Friday the 26th Speaks

Friday the 26th Speaks
by
Greg Pincus (and Friday the 26th)

The thirteenth on a Friday can be lots of trouble,
But please don't ignore me: I'm like that... just double.


I would say this is of a piece with an oldie around here... The Lament of Thursday the 12th.  So many days... and all of them special, I tell ya.

And hey, even though I've been silent for months, that doesn't mean the blogosphere has been, as you can see by checking out this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at A Journey Through the Pages. So much yummy goodness!

Ants! (Based on a True Story) - an insect poem/an ugh poem

Ants! (Based on a True Story)
by
Greg Pincus

They're coming in through gaps and cracks,
Through windows and through doors:
The ants aren't coming one by one
They're marching in by scores!
I fight them on the stove top
And when we've finished brawling,
I take a breath and then...oh no!
The kitchen counter's crawling.
I wipe and crush and swipe and spray.
I kill and shed no tears.
I cannot show them weakness.
They cannot know my fears.
I celebrate each surface cleared,
But there's no time to linger.
I cannot take a moment off and...
Ack!! One's on my finger!!!
I want to send a message,
Hear this come from their lips:
"Don't go inside, my ant-mates
For it's pure antpocalypse."
I try to love the whole wide world,
But sometimes... I just can't.
So here, today, I say out loud
I'm firmly anti-ant.


I'm not saying this is a necessarily a poem for kids. I am saying that this day will live in ant-infamy: July 24, 2018. And yes, I emerged victorious from the quagmire....

And hey, it's Poetry Friday, so why not check out this week's roundup of poetry goodies over at Reading to the Core. (And maybe celebrate by checking out Great Morning!, too.)

It's a Great Morning!

I'm excited to have a poem in the new anthology Great Morning! And I also just love the idea behind the book: it's full of poems that can be read by school leaders as morning announcements.

Lots of ways you can order the book, including straight from the distributor.  You should also check out all the Poetry Friday Anthologies and other goodies from Pomelo Books while you're at it (and I say that as someone with poems in a few books but appreciation for all of what they've done).

And I really gotta say it is a personally great morning when I realize that my work is included alongside poems by this remarkable collection of poets....

Hold On Now... - a phone poem

Hold On Now...
by
Greg Pincus

I'm waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting.
The hold music stops, and I'm anticipating...
Oh no! The recording of updates and news
Starts playing again, and I'm starting to snooze.
Then back to the music that's spooky and droning -
I swear the composer was aiming for moaning.
I just have five questions! It's like they don't care.
I'm thinking I might have to rise from my chair
And find them in person. It makes me a wreck.
Life sure is harder since Mom went high tech.


Oh, sure... this might be as much for a parent as child... or might've been written entirely while on hold with an unnamed company. I'm not saying anything, I tell ya! But whatever... it's here and now it's yours to decide about.

And hey, it's Poetry Friday! The fantabulous Irene Latham is hosting this week's roundup, so you should head on over and see all the poetry goodies in the blogosphere here on the last Friday of National Poetry Month.

Oh, and if you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

It's National Poetry Month. It's Poetry Friday. And it's Lee Bennett Hopkins' birthday, too! This makes for a poetry triumvirate worthy of celebration... and so I join with my friends in the kidlitosphere to celebrate a man who is, indeed, worthy of huge cheers. Happy Birthday, Lee!

Below is Lee's poem Spring, first shared here in 2009 as part of the inaugural 30 Poets/30 Days.

SPRING
by
Lee Bennett Hopkins

Roots
sprouts
buds
flowers

always--
always--
cloud-bursting showers

rhymes
April fools
fledglings on wing

no thing
is
newer
or
fresher
than
spring.


From SHARING THE SEASONS (McElderry Books).
©2009 Lee Bennett Hopkins. All rights reserved.
Used by permission.

I Want My Voice to be Heard - a poem about speaking up

I Want My Voice to be Heard
by
Greg Pincus

Yell.
Shout!
Be proud.
Let it out.
Speak aloud each word:
Yes, I want my voice to be heard!

That Fib is from The Homework Strike (as Gregory K., the protagonist, nears the end of his strike) and seems an appropriate poem for today as we're seeing students everywhere standing up, digging into issues, marching, and from all I've read and seen, having conversations that work towards solutions not focus on blame. We all want to have our voices heard, regardless of age, after all....

And today is Poetry Friday! You can see the roundup of posts over at Laura Salas's blog so you can check out all the poetic joys of the day. Always a good time.

Oh, and if you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Will I see you in Dallas?

I'm excited to be part of the Poetry Rodeo: Winning with Poetry Across the Curriculum, happening in Dallas on Tuesday, April 3rd right before TLA kicks off. There are 20 of us poets there, talking a whole range of topics. And right now... there's even a two-for-one registration deal for the Rodeo, for those who want to attend. Check out the amazing group of poets who I can't believe I'll get to hang out with and learn from (oh. right. and teach alongside), and get more details on the flyer below....
 

 

I hope to see you there (and if you're going to be at TLA but can't make the Rodeo, let's see if we can say "hi" anyway)!

Poem for a New Year (or Month or Week or Day)

Poem for a New Year (or Month or Week or Day)
by
Greg Pincus

No giving up.

No giving in.

Keep looking forward

Not back where you've been.

Find joy around you.

Find strength within.

Write your best future.

No waiting.

Begin.

Happy New Year! Here's to a 2018 filled with happiness and good health for you and yours. And look! It's the first Poetry Friday Roundup of the year (hosted at Reading to the Core). Check it out for all sorts of poetry joy.

And if you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!