Secondhand Memories

Secondhand Memories

Grafted green apple tree

in the vacant lot next door –

mid-sized boys

with tiny shakers of salt

perched on familiar limbs,

eating their fill and beyond.

Bigger boys climbing

designated routes of

increasing difficulty

to test their prowess, but

best of all,

best of all –

pelting each other

mercilessly

with their

fruity ammunition.

Green apple tree,

now long gone –

the man I love

was a boy

in your branches.

Stella Castella

It’s so interesting to hear the stories people tell about the things they remember most from childhood.  Sometimes these are sad stories, of course, but this bunch that I’ve heard over time is nothing but pure golden deliciousness.

Urban Raccoon

Urban Raccoon

RU   not more clever

            than your country cousins?

RU   not one of the most

            dedicated animal mothers?

RU   not changing your brain

            by solving modern problems

            in the constant quest for food?

RU   sure you’re not a primate?

RU?

            I wouldn’t be surprised

            to hear, some day, that

UR.

Stella Castella

I recently watched a very interesting documentary about raccoons – particularly the large populations inhabiting cities.  Unlike lots of situations where humans are encroaching on animal habitat, the reverse seems to be the case here.  All raccoons have remarkably human-like hands and feet and seem to me to resemble lemurs at least a little bit, but these urban dwellers are devising new tricks all the time to meet their needs.  It just seems so smart!

Blue Bridge

Blue Bridge

Tell me, Blue Bridge,

what do you say?

What do you say

on this Popsicle day?

Tell me something

that’s perfectly true;

tell me for sure that

you’ll always be blue.

Stella Castella

Do you have a favorite landmark?  I sure do!

Riding in the Rain

Riding in the Rain

Riding in the rain’s alright -

in fact, it can be quite fine.

Tiny blue bugs take cover;

the air ‘round my face is mine.

Stella Castella

I think that it’s so nice to make up a little poem while I’m doing something like riding my bike.  A subject usually suggests itself.  In this case - while I was walking to the garage to get my bicycle, I had to go through a cloud of (most likely) smoky-winged ash aphids (Prociphilus Americanus).  I almost decided not to ride, but then – good news, it started to rain!

Pressing Question

Pressing Question

Puncture weeds

are the worst weeds,

if you’re asking

my opinion.

They flatten your plans

as much as your tires,

clicking ominously

with each revolution.

Such dangerous horns

on comical heads!

Why, then, do

the grown-ups go

to such fierce war

with dandelions,

those friendly looking spheres

made of fluff and promise?

Stella Castella

I get it, I do!  Dandelions are great lawn ruiners – and your neighbors will blame you if you let them spread, but do you remember the fun of blowing their seeds when you were small?  I think that Tasha’s little boy got to do it recently!  I realize that all plants and animals have parts to play in their ecosystems, but I could get behind a movement to eradicate puncturevine (goathead).

Number Love

Number Love

My pal Alex prefers the primes,

while Jane likes multiples of eight.

Major Tom votes nine, Jim 13,

and Liz thinks that 17’s great. 

I’m a true Fibonacci fan;

Jill most probably loves them all,

but young Gavin’s GOLDEN BIRTHDAY

made him feel a hundred feet tall

(I hope)!

Stella Castella

This just shows that absolutely anything can get you thinking about writing a poem.  Alex Church started a FB conversation the other day by stating his fondness for prime numbers.  I don’t know what prompted him – hopefully something delightful that was uttered by a child.  It inspired me to consider all things numerical.  What fun!

Space for Kylie

Space for Kylie

The

mysteries

of space

beckon big minds

to ponder

billions and billions

of things

(large and small).

Things that matter

about matter,

things that

make up

us all.

Stella Castella

My darling daughter has always been a ponderer.  Lately she has been watching the new Cosmos, with Neil deGrasse Tyson – rock star astrophysicist and student of the great Carl Sagan.  When I asked for poem topics, she suggested SPACE.  Thanks, Kylie!

The picture comes from a page in Earth: The Definitive Visual Guide.

Late Summer Fruits

Late Summer Fruits

Huckleberries, you

flash-in-the-pan

wonders –

you make a

supper pancake sing!

How we labor

for every tasty bite.

Your adored,

flat-headed faces

will be missed

for a whole year

(if we are lucky).

Making juice of

backyard grapes

is a very, very

purple business –

the kitchen

a steamy perfumery

of memorable

deliciousness.

Sweet peach,

the scent of

your fuzzy self

promises that today

my breakfast chin

will drip

with the pleasure

of your company.

