Because a poem is for everyone. (Roundup is Here!)

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Roundup is here at Live Your Poem.
Note: if you have a WordPress blog, due to some setting/error/? I am currently not able to leave a comment. I am so sorry! 

When I signed up to host I was thinking how lovely it would be, because SPRING! 

And now here it is, and my new middle grade dystopian verse novel D-39: A Robodog's Journey releases next Tuesday!

Many thanks to those who have already helped me to celebrate... Sylvia had me (and others!) answer some tough questions about writing verse novels with tough topics over at Poetry for Children.

Janice gave a sneak peek over at Salt City Verse.

and Linda's post today at A Word Edgewise has me answering just 3 of the 8 (excellent! thoughtful!) questions Linda crafted after reading D-39... because I am (still) buried in revisions, she's given me permission to address the other ones at a later date. 

Thank you!

One of the really exciting things about D-39 is that Mary Lee Hahn wrote the Discussion Guide! It's pretty amazing, just like Mary Lee.

With that in mind, I want to share with you three of D-39's "Poem Friends" from the Guide. (There are 10 in the Guide!)

The first, "The Journey" by Mary Oliver is one you're probably familiar with. If I had to pick ONE poem to pair with D-39, this would be it!

The second you also probably know: "Perhaps the World Ends Here" by Joy Harjo. The accompanying question in the Guide is Where does Klynt's world begin? (Where does your world begin? Where does mine?) Nothing like the end of the world to prompt such queries!

The third is one you may not know— "A Center" by Ha Jin. It begins:

"You must hold your quiet center,
where you do what only you can do.
If others call you a maniac or a fool,
just let them wag their tongues."
Klynt holds her quiet center... and her "distant" center. I loved getting to know her and D-39! And I hope you will, too.
And here's a new (Spring!) ArtSpeak: FOUR SEASONS poem. The "Girl" in the poem could be Klynt. Thank you so much for reading!!

A Poem for the Girl by the Lake

a poem wears a hat in spring
a poem wanders off the path
a poem gathers shy blooms
a poem listens to ticklish grass

a poem ripples along the shore
a poem serenades the sun
a poem isn't afraid of shadows
a poem is for everyone

- Irene Latham

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