ARTSPEAK! in Review, #EveryBrilliantThing Roundup, & a Special Thank You

Hello, and Happy first Poetry Friday after the storm that was 2015 National Poetry Month! Be sure to visit Ellen at Space City Scribes for Roundup.

I am traveling today but I did want to leave all of you with a special message!

First of all: to everyone who made the 2015 Progressive Poem a wonderful adventure:



When we started out with that alluvium, I never could have anticipated where we would end up! It's our longest Progressive Poem ever! What an adventure. So much fun to share it with all of you!! 
I will be parking our poem in its entirety with links on the Progressive Poem page just as soon as I can. For now, view it in completion at  Matt's Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme. And for those who've been asking about participating next year, I will post a signup at my blog the first Poetry Friday of March 2016. First come, first served. Mark your calendars!
And now for another THANK YOU: To everyone who stopped by to read my ARTSPEAK! poems... wow! I couldn't have done it without your encouragement. Thank you thank you!Some stats:
Of the 30 poems, a whopping 22 were in the voice of inanimate objects. 5 were voiced by animals, and 3 by humans.
Water/boats was a popular theme among the art I selected -- it appears in 9 out of the 30.
Waiting is a theme that emerged in about a third of the poems. Don't you love how poetry teaches us about ourselves?
Only 4 poems shared the title of the painting: Rowing Scene, Sewing Chair, The Dance Lesson, and The Music Lesson.
This project generated a 45 page file -- 30 pages of poems and 15 pages of scratch. (I do the vast majority of my writing on the computer... occasionally, if I have to leave my desk, I will print my progress so far, and carry that page with me to scribble on as I work things out. I much MUCH prefer composing on a computer! I really like a neat, clean workspace -- I get distracted by clutter. I also love the instant gratification of changes, and how that prompts other ideas and directions.) 
This one might be my favorite: "Still Live with Straw Hat, Bag and Umbrella."

If you had a favorite, I would love to know what it was! This will help me as I move forward to create a manuscript for a possible ARTSPEAK! book! Thank you!!

This year I am keeping a virtual gratitude list, inspired by the play Every Brilliant Thing. Here's my post about it. And here's my April list:

Walking the neighborhood in the early morning dark.Azaleas in bloom.Polka-dots. Especially @erbeeko in polka-dots.Fried oysters.That bird outside my window singing so happily in the dark.When I set a goal for 5 pages and end up with 7 instead.Morning drive with @bensollee. me-n-PapaWisdom at morning @jazzerciseinc : “If you can't hide it, decorate it.”New plants in old pots.The way Ruby barks at thunder.Fortune cookies.Tree art.Tree Change Dolls.Elephants.Breakfast with Papa.LISTEN, SLOWLY by Thanhha Lai.Art by @brianandreas.Mints at Olive Garden.Friends who say just the right thing. Looking at you, @mattarnett!Writing in the parking lot.Those jar grip thingies.Aprons.Clouds.Patio dining.Metal dresses by Chris Beck at Magic City Art Connection.That scene when Forrest Gump just stops running.
Restaurant in Atlanta overlooking Oakland Cemetery named Six Feet Under.
Books on hold for me at the library, including THE HONEST TRUTH by Dan Gemeinhart.
Mermaids.
Hot tea on a rainy morning.