Poetry Friday: Re-sharing an award winning poem for Father’s Day

(click to enlarge)

It’s Father’s Day weekend, and I hope to visit my dad…through a window.

You see, he and mom are quarantined in the local nursing home, so I’ve not been able to visit them since early March. Both tested positive, but have been asymptomatic – which is good news, of course – but that means they were just moved to a new area of the facility that’s ground-level.

My folks aren’t fans of technology, which means a video chat is out of the question. So instead of using Windows…we’re going to use windows! The family and I plan to park ourselves in back of the building, right outside mom and dad’s room, where we can spend some time together, in-person, while socially distancing.

Taken at my wedding. If you wonder where I get my sense of humor, look no further than the pugilist on the left.

I wrote the above poem (based on a childhood experience) four years ago, and in 2019 it won the MacGregor Poetry Prize coordinated by the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, NH and the Derry Public Library. I shared the poem here last year, but today I thought I’d post the original version I made for my father for Father’s Day 2016 – formatted against the backdrop of the pond where the scene takes place. It’s wordier here than the more polished version I submitted for the contest, but it still says what I wanted it to say, so that makes me happy.

Tricia is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup at her blog, The Miss Rumphius Effect, so be sure to stop by for all of today’s poetry links and fun. And Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

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I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.

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What is Talkabook? Details coming soon!

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Looking for a complete list of all the poetry coming out this year for young people? Then visit Sylvia Vardell’s blog! Also, I’ve teamed up with several other children’s authors to promote our upcoming books this year – and there are a LOT of them!

 

Coming Spring 2021! Pre-orders are available:
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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, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’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
• Finalist, 2019 New Hampshire Literary Awards
• Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, 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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