Happy National Poetry Month! I’m on the road right now, traveling to the younger offspring’s house in Lincoln, Nebraska where we will celebrate Passover. (Passover is my favorite holiday–a time for families to gather and retell the story of moving from slavery to freedom, to celebrate the renewal of springtime, and to slurp matzoh ball soup!)

And speaking of celebrating spring time, I am once again participating in the kidlit progressive poem. Irene Latham began this tradition in 2012 and hosted our month-long collaboration through 2019, when Margaret Simon took over. (Early archives here; recent archives are tabs at the top of Margaret’s page.)
Mary Lee Hahn kicks us off this year, following these few rules:
- Each poet-blogger adds a line, creating a poem for children
- by copying the previous lines exactly as written (unless permission from the previous poet is obtained).
- Commentary on the process is welcome but optional.
Mary Lee Hahn started the poem off at its end, and Heidi Mordhost continued Mary Lee’s moment. Tabatha Yeatts brought us back to the beginning, with a young person struggling through a challenge. What challenge is that? Is it my challenge to figure that out? Here are the lines to date: (and thanks to Tabatha who kindly shared her line early so I could write before beginning my own journey.)
Suddenly everything fell into place
like raindrops hitting soil and sinking in.
When morning first poked me, I’d wished it away
I love that image of morning poking. What would I do in response to that poke? Probably hide under a blanket! So I will linger in uncertainty and let the next writers define the actual challenge that our narrator faces. Here is the poem, with my line added.
Suddenly everything fell into place
like raindrops hitting soil and sinking in.
When morning first poked me, I’d wished it away
my mind in the mist, muddled, confused.
Rose Cappelli writes tomorrow’s line, which you’ll find at Imagine the Possibilities
Would you like to follow the poem as it hops and grows?
- 2023 Kidlit Progressive Poem
April 1 Mary Lee Hahn, Another Year of Reading
April 2 Heidi Mordhorst, My Juicy Little Universe
April 3 Tabatha, The Opposite of Indifference
April 4 Buffy’s Blog
April 5 Rose Cappelli, Imagine the Possibilities
April 6 Donna Smith, Mainely Write
April 7 Margaret Simon, Reflections on the Teche
April 8 Leigh Anne, A Day in the Life
April 9 Linda Mitchell, A Word Edgewise
April 10 Denise Krebs, Dare to Care
April 11 Emma Roller, Penguins and Poems
April 12 Dave Roller, Leap Of Dave
April 13 Irene Latham Live You Poem
April 14 Janice Scully, Salt City Verse
April 15 Jone Rush MacCulloch
April 16 Linda Baie, TeacherDance
April 17 Carol Varsalona, Beyond Literacy Link
April 18 Marcie Atkins
April 19 Carol Labuzzetta at The Apples in My Orchard
April 20 Cathy Hutter, Poeturescapes
April 21 Sarah Grace Tuttle, Sarah Grace Tuttle’s Blog,
April 22 Marilyn Garcia
April 23 Catherine, Reading to the Core
April 24 Janet Fagal, hosted by Tabatha, The Opposite of Indifference
April 25 Ruth, There is no Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town
April 26 Patricia J. Franz, Reverie
April 27 Theresa Gaughan, Theresa’s Teaching Tidbits
April 28 Karin Fisher-Golton, Still in Awe Blog
April 29 Karen Eastlund, Karen’s Got a Blog
April 30 Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, and Writing
There is so much to be misted and muddled by these days, for our young ones as well as ourselves. What steps will they take next? Thanks for a line that moves us, tentatively!
Great line!
Great line, Buffy! So many possibilities await.
Hoping that you are now having a loving time with your family, Buffy. Happy Passover. I, like that you’ve kept the uncertainty going and deepened the emotions with your “mind in the mist, muddled. . .”
Buffy, the alliteration you used suits the Progressive Poem providing more information on how the character feels. Perhaps, Rose will have a next step. Anticipation is high.
Mist, muddled, confused – lots for me to ponder today. Safe travels, Buffy!
I am with Janice!! This makes me ponder what could be going on, what lies ahead. PS I hate it when I wake up in that state and being a morning person I am glad that is rare, but oh where it might lead our poem. Happy Passover to you and safe travels. I am going to savor mist muddled confused and make that mistmuddled a new word. Genius!!! Perhaps you have coined something here, Buffy.
Love that we get to linger here in the uncertainty. Have a very happy Passover!
Love the alliteration of mind in the mist, but I’m grateful for free verse. Thanks for posting even while traveling! Have a wonderful trip!
Ha… that might have been why I signed up for April 4. Thanks again for organizing us, Margaret.
I like how your line adds other questions, drawing us into character.