Irene Latham's Blog, page 7

51 Robins poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Rose at Imagine the Possibilities for Roundup.

I am celloing with my amateur orchestra friends at the University of Alabama this weekend. Fun!

Be sure and check out the latest offerings from Georgia Heard at The Poet's Studio. Among other fabulous sessions (shape poems! memoir writing! revision!), she invited me and Joyce Sidman as guests for "The Art of Nonfiction Poetry" (January 9th & 14, 2025). We'd love for you to join us!

Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem is based on a piece entitled "51 Robins" by Florida folk artist Margot Warren, whom I discovered in this book. 

Don't you love that title?! And guess what? There actually are 51 robins in the painting! And also a lone blue jay... of course my poem had to include him! Thanks so much for reading.

51 Robins

51 robins
flock the spring lawn.

They hop,
flutter
         splash,
mutter—

wake up, worms!

1 blue jay stays
still, silent—

not like a blue jay at all.

He'd hoped for a quick dabble,
a dip and paddle.

why oh why
did those robins
start their party today?

51 raucous robins.
1 bemused bluejay.
- Irene Latham

That Darn Dog poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Janice at Salt City Verse for Roundup.

I've been reading Grace Notes: Poems about Families by Naomi Shihab Nye. It's a deep dive into Naomi's relationship with her mother—rich and powerful and relatable! Here's a smattering of lines that landed in my notebook:

Silence wider / than all mistakes.

If you know someone well /enough you don't / ever have to miss them.

The space around the poem / is best.

Today a field of gossamer full moons.

The cat's tail sweeps me up.

If we spend more time with the dirt / everything will hurt less.

I told the boy / I had a bad dream. / He said, have a new one.

Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem features a dog! A while back I ordered a book about Florida's self-taught artists, and this week I pulled it off the shelf. The artist I've selected, Rodney Hardee, is from Lakeland, where I once lived...and in the area I will soon be traveling when I drive my mom to her 60 year high school reunion. A cat piece of Rodney's is currently on sale at Ebay. Maybe you know the dog I've written about. :)

That Darn Dog

our neighbor's dog barks
all night

what is he saying?

lake laps its usual music
garden goes on unfurling
moon makes no answer

we hear you, Dog,
I say inside my head

go to sleep now
I'll bring you doggie treats
in my dreams

for a moment
the night is still, serene

but it never lasts

our neighbor's dog barks
all night
- Irene Latham

I Can Fly poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit lovely Molly for a dose of joy over at Nix the Comfort Zone for Roundup.

I've been writing A LOT this week. Yay! Over at Smack Dab I posted about being an "Embodied Writer," if you'd like to check it out. I've also been reading...of course!

In poetry collection reading, I discovered A Planet is a Poem by by Amanda West Lewis, illus. by Oliver Averill. Inside the book we learn that A Poem is a Planet. Cool, yes? This book travels through the solar system and has these fun fold-out pages with more facts and notes about the poetry forms used. Pair with The Day the Universe Exploded My Head by Allan Wolf, and perhaps my own The Museum on the Moon, and you've got a lovely little journey into space-poetry!

Also—and this totally made my day!— inside the book was a note from one of my long-time librarian friends, Katie Jane. See below. Isn't she awesome?!

This week's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART is simple and joyful and based upon a piece by Anchorage, Alaska artist Barbara Lavalee. 

Aside: In my "Alaska" reading this week I met A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans. It's a true story about a friendly wolf in Juneau, AK. Isn't there something so special about wild animal encounters? I also read John Muir's Travels in Alaska.

Back to my poem! I adore this art. I mean, how JOYFUL?? And we were just talking with our youngest son about going-back-to-school time, and how glad he is to be past that stage of life...he recalled soul-crushing school rules, like "don't touch the walls." I mean, he's got a point. He's a solo dancer for sure! Thanks so much for reading.

