Wow, this is my 3rd writing prompt! I wish I could say that I have been doing awesome on this blog but not so much! Lots of things have been getting in the way of my blog which makes me a bit sad.

But anyway today’s writing prompt is the Elements, and no I don’t mean the periodic table I mean the 4 Elements. Water, Air, Fire, and Earth!

So whichever you are inspired by Earth, Air, Fire, Water, or all of them. Write what you want! I am excited to see what you come up with.

Katie

May the Poetry speak to you in…whispers

I have been so busy lately I have not got the chance to research the poets/writers I would like to! SO, here is another poem of the day or poetry…another one that I have written. I hope you enjoy reading it. 🙂

Unfinished Duet

Inside everyone a song dwells deep
Some are lucky enough to have it completed
Others are still looking and waiting
The song describes who we are ourselves
But each song at the start is unfinished
Always searching for another half
Together a beautiful melody would be created
No longer would it be an unfinished duet

My question is: Do you think everyone has a duet that needs to be finished? Or is it something totally different? What did you think of the poem?

Source: 

http://allpoetry.com/poem/5591661-Unfinished_Duet-by-PhoenixFaith

So today has been absolutely insane and I am tired but I still wanted to do a post! So here is another series I am starting called Poetry of the Day. It could be on a day where there is both a Poet of the Day and a Commentary or it could be all by itself. Today it just happens to be a poem I have written. It is an earlier poem of mine, I hope you enjoy it. At the end of the Poetry of the Day I will ask a few questions and if you would like to offer suggestions (if it is a poem I have written, you may) they will be there at the end of the poem.

Take My Hand

Please do not go away
Just take my hand
Do not leave my side
Always be with me

Just take my hand
Join in my journey
We can help one another
Please do not leave me

Be my rock and best friend
Helping me until the end
Just take my hand
And it can start

You are caring and kind
My best and truest friend
Continue to be there always
Just take my hand

So my question to you is: What did you think? I wrote this a year ago, could it use anything more? Should it be edited or re-written? Did it strike you in any way?

Source:

http://allpoetry.com/poem/5804019-Take_my_Hand-by-PhoenixFaith

I have to admit I may be a little bias as with Aaron’s because Ben is a good friend of mine, but I am going to try not to be! 😀 It will be easy because all I have to do is pretend I have never read the poem before.

Like I have said Ben has a gift of writing even though he does not know it. This poem The Path is just WOW to me. He is a very old fashion/classic poet as he stated in his short bio and this poem is one of those poems which shows that style. Personally, I think it may need some punctuation but that is up to the poet and how he writes. There is also an inconsistency of having some I’s capitalized and others not.

The rhyming of the piece is beautiful! I am totally in love with the rhyming. Each stanza Ben has written could be a little poem in and of itself but as a whole it fits and flows together wonderfully. Yet again though I am going to be picky; there are some spelling errors which have been over looked…see I said I was being picky.

When I first read this poem in 2007 I was honestly blew away. I printed it right away putting it into  my special poems book, which I still have to this day. I fill it with things I deem worthy to remember and things worth being seen by others. There are many poets and writers who I think deserve attention and be seen by those editors and important people. Ben happens to be one of those people, he has a gift, and it is through the written word. I was inspired by this poem myself, it was encouraging in love and even in writing. It is always nice to know when someone else is going or went through the same things you did.

The power of words is truly an amazing thing to behold, I said I wanted the poem to speak for itself.

So my question today is: What did the poem say to you?

Katie

Hope the poetry speaks to you in….whispers

I just wanted to aplogize to those of you who read the Poet of the Day! Yesterday was REALLY BUSY! I had lots of homework to finish and it was taking me forever to do. So today I will make up for it, I will be doing a Poet of the Day, as you can see! And also a commentary, then something that I think is important to write about. So look for the rest of the posts coming throughout the day!

Sorry! I will try not to be so scatterbrained and busy! 😀

Katie

May the poetry speak to you in whispers…

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the next poet whom I have ‘interview’ in a way. I gave him a list of questions which I thought would be good to know about a writer. He wrote his own little blurb about himself but I still want to say things I know! 😀 I have known Ben for about 7 or 8 years from high school till now. Sometimes he likes to take credit for teaching me to write. (I let him think that way 😛 ) Through many things this guy has been here for me with his beautiful poetry. I have always told him he has a gift for writing but don’t let me stop you from having your own opinion. Ben is part of a poetry site which he introduced me to about 4 years ago and he has about 200 poems on there, if you would like to read more. (The link will be down under the poem.)

