Monday, August 22, 2011

Monday Poetry Stretch - Postcards from Summer

Last week I wrote about the project sponsored by the Academy of American Poets in which they supplied poets with blank postcards and asked them to fill them in, in any way that struck their fancy, and mail them back. (You can see the results at Poets Via Post.)

This got me wondering about what my postcard from summer would look like. So, that's your challenge. Write a poem, "find" a poem, draw a picture, or stretch in some other way, but share with us your poetic postcard from summer. Leave me a note about your work and I'll post the results here later this week.

6 comments:

  1. Dear Child,

    Why have you put your shoes on?
    The water's still warm
    and the seagulls are hungry
    for dropped bits of tuna sandwich.
    Crabs explore crumbling castles,
    while the grass above the dunes
    is still soft for sandy feet.
    My sun still glows like a yellow kite
    in the blue sweep of sky.
    So why have you gone inside
    and shut the doors behind you?
    Why are the bells ringing?
    Won't you please come back?

    Your friend,
    Summer

    --Kate Coombs, 2011, all rights reserved

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  2. Traveling Team
    By Steven Withrow


    Autumn is coming:
    insurgent geese
    invade a soggy
    soccer pitch,
    cronking out
    the local crows
    for a rematch
    of last year’s
    raucous rout.


    ©2011 Steven Withrow, all rights reserved

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kate, that was quite clever. A postcard. From Summer.

    Steven, perfect word choice in "cronk". Great imagery.

    I like the idea of asking students for "just a postcard." Perhaps reluctant writers will find themselves up to the task, and advanced writers will select their words and phrases with more care.

    My summer vacation spot is off the grid in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. The local radio station, WELY, will send personal and emergency messages to campers and paddlers. Here's a Audio Postcard haiku my wife sent while awaiting my return.

    I picked the last two
    Blueberries from our garden.
    Blue without you here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fishing
    by Barbara J. Turner


    daylight ends
    pink and pearl
    as waves curl
    over our lines

    and we chat
    in aluminum chairs
    aware our bait
    was taken long ago

    but we don’t care
    about the fish
    we don’t wish
    for mackerel and flounder

    it’s the fishing, you see
    and reminiscing
    about all the ones
    that got away

    c2011,Barbara J. Turner, all rights reserved

    ReplyDelete
  5. SUMMER WRITES:

    Time out,
    blossom
    falling
    wind nippy
    geese vees
    calling.
    Nights draw in,
    days grow
    short,
    children turn
    to autumn
    sport.
    School doors
    open,
    beaches
    close.
    End of me
    I suppose.

    xxxSummer

    PS See you next year.

    ©2011 Jane Yolen all rights reserved

    ReplyDelete
  6. HUMID AIR

    Humid air, wet skin,
    I can't wait for Fall
    to begin.

    (c) Charles Waters 20ll all rights reserved

    ReplyDelete