Solo

when no one

is around

to tell me hush

 no

         don't

I kick my feet

swing my arms

  so high!

        I CAN FLY

- Irene Latham

Train Songs

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Laura at Poems for Teachers for Roundup.

I've got a couple more books for you!

In and Out the Window by the incomparable Jane Yolen, illus. by Cathrin Peterslund. This collection features more than a hundred poems, across several sections "At Home," "School," "Animals," "After School"...and each section is divided into "In" poems (inside) and "Out" poems (outside). 

One I really like is "Hook in the Water," which is an invitation... "Come, little fishes..." Another one called "The Poem in Your Heart' starts "The poem in your heart / is beating." Yes!

The Color of Sound by Emily Barth Isler. About a girl who has synesthesia and is struggling to figure out who SHE is, apart from her parents' expectations. I love this quote:

"The library smells like a symphony. Every imaginable word housed in the building's books mingles in my head to create something full and rich. It's not a song I recognize, but it's using every instrument.

The automatic doors whoosh purple..."

Yes! That's a library!

And here's a winning picture book about something I still love to do: swinging! Touch the Sky by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, illus. by Chris Park. A beautiful read for anyone trying to learn any new skill.

Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem features a train painted by George Voronovsky (same Florida Highwaymen artist as last week!). 

What kid at some point doesn't love a train? I remember fondly the Thomas the Tank Engine days with our oldest son in particular... so sweet! Poetry, too, has been known to host a few trains. Perhaps you know "Song of the Train" by David McCord? Or Clackety Track by Skila Brown, illus. by Jamey Christoph (Candlewick, 2019).

Also, here's a song I am in love with that features a different kind of train: "Land of Hope and Dreams" by Bruce Springsteen. (We saw Bruce in concert last year and all night I waited for him to sing this song, but he didn't. Boo!)

Earlier this summer I wrote a poem playing with a metaphor for summer: "Summer is an Aligator Eating an Ice Cream Cone." That was a lot of fun! So today I decided to try "train" as a metaphor for summer. Thanks so much for reading.

Here comes Summer!

Toot-toot!

Instead of track

this train rides

a sunny satin ribbon

Instead of smoke

this train puffs

a kaleidoscope

of bubbles

instead of graffiti-

stained boxcars,

this train pulls

flower boxes

in blooming colors

instead of chugga

chugga

choo choo

this train sings

la-de-dah!

- Irene Latham

Crows, Again. And A Crop of Middle Grade Book Recs

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit magnificent Marcie Flinchum Atkins for Roundup.

I've been reading lots of middle grade this week!

One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate. Ivan's back, and in this one he becomes a father! This brings up issues about his family, what happened to him, and what's appropriate to tell the children. I loved it. And there is this one chapter called "missing stella." It ends like this: 

"It's been a long time since she passed away. You'd think the missing would end. But it doesn't. It just softens around the edges.

Instead of a hurting place to avoid, it becomes a healing place to seek out."

Not Quite A Ghost by Anne Ursu - I'm a long-time Anne Ursu fan... Breadcrumbs , anyone? I got some Judy Blume vibes in this one...and trigger warning: A LOT of time spent describing illness/how it feels to be sick. (Maybe this is great for post-covid kids, but it was tough for me.)

Selkie's Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan - The sea language is rich in this one! I dove into this one and didn't come up for air until I was finished...I think I'd like to be a selkie.

Journey Beyond the Burrow by Rina Heisel - I love animal adventure stories! This one features mice...and all kinds of critters (snake, woodchuck, fox, possom, hawk, owl...) they meet along their journey to save their little sibling (a pinkling) from spiders. Cooperation is a major theme.

The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree by Lucille Abendanon - historical fiction! WWII Japanese occupation in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. Oh Emmy makes some choices that have huge consequences...all about survival, finding voice, and freedom. So good! Here's a quote I love:" Deep inside, I feel my fear changing, evaporating like a puddle after the rain. A white-hot fire burns in the pit of my stomach.I won't give up. I won't let them winI am the only one who can save me."

Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem has me returning to the Florida Highwaymen, this time George Voronovsky. The title comes from The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl (which I blogged about here). It's for my sister who is a July sunshine baby. (Happy Birthday, LTG!!) Thanks so much for reading!

In the Season of Singing

—for Lynn

crows know it's summer

when melons can't stop vining

sunflowers won't stop shining

and each evening Sister Sun

commands skyline to s t r  e  t  c h

just a few wingbeats longer

- Irene Latham

The world inside the whale is dark, briny (poem)

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit marvelous Margaret at Reflections on the Teche for Roundup.

For today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART, I have an unidentified piece of art. I found it on Pinterest, and sadly I can't credit the artist. It's a pretty great piece!

As I was writing my poem, I was thinking about the vortex of illness, and how consuming it is. 

Its title is reminiscent of a poem I wrote during 2020, my "Red" year: The World of the Vase is Dark, Wet. But the messages of the poems are completely different! Thanks so much for reading.

The world inside the whale is dark, briny

Mountains rise on one side,

tides on the other.

I am pitched forward,

back. I am upside-down.

My boat swirls past,

disappears.

If I wanted to, I could

stop. I could follow the boat.

But I want to live.

I kick, I surge.

I pull my way past

sharks, eels.

The world inside the whale

is dark, briny.

I am rising, surfacing.

I am a rainbow spouting

from a whale's blowhole.

I am free!

- Irene Latham

Napa Valley Magic poem

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit radiant Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge for Roundup.

First, don't miss these two JOY-filled picture books: JOYFUL SONG by Lesléa Newman, illus. by Susan Gal and JUMP FOR JOY by Karen Gray Ruelle, illus. by Hadley Hooper. Both are beautiful and rate high on re-readability!

This week I've got a summer-moon magic, California dreamin', animals-are-dancing ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem for you! This piece by Barbara Strawser brings me so much joy...all her work does!

Once, many summer-moons ago (2006!), Paul and I took a trip to Napa Valley. Among other delights, we visited a working olive oil farm. Instead of a wine tasting, we had an olive oil tasting! Such a special experience...we also still talk about the burgers we ate that day at Mustards Grill. Food is everything. :)

Napa Valley Magic

at night frogs
dance with morning
doves

dragonflies jingle
turtle's doorbell

and angels
descend
to plump grapes
with moonlight
- Irene Latham

Fox Listens poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday!  Be sure to visit watermelon-juicy Jan at bookseedstudio for Roundup.

Paul and I were talking about how it feels like we are in a new chapter, and it might be called the "Two Dips a Day" chapter, because lately we have been taking a morning dip and an evening dip in the lake! 

Unfortunately, the reason for the double-dips is I have the hives...oh, the itching is like being on fire. Awful.

 So maybe this is the universe telling me I NEED a new chapter. It can be really hard for me to slow down and relax. I have to make time to DO NOTHING. And to do nothing in the water with all the lake-joy lizards, frogs, flowers, breeze, laughter, splashes, etc... glorious respite from the itching...AND with my best friend beside me...ahhh.

Also, I posted over at Smack Dab in the Middle on the topic of mystery, as in the mysterious source of our power, writing, and creativity. You can read the post here. 

That brings us to this week's reading life, which has been lovely! I'm still thinking about Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee. The book examines the aesthetics of joy, things like abundance and harmony and surprise. It gave me some new ideas for ways to further infuse my daily life and living space with joy.

And how about Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson? It's a short collection of poems beautifully illustrated by Ekua Holmes, and I found a lot ot love!

The poem "Love Shows Up" is basically a list of all the ways love shows up in the speaker's Black girl life. My favorite stanza:

"Love shows up in spring when the leaves return to trees,

keeping their promise that they'd be back."

