Poetry Friday: “Jealous Dancer’s Lament”

Last Friday I told you about Laura Shovan‘s annual writing-prompt project known as the February Daily Poem Project. This year, those of us taking part are writing ekphrastic poetry:  poetry inspired by (and often written to accompany) a piece of visual art.

It was a rather pensive, thought-provoking sort of poem I shared, inspired by a painting by artist Brian Kershisnik. So this week, we’re going a little more light-hearted!

“Dance Movement A” by Auguste Rodin, photo by Kip Rechea

The Jealous Dancer’s Lament

Good grief, I have to hold this pose
for oh, so long – God only knows.
I’ve had it with this Rodin clown!
At least the Thinker’s sitting down.

– © 2018 Matt Forrest Esenwine,
all rights reserved

Yes, the model for Rodin’s classic, The Thinker, seems to have had it much easier than the poor chap who had to model this pose – which, interestingly, is a yoga pose known as The Dance Pose!  (What’s even more interesting is that Rodin didn’t really care for ballet all that much – he preferred free movement like much of what became modern dance.).

.

For more poetry, please head on over to Sally Murphy’s little home on the web for today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup! And if you’d like to win a copy of Lee Bennett Hopkins’ newest poetry anthology for children, School People (Boyds Mills Press, Feb. 13, 2018), I’ll be featuring an interview with Lee NEXT Friday, Feb. 16, along with a chance for you to win your own copy! For more details about the book, scroll down…

=========================================================

“Don’t Ask a Dinosaur” hits bookshelves April 17!

New dates continue to be added to the Dinosaur Tour! Don’t Ask a Dinosaur co-author Deborah Bruss and I have quite a busy schedule planned, and more dates continue to be added:

• Sat., April 14, 11am:  Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough, NH, (Children’s Author Day with illustrator Ryan O’Rourke AND Local Book Launch for Don’t Ask a Dinosaur!)
• Sat., April 14, 2pm:  Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH, (Children’s Author Day with illustrator Ryan O’Rourke AND Local Book Launch for Don’t Ask a Dinosaur!)
• Tue., April 17, 7pm:  Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur National Launch Party!! 
• Thur., April 26, 10:30am:  Pillsbury Free Library, Warner, NH, Dinosaur Storytime with Don’t Ask a Dinosaur!
• Sat., April 28, 10:30am: Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing
• Sat., April 28, 2pm: Barnes & Noble, Framingham, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing (with Sara Levine, Fossil by Fossil: Comparing Dinosaur Bones reading/signing)
• Sun., April 29, 2pm:  MainStreet BookEnds, Warner, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing and discussion
• Sat., May 5, 10am: Barnes & Noble, Burlington, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing
• Sat., May 5, 1pm:  Barnes & Noble, Nashua, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing
• Sat., May 12, 11am:  Gibson’s Bookstore, Concord, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing

=========================================================

School People (Wordsong), Lee Bennett Hopkins’ new children’s poetry anthology, arrives Feb. 13!

Edited by  Flashlight Night editor Rebecca Davis, this book includes 15 poems about the grown-ups that children meet at school…including my poem, “Bus Driver.” I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy!

=========================================================

Thank you so much to all the librarians, bloggers, and parents who are still discovering “Flashlight Night!” 

• NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017!”
• KIRKUS Starred review!
• Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017!
• “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers

=========================================================

Purchasing personalized signed copies ONLINE? Yes, it’s true!

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new way to purchase personalized signed copies of not only Flashlight Night, but ANY of my books or anthologies I’ve been part of!

I’ve teamed up with the good folks MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH to present an option for people who would love to have a signed copy of one of my books but don’t live anywhere near me. MainStreet BookEnds has ALL but one of my books available for ordering…and the best part is, you can get them personalized!

Just log onto my website and click the cover of whichever book you want, and they will get it to me to sign and send it off to you. Try doing that with those big online booksellers! (Plus, you’ll be helping to support local book-selling – and wouldn’t that make you feel good?)

=========================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post twice a week – on Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day)

 .

Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!