Fun with Junk EMail: A List Poem

| Danna Smith

My computer recently crashed and when it was up and running again, I found all of my junk mail had bailed the confines of its folder and was hanging out in my actual inbox. I spent hours sifting through what was junk and what was not junk. But as they say, when life gives you lemons, write a poem. That’s what they say, right? Anyway, I seized the opportunity and wrote a list poem made up entirely of the subject lines of my spam mail. It took some time to find subject lines I could rhyme but it turned out to be a fun poetry project!

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Blog Hop: Happy International Haiku Day!

| Danna Smith

Occasionally here on Poetry Pop, you’ll see a Poetry Pop Blog Hop post. This is when we take a field trip and hop over to another blog to see what’s going on. Today we are hopping over to CELEBRATE PICURE BOOKS blog where we are celebrating International Haiku Day and my newly released board book, Peek-A-Boo Haiku. Please come join us!

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Celebrate National Poetry Month with “H Is For Haiku” (with lesson plan)

| Danna Smith

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to H is For Haiku, a beautiful book on Haiku written by the late Sydell Rosenberg (1929-1996) published by Penny Candy Books. Syd was a charter member of the Haiku Society of America in 1968. She wrote and published her work over a literary career spanning roughly three decades. On this, the first day of National Poetry Month, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate! (And for dessert, we’ll be enjoying a mother-daughter haiku collaboration in a special book below by Syd and her daughter, Amy Losak.

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Memorial Haiku: Happy Birthday, Dad

| Danna Smith

Today would have been my dad’s 85th birthday. He was a lifelong falconer, so it seemed fitting that a hawk chose the day Dad passed away to circle the sky above me in grand, sweeping loops as it sang to the sky. It felt as if my dad finally had his wings and was saying goodbye. Four years later, I still think of my dad when I see a bird of prey (I’m sure I always will). I wrote this haiku in remembrance of him. Happy Birthday, Dad, from your chickadee.

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Happy World Poetry Day: Poem Parade

| Danna Smith

Remember the “old days” when you wanted to enjoy poetry? You’d find it in a book. These days, we often turn to the screen for our pop of poetry. This got me thinking that poetry in modern times is like a parade. Poems of every subject and tone march across the screen for all to see. And we, as readers, writers, and lovers of poetry, can join in the parade whenever we want (no shoes required). Of course, for me, random thoughts like this often turn into a poem. Cotton candy, anyone?

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Visual Prompt: Jelly Dancer

| Danna Smith

We’ve all been there, pen in hand, waiting for a poem to arrive. Poetry prompts are a great way to get the juices flowing on those inevitable days when a poem doesn’t show up. In the visual prompt below, the tentacles reminded me of a skirt swishing. And the way a jelly fish moves in the water is like that of a graceful (although dangerous) dancer.

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