I am Embarrassed to Say...

Growing up in a mostly white town, my only interaction with people of color were Karen Miller and Pat Davis in my home room, who were bused in from Boston in the late '70's VERY early every morning to the suburbs for their education. And even then, homeroom was so short that you really didn't have time to get to know each other. When I think about it now, I can't imagine the stress busing added to the students and their families.

I am embarrassed to say that, till recently, I never took the time to explore the rich black history out there, and get to know the incredible people who lived it. Books have opened that door for me, as they can for you and your kids. I wish my community had been more diverse back when I was growing up. I would have been so much richer for it.

Recently, however, I have enjoyed learning some of this history through novels and movies.

In 2024, at Boyds Mills (Highlights Foundation) I was blessed to have Charles Waters, Irene Latham and Lacresha Berry as mentors- three talented poets and authors.

Irene Latham and I at NCTE 2024 in Boston for the poet meet-up.

Lacresha Barry and I met up on an early morning walk around the Highlights grounds (2024) and had a lovely conversation .

Charles Waters and I at Highlights 2024

Charles was the first person to make me feel like I was really a poet. I am grateful for that.

One morning, during a break in the presentations, I browsed the library, where they sell books, and picked up Charles and Irene's novel, AFRICAN TOWN. Thumbing through the first pages, I was immediately hooked. This amazing novel pulled me right into the hearts and experiences of African men, women, and children torn from their native land. It was inspired by the story of the last slave ship, the Clotilda. It is told in easy-to-read poetic dialogue. Waters and Latham cleverly gave each person a unique voice through the way they used their texts. The verse novel format was very effective in expressing so much in very few words.

AFRICAN TOWN is a powerful book that brings history to life. "Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse. Told in 14 distinct voices, including that of the ship that brought them to the American shores."

You will feel their joy in dance and celebration, their fear and confusion as they are pulled from all they know, and their incredible spirit of hopefulness, courage as they persevere, always looking toward a better future.

The extensive back matter is FASCINATING and a great finish, answering many of my questions about what happened to the characters I grew to love. This is real American history about rising above hate, prejudice, and horrible events to create the home, family, and life you desire. A great catalyst for important discussion with your children. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

"I will give every last drop of blood in my veins until this monster called slavery is dead."

 -Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqoEs4cG6Uw

Then, awhile ago, my husband and I watched HARRIET, the story of Harriet Tubman. I had heard her name growing up, but never took the time to learn her story. (Shame on me!) Working as a slave, she made the gut-wrenching decision to escape her captivity and run to freedom. Leaving her husband and family behind, she traversed alone over 150 miles on foot to freedom. The amazing thing is that she turned right around and over 10 years, as the most well-known conductor on the Underground Railroad, made 19 trips back to the south to help over 300 slaves get to freedom- and "never lost a single passenger." The movie Harriet should be a must-see movie for all. What an inspiration!

I am so grateful that, as I have gotten older, my community has become so much more diverse. I seek out people's stories and love to hear about their history, experiences, and faith. I see the world, not as black and white, but as a colorful spring bouquet, each blossom unique and perfect and beautiful.

Thank you to Charles Waters and Irene Latham for their beautifully written, meaningful, and poignant poetic exploration of slavery. Every person young and old will be enriched by AFRICAN TOWN and HARRIET. I hope you will check them out.

The Colors of Kindness

During the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020- May 2023), the word KINDNESS began popping up everywhere. One of my favorite places was the Kindness 101 segments on TV. They were a welcome respite from our isolation and lifted morale across our homes. CBS's Steve Hartman and his children hosted KINDNESS 101, a series of classes featuring inspiring stories of people being kind. You can read more about them here. (These are great things to share with your kids.)

Here is one of my favorites: "Don't forget to show love."

During the same period, Crayola heard from parents wanting to teach their children additional social-emotional skills, particularly kindness. So, in 2021, Crayola introduced "The Colors of Kindness" crayons, colored pencils, and markers. The box included 20 pre-existing Crayola colors and added four new ones, "specially labeled with warm words to inspire smiles and happy thoughts."

