Poetry Friday: A Gentle Hello

It's Poetry Friday!!!  I'm honored to be hosting today's link up of beautiful words.  If you're joining us, please leave your link in the comments.  I will be back later in the day to move links up into this post.  In the meantime, be sure to visit the comments to find links to more poetry finds.  



A Gentle Hello

Out of nowhere
you appear.
I wasn't expecting you;
not today.
It has been awhile
since you stood near the door
strong and tall 
greeting me as I entered; 
assuring me you would still be right there
upon my return.
That was long ago.
Days have turned to weeks.
Weeks to years.

Though time has passed
I haven't forgotten you.
Sometimes it's a comment,
a picture,
a smell. 
The song of a bird.
The rush of the wind.
The bloom of a flower.
Taking me back
to the days when you were always there.

Without warning
here you are again.
A gracious gift. 
An unexpected surprise.
A gentle hello.
Making me smile. 
Bringing hope,
that you know 
how much I have missed you.

©  Cathy L. Mere, 2014

Oh, Fall!  
Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge shares October by Robert Frost.

Stop by Teacher Dance where Linda Baie shares her poem, Confusion in the Garden.

"Reply to the Question:  'How Can You Become a Poet?'" by Eve Merriam.  Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe discusses science, autumn and poetry.  This is perfect on so many levels.

Stop by Carol's Corner where Carol Wilcox shares a poem about fall and morning  --- or maybe they're really about something else:  William Stafford's, Yes and Mary Sarton's, Autumn.

Mary Lee Hahn has crafted an original poem at A Year of Reading titled "In the Early Morning Dark, In the Fall."  You'll find words to savor here.

As I look out the sliding glass doors, I can almost see the cold coming.  Maybe the geese, and other migrators, are smarter than those of us who search our closets for warm coats, gloves, and boots.  At Write Time, Linda shares her original tanka:  Fly South; a gentle reminder that it is time to go...or maybe a warning of what is to come.

Jone at Check It Out shares an original zeno about those darkening days of autumn.  Follow the links to discover more about zenos and a challenge.

Carol Vasalona shares her original poem, "Savoring the Season," at Beyond LiteracyLink.  Stop by to enjoy her rythmic words about the season and learn more about her "Finding Fall Gallery" poem submission requests.

Falling for Authors
Margaret Simon, at Reflections from the Teche, shares the poems inspired by the work of Laura Purdie Salas in Bookspeak.  Laura's work inspired a little eclipse poetry by Margaret and her students.  Stop by to discover these poems and follow the links to comment on the work of young poets.

Catherine, at Reading to the Core, shares words of wisdom from Ralph Fletcher and his poem, A Writing Kind of Day.

Ramona, at Pleasures from the Page, shares her diamante poem as she awaits a visit from poet, Janet Wong.

An ode to signed books, and a photo gallery, are waiting at Author Amok.  Laura Shovan uses dedications and the book titles to create her found poem, When You Sign My Book.

Who doesn't fall for advice from a poet?  You won't want to miss your stop at Today's Little Ditty where Michelle Barnes features advice from Carrie Clickard about using rhyme.

Can't fall asleep?  (Yes, I'm having a bit too much fun with the word "fall".)  On her blog, Laura Purdie Salas shares her poetic response to Barney Salzberg's book, Chengdu.

Over at Random Noodling, Diane Mayr, looks at Ernest Hemingway through a new lens and shares two of his poems:  Chapter Headings and Montparnasse.

It is so hard to stay focused as I link blogs to this round-up.  The posts give me so much more to think about that I find myself wanting to click links, locate poems, discover new poetry.  I had to work extra hard when I stopped by Doraine Bennett's site, Dori Reads.  Doraine shares the work of Rainer Maria Rilke with a snippet from Letters to a Young Poet, as well as a poem by Rilke:  I Am Much to Alone in this World, Yet Not Alone.

At a wrung sponge, Adromeda Jazmon Sibley shares a nonfiction text with Chinese poems translated by Evans Chan.  The book, Angel Island, by Russel Freedman is a story of a west coast immigration center.  You'll want to stop Andromeda's blog to read all about this nonfiction text by Freedman.

Falling for Others
Iphigene at Gathering Books shares her original poem, Sapiosexual.

Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup shares a little Colin Firth fest and a poem by Sara Teasdale, The Look.

Do we target writing for a particular audience?  April Halprin Wayland at Teaching Authors ponders this question and shares an original poem, Reluctant.  

Animal enthusiast?  Tabitha Yeatts, at The Opposite of Indifference, shares Nurture by Maxine Kumin and ****NEWS FLASH**** a plan for a poetry swap.  Time is limited as addresses need to be submitted by November 7th.  

You can continue your creature loving poetry walk with a stop at Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet where Diane Mayr shares Creature Carnival by Marilyn Singer and highlights the poem:  "Cerberus".

This month is Dyslexia Awareness Month.  Elizabeth Steinglass reminds us of the importance of taking care of others as she shares an original poem, "Note to the Teacher."

