National Poetry Month Progressive Poem

Welcome to day 28 of the 2021 Progressive Poem! Irene Latham created this amazing community poem project several years ago, then passed coordinating duties to Margaret Simon. This year, Kat Appel started us off on an adventure filled with fun and friendship. Our explorers have played at the playground, hiked through a forest, looked for shapes in the sky, and more. But, alas, all adventures come to an end. With just three more days until April 30th, our poem is wrapping up. Fortunately, Rebecca Newman set up the final stanza with two terrific lines to choose from:

With windows to see other lives, other places

OR

Now add in your story and I’ll share mine, tooI

Here is the entire poem so far with my choice of Rebecca’s lines added at the end.

I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I’ll spread my joy both far and wide
As a force of nature, I’ll be undenied.

Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.

Friends can be found when you open a door.
Side by side, let’s walk through, there’s a world to explore.
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees.
Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.

Pull off our shoes and socks, dip our toes in the icy spring water
When you’re with friends, there’s no have to or oughter.
What could we make with leaves and litter
Let’s find pine needles, turn into vine knitters.

We’ll lie on our backs and find shapes in the sky.
We giggle together: See the bird! Now we fly!
Inspired by nature, our imaginations soar.
Follow that humpback! Here, take an oar.

Ahh! Here comes a wave – let’s hold on tight,
splashing and laughing, let’s play until night!
When the Milky Way sparkles, and the moon’s overhead,
we make a pretend campfire and tell stories we’ve read.

Some stories are true and some myths of our time.
I love all of them, but my favorite ones rhyme!
With windows to see other lives, other places

For a line so near the end of this sparkling poem, I wanted to echo the idea of “spreading joy far and wide.” I hope either of the lines I’m offering to Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering will help her continue to spread the cheer.

We’ll find and treasure a rainbow of faces

OR

We’ll listen to voices each culture embraces

Be sure to visit Christie tomorrow to see which line she picks and where she takes us from there.