Stella Castella

We often hear people say, “It’s the little things (that make life worthwhile).”  One of those little things, for me, is fresh fruit in summer – especially when I have picked it myself (or know the person who has done so).  What a treat!

At the Confluence

At the Confluence

Oh, fisher men

and women,

waiting in a

silent congregation,

your hushed boats

providing sanctuary

as you angle

for the reward

of a lifetime –

Will it be today?

Do you almost hope

that it won’t?

Stella Castella

I am fortunate to live near the confluence of two rivers; perhaps you are, too!  When I pause on the path to observe the scores of boats during fishing season, I am struck by the fact that I don’t HEAR a sound.  Such quiet from so many people – it’s almost as if they’re in church.  I imagine that it’s both thrilling to catch a big one AND disappointing, in a way, since it likely can’t be topped and the quest seems over.

Gloria's Truck

Gloria’s Truck

Sweet old ride,

your funny face

greets me this

green apple morning.

One day I’ll

take you

for a spin -

your springy seat

beneath the tops

of my (for now)

too short legs.

Stella Castella

There are so many interesting objects to catch our attention.  One of these is a truck that belongs to my sister-in-law, Gloria.  I remember what it feels like to look forward to driving – when that pleasure was still a few years away.  It was fun to combine these two separate events into a single poem for my own pleasure.

In My Yard

In My Yard

Dinosaur cedars

loom LARGE over

shiv-er-ing shoots

of poplar, near

a WILD tomato jungle –

all sustained by a friendly snake,

while spiders stay busy

at their posts.

Stella Castella

Since I emphasized the importance of sharing unrhymed poems with your students, I thought that I better produce one for this week’s entry.  In a way, it’s like crafting a long, juicy sentence – and then deciding where to place the breaks.  Experiment with this; it’s work, but it’s fun work!

I own too many purses and I buy too many shoes; even so, I am a great appreciator of everything that the world outside has to offer.  Plants and animals are often my favorite subjects – for both poems and photographs.  Aileen Fisher has always been a poet that I’ve admired.  When you read her work, you’ll see why. She is one of the early NCTE Poetry Award winners.  (I promise to post a particular favorite in December).

 In one of my earlier entries, I mentioned A Jar of Tiny Stars (Cullinan).  It was published in 1995 and contains some of the work and excellent quotations by the first several winners of that prestigious award.  Another volume was published in 2010:  Another Jar of Tiny Stars:  Poems by More NCTE Award-Winning Poets (Cullinan and Wooten).  I am eagerly awaiting my copy of that from Amazon!

Spiders in the House

Spiders in the House

Little spider on the window,

please be gone when I get back.

Middle spider in the bathtub,

please go back  into your crack.

Big ol’ spider on my pillow,

I must put you in a sack –

You’re substantial,

you’re a mammoth,

you’re titanic

(in your way);

guess I’ll let you

loose outside, so

you’ll survive

another day.

Stella Castella

Alex Ready’s post on FB a few weeks ago got me thinking about spiders – and then I started seeing more of them in my house; they know that the season is changing, right? 

I used to make a practice of killing spiders in the house – often while emitting fearful shrieks, but then I started to feel bad about it and would first apologize to them.  After that, I went through a phase where I frequently warned them to “tell all of your friends and relations” (Pooh reference) to stay outside.  That didn’t seem to help.  Now I try to capture them and release them outside, when possible. I wish that I could promise to do it every time! 

If you, too, are drawn to poems about the creatures with whom we share the planet -check out the following titles by the excellent Douglas Florian:  insectlopedia, beast feast, lizards, frogs, and polliwogs, unBEElieveables, and in the swim.  You will very much enjoy his illustrations, too!

September Speaks

September Speaks

September speaks

into sun-pinked ears

a freckled song

that everyone hears –

a sigh (goodbye)

to parks and pools,

a shy hello

to shoes and schools. 

Stella Castella

I particularly enjoy this time of year.  The weather is especially nice where I live; there’s still a lot of sunshine to be savored.  Saying goodbye to summertime pursuits is always a little bit sad (unless it involves watching dogs swim in the grand finale of the public pool season), but a new school year is a beautiful thing, too.

First Day of School

First Day of School

Little jitter, 

little flutter,

called on first . . .

little stutter.

Stella Castella

I remember feeling very, very nervous and excited about the beginning of each new school year when I was a young student.  Once, when we all had to introduce ourselves on day one, I could barely blurt out my own name.  My heart gets a little pumpy (as Junie B. Jones might say) just thinking about it!