A Poem Is...
-a poem cycle-
by
Charles Ghigna
A Poem Is A Spider Web
A poem is a spider web
Spun with words of wonder,
Woven lace held in place
By whispers made of thunder.
What's A Poem?
A whisper,
a shout,
thoughts turned
inside out.
A laugh,
a sigh,
an echo
passing by.
A rhythm,
a rhyme,
a moment
caught in time.
A moon,
a star,
a glimpse
of who you are.
A Poem Is A Little Path
A poem is a little path
That leads you through the trees.
It takes you to the cliffs and shores,
To anywhere you please.
Follow it and trust your way
With mind and heart as one,
And when the journey's over,
You'll find you’ve just begun.
©2009 Charles Ghigna. All rights reserved.
When Charles Ghigna, who's also known as Father Goose, sent me A Poem Is..., I started reading and just couldn't believe it. You see, that version of A Poem Is... contained 14 poems, each of which was wonderful and different and could stand alone like the three you see above, but all of which worked together perfectly in cumulatively describing what a poem “is.” Each time I read one, I thought "well, he can’t come up with another new way to describe a poem." Each time, I was wrong.
Once we decided the entire cycle was too long for a blog post, I played around and came up with, well, at least 18 different variations of three poems that I'd like to run. Luckily for me, he suggested the above three... which matched one of my choices exactly. Whew. Oh, and by the way… there are more than 14 poems in the whole work, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest, believe me. I suspect it will be a standalone book some day. It sure should be….
Today is Poetry Friday! For folks new to the Kidlitosphere, Poetry Friday is perfect for exploring what's out there. Here's a link to the "roundup" of folks talking poetry today (hosted at Amy Planchak Graves' ayuddha.net where there's also mighty fine reading to be done beyond the roundup). Go on and check it out!
Yesterday gave us Midnight Stray by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Coming up tomorrow, X. J. Kennedy - Ladder to the Moon.
Friday, April 03, 2009
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28 comments:
Besides his 30+ books for children, I wanted to mention that Charles Ghigna has had his poetry, among other places, in Cricket, the New Yorker, and the Guinness Book of World Records. Now that is some range!
It's really wonderful, Greg. Bravo!
April H. W.
"Whispers made of thunder"-- love it!
I'm not poetic enough to tell you have much I appreciate this month of poetry. (I've backspaced over half a dozen attempts . . .)
I'll just tell you plainly. Thank you for providing this wonderful forum.
I look forward to clicking through every day.
:-)
Thanks for introducing me to a poet I didn't know before. Love these poems!
These are simply wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing --I,too, would love to see the whole cycle in published book form some day!
"Whispers made of thunder"... that's going to stay with me!
Thanks for sharing these wonderful poems.
--Mary Cronin
These are lovely! I keep reading them over again. Add me to the list of those who would love to see the entire cycle in a book.
I love every single description here.
I love these poems! What a wonderful idea for a book. I look forward to sharing these poems with my kids.
Yeah, they do all have such a different feel. I love the middle one.
We at Homewood Public Library are the lucky ones who get to visit with Mr. Ghigna and his wife, Debra, almost on a weekly basis. He is our hometown hero! (And very talented, to say the least.) You might want to see some of the podcasts of his children's poetry on our blog http://weknowbooks.blogspot.com/ and also on YouTube.
Ditto what everybody else said, and he's a danged nice guy too!
:)
e
I have his book called LOVE POEMS. They are absolutely beautiful. If you haven't read it, you're missing something wonderful.
Wow. That's my poetic best for these :-) Can I pre-order the not-yet-existant book????
Mr. Ghigna is overflowing with talent as well as kindness. He is one of those special people that you come across in life that always leaves you with a smile on your face. His ability to write for children is amazing. My four year old ranks him about as high as Superman. If you are not familiar with his poems, please check them out. You will not be disappointed.
I always enjoy finding/reading poems about poetry. I'm going to add these to my collection.
Hi Gregory,
Thanks for your comment over at my blog. I subscribed to your E-Mail list and added your blog to my blogroll.
I have a Masters Degree in Children's Literature, have always liked it - and so finding out about your blog (a mix of poetry and interest in children's literature) is right down my alley. Again, thanks so much for stopping by & leaving a comment. If only more would do so.
You also inspire me to put some of my children's poetry online (as well as to write more). I'm so damned indolent. Reading about all these other poets and writers publishing themselves in cricket (and so on) sets my chair on fire.
Every Sunday I provide a round-up of poetry using meter and rhyme or posts on the same (from the past week). If you write anything on these subjects, please let me know. I'll provide a link and excerpt it.
I'll be checking in.
"And when the journey's over,
You'll find you’ve just begun." -----> ZOMG. Wow.
Moved here by me, posted elsewhere by chance
Chuck ... You knocked me out with "A Poem Is". I noticed Gotta Book had to narrow it down to three, after you sent him fourteen, originally. How many did you have in all to select from, Mr. Prolific ... four or five hundred, as usual? And, I'm sure that did not include the ones your publisher, Random House, had first dibs on :-). Johnny Jones
I liked the poem about the spider web best. There is much similarity between a poem and a spider web. Both take much creativity and craftsmanship, and both are things of beauty when done.
Yes, Charles Ghigna ia man of many talents. You can read more about him at http://swampland.com/articles/view/title:interview_with_charles_ghigna
Kudos to Father Goose. :-)
LOVE THIS!!! I am going to use this with my students today!
Granddaughter Sara and I love this gracious, talented gentleman who opens new vistas with each contact. He touches our hearts and lives and we are grateful.
My favorite poet ever:)! The man and his amazing work!
Charles Ghigna is a truly gifted poet whose work first came to my attention twenty years ago in Writer's Digest. I've since had the pleasure of personally meeting Charles--a fine man and humble artist, whose poems never fail to delight, surprise, and inspire. Our world is far richer for his creative contributions to it.
I went to see Mr. Ghigna on assignment (I'm a journalist). He was incredibly entertaining, frothing over with energy, and unequivocally engaging.
His poetry—both for children and adults—is absolutely wonderful. The way he uses it to inspire children to read and write is absolutely heroic.
Thanks for all the kudos kiddos! And to our gracious gang leader Greg for inviting all these prolific poetry players into his bigger-than-a-beach sandox of fun & inspiration! Thank you!
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