tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227553182024-03-14T12:10:00.204-07:00GottaBookThoughts, opinions, and ramblings about (broadly) children's literature from my perspectives as a writer, parent, and volunteer elementary school librarian. Plus I post Fibs, Oddaptations and poetry galore, all listed on the right and left hand sides of the blog. Greg Pincushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00449684160718426340noreply@blogger.comBlogger168513tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22755318.post-90846196322217167242020-05-01T20:29:00.001-07:002020-05-01T20:29:35.640-07:0030 Poets/One Day<br />
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April was a great poetry month here at Gottabook (I say with bias but also factually). How great? Here's what showed up during 30 Poets/30 Days:<br />
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<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/kicking-off-30-poets30-days-we-get.html">Douglas Florian - Bigfoot</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-halprin-wayland-tender.html">April Halprin Wayland - Tender</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/charles-waters-watery-blue-ceiling.html">Charles Waters - Watery Blue Ceiling</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/carmen-t-bernier-grand-la-alancia.html">Carmen T. Bernier-Grand - La Alancia</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/david-l-harrison-toothy-grin-kit-fox.html">David L. Harrison - Toothy Grin (Kit Fox)</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/adam-rex-47.html">Adam Rex - 47</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/jane-yolen-escaping-bonn.html">Jane Yolen - Escaping Bonn</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/charles-ghigna-be-still.html">Charles Ghigna - Be Still</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/kenn-nesbitt-dizzy-dotties-dog-salon.html">Kenn Nesbitt - Dizzy Dottie's Dog Salon</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/liz-garton-scanlon-look-around.html">Liz Garton Scanlon - Look Around</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/bob-raczka-squirrel.html">Bob Raczka - Squirrel</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/ellen-hopkins-country-kids-exist-on.html">Ellen Hopkins - Country Kids Exist on Their Own Planet</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/lee-bennett-hopkins-spring.html">Lee Bennett Hopkins - Spring</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/rebecca-kai-dotlich.html">Rebecca Kai Dotlich - Missing</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/linda-sue-park-school-days-spring-2020.html">Linda Sue Park - School Days: Spring 2020</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/calef-brown-dream.html">Calef Brown - Dream</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/marilyn-singer-natural-disasters.html">Marilyn Singer - Natural Disasters</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/ann-whitford-paul-too-big-for-bear.html">Ann Whitford Paul - Too Big For Bear</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/janet-wong-look-for-birds.html">Janet Wong - Look for Birds</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/julie-larios-what-did-i-see_20.html">Julie Larios - What Did I See?</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/brod-bagert-when-im-old-gray.html">Brod Bagert - When I'm Old & Gray</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/kristine-oconnell-george-seagull.html">Kristine O'Connell George - Seagull Comments</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/kathi-appelt-quarantine.html">Kathi Appelt - Quarantine</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/nancy-bo-flood-go-fish.html">Nancy Bo Flood - Go Fish</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/darren-sardelli-our-teacher-was-greatest.html">Darren Sardelli - Our Teacher Was the Greatest</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/georgia-heard-quivering-of-wings.html">Georgia Heard - A Quivering of Wings</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/ed-decaria-another-school-dream-this.html">Ed DeCaria - Another school dream (this time with a spider)</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/bruce-balan-poem-i-would-write.html">Bruce Balan - The Poem I Would Write</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/nikki-grimes-unvarnished-healing.html">Nikki Grimes - Unvarnished Healing</a><br />
<a href="https://gottabook.blogspot.com/2020/04/greg-pincus-still.html">Greg Pincus - Still</a><br />
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Yup. A great month. Again, I thank all the poets, <a href="http://www.bonnieadamson.com/">Bonnie Adamson</a> for the logos, and all of you for reading along (and for comments, emails, and tweets too!). This was the sixth edition of 30 Poets/30 Days, with a multi-year gap between the fifth and this one. Will there be a seventh? It's too early to say... but I do know we always need poetry wherever we can find it.<br />
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(Speaking of which... it's Poetry Friday once again, and you can find <a href="https://elizabethsteinglass.com/happy-poetry-friday-3/">the roundup of all participating bloggers</a> over at Elizabeth Steinglass's <a href="https://elizabethsteinglass.com/blog/">Poetry for Children and Their Grownups</a>. There's a new roundup weekly, so you can find poetry when you need it.)<br />
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I have no idea what blogging will happen here moving forward, but it was fun to dust this place off. Until the next time... onward!<br />
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<br />Greg Pincushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00449684160718426340noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22755318.post-49075491149028096112020-04-30T23:37:00.001-07:002020-04-30T23:37:58.471-07:00Greg Pincus - Still
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STILL</div>
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by Greg Pincus </div>
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We still our cities, still our schools.</div>
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We still and watch with shock.</div>
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We still our bodies, still our minds.</div>
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We still… and we take stock.</div>
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We still have earth beneath our feet.</div>
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We still have sky above.</div>
