It's Poetry Friday! Margaret has the roundup today at Reflections on the Teche where she shares thought-provoking poems she created by responding to the inspiration of others. Be sure to stop by to soak up her inspiring thoughts and for lots more poetry goodness. Last weekend the northeast was walloped by a nor'eastern storm. There was a lot of damage, especially along the coast.

tangledon the pale spiresof the broken flowersof the lost summer-Mary Oliver It's Poetry Friday! Right on cue, the weather reminded us that this week marked the beginning of fall. The lines above from "The Snowshoe Hare" by Mary Oliver also reminded me that fall is in the air and inspired these lines. Although I love the word "autumn" (probably a more poetic word), sometimes "fall" just fits.

It's Poetry Friday! Thanks to Margaret Simon, I was inspired to check out the September poetry prompts offered by Audrey Gidman here. In addition to the prompts, I am also finding many new poems and poets. Yesterday's challenge was to read “If You Have Had Your Midnights” by Mari Evans, then write a two-stanza poem in her style, beginning each stanza as she did - the first with "If you" and the second with "I." …

It's Poetry Friday, and today I'm honoring Wendell Berry who passed away this week. One of his most celebrated poems is "The Peace of Wild Things": The Peace of Wild Thingsby Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

It's Poetry Friday! Today I'm sharing a few haiku that found themselves onto the page this week. The first comes from an idea proposed by Mary Lee. If she solves Wordle in three, she uses those words to craft a haiku. I don't know how well that will work for me since I almost always start with the same word, but I decided to give it a try.

It's Poetry Friday! I love coming across writing invitations that work to get my creative juices flowing, especially when I'm stuck. In her mid-month Heart Beats newsletter this week, Georgia Heard shared an exercise she conducted during her workshop "Words That Sing and Soar" with Irene Latham given through The Poet's Studio. She chose five words to share with participants and asked them to write a poem using all five words.

It's Poetry Friday! A few years ago, I planted milkweed to attract monarchs. The first year I was able to spot several chrysalises and butterflies. But after that, the visitors were few and far between. Last summer there were none. On Sunday I did my usual garden walk after returning from vacation and was delighted to spot a monarch happily sipping on a Joe Pye blossom.

It's Poetry Friday! I've been using some of Georgia Heard's July Field Guide as prompts this month. I'm enjoying how Georgia's suggestions encourage me to think outside the box and look for inspiration in different places. Of course, I still most often turn to nature and memories. Here are two short offerings using the prompts "Find where nature is trying to enter" and "Make a list of what July keeps." …

A collection of past Little Thoughts Press issues.

It's Poetry Friday! Patricia has the roundup today at Reverie where she shares a beautiful golden hinge and some fantastic photos from Yosemite. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. This morning as I strolled through the garden checking on my bird boxes, I noticed that the peonies are about to burst. It always seems to happen so suddenly.

It's Poetry Friday and the round up is here! Thanks for stopping by. My April Poetry Project was to write a daily tanka in response to a poem from my morning reading. I didn't have much experience with that form so I thought it would be a good exercise. Some days were harder than others, but I'm happy to report that I was successful in writing the tankas.

It's Poetry Friday! The lovely and talented Irene Latham has the roundup today at Live Your Poem. Be sure to stop by for a sneak peek at her new novel Some Starry Night and lots more poetry goodness. I'm writing daily tankas during April, and this week I found inspiration at the Stuck Bumblebee Poetry Challenge hosted by Joyce Uglow and Cindy Mackey.

It's Poetry Friday! I've been keeping up with my April Poetry Project of writing a tanka a day. Since I didn't post last week, I'll share two today. The first was inspired by the line “What is so utterly invisible as tomorrow?” in a poem from Little Alleluias by Mary Oliver, as well as my beautiful cherry tree currently in full bloom:

I'm participating in a Progressive Poem with many poet friends from Poetry Friday. Today is my turn to add the last line. I love that we have traveled to the Land of Poetry, and in just the first seven lines there is evidence of many poetic devices - simile, metaphor, rhyme, and lovely alliteration. In thinking about my addition, I knew I wanted to keep the bird metaphor going for at least one more line, continue the rhyme scheme, and add a bit of alliteration (my secret love!).

