April is National Poetry Month: 100 Poems to Lift Your Spirits

The third anthology I am going to feature this month is one I purchased a few years ago on a spring break trip to Lake Chelan. This collection was a nice companion on that trip and one I pull out when I need my spirits lifted. When Leslie Pockell edited this collection she organized the poems by Nature, Nonsense,Spirituality, and The Human Connection.  There are old favorites like " To Autumn" by Keats and "Daffodils" by Wordsworth to modern classics such as "Dawn Revisited" by Rita Dove and "Filling Station" by Elizabeth Bishop.

The memory of the poem I am going to share today was not as a poem, but a song. I sang these words in Junior Choir at the United Church in Kellogg as a child. I don't know if I sang it during Eastertime, but the words seem to fit today.

 Maker of Heaven and Earth (All Things Bright and Beautiful)

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;--

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well. 

by Cecil Frances Alexander

April is National Poetry Month: Heart to Heart

 Since I discovered Heart to Heart edited by Jan Greenberg at a bookstore five years ago it has been a favorite anthology. The book is a celebration of twentieth century art which inspired the collection of poems. Forty-three American poets were commissioned to each choose a work of art then write a poem about it. The book displays the colorful works of art next to the composed poems. I couldn't pick a favorite, but here is one that I have used with my students as a way to use powerful word choice to depict the American experience.  I love the lines " Spread an easel of colors... On fifty pieces of scissored history" . Lovely imagery.  Enjoy.

Map
by J. Patrick Lewis

Brash canvas,
Bleeding borders,
Kindled calm,
This is oxymoronicamerica,
Forged out of iron and lace
By people strapping and raw,
Who wrestled and pinned history
To the map.

Happy as a circus boy,
Spirited as an outlaw,
Rough as a gandy dancer,
This continent of tinted steel
Spread an easel of colors
On fifty pieces of scissored history-
And painted itself a self.

Sibling Assignment #127: Christ The Lord Has Risen Today

 Easter back in the day with Raymond Pert, Silver Valley Girl as a baby and me.

This month Silver Valley Girl is giving sibling assignments around the theme of April. Here is ours for this week. " This year, Easter falls on the first Sunday of April.  Pick one of your favorite Easter hymns, and write about why it means so much to you." I will link theirs soon.

I can remember Easter in church for at least fifty years. Our church used to be uptown in Kellogg, then we made the big move down on Cameron across the street from our house when I was in elementary school.  At both churches the girls all wore new dresses, hats, white patent leather shoes with new white socks, and sometimes carried a new purse on Easter Sunday. The boys were in slacks, white shirts and ties.  The organist was the same in both buildings, the choir robes were the same, the the opening procession every Easter was "Christ the Lord Has Risen Today."

Fifty years later I get goosebumps when I hear this song. When I was old enough to understand Maundy Thursday and Good Friday I remember a sadness trying to understand The Last Supper and the crucifixion if Jesus Christ. When our organist filled the church with the opening chords of this song and the choir marched down the middle aisle singing the song with the congregation I knew it was time to rejoice. I look forward to belting it out Sunday as we once again celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ at our Garden Valley Church. Enjoy the song with me a have a happy Easter.

Postcards From the Methow Valley: Highway 20 and Early Winters

We toured Highway 20 as far as the road would go yesterday. The North Cascade Scenic Highway is still closed.

We took a break at the Early Winters Campground and enjoyed the beauty of Early Winters Creek and the surrounding area.

The creek was just a bit too cold for Shelby, but Annie waded right in!

April is National Poetry Month: One Hundred Best Poems for Boys and Girls

The second anthology I am highlighting this month is One Hundred Best Poems for Boys and Girls compiled by Marjorie Barrows. The copy I have was published in 1930. I found this copy hiding on the shelf of a used book store a few years ago. It has a superb selection of poems, plus I love the black silhouette  illustrations.  It contains many favorite poems from childhood by Rachel Field, Edward Lear, and Robert Lewis Stevenson. I found comfort in this poem picturing  this Rhodes Scholar studying at Oxford, perhaps thinking of animal crackers and cocoa back home!

Animal Crackers
by Christopher Morley.
Animal crackers and cocoa to drink,
That is the finest of suppers I think;
When I'm grown up and can have what I please
I think I shall always insist upon these.
What do YOU choose when you're offered a treat?
When Mother says, "What would you like best to eat?"
Is it waffles and syrup, or cinnamon toast?
It's cocoa and animals that I love most!

The kitchen's the cosiest place that I know;
The kettle is singing, the stove is aglow,
And there in the twilight, how jolly to see
The cocoa and animals waiting for me.

Daddy and Mother dine later in state,
With Mary to cook for them, Susan to wait;
But they don't have nearly as much fun as I
Who eat in the kitchen with Nurse standing by;
And Daddy once said, he would like to be me
Having cocoa and animals once more for tea!

April is National Poetry Month: Good Poems

The tradition around here in April has been to celebrate National Poetry Month by posting a poem a day.  This year I am going to change that up just a bit. I have an ever growing collection of poetry anthologies  to share.  This month I will share a book recommendation and a poem each day.  If you ever need or want even more poetry, check my April archives or click poetry on my subject cloud. If you want to learn even more visit the National Poetry Month part of Poets.org here.

The first anthology I chose is Good Poems selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor. This anthology is a collection of poems he has shared on The Writer's Almanac on Public Radio. It is a nice mix of classic poets side by side with contemporary poets. The book is divided into categories which include Music, Day's Work, A Good Life, Trips, and Snow. The poem I chose to share today is in the section called Oh Lord.

Welcome Morning

 There is joy
in all:
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning,
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that heats my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry "hello there, Anne"
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.

All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks,
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window
peck into their marriage of seeds.

So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.

The Joy that isn't shared, I've heard,
dies young.

~ Anne Sexton ~