2021 Progressive Poetry Writing



The 2021 Progressive Poem pulls in here today! Kat Apel highlighted this opportunity for me and I'm glad she did. This poem is for kids. Other than that the other option is: each person writes 2 lines, then the next person chooses one of those, and then writes two more lines for the next person to choose. This provides flexibility while still staying within a structure.

This year’s poem, so far, is about kindness and friendship. I've added lines that echo the things I love doing with friends and I see children doing together: playing and making. That is what we are doing here, playing, making new friends and making together. The list below is a rich treasure trove of writers, artists and makers and I hope you can spend some time dipping into that treasure through reading their blogs.

Here’s the progressive poem so far:

I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I’ll spread my joy both far and wide,
As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.
Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.
Friends can be found when you open a door.
Side by side, let’s walk through, there’s a world to explore.
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees
Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.
Pull off our shoes socks, dip our toes in the icy spring water
When you’re with friends, there’s no have to or oughter

(my choice from Day 14 Susan Bruck at Soul Blossom Living)

The choice I leave for Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe - Day 16 is......

***imagine a timpani drum roll here***

OPTION 1:
Just a wide open field, calling 'play, play, play'

OPTION 2:
What could we make, with leaves and litter?

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April 1 Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers

2 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
3 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
4 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
5 Irene Latham at Live your Poem
6 Jan Godown Annino at BookseedStudio
7 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
8 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
9 Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
10 Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone
11 Buffy Silverman
12 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
13 Jone Rush MacCulloch
14 Susan Bruck at Soul Blossom Living
15 Wendy Taleo at Tales in eLearning
16 Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe
17 Tricia Stohr Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
19 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
21 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
22 Ruth Hersey at There is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town
23 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
24 Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference
25 Shari Daniels at Islands of my Soul
26 Tim Gels at Yet There is Method
27 Rebecca Newman
28 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
29 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wondering
30 Michelle Kogan at More Art 4 All

Comments

  1. I'm so glad you chose the playful line with oughter. I thought it was so clever with the perfect tone for this poem. Thanks for taking on the challenge. I love both of your lines. The repetition of play, play, play drums a beat that keeps the poem going, but the leaf and litter offers us a way to imagine new creations from our friends playing in the forest. What will Heidi choose?

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  2. I've been in an editing cave, and I've missed a couple of days. What a joyful little poem we have, skipping along. I'm so glad you could join in, Wendy. You've given Heidi two lovely options with very different feel. I'm sure she will have fun with these.

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  3. Like your own 'wide-open field', you've opened up many possibilities, all fun to imagine, Wendy. I love that you chose that "oughter", too!

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  4. I am in full agreement with Margaret and Kat. I, too, found 'oughter delightful for this kid adventure about kindness and friendship. Am so enjoying how this poem is growing and going.
    Janet Clare F.

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  5. So fun! Love your choice from Susan’s two great lines, and off to see which of YOUR two great lines carry our friendship adventure along...

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  6. Well done, Wendy. You chose a fun option provided by Susan and opened up the poem with great choices for Heidi.

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