It's Poetry Friday! Matt has the roundup today where he's celebrating the one-year birthday of his beautiful anthology, A Universe of Rainbows. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. In celebration of April as National Poetry Month, I'm writing a tanka every day in response to a poem. This morning I read "Darkling I Listen" by Adam Clay from…

It's Poetry Friday! I'm celebrating twilight with our host for today, Marcie Flinchum Atkins, in celebration of her new book, When Twilight Comes. I was pleasantly surprised that my preorder arrived early. In this beautiful book, Marcie brings the sights, sounds, plants, and animals of dawn and dusk to life through her lovely lyrical language. I especially enjoyed how she connected the two twilight times in just one spread:

I’m ready for spring, but it hasn’t arrived. Not yet. -from ”Walking to Indian River” by Mary Oliver Photo: One lonely crocus in my front garden This time of year, thoughts naturally turn to spring. And looking back on my Poetry Friday posts in late March, I almost always write about spring. Here’s a nonet I wrote last year but didn’t share here.

Welcome to Poetry Friday! The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amhurst, MA has long been on my bucket list of places to visit. But this week I experienced the wonder of Eric Carle at a special exhibit much closer to home. "Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle" is currently on display at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA.

It’s Poetry Friday! Margaret has the roundup today at Reflections on the Teche where she treats us to three beautiful poems. Chickadees have been on her mind as well. I’ve always been curious about the staying birds in winter. Cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, and others continue to gather at the feeder when the weather turns cold, but how do they stay warm?

Welcome to Poetry Friday! Susan Thomsen has the roundup today at Chicken Spaghetti where she shares a poem that begins with the last line of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself” - “I stop somewhere waiting for you.” Last week she invited poets to join her in writing a poem that also borrows this line from Whitman as a jumping off point.

It's Poetry Friday and today I'm celebrating the Chinese/Lunar New Year. This year I participated in Poetry Friday friend Jone Rush MacCulloch's New Year post card exchange. Thank you to all who sent me post cards. I loved the variety of form, the nod to nature, and the well wishes, optimism, and hope. This morning, after reading through all your lovely words once again, I decided to honor you with a cento of my favorite lines.

It's Poetry Friday! We're in the depths of a winter chill here in the northeast. The snow from last week's storm is hanging around and I'm still thinking about the birds staying warm, finding food. The party at the feeders after I fill them with seed lets me know my friends are hungry. I like to think they are appreciative, too.

It's Poetry Friday! Tabatha has the round-up today at The Opposite of Indifference. Be sure to stop by for a beautiful poem by Denise Levertov, "Concurrence." I encourage you also to explore the meditations for this poem in the link Tabatha offers. Here in the northeast we are preparing for the biggest winter storm we've had in a few years. When cold weather hits, I often think about the birds staying sheltered and warm.

It's Poetry Friday! Jan has the roundup at Bookseedstudio where she shares a lovely tribute honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. When you live in a home for almost 48 years, you're bound to collect some things. Well, maybe a lot of things. Every so often, my husband and I do some clearing of the many boxes that live in our basement and attic.

Welcome to Poetry Friday! I love to look at the sky on a clear winter night. It's a playground for noticing planets and stars. Without the veil of leaves from the trees the sky seems so much larger. I recently read an article about stargazing with the advice to wait and let your eyes adjust before trying to identify what you see.

...it's time to start thinking about things related to the new year. For me, that's setting some intentions, choosing my OLW, and recording my first bird of the year. So, Happy Poetry Friday and Happy New Year! I started thinking about my one little word a few weeks ago. I pondered a few possibilities and had almost settled on "perseverance," but it didn't feel exactly right.

Welcome to Poetry Friday. Michelle has the roundup today here where she gives us a peek at the Yoko Ono exhibit in Chicago. Be sure to stop by for some much-needed peace and calm and lots of poetry goodness. My poem for today was inspired by "Skating After School" by Barbara Crooker. Here are her opening lines: In the space between school and supper,

It's Poetry Friday! Winter has definitely set in here in the northeast. Cold, a bit of snow, the sun making brief appearances. It's the season of candlelight and finding peace in the night sky lit by a full moon. I'm making my way through Leaf, Cloud, Crow, the companion journal to The Comfort of Crows, both by Margaret Renkl.

It's Poetry Friday! Irene has the roundup today at Live Your Poem where she uses a lovely poem from one of my favorites, Barbara Crooker, as inspiration for her ArtSpeak poem. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. This week I'm catching up with my writing. Thanksgiving was a wonderfully hectic time with cooking, baking, decorating, and grandchildren.

Welcome to Poetry Friday! One of my guilty little pleasures is hand crafted, scented soaps. I almost always choose a few bars to bring home when I'm visiting a new town or shopping in a new location. The names, the scents, the colors all delight me, so I make my choices based on any or all of the above. I especially look forward to starting a new bar.