I  was born may 23rd 1989 and I started seriously writing poetry in the 7th grade. I would like to be a published author, yes, but not so much as to actually pursue it. at the very least not yet. As for my favorite form, you can probably guess that I prefer more classical styles. ABAB, or ABBA rhyme schemes or the like. My inspiration has been lacking recently, but usually I just write whatever I’m feeling. when I was young and falling in and out of love every other day I would often write about love. usually unrequited love, but nowadays I write about a lot of different things. Love, Life, Music, Nature.As far as how much time I put into writing, not allot unfortunately. Most of my writing happens if a certain line comes to me. I’ll sit down and try to use that line a thousand different ways. I’ll put it at the beginning of a poem, then I’ll try to throw it in the middle. I’ll make the line the title and try to work thought it. But unfortunately most of the time whatever I end up writing or typing doesn’t fully convey the meaning of the line or the poem that I am truly pursuing. or the following lines won’t sound as good or natural to me as the original line, so I end up deleting everything and wait until something better creeps into my mind. I don’t allow myself to write something I don’t like. sometimes it will take me months to write a single poem, sometimes it will only take me minutes. I don’t try to harness the poetry that’s inside of me, I much prefer to let it out when it comes rather than force it.

Well the poem I chose out of his many poems is called The Path. I won’t say anymore about it because the poem can speak for itself. Enjoy!

The Path 

The road was cold and empty
and I was lost without a trace
there was nobody there to save me
I was running a fruitless race
fires burned at my feet
and the winds bit my naked soul
but I kept on that ancient street
because true love was my goal

I walked through Hell and brimstone
I climbed mountains and valleys too
for years it seemed I would roam
untill I found something true
following this twisted dream
never seemed to feel so right
but through the smoke and the fire
you faced shined out through the night

And your soul warmed this cold black heart
and your smile melted my soul
it seemed desperate from the start
but now I’ve finaly reached my goal
And your sweet kiss cools the burned flesh
and your voice seems to dry my tears
your love was made my new life fresh
and now i feel no fears

So listen young foolish lovers
press on, do not delay
for your angel waits for you
and you will find her that blessed day
trickery and deception will hunt you
but stand firm and do not flee
I trust that love will find you
Just as Love has finaly found me.

Source: 

http://allpoetry.com/poem/3350316-The_Path-by-Poet_of_Dreams

Mattie Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek was born in 1990 on July 17th. At the age of 3 he was already writing poetry to cope with his older brother’s death. Although he was much more than just another American poet, he was a peace activist and he was a very special person knowing of the blessings he had in life. (He learned more in his 13 years of life than I have learned in my 8 years of schooling.) In his life Mattie published seven books, six of which were “Heartsongs” and one of “Just Peace” essays. Just Peace was a collection of e-mails between himself and former President Jimmy Carter.

Mattie was a confirmed and committed Catholic living it each day and sharing his faith everywhere he went. He went to school until the age of 9 and then was home-schooled for the rest of his education. by the age of 13 he had  enough credits/classes to graduated high school. There is much more information about this wonderful writer on his website which you can find on the bottom of this post! I would encourage reading more about him, he truly is an amazing person.

Mattie died a month before his 14th birthday on June 22nd, 2004. (That is my birthday.) He said this about himself before he died, “When people hear my name after I am gone, I hope they smile and say, ‘oh yes, Mattie–he was a poet, peacemaker, and a philosopher who played.’ So, that is how I choose to think and speak and live each day.” (Mattie)

I think we can all learn something from this young man. He inspired me when I read his poetry and I hope you are inspired to read more about him!

The poem I chose for today is called When My Feet Itch, it was the first ever poem of his I read. I love it and I hope you do too!

When My Feet Itch

When my feet itch,

Maybe I’ll think about

Riding on a dinosaur

With my mom —

And then,

I won’t remember that my feet itch.

When my feet itch,

Maybe I’ll think about

Spending the night at the

North Pole with Santa Claus—

And then,

It will be too cold for my feet to itch.

