PROGRESSIVE POEM 2019 – DAY 20

The Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem, brainchild of Irene Latham, took a different turn this year. Matt started us off with a borrowed song line, and suggested that we compose through communal borrowing. All fine and good if you have some knowledge of song lyrics. That might have been me in my youth, but now, not so much. So how the heck will I continue this journey of our narrator who is smiling on summer, leaning out the window to Kodachrome days (observed by an unseen narrator), walking with some unknown and possibly tenuous “we” for the chance of a lifetime, seizing the sky, the day, the waves, closer and closer to ? Yikes, I have no idea, but will take a break in my rambling to search for something.

I’m back. The spouse and I went to see Beautiful, The Carole King Musical when it came to Kalamazoo a few weeks ago. I started searching through some Carole King songs, and found uncertainty, grief, and lyrics about you (that, I realize now, was a large part of the musical.) Hmmm… Maybe I should stick with Heidi’s turn to we, and explore this possibly new relationship. But then I wondered if Heidi’s line could be about a physical destination that represents the relationship? Like, possibly, someplace Way Over Yonder? I’m not sure my wandering has advanced the poem, but will leave it to Michelle to find our path. Happy PassoverEasterSpringSaturday!

Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem 2019

Endless summer; I can see for miles…
Fun, fun, fun – and the whole world smiles.
No time for school – just time to play,
we swim the laughin’ sea each and every day.

You had only to rise, lean from your window,
the curtain opens on a portrait of today.
Kodachrome greens, dazzling blue,
It’s the chance of a lifetime,

make it last forever-ready? Set? Let’s Go!
Come, we’ll take a walk, the sun is shining down,
Not a cloud in the sky got the sun in my eyes.
Tomorrow’s here. It’s called today.

Gonna get me a piece o’ the sky.
I wanna fly like an eagle, to the sea
and there’s a tiger in my veins.
Oh, won’t you come with me waltzing the waves,
                                                                        diving the deep? 
It’s not easy to know
less than one minute old  
we’re closer now than light years to go
To the land where the honey runs

I do not have a Spotify account to update this, but here’s THE PLAYLIST!


Found Lines:
L1 The Who, ‘I Can See for Miles’ / The Beach Boys, ‘Endless Summer’
L2 The Beach Boys, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’/Dean Martin, “When You’re Smiling”
L3 The Jamies, “Summertime, Summertime’
L4 The Doors, ‘Summer’s Almost Gone’ / Led Zeppelin, ‘Good Times, Bad Times’
L5 Ray Bradbury, ‘Dandelion Wine’
L6 Joni Mitchell, “Chelsea Morning”
L7 Paul Simon, “Kodachrome,” “Dazzling Blue”
L8 Dan Fogelberg, “Run for the Roses” 
L9 Spice Girls, “Wannabe”/Will Smith, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”
L10 The Beatles, “Good Day Sunshine”
L11 The Carpenters, “Top of the World”
L12 Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Underneath the Lovely London Sky” from MARY POPPINS
L13 Carole King, “Hi-de-ho (That Sweet Roll)”
L14 Steve Miller, “Fly Like An Eagle”
L15 Don Felder, “Wild Life”
L16 Nowlenn Leroy, “Song of the Sea” (lullaby)
L17 Sara Bareilles, “She Used to Be Mine” from WAITRESS
L18 Stevie Wonder, “Isn’t She Lovely” 
L19 R.E.M., “Find the River”
L20 Carole King, “Way Over Yonder”

Here’s the journey our poem has taken, and where it’s headed next:

April

Matt @Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
Kat @Kathryn Apel
Kimberly @KimberlyHutmacherWrites
Jone @DeoWriter
Linda @TeacherDance
Tara @Going to Walden
Ruth @thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown
Mary Lee @A Year of Reading
Rebecca @Rebecca Herzog
10 Janet F. @Live Your Poem
11 Dani @Doing the Work that Matters
12 Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
13 Doraine @Dori Reads
14 Christie @Wondering and Wandering
15 Robyn @Life on the Deckle Edge
16 Carol @Beyond LiteracyLink
17 Amy @The Poem Farm
18 Linda @A Word Edgewise
19 Heidi @my juicy little universe
20 Buffy @Buffy’s Blog
21 Michelle @Michelle Kogan
22 Catherine @Reading to the Core
23 Penny @a penny and her jots
24 Tabatha @The Opposite of Indifference
25 Jan @Bookseestudio
26 Linda @Write Time
27 Sheila @Sheila Renfro
28 Liz @Elizabeth Steinglass
29 Irene @Live Your Poem
30 Donna @Mainely Write


26 thoughts on “PROGRESSIVE POEM 2019 – DAY 20

  1. A thumb’s up for the Mueller report satire idea from your offspring….
    but so glad for the golden glow I feel from your honey line & wishing we had been in an audience to sound bathe in Ms. King’s luminosity. So glad you could!

    I have been away from this meandering poem until today & it’s much fun to catch the chords.
    Appreciations, dear Buffy.

  2. Buffy, I am behind in my readings of the PP. We traveled to VA to be with my grandbaby but here I am drinking tea and thinking about traveling to that land of honey you spoke. That is a SWEET ending to the stanza.

  3. Wow, we’re starting to get deep here…ocean-deep and ponderous! I like how our character is more introspective now.

  4. Sweet line, Buffy 🙂
    Nice that you went Way Over Yonder to find it. I’m with you on the song lyrics! I don’t listen to much music now. I’ll probably have to go way past over yonder to find a fitting line!

  5. Hi Buffy,
    Love Carole King, even looked for some of her lyrics when I was on the hunt! WIsh I could see this show some time. I have been a fan from the early years (way back when!) I like that you have sent us off to a land where the honey runs. Golden and sunny so far on this journey/adventure. Good find.

  6. Something so satisfying about a land where honey runs! And Carole King is one of my favorites. I’m so impressed with this year’s lyrical journey.

  7. Great source line, Buffy, and I love that we’re journeying… and who doesn’t love honey? : ) Thank you! xo

  8. Well, why not Way Over Yonder down the bottom of an ocean of honey?! I’ve heard that’s a great show and glad you found it to draw on, Buffy. I’ll add it to the playlist. And now, back to your regularly scheduled observances…Pesach Sameach and !חג פסח שמח

  9. Great line, Buffy! You can’t ever go wrong with Carole King! I’m so impressed with how you’ve all gotten on board with Matt’s additional borrowed song line challenge. I can’t wait to see where this poem goes next!

Leave a Reply to Matt Forrest Esenwine Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.