2016 Kidlitopshere Progressive Poem Progresses to Penny

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann

Happy National Poetry Month!
Happy 2016 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem!

2016 Kidlit Progressive Poem copy

The Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem is hosted by poet, Irene Latham. Irene had this brilliant idea in 2012 and every year since words have wandered from poet to poet all through the month of April. A progressive poem is more delicious than a progressive dinner because the words are here to savor and enjoy over and over again. How does it work? Each day of the month, the poem lands at a different blog with a different poet adding a line. To follow the progress of the poem refer to the links listed in this post. I’ve also added them to my sidebar for easy reference.

Here are the first four lines of the poem from Laura Purdie Salas, Joy Acey, Doraine Bennett, and Diane Mayr.

A squall of hawk wings stirs the sky
A hummingbird holds and then hies
If I could fly, I’d choose to be
Sailing through a forest of poet-trees

When I read Diane’s line I felt the end of a stanza. I’m going to add a line break and start a new stanza. But the fun of a progressive poem is, that as it progresses, each poet can change things up. So I realize my line break may or may not remain.
Also, when I read Diane’s line I thought of two directions that I could take the poem. I could keep flying and start a new stanza with birds in mind. Or I could start a new stanza introducing new creatures. Of course, I had other choices but from the minute I read Laura’s first line, I imagined 30 lines wandering through nature and enjoying the wonder. Joy continued with another bird. And Doraine’s line had me imagining I was a bird—a part of nature. Diane’s line enhanced the wonder of a bird’s-eye view, but I felt new creatures on the horizon.

I’m adding my line and passing this on to Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink.

A squall of hawk wings stirs the sky
A hummingbird holds and then hies
If I could fly, I’d choose to be
Sailing through a forest of poet-trees

A cast of crabs engraves the sand

If you’d like to follow the progressive poem, here is the list of contributing poets.

Happy National Poetry Month!
Happy 2016 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem!

2016 KIDLITOSPHERE PROGRESSIVE POEM

1 Laura at Writing the World for Kids
2 Joy at Joy Acey
3 Doraine at Dori Reads
4 Diane at Random Noodling
5 Penny at A Penny and Her Jots
6 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink
7 Liz at Elizabeth Steinglass
8 Janet F. at Live Your Poem
9 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
10 Pat at Writer on a Horse
11 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog
12 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
13 Linda at TeacherDance
14 Jone at Deo Writer
15 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
16 Violet at Violet Nesdoly
17 Kim at Flukeprints
18 Irene at Live Your Poem
19 Charles at Poetry Time
20 Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
21 Jan at Bookseedstudio
22 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
23 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
24 Amy at The Poem Farm
25 Mark at Jackett Writes
26 Renee at No Water River
27 Mary Lee at Poetrepository
28 Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe
29 Sheila at Sheila Renfro
30 Donna at Mainely Write

49 thoughts on “2016 Kidlitopshere Progressive Poem Progresses to Penny”

  1. Pingback: The Progressive Poem 2016 Is Here! | Renee LaTulippe - No Water River

  2. As you can see, Penny, I’m very far behind in following the ProgPoem…but I wanted to discover it line by line without skipping ahead. I like your line break very much, and although we’re all a little obsessed by birds at the moment, I’m very happy to welcome “a cast” of crabs. It’s a great line because of the many ordinary and scientific meanings of “cast”. Nice one!

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  6. Oh, gosh we’ve recently returned from the sandy shore (well it was a few days ago)
    & “cast of crabs” is so perfect!
    Plus how did you summon the action of “engraves” for what their claws & feet do? It’s a mesmerizing idea. Brilliant, Penny. And now I’m excited to crabwalk over to Carol’s lovely site.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I first had graffiti but it wasn’t working as a verb. I loved the idea of it but felt it was confusing. Then my mind led me to other verbs for markings and I came up with engraves.
      Thanks for coming by 🙂

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      1. I wrote poetry as a child, but mimicked songs that I knew. And, my mother always read children’s poetry books to us. I did one poem for Susanna’s Christmas contest once, and then took it down immediately after the contest was over.

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  8. Penny I love how you decided to take the next line down to the ground and bring us your “cast of crabs”. The line is beautiful, and I read above how you found out a group of crabs is called a cast, I love when google searches turn up gold!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Oh, Penny, I’m having line envy. This is beautiful and follows the dance steps to faultlessly. This is a beautiful line. I love the verb engraves. Wow-zer this is going to be a great poem. Thanks for the line break and extra breathing space.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much, Joy. When I made the decision to go a different direction I first considered the ocean and the forest floor. I started underwater and then the beach came to mind and I thought that was perfect. Maybe the poem will make it underwater or to the forest floor…it will be fun to watch and see.

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  14. Penny, I held off reading the comments here until I finished thinking about my line for Day 6. Last night while I was envisioning where you would take the poem, I imagined a continued forest route. I am absolutely delighted that you took the poem to the beach for it is one of my favorite spots to daydream and reflect. I often see the crabs at the Atlantic Ocean. They float, they land, thy delight. I can only imagine what a cast of crabs looks like so I too googled to find out more about crabs on Long Island. Wondering is one of the advantages to writing. Our minds can take us to places near and far. It is my hope that my wondering leads to another turn in the poem.

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  17. And now you’ve opened still another path for Carol and those following. Out of the forest, onto the beach! I see those little waving claws in that “cast of crabs” ready to perform, Penny. Wonderful!

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  20. A cast of crabs! So, so lovely and unexpected and a great way to start a new stanza. Love reading your process. You’re right: it could go so many ways! Which is what makes it so much fun. Thank you! xo

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. I had a whole list of lines. My first thought was that crabs leave graffiti in their wake and I was inclined to use graffiti as a verb.

      A cast of crabs graffitis sand

      But it just didn’t seem to flow as well and I was afraid it would be confusing as a verb. Also, engraves seemed more elegant and purposeful. Isn’t if funny how much thought can go into six or seven words?

      BTW, I do love the thought of crabs leaving graffiti in their wake 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  22. I was envisioning more animals added like this, too! And I love, love the “cast of crabs” and “engraves the sand”! Wonderful! Let’s see what’s up next. It’s a long month!

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  23. Following the progressive poem each year fascinates me. I love the addition of a new cast of characters to observe. Does that mean in 4 days I’ll be able to add a new animal group? Something to think about, but as you pointed out, you never really know where the poem will go.

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