More creatures featured!  What is October without an opportunity to fall in love with monsters?  At Booktalking #kidlit, Anastasia Suen shares M is for Monster:  A Fantastic Creatures Alphabet by J. Patrick Lewis.  She features his poem, "F is for Frankenstein".

How does the head help the heart when we lose those we love?  This question is considered at Bildungsroman in the poem, "Head, Heart" by Lydia Davis.

At There is No Such Thing as a God Forsaken Town, Ruth shares "Death, be not proud" by John Donne.  She reminds us that even in our final fall, or the fall of those close to our heart, death will not win.

Falling for Children (Even Though...)
The things we will do for our children.  We fall for them quickly, but oh do they keep us up at night.  Stop by Karen Edmisten's blog where she shares this stage in a poem by Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet:  "Called".

A bedtime story can sometimes soothe a little one, lulling them back to sleep.  This is true for bats as well.  Mama takes care of little bat in this original poem, "Little Bat,"  shared by Joy at Poetry for Kids.

Speaking of they way we fall for our children.  Yes, the tiny ones wake us up at all hours, but those teenagers keep us on our toes.  We fall for them anyway.  At wee words for wee ones, Bridget Magee shares the words she is sure her teenage daughter hears in this original poem:  Yada Yada Yada.  A fun play with rhyme and rhythm.

...and for all of those years in between, stop by Radio Rhythm and Rhyme for Matt Esenwine's poem, "Which One?".  This made me laugh!

Falling for Places
What's not to love about a stop at The Poetry Farm?  Amy Ludwig VanDerwater discusses her recent attendance at an event called, Love Yer Brain.  She reminds us of the importance of new experiences for inspiration and shares her original poem, "Dear Brain".

Let's hear it for Niagara Falls.  Charles Waters shares his original poem, "The Honeymoon Capital".

The Fall of Humanity
Tara Smith, at A Teaching Life, asserts:
"It doesn’t seem as if we ever get around to making the right choices about being human in these days of endless conflict." 
Isn't it sadly true?  Tara shares her powerful poem, The End and The Beginning, a poem on the sad truths of war and conflict.






Comments

  1. What a lovely poem, Cathy! So poignant, and resonating with many levels of meaning. I love these words: "a gracious gift."
    I was lucky enough to spend time yesterday learning from Ralph Fletcher, so today I'm sharing a quick summary of my notes and two poems from his collection, A Writing Kind of Day:
    http://readingtothecore.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/poetry-friday-a-writing-kind-of-day/
    Thanks so much for hosting!

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  2. A wistful, beautiful poem, Cathy - thank you for sharing, and thank you for hosting! I'm in with Robert Frost's "October." Happy Fall!
    http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=973777

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  3. A lovely poem. I love the rhythm of it.
    Today we offer an original poem at Gathering Books---http://gatheringbooks.org/2014/10/24/poetry-friday-sapiosexual/

    Thanks for hosting!

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  4. Cathy, these moments that take us back are gracious gifts!
    Check out Percy's poem (on the eve before an author visit) -
    http://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2014/10/percy-pens-diamante.html

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  5. Cathy, thanks for hosting--THAT's a gracious gift. I love the title...and I love that we never know exactly who or what has returned. <3

    TeachingAuthors is in with a discussion of whether or not we target specific readers when we write--such as reluctant readers.

    Included is an original poem from the POV of a reluctant someone...

    http://www.teachingauthors.com/2014/10/3-leading-ways-to-target-your-writing.html

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  6. Thanks for hosting, Cathy. I don't know of whom you are writing, but love that line "without warning/here you are again". It does happen, & we realize how much we remember and then miss them. I have an original poem about leaves again, couldn't help myself it's been such a gorgeous autumn! http://www.teacherdance.org/2014/10/another-leafy-poem-for-autumn.html

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  7. Lovely poem -- the perfect way to start the day.
    At Alphabet Soup, a little Colin Firth fest via Sara Teasdale:
    http://jamarattigan.com/2014/10/24/friday-feast-guess-whos-looking-at-you/

    Thanks for hosting today!

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  8. Good morning, Cathy--that poem IS a gentle hello from someone I don't know well. Lovely pacing.

    I'm in with the 3rd installment of my science series, featuring Eve Merriam.
    http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2014/10/science-series-iii.html

    Thanks for hosting!

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  9. Thank you for the poetic welcome, Cathy.