The poem “Penny Fountain,” which is full of wishes, ends with this:

"Wish for healing the invisible, aching places.

Wish for someone to love you the way you need it.

Wish for no need

for wishes, for no prayer to go

unanswered."

“Lessons on Being a Sky Walker” opens with these lines:

"When they tell you

the sky is the limit, vow to go past that."

The poem "Underbelly" is a list of ways to think about one's body. I especially love this line:

"Black girl body be lighthouse."

"Turning Sweet Sixteen” opens with a challenge:

'But what if I want to be sour? What if when you ask me, How are you?

I tell you the truth. I am not fine all the time."

Here's a favorite line from the poem "What I Know About Rain":

"Sometimes rain is just rain."

The book ends with the poem with a marvelous message for girls of all ages and ethnicities:

"Love It All"

All your body parts, all your imperfections, everything. Lovely!

It's been a week of listening -- listening to summer, listening to my loved ones, listening to my body. No wonder for my ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem I was drawn to this rendering of a little fox listening by Oregon artist Jennifer Lommers. I wanted the ending to go against what one might expect! Thanks so much for reading (listening). :)

Fox Listens

Fox listens as light stirs

the forest floor

Fox listens to the deer

vanish

Fox listens as stones

call across centuries

Fox listens to beetle and owl,

to lichen-sheathed log

all of them singing

the same refrain

forget me when I'm gone

- Irene Latham

I Have a Garden Angel poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit terrific Tricia at the Miss Rumphius Effect for Roundup!

words attendees selected
from Highlights Word GardenWell. This week did NOT go as expected. Due to travel troubles, I was not able to attend Highlights in person, which was heartbreaking...but I WAS able to connect with everyone virtually! How lucky are we we live in a day and age where such creative alternatives are possible?

Charles is such a champ, and Lacresha Berry is sunshine, and poets are such beautiful people...shout out to all the attendees, including Poetry Friday friends Linda, Tracey, and Marcie...WOW. What amazing work you're doing! I loved connecting with all of you. And the team at Highlights is just the BEST. I'm so so grateful! And inspired! And ready to write all the things!

This week's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem is inspired by Pennsylvania folk artist Barbara Strawser. (Since I couldn't be in Pennsylvania...) I love Barbara's work! I've got a few more images of her work I'll likely write about later this year. But for now, please meet my garden angel. She's yours, too, if you need her. xo

I Have A Garden Angel

I have a garden angel.

Her robes buzz

with butterflies and bees.

She sings green songs

of love and hope,

and if I should collapse

to my knees,

she sends along

gentle sunbeams

and a refreshing breeze.

All the while, flowers sing,

weeds shimmy.

Sun plays hide and seek.

As for rain? Well, with rain

one never knows.

But my garden angel

forever glimmer-glows.

My garden angel never

leaves me.

- Irene Latham

Summer Lovin!

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday. Be sure and visit terrific Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference for Roundup.

Summer is here! Wow, what a hot one so far. We've had some lovely lake days... and in just a few days it will be time to return to the Pocono Mountains to hang out with Poetry Peeps at Highlights! 

This will be my third time to teach with Charles, and our third season. In 2022, we were there in spring, and last year we were there in autumn...so YAY for summer! I am excited to share this time with some Poetry Friday friends, too. Safe travels!

I've just read another beautiful nature book! The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl. This is a lovely yearly reader with an entry for each week of the year. Margaret references a lot of poems, and her prose reads like poetry in many places. Mary Oliver fans in particular will be pleased and inspired. Take a look!

This week's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem is kind of a fun one inspired by a piece by Joe Ortega. 

I could have picked this metaphor apart, but I decided to let it be. It's so fantastical, how can it not work??! You may have a different opinion, of course. Thanks so much for reading.

Summer is an Alligator Eating an Ice Cream Cone

no matter how much

you savor it

such sweet

creamy

goodness

soon drips,

disappears

- Irene Latham