They featured inspirational messages of kindness like:

• Kind to the Core  for the color "Granny Smith"

• Keep moving forward for the color "Inchworm."

• Be sweet to each other for the color "Cotton Candy"

  
  

You can buy a set of kindness posters here.

Look at these lovely colors! Don't they make you happy?

It was hard to choose.... but these are the colors I chose for this week's poems:

• Pink Sherbert- Have a Scoop of Fun

• Oatmeal- A Warm Hug

• Macaroni and Cheese- Life is Gouda

It's Poetry Time!

Pink Sherbert- Have a Scoop of Fun

This first poem was inspired by the true story of my father driving the family to Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors Ice Cream Shop one very hot summer evening for ice cream. I will never forget the warmth of the breeze in my hair and the feeling of being a bit naughty because I was in my pajamas.

Oatmeal- A Warm Hug

To this day, there is nothing I like better than a warm, creamy cup of oatmeal on a snowy winter day. Recently, when 24" was expected, I found myself, nose pressed against the cold glass, watching the snowflakes dance. Memories poured back of snow fights with my brother, wet mittens, cold pink cheeks, and frozen toes, as I sat pulling off my boots.

Good times ...

Macaroni and Cheese- Life is Gouda

Writing about my grandchildren's meal of choice was a no-brainer when I saw the name of this crayon color. I looked up any words that rhymed with "cheese."Then, since the refrain in this poem almost wants you to sing it, getting the beat (meter) right on the other lines was important to me. I think both kids and kids at heart have fond memories of this dish and will have fun with this poem—we just need a little beatboxing background!

Thank you to Susan at her blog Chicken Spaghetti for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Be sure to stop by and see the other great poems linked on her blog. If you'd like to know more about Poetry Friday, this is a great resource from Renee LaTulippe.

The Color of Love

Color + Love.... Hmmmm, I wonder what I can do with this?

It sure has been fun working on this series of poems inspired by COLOR. I honestly cannot wait to sit down each morning and work on them. Sometimes I wake up at 5:30 am staring at the ceiling, my mind swirling with colors and ideas.

With  Valentine's Day on the calendar this week, I looked over my spreadsheet of color names and wondered which crayons would inspire me and which might go together on the theme of LOVE.

Here are the Crayola Crayon colors I chose for this week:

• Carnation Pink

• Sepia

• Vermillion

• Carnation Pink

This first poem was inspired by the time my daughter and I handed out 50 red roses to random strangers in front of Shaw's to honor my brother's 50th birthday. It is my first stab at a Pantoum. I love how the pantoum's repetition drives home the poem's emotion. For you Pantoum pros- would love your feedback so I can learn.

The pantoum is a poem of any length, composed of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first. - Poets.org

This is the format I used:

(FYI- Nǎi Nǎi means grandmother in Mandarin Chinese)

• Sepia

  
  

My next poem was inspired by my Nana, Gertrude, whom I adored. She was a very talented artist in her own right (watercolor, pastels, photography), never had a wrinkle on her face, and always smelled of Sweetheart brand soap. While researching on Ancestry.com, I came across a photo of the home in Illinois where she grew up. Looking at the house, I tried to imagine her there. Her watercolor painting of yellow roses hangs in my home.

• Vermillion 

This final poem was inspired by an image I found on the Library of Congress—a great resource for unique photos and public-domain art. Look at that hair up in a French twist... You can almost feel how soft it is. Lovely!

I started off loving the sound of "million vermilion" and decided to give myself the challenge of using words that rhymed with "million" as internal rhyme, and then ending the lines with words that sounded like "roses." Quite a puzzle! It's not perfect, but still fun to read.

Finally,

Wishing my husband of 45 years a very Happy Valentine's Day. I am so blessed to be his wife. xo

One of my favorite pics of us.

Thank you to Robyn Black at her blog "Life on the Deckle Edge" for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Be sure to stop by and see the other great poems linked on her blog. If you'd like to know more about Poetry Friday, this is a great resource from Renee LaTulippe.