    My post is an ode to books signed by the author. Every time we open a signed book and look at the dedication, we remember when we met the author. I'm sharing a photo gallery of books I've had signed and an original poem constructed from the books' titles and the dedications inside.

    http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-found-ode-to-signed-books.html

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  10. Beautiful poem, Cathy. It can be interpreted on so many levels, but for me, it brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for hosting PF today. I have Carrie Clickard on Today's Little Ditty. She's focusing on step one in her investigation of rhyme crimes. http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2014/10/carrie-clickard-step-one-pick-beat.html

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  11. Some big truth here- your poem makes me think of my dad. Thank you.
    I have a couple of autumn poems by May Sarton and William Stafford
    http://carolwscorner.blogspot.com/2014/10/poetry-friday_24.html

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  12. I am in with a more typical view of fall (an original), but I love those unexpected last minute blooms...and the last few tomatoes from my tenacious vines!

    http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2014/10/in-early-morning-dark-in-fall.html

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  13. Thank you for sharing the lovely poem and photo with us, Cathy, and for hosting! My link is here: http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2014/10/we-two-same-and-not-same.html

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  14. That is a gentle poem, indeed--lovely! The voice is so calm and accepting... I'm in with a poetryaction, a poem written in response to a book. This one was inspired by CHENGDU, WHO COULD NOT, WOULD NOT FALL ASLEEP. http://www.laurasalas.com/blog/for-teachers/prxn-chengdu/

    Thanks for hosting!
    Laura

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  15. Hi Cathy! Quite a moving poem for today; thank you for sharing it. At Random Noodling I'm looking at Ernest Hemingway and poetry. http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/2014/10/poetry-friday-on-listening-to-moveable.html

    Kurious Kitty has a poem from Creature Carnival by Marilyn Singer. http://kuriouskitty.blogspot.com/2014/10/poetry-friday-creature-carnival.html

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  16. Hi Cathy, Such a lovely, calming poem to start the morning! I'm in today with a tanka about geese flying south! Thanks for hosting!
    http://lindakulp.blogspot.com/

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  17. Thanks for hosting, Cathy, and for starting us off with your lovely poem. Today I have a quote and a poem from Rainer Maria Rilke. http://dorireads.blogspot.com/2014/10/live-questions.html

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  18. Thanks for hosting! I have a John Donne poem today. http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2014/10/poetry-friday-death-be-not-proud.html

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  19. Thanks for hosting. I have an original Zeno to share about the autumn storm yesterday. http://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/poetry-friday-zeno-form/

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  20. Hi Cathy, Thanks for hosting. I too love your mysterious and moving poem. Today I'm sharing an original poem, "Note to the Teacher" in honor of Dyslexia Awareness Month. http://elizabethsteinglass.com/2014/10/dyslexia-awareness-month/

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  21. Thanks for hosting, Cathy! These lines speak to me: "Though time has passed / I haven't forgotten you."

    At Booktalking, I am sharing M is for Monster: A Fantastic Creatures Alphabet by J. Patrick Lewis

    http://asuen.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/m-is-for-monster-a-fantastic-creatures-alphabet/

    Anastasia

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  22. Thanks for hosting today. I have a new blog post up at my "Poetry Time Blog"

    http://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/#!POETRY-TIME-BLOG-#16/c23vc/D51A301D-A0D1-47ED-87C3-F5C795EA5C59

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  23. Lovely!
    I'm in this week with a poem by Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet. It's here. Thanks for hosting!

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  24. Thank you for hosting! I posted Head, Heart by Lydia Davis at my blog, Bildungsroman: here.

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  25. Gorgeous poem! Thanks for hosting! =)
    Today I have a poem about what I think my teenage daughter hears when I speak entitled, "Yada Yada Yada" at
    http://weewordsforweeones.blogspot.com/2014/10/yada-yada-yada.html

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  26. Very sweet poem Cathy! Thanks for hosting today. I am in with a nonfiction book on immigration at Angel Island, including poetry carved into the walls!

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  27. Thank you, Cathy, for being the host of Poetry Friday today. Your poem is a lovely reminder that we should savor the moments so today I am offering an original poem, "Savoring the Season." This leads into a reminder that I am collecting original poems and photos for the "Finding Fall Gallery" that I will unveil at the end of the season. I hope you will consider submitting your version of how to find fall. You can find my offering at http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2014/10/savoring-season.html.

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  28. Touching poem, Cathy! Thanks for sharing & for hosting. Today I'm pulling something from the archives: a poem I wrote for parents back in 2001! http://mattforrest.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/which-one/

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  29. Lovely poem, Cathy. This could be about so many things autumn winter.

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  30. Lovely poem, Cathy. Thanks for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today. I'm still busy writing Halloween poems. Today's poem is about Halloween costumes. It is also my 1300th post, which means I've written more than that number of poems. You'll find my original poem and a poetry prompt at http://poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com

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  31. What a lovely poem, Cathy - so many lines to linger over . I'm in today with a poem about what happens to those left behind after war, which I tied to a recent article in the New York Times:
    http://ateachinglifedotcom.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/poetry-friday-the-end-and-the-beginning-by-wislawa-szymborska/

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  32. I've had this happen in my gardens too and it's always a welcomed gift. You've planted a seed for me about the passing of a dear one and flowers of another dear one that had passed years, appeared in full bloom in my backyard while on vacation. I might have a poem to work on. Thanks for some inspiration.

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  33. Love the FALL theme of your roundup! Thanks for your time and creativity!!

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  34. Your poem is beautiful. Thanks for collecting the links. I'm off to peruse!

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