Poetry Friday–NPM Gray Catbird

Happy NPM and Poetry Friday!

Have you been following the Progressive Poem, originally started by Irene Latham, and hosted now by Margaret Simon. Each day throughout April a poet is adding their own unique line, or borrowed line to a group poem. Recently, Karin Fisher-Golton flew in some lovely “blue-winged swallows,” along with some “rain from up the mountains, which perhaps may have prompted Denise Krebs’ “Green growing all around, and the cool splash of the fountain.” It’s really fun to watch the lines unwind and roll into one another. I’m including the schedule of blog stops below. Here are a couple other stops to continue on during National Poetry Month: Stop in on Jama Rattigan’s blog Jama’s Alphabet Soup where she’s graciously gathered the kidlitosphere and more poetry blog posts all in one spot. And more rich images and introspective, unwinding, and calming ideas continue to appear on Tabatha Yeatts blog post, Imperfect II for her new poetry anthology Imperfect II Poems About Perspective: An Anthology for Middle Schoolers. I’m so happy to have a poem included in this collection!!!

Here’s another bird poem for a bird book I’m working on…

GRAY CATBIRD

Mew mew
calling you-you,
come familiarize with my
irresistible surprise…
Check below my
covert under tail and find
my chest-nutty courting prize…

I’m saving my coveted colors
for that one special mate.
Watch my slender tail gently
rise, rise, rise.
Quick take a peek
below my privates
I surely am unique!

If we court, I promise
I’ll be attentively true.
Through all breeding season
we’ll raise broods just us two—
With only me by your wing
protecting and providing
for eggs, chicks and you.

© 2022 Michelle Kogan
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Progressive Poem 2022

1 April 1 Irene at Live Your Poem
2 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
3 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
4 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
5 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
6 Linda Mitchell  at A Word Edgewise
7 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
8 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
11 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
12 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
13 Karin Fisher-Golton at Still in Awe
14 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
15 Carol Labuzzetta @ The Apples in my Orchard
16 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
17 Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town
18 Patricia at Reverie
19 Christie at Wondering and Wandering
20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
21 Kevin at Dog Trax
22 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
23 Leigh Anne at A Day in the Life
24 Marcie Atkins
25 Marilyn Garcia
26 JoAnn Early Macken
27 Janice at Salt City Verse
28 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
29 Karen Eastlund at Karen’s Got a Blog
30 Michelle Kogan Painting, Illustration, & Writing

Matt Forrest Esenwine at his blog Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme is hosting this weeks Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Matt! Matt’s sharing an interview with the author and poet Leslie Bulion. And, this month he’s also been hosting a PoetryCubed Contest, so swing on by!