Poetry Friday is here!

Welcome, one and all, to Poetry Friday! I'm delighted to be your host again and I look forward to rounding up your poetry links as the day goes along.

Early birds can begin leaving your links tonight. Please make sure you weigh them down with a good, solid brick. It's been windy here, and papers and pollen and poems have all been airborne both inside and outside my window.

Speaking of wind, here is the second poem in my unpublished collection, Wind Voices.

Whizzing through the pines on a downhill saucer,
when you leave your breath behind you
and you're screaming all the way,
when the packed snow glitters
and pine needles cascade
and the trees are decked in dangling icicle earrings,
I'll race you to the bottom
on my maple leaf toboggan.
Who am I?

I am Winterchill. Meet me at the bottom of the hill.

You can read poem #1 in the series here.

Visiting your posts throughout the weekend for inspiration as I (again) revise portions of Death Over Easy is a pleasure I look forward to. (I really think I'm coming to the end of this! Optimism has returned.) I'll also be shopping with my mom for dresses to wear to my daughter's wedding in August, so it will be a happy couple of days. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Early bird offerings:

Charles Ghigna has a delightful dragonfly dance at Father Goose and a portrait of Degas at Bald Ego today.

Quadruple blogger Diane Mayr treats us to a triple Amy Lowell feature: you can read her poem, "The Sand Alter" at Random Noodling, an "Interlude" featuring strawberries and love at Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet, and a very short poem at Kurious K's Kwotes. Follow your strawberries with some ice cream (a poem by Adrienne Rich and an original haiku by Diane) over at The Write Sisters.

Amy LV shares a Poetry Peek inside a first grade classroom, an original poem about kitten love, and some words about notebooks, the treasures of all writers (I love the photo!) at The Poem Farm.

Gregory K. has two posts today at GottaBook: an original poem inspired by a school year that stretches into June, and another by our new Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis.

Two poems about keeping courage by S.E. Kiser come to you from Tanita Davis. I was not familiar with this 19th century poet before; thank you, Tanita!

The amazingly in-tune-with-the-arts Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference offers up some poetry selections from one of her favorite magazines, Rattle: Poetry for the 21st Century.

Janet at Across the Page has a poem by Kenneth Rexroth about the rose-breasted grosbeak and a video to listen to while reading. Wonderful!

At A Year of Reading, Mary Lee is thinking about dictionaries this week, and she features an original dictionary created by one of her fourth-graders as well as a funny poem on the subject by Gregory K. Here's a sample definition from the dictionary: Fearouge: having fear and courage at the same time.

Laura Shovan at Author Amok talks about the challenge of teaching the concept of voice and shares two portrait poems by third graders written in response to magazine clippings. They're so good, I can hardly believe third graders wrote them!

At There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town, Ruth has a poem by Grace Paley about making a pie instead of writing a poem...and yet we have a poem here...but it is a tasty poem to go with your morning tea or coffee.

Amy at Hope is the Word reviews a charming Alice Schertle book in verse, Little Blue Truck, that her son received for his first birthday. Happy birthday to your DLM, Amy!

Laura Salas has a treat and two poetry challenges for us today. At Writing the World for Kids, she shares an ode to Pho written by a sixth grader. An intriguing photo awaits your creative input at 15 Words or Less Poems. And if you find it hard to come up with titles for your poems, this week's Write After Reading: Living the Life Poetic book club (the feature Laura shares with the lovely Susan Taylor Brown) invites you to write a poem to a given title.

Mid-morning edition:

Carol of Carol's Corner offers serenity in the form of Wendell Berry's "The Peace of Wild Things."

The verbally dangerous David Elzey knocks us for a loop with a surprising poem that answers the question: What is the most dangerous thing to a 12-year-old? Read it at Fomagrams.

A poem by Bob Hicok on the matter of not obtaining a permit to not move stones, and cleverly so forth, can be enjoyed at Rasco from RIF. Thank you, Carol!

At Wild Rose Reader, Elaine Magliaro shares Lillian Morrison's poem, "Holes," in memory of her dear friend, Dr. Stephen Hayes, whom she'd known for fifty years. Those holes, whose hollowness is more like a solid presence than an absence....

Jone at Check It Out shares an original poem about library books that are resisting being returned. I'm not sure what shadorma style is and would love to know―can someone help?

At Semicolon, Sherry posts the mysterious "Mother, I Cannot Mind My Wheel" by Walter Savage Landor. Maybe you'll be the one to 'splain it.

The indefatigable Jama Rattigan is in with, ohmigosh, peas, over at alphabet soup, and sharing the pod today are poets Kelly Fineman and Penny Harter, as well as Jama's special brand of pea philosophy, which you will find magnificent. And just in time for National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month!

Sara Lewis Holmes at Read Write Believe gives us "Morning," by Billy Collins, which captures it all for me, pre-dawn riser that I am! Many of you will relate.

From the profound Jeannine Atkins, who's also on the winterchill wavelength today, a review of Elizabeth Bradfield's collection of narrative verse, Approaching Ice. Read it here, from the warmth of a sunny windowseat.

Karen Edmisten at The Blog with the Shockingly Clever Title gives us a Ted Kooser poem on one of my favorite topics―spiral notebooks. I've been reading a lot of Ted Kooser lately and enjoying his down-to-earth voice. Yoo-hoo, Amy LV! More notebooks for you!

JoAnn Early Macken at Teaching Authors gives us a much-appreciated (by this poet!) lesson in writing a triolet, which looks easier to do than it actually is, and tries her hand at it. I like.

At All About the Books with Janet Squires, Janet reviews City Kids: Street and Skyscraper Rhymes by X.J. Kennedy.

Afternoon poetry delights:

The fabulous Heidi Mordhorst over at my juicy little universe asked second graders to recompose her poem "Botanical Jazz" with vibrant results (and a cool rewrite), which well match her green and yellow page.

Our number one Monday Poetry Stretcher, Tricia, muses about the number one with a mathematical poem by Mary O'Neill over at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

From Beth at Endless Books comes "Robin at Dusk" from poet and Carmelite nun Jessica Powers, a meditation on the power of song to reach its audience.

Shelley is in today with another poem in her long-term project, a narrative in verse called Rain: A Dust Bowl Story.

Tara at A Teaching Life points the way to a useful poetry website for teachers and includes an old favorite by T.S. Eliot. Meow!

Liz over at Liz in Ink shares a glimpse into her family's transition to summer and a concrete poem written by her daughter.

Judy at Learning to Let Go has the poem "Alders" by Amy Clampitt, about returning to the past and finding nothing as it was.

And Myra Garces-Bacsal from Gathering Books brings us a review of Maya Angelou and Jean Michel Basquiat's beautiful book, Life Does Not Frighten Me.

The wind is
cooling off
my tea
too quick!