Welcome to day 7 of the Progressive Poem! Started by Irene Latham,
the Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem began in 2012 as a way to celebrate National Poetry Month (April) as a community of writers.
This year, Margaret Simon generously volunteered to organize the poem. This is only my second year taking part in the poem. I always felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of providing a line to a group poem. Donna Smith upped the ante this year by providing two lines for Irene to choose from for the first line of this year’s poem. Irene liked this idea, so our “choose your own adventure” poem continues.
Yesterday, Kay McGriff offered these two lines for me to pick from:
deep into nature’s peaceful cocoon (Option A)
OR
and echo the call of a wandering loon (Option B)
I love music and loons, so I didn’t have to think too long before choosing Option B. What has taken me almost all day was coming up with two choices for Tara Smith.
Here is the entire poem as of today, followed by my two line options for Tara.
Sweet violets shimmy, daffodils sway
along the wiregrass path to the lake.
I carry a rucksack of tasty cakes
and a banjo passed down from my gram.
I follow the tracks of deer and raccoon
and echo the call of a wandering loon.
A whispering breeze joins in our song (Option A)
OR
I step onto warm sand, strumming my tune (Option B)
I can’t wait to see which line Tara chooses! Find out tomorrow at her lovely blog, Going to Walden.
Here is the entire line up for this year’s poem:
1 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2 Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3 Jone MacCulloch, deowriter
4 Liz Steinglass
5 Buffy Silverman
6 Kay McGriff
7 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8 Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10 Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme
11 Janet Fagel, hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13 Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
15 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18 Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19 Tabatha at Opposite of Indifference
20 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22 Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23 Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
24 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25 Amy at The Poem Farm
26 Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work That Matters
27 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28
29 Fran Haley at lit bits and pieces
30 Michelle Kogan
Reading to the Core 
I am so glad you choose that line! It’s exquisite. We don’t have loons – but they just carry this certain sort of magic in my imagination. And two more enticing lines from you. This CYOA format is fun!
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Both of your new options are just right to me. A hard choice to make. That’s the thing about this choose-your-own-adventure poem, even the rejected lines a lovely and poetic. I was voting for the loon.
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Yeah, someone finally chose the one I picked! LOL! I so love the sauntering flow of this years’ poem, Catherine. Don’t you? Love both of your lines. It’s a coin toss for tomorrow.
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Of course we both loved that line. There’s a bird in it!
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I love loons, always wish we had them here, Catherine. And with your lines, you’ve widened the setting, both wonderful!
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I’m glad I don’t have Tara’s choice–both of those lines entice me to want to continue. On the other hand, she can’t go wrong with either choice! At first I was intimidated by writing two lines, but finally decided it took some pressure off–Someone else gets to pick.
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Catherine, music follows from an entering loon. The cast of characters grow and I am one step closer to having to choose a line and create two more in our choose your own poetry adventure. I am glad that we are on a nature path, an exercise that is much needed on these days.
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[…] today, again offering a line choice (it’s now officially a thing) for the next host, Tara. You can find Catherine’s line choices on her blog, Reading to the Core. I’m excited to provide the 24th line on Friday, April 24th. I hope you’ll join us to see what […]
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Oh–whispering breeze and strumming! Not sure which I like best, but Tara can’t go wrong with either. Going to see which she chose now.
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Thanks for carrying us into the breeze or onto the edge–either way I love the motion!
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I’m not on the right day, but I wanted to visit the sites as the two lines are revealed so I keep the suspense, instead of skipping ahead. I know which line I’d pick…but what will Tara do? Let’s see!! She can’t go wrong with either one. You can’t go wrong with music next!
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Mmmm… this walk in the woods is so welcome. Playing catch-up; off to see which of your lovely lines was chosen! :0)
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Catch-up time for me! Pulling for the whispering breeze. The warm sand startled my woodland reverie.
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