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We still have art and friends and joy.</div>
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We still have hope and love.</div>
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We feel the world still spinning round -</div>
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Each night still yields to day.</div>
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We still don’t know the path ahead….</div>
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Still - we’ll find our way.</div>
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©Greg Pincus. All rights reserved.</div>
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Today's poem wraps up this year's edition of 30 Poets/30 Days. I offer up another big thank you to <a href="https://bonnieadamson.com/">Bonnie Adamson</a> for making me <i>two</i> logos when I plaintively asked for help. And of course, I give a huge thank you to the poets who joined in this year on the spur of the moment. </div>
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Finally, I thank all y'all who've read along and shared the poetry with others. This definitely seemed to me like a year for poetry, and I'm glad to know that others felt so, too. Poetry is a good thing. We need good things now... and always.</div>
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Onward!</div>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Greg Pincushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00449684160718426340noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22755318.post-12153834352021718892020-04-29T23:39:00.000-07:002020-04-30T13:22:17.091-07:00Nikki Grimes - Unvarnished Healing<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Unvarnished Healing<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">John 9:1-41<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">by Nikki Grimes</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There are those who insist<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">gifts of speaking in tongues<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and heavenly healing<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">belong to yesteryear,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">when Holy Spirit movement stories<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">flowed from that old time religion.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But were those mighty works of God<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">merely once-upon-a-time?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">According to John, Jesus spoke of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the "we" of this work,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a ministry calling<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with no timelines, deadlines,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">or time limits implied.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I heal, you heal, he/she/we heal<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">whenever God moves through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">prayer and the laying on of hands,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this work perfectly modeled<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by the Perfect One, himself<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">on a particular Sabbath, when his mercy<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">settled on a man sightless from birth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Curious, how the disciples'<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">very first thoughts turned to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">whose sin was to blame for this blindness,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">while some Pharisees rebuked this rule-breaker rabbi<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">for daring to work on the Sabbath.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which are we?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Disciples or Pharisees?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Will judgment cause us<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to miss the miracle?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We are called to enter into<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">all of God's good work,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and to worship him with praise<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">for his unvarnished healing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">©Nikki Grimes. All rights reserved.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I don't know that there's anyone who smiths words the way <a href="https://www.nikkigrimes.com/">Nikki Grimes</a> does. She will knock your socks off, no matter what she writes. Like the above poem or <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/one-last-word-wisdom-from-the-harlem-renaissance/9781619635548">One Last Word</a>, her book which uses the Golden Shovel form </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(and if you wanna know more about that form/write one yourself, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDjQr7HUSYg&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Ye3R9vPBdhdPlGMoJucdSGazeEZBF-CrsOLaKvil9kBGO_Hr5P9rsltE">here's the poet herself</a> to tell you all about it).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Or beyond that, I predict you'll be dazzled if you read any of her broad range of books... like her award winning memoir, <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/ordinary-hazards-a-memoir/9781629798813">Ordinary Hazards</a> (which got both a Printz and a Siebert Honor nod from the ALA). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And if her current lineup of books isn't enough... look at what she's got coming down the pike this year alone - <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/southwest-sunrise/9781547600823"><i>Southwest Sunrise</i></a> in May and <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/kamala-harris-rooted-in-justice/9781534462670"><i>Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice</i></a> coming out in August. I mean, come on now. She will knock your socks off in so many ways that you'll be sockless all year... and you'll be glad of it, I say. </span></span></div>
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<br />Greg Pincushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00449684160718426340noreply@blogger.com0