Hard for me to believe, but this post was originally published FIVE years ago, in July 2014, before I had seen my first children’s poem in an anthology (“Lullaby & Kisses Sweet” (Abrams, 2015), to be precise). Now, this week, I have a poem in a brand-new anthology! I was watering the window boxes the other day and thought it might be nice to brush off this little tanka and share it again…I hope you like it!)
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AVAILABLE NOW!
For today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup , be sure to head on over to The Miss Rumphius Effect, where Tricia is sharing her response to a triolet challenge!
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Ordering personalized signed copies online?
Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personalized signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Boyds Mills Press, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly ALL of the books or anthologies I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH a note requesting the signature and to whom I should make it out to. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it for you, and then they’ll ship it. 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?)
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Thank you to everyone for your support!
- NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
- KIRKUS Starred review!
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Books!
- “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
- Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017
- Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Shelf-Awareness
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.- “Rollicking rhyme!” – Booklist
- “A wild romp!” – Parenting NH Magazine
- “Cute…intriguing…4 out of 5 stars” – Tulsa Book Review
- “Rhythmic…funny and informative” – Unleashing Readers
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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!
Nice tanka (love the picture too), but I can only imagine having a frost in September. September is one of our warmest months in the deep south.
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Thanks, Margaret. I remember back when we moved to Nashville, we had already had our first frost up here (mid-September), but when we got to Tennessee the daytime temps were still in the ’90s!
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Margaret, September in New Hampshire can mean anything from frost to hurricanes to tropical heat! Nice taiga, Matt!
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Indeed, Diane – if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute!
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I love this form and you did a wonderful job here, Matt! Love it!
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Thank you, BJ!
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Wow! I love the tanka form, and you did a fantastic job with this one. I especially love “rainbow/at my fingertips” – lovely image.
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How I would love to go through summer with a rainbow at my fingertips… alas, it’s the a.c. control I’ve got at my fingertips. Beautiful Tanka, Matt!
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Great tanka, Matt! I hope “the first frost that closes the shade” arrives a lot later than September. = )
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I am kind of a “rainbow killer”…that sounds harsh, doesn’t it? I mean, I just don’t have a green thumb! And yes, the first frost can come pretty early here in Maine, too! Not looking forward to it at all.
Loved “rainbow at my fingertips” though!
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Thank you all! I appreciate you stopping by!
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A lovely poem/photo pair for a summer day–thank you, Matt!
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Thanks so much, Janet…glad you liked it!
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My first visit Matt.
The photo is poetry itself.
It’s a joy to see the live rainbow.
And, thanka for the tanka.
Makes me want to try one.
Bookseedstudio/Jan Annino
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I appreciate that! Thanks, Jan.
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Matt I love your tanka.
I especially love this
rainbow
at my fingertips.
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Thank you so much, Cheriee!
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Oh, don’t let September come too soon! I’m glad you brought this one back, Matt, love that ‘rainbow’ too.
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Thanks, Linda! I for one want Sept. to stay at bay for as long as possible.
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As we start summer here on Long Island, it is hard to imagine frost in September. Nonetheless, your poem is lovely with its beautiful visual behind and inside the words: “rainbow at my fingertips and “first frost closes the shade.” Matt, may I add this to my #EmbraceableSummer collection? It shares a different perspective on summer.
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Hi carol, thank you! We often have our first frost by mid-month, sad to say. And yes, absolutely, please feel free to share this! I appreciate it.
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I do like it! Thanks for sharing it! Ruth,thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Thanks so much, Ruth!
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Matt, did you see my post today is about Donald Hall? I followed a trail started by a video I’d seen on Facebook, and then read a bunch of his poetry, but I’m sure that one of the reasons I clicked on that video was because I subconsciously remembered your poem in the anthology inspired by him. I really enjoyed reading his work this week. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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I just read it! Glad you’ve ‘re-discovered’ Hall. He was truly one of the great 20th century poets.
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Love your tanka, Matt, and that “rainbow” of colors. You had me double checking when the average first frost hits here (in Maine). I was relieved to see it’s in October. Phew!
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Really, early Oct.? Wow – it’s often mid-late Sept. here, and you’re north of us!
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I love “rainbow at my fingertips.” What a great image!
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Thank you!
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I love that rainbow at your fingertips. I see I’m not the only one. Great tanka!
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Thanks so much, Kay!
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Lovely, Matt. My garden and I are holding on to every minute of summer before that shade comes down.
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Me, too! Thanks, Kimberly.
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Hoping that first frost is a long way off, but I’ll take all that warn sun beaming down on the window box flowers for now–lovely, thanks Matt!
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Thank you, Michelle – I’m enjoying these lovely 80-degree days as much as I can!
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