Poetry Friday: “Had I”

Hard to believe, but National Poetry Month is upon us already – welcome to April! Amy Ludwig VanDerwater gets Poetry Friday rolling for this momentous month by hosting today at her blog, The Poem Farm, so be sure to visit for all the links and high jinks!

I have a lot planned for this month, including an interview, teaching suggestions, and a contest…and I’m also very happy to once again be part of Irene Latham’s Progressive Poem 2015. (more on that, below)

Click to see the final two poems!

First up: In case you have not been following my blog this month (ha ha, of COURSE you’ve been following the blog, I’m kidding!) the #MMPoetry 2015 tournament FINALS just wrapped up at Ed DeCaria’s Think, Kid, Think.

Buffy Silverman and Randi Sonenshine were the only two authletes remaining, and each was tasked with writing a children’s poem utilizing the words they were given: “gargoyles” and “catatonic,” respectively. It was a tight race, but my Poet’s Garage critique partner ended up victorious – so congratulations, Buffy!

As for me, I fell out of the running in the first round, but gained a new poem, nonetheless. The word I was given was “wherewithal” and I chose to go with a classic, old-fashioned sort of sensibility:

Had I

Had I the money – I would have bought a toy.
Had I a toy – I might have had some fun.
Had I some fun – I’d be a happy boy.
Alas, of all these things, I have not one.

Had I the wherewithal to grab a broom
and had the sense to do what Father said,
I would have swept the floor and cleaned my room –
with my allowance waiting, on my bed.

– © Matt Forrest Esenwine, 2015

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ALSO: Irene Latham’s annual Progressive Poem got underway this past Wednesday, April 1! Each day, a different person adds their line to a poem that grows and grows over the course of the month…until it culminates April 30 with the final, closing line.

I’m excited – and a bit anxious – about the fact that I’ll be capping off the poem on that date!

You can follow Irene at her blog HERE and follow the 2015 Progressive Poem at the following blogs:

1 Jone at Check it Out
2 Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy
3 Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe
4 Laura at Writing the World for Kids
5 Charles at Poetry Time Blog
6 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
7 Catherine at Catherine Johnson
8 Irene at Live Your Poem
9 Mary Lee at Poetrepository
10 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
11 Kim at Flukeprints
12 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
13 Doraine at DoriReads
14 Renee at No Water River
15 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
16 Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
17 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog
18 Sheila at Sheila Renfro
19 Linda at Teacher Dance
20 Penny at A Penny and her Jots
21 Tara at A Teaching Life
22 Pat at Writer on a Horse
23 Tamera at The Writer’s Whimsy
24 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
25 Tabatha at The Opposite of indifference
26 Brian at Walk the Walk
27 Jan at Bookseedstudio
28 Amy at The Poem Farm
29 Donna at Mainely Write
30 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme

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