When my feet itch,

Maybe I’ll think about

Playing with Nick and Ben

Because they’re some of the

Best friends a kid could ever have —

And then,

I won’t care if my feet itch or not.

Or maybe, when my feet itch,

I’ll think about Angels —

Because they don’t make

You itch when you touch them.

Sources:

http://www.mattieonline.com/T_aboutLife.htm

http://www.mattieonline.com/T_aboutFAQ.htm

http://www.mattieonline.com/T_aboutMattie.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattie_Stepanek

http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1295&context=lajm&sei-redir=1#search=%22mattie%20stepanek%20when%20my%20feet%20itch%22

Theodor Seuss Geisel or better known as the wonderful and beloved Dr. Seuss. He was born in 1904 on March 2nd which is now known as National Read Across America Day! He published 46 children’s books in his life time. He was a cartoonist, animator and even a book publisher. (Ha had many different talents!) Geisel went to Dartmouth College in 1921 as a member of the Class of 1925. After this he went to Lincoln College in Oxford intending to get a degree but met his future wife, Helen Palmer and never did finish his degree.

During the time of WWII, he began drawing political cartoons which were published later in a book called Dr. Seuss Goes to War. He had many opinions and openly shared them in his political cartoons.

He was married twice, and his second wife is now the head of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Geisel died of throat cancer in 1991 on September 24th. His books continue to be included in schools and many children’s libraries.

Today’s piece from Dr. Seuss is One fish two fish red fish blue fish. Just an excerpt though, not the entire piece will be featured.

“One fish

two fish

red fish

blue fish.

Black fish

blue fish

old fish

new fish.

This one has a little star.

This one has a little car.

Say! what a lot of fish there are”

“An excerpt from Dr. Seuss’ book”

Sources and Further reading:

Seuss, Dr. One fish two fish red fish blue fish. Toronto, Canada: A Division of Random House Inc, 1960.

http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm

http://www.seussville.com/#/author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss

Today’s writing prompt I am giving you two poems one by Emerson the other by Frost. The prompt of course is to be inspired by one or both of these poems! These two poems are just beautiful and some of my favorite ones. 😀 I hope you are inspired by either one of them!

And I wish you good luck on your writing! (I am full of exclamation points today!)

Thine Eyes Still Shined By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thine eyes still shined for me, though far
I lonely roved the land or sea:
As I behold yon evening star,
Which yet beholds not me.

This morn I climbed the misty hill
And roamed the pastures through;
How danced thy form before my path
Amidst the deep-eyed dew!

When the redbird spread his sable wing,
And showed his side of flame;
When the rosebud ripened to the rose,
In both I read thy name.

Source:

http://www.poembird.com/ralph-waldo-emerson/thine-eyes-still-shined/

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Source:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-road-not-taken/

Shel Silverstein was born in 1930 on September 25th. To all the children who read his books, he was known as Uncle Shelby. Instead of his career starting with writing it actually starts at the age of 12 with drawing! He had his own style right away because he didn’t know about anyone to copy, while drawing he began to write as well. He was a songwriter, poet (YAY), playwright, illustrator and even a screenwriter. While he was a G. I inJapanandKoreain the 1950s he drew many of his first cartoons for adult readers. Silverstein’s musical ability shown when he produced “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash and “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” for Dr. Hook. (I had to go look up both these songs and they are really awesome! I am a fan of Johnny Cash though, but I have never heard of Dr. Hook before.) He wrote many other songs for different bands which gave him quite a nice career in songwriting. 😀

Where the Sidewalk Ends was the first collection of poems that was published in 1974, although this was not the first thing he published. The Giving Tree was actually the first thing published which gained enormous following, holding a permanent spot on the best seller list was in 1964.  In 1961Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book was published for adults and another book called Uncle Shelby’s Story of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back as his first children’s book published in 1963.

He went on to create more collections of poetry such as A Light in the Attic dedicated to his daughter Shanna and Falling Up dedicated to his son Matthew. Silverstein continued to create until his death in 1999 on May 1oth of a heart attack.

Messy Room

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

Source and Further Reading: 

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/biography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shel_Silverstein

http://www.shelsilverstein.com/play.asp- This is a great site for children and adults alike. There is a lot of information on here about Silverstein and his poetry!