celebrate writing

Awakenings

/ Fran Haley / 20 Comments

Today’s post is inspired by Kim Johnson, who’s organizing a community event for National Poetry Month. Her local arts council chose the theme of “Awakenings” and in her Slice of Life Story Challenge post of March 12th, Kim sent out a call for short poems of 4-6 lines. Featured poems will be displayed on canvases in windows around the town square throughout April.

Kim: Here’s to power of awakenings, poetry, and community! Much success to you, my friend, and all involved in this exciting event.

Now…how might I play some little variations on this theme, let’s say, with snippets of my life?

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awakening (plural awakenings)

noun

  1. the point of morning coffee (may require more than one cup)
  2. a soul-spark generated by infinite possibility
  3. a heart condition caused by beautiful language
  4. (plural) the celebration of poetry at a local literacy event

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Sisters Seeing

One winter’s night, when I was ten, I dreamed of an angel.
My little sister stood by me at the window, watching it pass.
Morning brought this revelation: she had dreamed of it, too.

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First Rhythms

Love of words was born in me
upon my grandmother’s lap
reading stories in rhyme
rocking chair keeping time
with the beating of her heart.

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Cicada Rhythms

High in the oaks against the bluest of skies
the rattling swells as its season dies.
A paradox, this buzzing call
from amid the leaves, soon to fall.
This song of my childhood, lingering still
in the last of the light, before the chill.
Full force, cicada sings—don’t you know?
—summer’s gone on the wings of a song long ago.

Yet it returns, when you rise from the ground
Awaking the child I was, with that sound.

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Lullaby for My Granddaughter

Precious darling, while you’re sleeping
I’ll be here, safe watch a’keeping
This time is such a fleeting thing
When you awaken, love, let’s sing.

My precious Micah after I sang her to sleep

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Composed for Day 27 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers

with thanks to Denise Krebs for inspiring the Dictionary Entry poem

Write bravely

/ Fran Haley / 36 Comments

Today concludes the thirty-one-day Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers. Today I cross the finish line with many fellow Slicers, having written a post each day.

But the writing doesn’t end here.

Nor does the challenge …

That’s the thing. Now, more than ever before in our lives, is a time to write.

The photo above is of a pocket notebook a friend and mentor gave as a parting gift to all who attended her retirement celebration years ago. Her love of writing and advocacy for teachers as writers inspires me to this day. She also passed the torch of facilitating district writing workshop training to me … until this year, when it is no longer offered. But I carry the notebook with me everywhere I go, just to remind me …

Teachers, students, families, friends, citizens of the world, all … today I offer the same to you, in the ongoing composition of life: Write bravely.

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write your stories

share your glories

write bravely

write for healing

name the feeling

write bravely

write all your rages

fill all your pages

write bravely

write through your tears

conquer your fears

write bravely

write of the past

save it at last

write bravely

write of your sorrows

and your tomorrows

write bravely

write them for you

and for me, too

write bravely

write bravely

write bravely

Why I Write 2017

/ Fran Haley / 17 Comments

The Light is On

The Light is on. Susanne Nilsson. CC BY-SA

Write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.

–Revelation 1:19

I write to celebrate the strange adventure of life.

I write to relive moments too precious to forget.

I write to light the way for the children, so that they will find their own writing paths.

I write to clear the clutter in my mind, to ease the ache in my soul – and to encourage others to do the same.

I write to set my imagination free, to create worlds, to discover what happens there.

I write because characters pop into my head and need a place to be.

I write because mental images materialize, insisting that they have meanings, and that their meanings matter.

I write because I am a warrior. I will defend what I believe.

I write because I believe writing is a transcendent, transformative force.

I write to celebrate having loved and been loved

because love and words never die.

I write because words are in my life’s blood, always flowing, arranging, rearranging, singing a story

that really has

no end.

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 Another celebration: This is the 100th post on Lit Bits and Pieces.