It's Poetry Friday! Last week I talked about attending the wonderful Poetry Palooza at Highlights. The Highlights Foundation Retreat Center is nestled in the Pocono Mountains in northeastern PA. Beautiful in any season, the drive through the mountains in autumn is especially picturesque. Words and images and ideas swirled through my head as I drove home at the conclusion of the workshop when my thoughts suddenly turned to a treasured sweater I once owned.

It's Poetry Friday! The talented Laura Purdie Salas has the round up today here where she gets us ready for winter with a shout out to her new book Flurry, Float, and Fly! and a skillfully crafted villanelle. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. On Saturday I traveled to the Highlights Retreat Center to participate in Poetry Palooza, a workshop led by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Georgia Heard, Irene Latham, and Charles Waters.

October Morning along the traillight breezes through blushing leavesdancing in shadowsDraft,2025RoseCappelli Today is Poetry Friday! One of our recent prompts/challenges at the Nevermores was to write about a fifth season. The first thing that came to mind was the old Donovan song from the '60's, "Season of the Witch." Since Halloween is next week, here's something to get you in the mood:

Hi, readers, writers, and querying creators of all kinds! Today is #SeasonsOfKidLit’s last day of our 2025 Trick-or-Treat Event, and we’re closing it out in an extremely BIG way! We’re thrilled to wel...

Inspiration comes in waves for me. I can go days, weeks even, without a single idea that seems worthy enough to pursue. And maybe that’s the problem – too quickly dismissing ideas before they have a chance to nestle in and take shape. So, I’m trying to reset my mindset - listening more, noticing more, nurturing more. One morning this week I went out to fill the feeder and noticed what looked like smoke rising from the squirrel baffle.

It's Poetry Friday! Today Amy is our gracious host, rounding up everyone's posts at The Poem Farm. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. Earlier this week I had the privilege of attending a UCLA Extension class on writing poetry for children led by our own April Halprin Wayland. What a wonderful way to spend a few hours!

Welcome! It's Poetry Friday and the roundup is here! Instructions for living a life:Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it. -Mary Oliver I try to live by Mary Oliver's suggestion and find something each day to notice and appreciate. I write these observations down in a log I call "Snippets." It is supposed to be a daily practice, but lately I found myself not recording.

It's Poetry Friday! Margaret has the roundup today at Reflections on the Teche with a taste of her recent trip to Scotland. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. The seasons seem a bit mixed up this year. After a very chilly and rainy spring, we jumped right into summer heat and humidity. It’s barely September and already the air is chilly, the shadows long, the vibrant hydrangeas a memory.

It's Poetry Friday! Carol has the roundup today at Beyond Literacy Link where she talks about the art of summering. Be sure to stop by lots of poetry goodness. My gardens have not been as abundant as they have been in past years. That is probably due to a combination of factors including weather and my gardening skills. But those factors might also include the midnight visitors who help themselves to Hosta leaves, hydrangea buds, and any variety of delectable blooms.

It's Poetry Friday! Heidi has the round up today at my juicy little universe. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. This summer I was treated to some very special poetry swap gifts. Thank you to Carol Labuzzetta and Linda Mitchell for your thoughtful, personal and beautiful packages that brightened my day and will continue to do so.

I’ve been absent for a few weeks from Poetry Friday. Two trips pulled me away. One was to a retreat at Lake Tahoe with my poetry group, the Nevermores. One to a family beach vacation in Ocean City, NJ. At Lake Tahoe we had lots of time to hike, work on projects, share, and do some spontaneous prompt writing. Patricia gave each of us a small bottle of poetry prompts disguised as capsules from The Poetry Pharmacy.

It's Poetry Friday! Tabatha has the round up today at The Opposite of Indifference. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. The second brood of bluebird chicks are close to fledging. Very close. I check on them daily but know not to get too close. Bluebird parents can be very protective. Yesterday I watched from a safe distance -beaks peaking, eyes exploring, feathered friends ready.

Throughout our long history, when something's unfairWhen rights need expanding, or wrongs need repairAmericans argue. We march and we cheer.We write songs and speeches. We go volunteer! -Rachel C. Katz in Rise Up! Powerful Protests in American History Happy Poetry Friday and 4th of July! Mary Lee has the round up today at A(nother) Year of Reading.

It's Poetry Friday! Carol has the round up at The Apples in My Orchard. Be sure to stop by to see the beautiful wooden bowls and jewelry that she and her husband craft, plus lots of poetry goodness. I've been vacationing with my family at the Jersey shore since I was a little girl. By the time I started taking my own kids there, a new bridge gave way to a new route that took us past…