Each day during April, I will write a poem-ish piece inspired by a word or phrase mined from the pages of Henry David Thoreau’s jewel-laden journals. I have left my challenge open so that the poems may take any form — haiku, free verse, borrowed line, blackout –and who knows which direction they will go in.
Day #13: “…pools in woods floored with leaves…”
A peek at my process —
On April 13, 1855, Thoreau wrote in his journal, “The small croaking frogs are now generally heard in all those stagnant ponds or pools in woods floored with leaves, which are mainly dried up in the summer. At first, perhaps, you hear but one or two dry croaks,
but, if you sit patiently, you may hear quite a concert of them at last,…” (The Journal of Henry David Thoreau, Journal VII: September 1, 1854 – October 30, 1855, Chapter VIII. April, 1855, p. 304)
Those “pools in woods floored with leaves” are the vernal pools that my students and I love to explore in the conservation land behind our school. In the spring, we are often accompanied by our amazing Kindergarten Biologist-in-Residence, Emilie, from Grassroots Wildlife Conservation. Under Emilie’s watchful eye, we headstart wood frog eggs in our classroom — this year my home! I honor Emilie in my poem as the “Biologist gallumping!” She actually does this with grace and style in her hip waders with attached boots!
Henry was fond of vernal pools, too. His journal entries for March, April, and even May, across the years, report activity in pools he encountered on his daily walks. His many names for them, and names that we still use in this part of New England, include woodland pools, spring-holes, pond-holes, hollows, mud pools, and ditches. Whatever name you use, vernal pools are teeming with life — at least until they begin to dry up as the rain decreases and the sun’s rays begin to dry them. I wrote today’s poem for my students as they begin to meet those who inhabit, at least for a short time, these secret pools in the woods. To learn more, check out Wonderopolis “Wonder of the Day” #2105: What Is a Vernal Pool?
And now for…
Our Poetry Friday family launched the 8th annual Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem originally organized by author/poet, Irene Latham. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche is taking over this year as the organizer. Many members of the #PoetryFriday family have signed up to provide a line for the 2020 poem. Here’s our sweet poem thus far.
Sweet violets shimmy, daffodils sway
along the wiregrass path to the lake.
I carry a rucksack of tasty cakes
and a banjo passed down from my gram.
I follow the tracks of deer and raccoon
and echo the call of a wandering loon.
A whispering breeze joins in our song.
and night melts into a rose gold dawn.
Deep into nature’s embrace, I fold.
Promise of spring helps shake the cold
hints of sun lightly dapple the trees
calling out the sleepy bees.
Our little poem travels down under today into the very capable kayak-paddle-holding hands of Kat Apel. Kat, again, offers a line choice for the next host, Margaret. You can find her new lines on her blog, Kat’s Whiskers. I’m excited to provide the 24th line on Friday, April 24th. I hope you’ll join us to see what happens! Here’s the itinerary for the poem.
1 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
2 Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3 Jone MacCulloch, deowriter
4 Liz Steinglass
5 Buffy Silverman
6 Kay McGriff at https://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org/
7 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8 Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10 Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme
11 Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13 Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
15 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18 Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19 Tabatha at Opposite of Indifference
20 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22 Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23 Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
24 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25 Amy at The Poem Farm
26 Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work That Matters
27 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28 Jessica Big at TBD
29 Fran Haley at lit bits and pieces
30 Michelle Kogan
In other news…I am also excited to share that I have joined the Teach Write blogging team and will be writing a Poetry Ponderings blog post for them every month. My first offering, Finding Your Poetry Secret Decoder Ring, is now live. And my blogging teammate, Paula Bourque, offers up Quick Write Sparks to Kindle the Poet In All of Us for her first Think & Ink post. I hope you will take a peek!