Favorite Poem #3

This fun poem was read at one of sessions at the SCBWI conference I attended this past weekend. It is by George Ella Lyon, Where I'm From. Enjoy! One of these days, I will try my hand at a 'where I'm from' poem. :D

Where I'm From

I am from clothespins,

from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.

I am from the dirt under the back porch.

(Black, glistening,

it tasted like beets.)

I am from the forsythia bush

the Dutch elm

whose long-gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own.

I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,

from Imogene and Alafair.

I'm from the know-it-alls

and the pass-it-ons,

from Perk up! and Pipe down!

I'm from He restoreth my soul

with a cottonball lamb

and ten verses I can say myself.

I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,

fried corn and strong coffee.

From the finger my grandfather lost

to the auger,

the eye my father shut to keep his sight.

Under my bed was a dress box

spilling old pictures,

a sift of lost faces

to drift beneath my dreams.

I am from those moments--

snapped before I budded --

leaf-fall from the family tree.

Listen to the poem read by George Ella Lyon, here.

Favorite Poem #2

Have you ever wondered what things might have been if you had made certain choices that were different from the ones you made in the past? I often wonder where would I be now, what would I be doing now, how different would my life be IF I HAD TAKEN THAT OTHER ROAD? This poem really hit home and got me to thinking. Growing up, I wanted to explore the ocean floor, then I wanted to be a computer scientist and at one point, I wanted to be an astronomer and work for NASA. Don't get me wrong, I love where my life has taken me, the things I have done, the places I have visited and the friendships I have made. But I do still wonder about the road not taken.....

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Taken from http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/robert_frost/poems/528

It's Spring!

You know its spring

when little birds sing,

and the morning dew is new.

Spring is here

when blossoms appear,

and the rising sun brings cheer.

Spring has definitely arrived

when bees buzz in their hive,

and winter's frost is all but lost.

Copyright © 2011 SN Taylor, All Rights Reserved

*Inspired by a little bird chirping at my window :)

Favorite Poem #1

Here is a poem by a fabulous poetess Maya Angelou, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." I love her poems. They are strong and full of emotion. As I read this poem something in me clicked. I connected right away to it. There are days, when I am at my lowest that I am that caged bird.

I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps on the back

Of the wind and floats downstream

Till the current ends and dips his wing

In the orange suns rays

And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage

Can seldom see through his bars of rage

His wings are clipped and his feet are tied

So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

Of things unknown but longed for still

And his tune is heard on the distant hill for

The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

And the trade winds soft through

The sighing trees

And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright

Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams

His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

His wings are clipped and his feet are tied

So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with

A fearful trill of things unknown

But longed for still and his

Tune is heard on the distant hill

For the caged bird sings of freedom.

taken from Famous Poets and Poems . com

Little Bird

pic taken from Bird Clipart.com

A little bird sat on my tree branch.

It ruffled its feather and fluttered its wings,

It lifted its head and began to sing.

Night is done and the sun is arise,

Wake up, wake up, rub your sleepy eyes.

(c) April 2011

April Showers bring May flowers.

Though April Showers may come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May,

So if it's raining have no regrets; it isn't raining rain you know, it's raining violets...

Al Jolsen, April Showers

How true this poem rings, especial in the region where I live. It feels like it rains almost everyday. As I work in childcare, going outside is a MUST for the health and well-being of the children and teachers. But when it's soggy and wet outside it means 15 minutes putting on rain gear and 25 minutes taking them off and possibly changing into dry clothes. But then I have to remember, it is the rain that we are blessed with which makes the Northwest region so pretty and green. Spring out here is so beautiful with it's variety of colors and blooms. So yes, Al Jolsen, it is not just raining water (the very life source of all things living), it is raining violets, pansies, roses, tulips, daffodils, daisies, lilies and more!

In the News:National Poetry Month!

April marks National Poetry Month!!! It also marks the 7th annual Islamic Writers Alliance Poetry Contest. Starting from April 1st to the 30th, send in your submission to poetrycontest@islamicwritersalliance.net The theme for this year is open and contest guidelines can be viewed here please be sure to follow the submission guidelines on the site.

Also in celebration of National Poetry Month, I will showcase a variety of my fave poems and poets, quotations about poetry, I will also include both my own poems and perhaps a few guest poems from some incredible poet friends. :)

April will be,

a time to write,

a time to share,

a time to feel,

a time to motivate.

April will be,

a time to dream,

a time to live,

a time to create,

a time to achieve.