It’s actually the thirtieth day, the last day of the NaPoWriMo challenge, and this is my twelfth poem for this year (as opposed to the 21 poems I wrote for last year’s NaPoWriMo). <Sigh>
Black as a little girl’s shiny patent leather Mary Janes. Black as the ebony keys of a Steinway concert grand. Black as a hot dog forgotten on the grill. Black as the bottom of a lake at midnight. Black as Grandma’s Persian lamb jacket. Black as the lump of coal in a naughty child’s Christmas stocking. Black as a panther or a black widow spider. Black as coffee without creamer. Black as freshly-laid asphalt. Black as a raven. Black as poppy seeds. Black as the eyes of a pit bull in an animal shelter. Black as the darkest night. That’s the color of my prognosis.
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You might know that I am writing a Middle Grades book. It recently occurred to me that it’s been a long time since I’ve read one, though I read many when my kids were that age. (My baby will be 35 next month—how time flies!)
So I found a list of recommended books for Middle Grades, and chose four to buy. I’m ready to report on two.
The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers
I picked this book because it was published just last year. I didn’t think I would like it, because all the characters are animals. But once I got used to these animals talking like humans, using phrases I wouldn’t expect from an animal, I allowed myself to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the story. (Those of us who are of a certain age might remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, which rocked the literary world in 1970, about a seagull with a passion for flying fast.)
Johannes is a free dog (as opposed to a kept dog) who loves to run fast. He lives in a large urban park, where he plays an important role—he is The Eyes, who sees all that happens in the park, and reports to the three wise bison who live within a fence and who are the Keepers of the Equilibrium. They decide what to do if something disturbs the equilibrium of the park. All the animals contribute to restoring the equilibrium.
Of course, several things happen to disrupt the equilibrium. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so I will be very vague. Johannes finds out that he has a mixed heritage. The animals discover that there is a much wider world than exists in their park.
The beauty of the book is the wisdom of the animals (be sure to check out next Monday’s “Monday Morning Wisdom,” which will be a quote from the book), and their concern for each other. (Well, all the other animals think the ducks are stupid, but mostly they care about each other.) They make elaborate plans to do two impossible tasks on behalf of Johannes and the bison.
The book is beautifully illustrated. Shawn Harris added Johannes to 10 classical landscapes. The originals are credited in the backnotes.
The Eyes & the Impossible won the John Newberry Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. But you do not have to be a middle grader to read this book. As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed Johannes’ world. I was in awe of the beauty, the suspense, the humor, and the philosophy. Go ahead, treat yourself and read it, no matter your age. Also, the print in the hardcover is large enough to read without reading glasses.
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
I bought this book because I remembered the buzz about it when it was first published in 2012, and especially in 2017 when it came out as a movie:
I didn’t read it then or see the movie because I was afraid it would break my heart.
You will feel for Auggie, but you won’t be heartbroken.
The story is told from several points of view—Auggie’s, Via’s (Auggie’s sister), Summer’s (a girl who decides to sit with Auggie in the cafeteria), Jack’s (who becomes Auggie’s best friend), Justin’s (Via’s boyfriend), and Miranda’s (Via’s former best friend). All of these kids have wonderful, believable voices. Even when they make unfortunate choices, you forgive them because you understand.
Palacio does a wonderful job of making the book realistic. She doesn’t pull any punches. She shows just how unkind the world can be toward someone who looks disturbingly different. She portrays mixed feelings very well. But it’s not all harshness. There’s much laugh-out-loud humor and just plain good storytelling. The book also offers hope, and models how to be kind. And even though this book was written for children, teens, adults, parents, teachers, and oldsters will also find it engaging and a worthwhile read. I surely did.
Oh boy. Today’s prompt is really fun: Taylor Swift has released a new double album titled “The Tortured Poets Department.” In recognition of this occasion, Merriam-Webster put together a list of ten words from Taylor Swift songs. Select one these words, and write a poem that uses the word as its title.
elegy by ARHuelsenbeck
in Machiavellian fashion wearing a plain cardigan you played your cards well pretending to be self-effacing rather than the two-faced bastard you really are your descent into altruism was short-lived as your true self quickly reemerged your mercurial masquerades seemed incandescent but your candle flared and extinguished itself our clandestine relationship was destined to be antithetical unethical candy as it was i wore you around my neck like an albatross but now that you’re finally gone i know what i’ll say at your funeral
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I was going to work from today’s prompt, but I saw yesterday’s prompt first, and it really appealed to me: write a poem that involves alliteration, consonance, and assonance. Alliteration is the repetition of a particular consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds elsewhere in multiple words, and assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds.
Cleaning the Front Hall Closet by ARHuelsenbeck
requires a tremendous amount of time which is why I’ve waited so long to do this job that I just can’t stand
it’s been years since I’ve actually excavated this archeological artifact
here are Christmas ornaments that haven’t been used since the twenty-teens we no longer have the space to put up a Christmas tree
a pile of woolen caps that rarely get worn because Arizona desert winters are fairly warm
an accumulation of antique outerwear that may or may not fit anyone sports equipment unused this decade suitcases that haven’t traveled in a while
a trio of tray tables a dusty old box I’m afraid to open
I think I’ll just close the closet door for the time being
Andrea’s note: Thank you to Jay Mantri for the photo (via Stocksnap). This is not my closet; mine is too frightening to post.
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Today our dances come from three different Scandinavian countries (in northern Europe).
Norway, a spoon-shaped country, is known as “the land of the midnight sun,” because, due to the tilt of the earth’s axis, during the summer the north pole points directly at the sun, causing the area above the Arctic Circle to have continuous daylight for several weeks on end.
The Norwegians have a beautiful culture, including wonderful folk dances.
Lunden Reinlender:
Linerender (a reinlender reimagined as a four-wall line dance):
Oppdalsril is a flirting dance, with two women competing for a man (or two men for a woman):
I don’t know the name of this dance, but it’s delightful:
And here are some more young dancers doing several Norwegian folk dances. I didn’t catch the names of all the dances, including the first:
at 0:50: Seksmannsril, six person reel
at 2:29: didn’t catch the name
at 4:54: the girl called it “Czechish Polka,” but I know it as Doudlebska Polka, and it is indeed Czech
at 7:14: talking about the costumes in Norwegian and the English
at 8:42: a Swedish dance, but I didn’t catch the name
at 11:04: I heard the name, but I don’t know how to spell it
Now let’s travel on to Finland, which borders on Russia.
I know this dance as Ti Ti Tyy. We do it at Phoenix International Folk Dancers:
This four-wall scatter dance is known as Tokyo Polka, and I love it because the music sounds like video game music. What I didn’t know is that the music is based on a Finnish folk tune (Ievan Polka), the words changed to Japanese nonsense syllables. I think the dance was choreographed by an American, but I don’t know who.
I also like this adapted two-person version:
In this performance of Swedish-Finn Mixer, the dancers high-five each other as they pass. I don’t think that’s usually part of the dance; it must be a variation this group thought up.
Now let’s go to Iceland, a volcanic island between Norway and Greenland.
A vikivaki is a dance usually done to a folk song sung by the dancers. This song is Á Sprengisandi:
This one is Undir bláum sólarsali:
This dance is the “Loom Weave.” It starts out simple enough, but you’ll eventually see the couples weave over and under one another:
If you’ve made it all the way to the end, congratulations! That’s enough folk dancing for today.
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ARHtistic License 