-hearted dragon pirate, I sashay
with my wise parrot, Robyn, through the spray.

“Land Ho!” (“Land Ho!”) We’ve hooked the whole crowd.
So it’s true what they say: the play IS the thing.
Stepping back from my blocking, theatre grows loud…
I draw my sword, while shielding the BOOK–the house din dies.

 

Aye Matey’s, I’m not sure what happens next but it’s been a seaworthy journey! Perhaps the artist will transform the sketch into color. . .

 

In the Spirit of the Sea I’m sharing a watery poem by Lucy Maud Montgomery. You can read the entire poem at: Famous Poets and Poems!  And here is an interesting biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery.

THE SEA SPIRIT by Lucy Maud Montgomery

I smile o’er the wrinkled blue­
Lo! the sea is fair,
Smooth as the flow of a maiden’s hair;
And the welkin’s light shines through
Into mid-sea caverns of beryl hue,
And the little waves laugh and the mermaids sing,
And the sea is a beautiful, sinuous thing! 

I scowl in sullen guise­
The sea grows dark and dun,
The swift clouds hide the sun
But not the bale-light in my eyes,
And the frightened wind as it flies
Ruffles the billows with stormy wing,
And the sea is a terrible, treacherous thing! 

When moonlight glimmers dim 
I pass in the path of the mist, 
Like a pale spirit by spirits kissed. 
At dawn I chant my own weird hymn, 
And I dabble my hair in the sunset’s rim, 
And I call to the dwellers along the shore 
With a voice of gramarye evermore.

Ahoy Mates, here’s a map of the Progressive Poem’s journey . . . 

1 Heidi at my juicy little universe
2 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
3 Doraine at Dori Reads
4 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
5 Diane at Random Noodling HERE!
6 Kat at Kat’s Whiskers
7 Irene at Live Your Poem
8 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
9 Linda at TeacherDance
10 Penny at blog-a- penny-and- her-jots
11 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
12 Janet F. at Live Your Poem
13 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
14 Jan at Bookseedstudio
15 Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales
16 Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy
17 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog
19 Pat at Writer on a Horse
20 BJ at Blue Window
21 Donna at Mainely Write
22 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
23 Ruth at There’s No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
24 Amy at The Poem Farm
25 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
26 Renee at No Water River
27 Matt at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
28 Michelle at Michelle Kogan Illustration Painting & Writing
29 Charles at Poetry Time
30 Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids

 For more Poetry Friday Poems visit JoAnn at Teaching Authors. Thanks for hosting, and Happy 8th Blog Birthday too!