The Crowd Goes Wild: Good Sports, Good Poetry

Good Sports, Good Poetry!

Today, Poetry on Parade visits the wide world of sports.  We'll fill our duffel bags with rhythm and rhyme. We'll be a traveling team of poetry writers and performers!

Let's get the ball rolling with Soccer Land, written by Karen Jo Shapiro and performed by Colleen and Erin:

Next up, take a look at an original poem by Lafayette's Sean L:

Football
The football,

soaring

across the field,

about to start its descent,

down

down

down

into Number 24's hands.

Sprinting across the field,

running

running

running

into the end zone.

The crowd goes 

wild,

cheering for

number

24....

Talk about tackling a poem!  
Here, Sean reads his poem for Lafayette Live:

Let's Hear It for the Home Team!

The clock is winding down on this blog post, and it's time to head to the locker room and pack up our poetry. But remember: legendary New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." So keep practicing, keep playing, and keep performing poetry!

Celebrating Earth Day Today and Every Day

Going Green and Going Strong: On April 22, 1970, the United States held a one-day national event intended to encourage appreciation of our planet and to increase awareness of Earth’s environmental issues. By 1990, Earth Day had gone global, growing into an international celebration that included over 140 countries around the world.  In 2009, the United Nations declared April 22 International Mother Earth Day, with over 175 participating nations.  As we celebrate Earth Day with original poetry, we declare that we are Poetry Paraders, not polluters!

Nico shared his original Earth Day poem on Lafayette Live:

Some communities extend Earth Day into Earth Week, planning seven days of environmentally-friendly activities.  But why stop at one day or one week?  Let’s make Every Day Earth Day!

Spring Is the Season, and Rhyme Is the Reason!

At long last, Spring is springing: bees are buzzing; trees are greening; birds are singing… a brightening scene-ing. At Lafayette School, the arrival of Spring means another thing.  It’s time to rhyme!  We’re looking forward to National Poetry Month and a visit from The Mayhem Poets in April.  But first, we’re marching through March with our annual Parade of Poetry: a time to read poems, write poems, perform poems, and share the magic of poetry with friends and family. Let’s get our hand-clapping, foot-stomping, rhythm-jamming, rhyme-slamming Parade of Poetry started!

Original Poetry on Parade Artwork by Cynthia Z.

Even as we celebrate Spring, we take a poetic glance back at our long, cold, snowy winter.  Kate and Halsey share This Winter I Went Sledding by Kenn Nesbitt: 

No doubt about it, storm-after-winter-storm gave us a collective case of cabin fever. Sally and Norah explore another popular poetic malady in School Fever by Brod Bagert:

Let's move from a wish-filled school poem to a school-of-fish poem.  Kendall and Mia perform Fishy by Doug Florian:

A fishy poem, indeed!  Spring is not only time to rhyme, it's also time to frolic.  After watching Katrina, Amelia, and Ciara perform Dancing Pants by Shel Silverstein, we think there's something fishy-- and fascinating-- about a frolicking wardrobe:

Dancing pants!   Poetry invites us to think... to dream... to wonder about the world in new and exciting ways. Here, Julia and Josie share What Will I Be? by Dennis Lee:

To think.  To dream.  To wonder.  Where will poetry take us next?  Stay tuned, Poetry Paraders!