To help celebrate the release of this beautiful book, contributor Jackie Hoskings has organized a blog tour! Please join the poets as we share a one-minute poem that didn't quite make it into the book. Dig Me
I open
at the end of your stick--
little dent in the dirt
I open
wider, deeper, darker—
a hole that might
shout out
the round echoes
of a grand canyon
or whisper
the small secrets of
the soil
©Heidi Mordhorst
This is the hour of
Kenn Nesbitt! Our former Children's Poet Laureate has worked for more than two years with over 130 poets to produce one of the loveliest anthologies of poetry I've ever held in my hands. (As a contributor, I have already had this pleasure though the book release is not until November 1.) I think one of the big appeals of
One Minute Till Bedtime is that it feels distinctly old-fashioned.
The heft of the book, the feel of the dust jacket and the paper inside (smooth but not slick) contribute to this initial sensation. The hand-chalked title and cover illustration glow forth from a deep purple background.
Christoph Niemann's robust drawings build the feeling--they appear simple and straightforward but they carry (like good
writing for children) layers of imagination and emotion. And the poems inside, not all of which are sleepy or soft by any means, are
cozy nonetheless--they speak to the experiences that children have at home, in their early close relationships with people, objects and the creatures of the natural world. There's no flash, no high-tech, no gloss--just outstanding design and sensitive curation.
In a time of--would you agree with me?--global unrest, when anyone who is paying attention to the Big Picture must carry a sense of unease, this book is somehow comforting and reassuring. It confirms that the fundamental, ritual experience of going to bed with a story, poem or song shared in the voice of a beloved caregiver is alive and well.
So it's fitting that when Kenn was invited to an
interview over at Michelle Heidenrich Barnes's blog, he offered this challenge:
Write a poem for your mother. Write it for your mother and give it to her. It can be any kind of poem you like, as long as it’s especially for her. In my opinion, a poem is the best gift you can ever give someone. It doesn’t cost you anything but a little thought and time, and yet it will be treasured forever.
And fittingly enough, I have just such a gift poem in my archives! I posted it to the Ditty of the Month Club Padlet and now I share it with you here--a poem about precisely that experience I described above, of being rhymed and rhythmed, thrilled and calmed each morning, noon and night by the voice of my mother, Lila (nee Zingerline) Mordhorst.
A History of Your Voice
Mothers’ Day 2011
this little piggy stayed home
for so long we were
together all the time
together all alone
together all among
open the doors and see all the people
four gray geese in a flock
for so long you listened to every word I
began to say
forgot to say
dared to say
wire briar limber lock
we parted disintegrated
re membered recombined
apple seed and apple thorn
for so long now we are
winding threads
dropping threads
picking up threads
sit and sing by a spring
there were two old Indians crossing the Mississippi
ripping a seam here and there
putting right sides together
stitching further rivers
would you like to hear the rest?
© Heidi Mordhorst
The round-up for this Poetry Friday is with Linda at
TeacherDance. May you hear today in your travels the voice of someone who spoke to you with love at bedtime--and may we seek that for every child.
 |
| draft (c) Heidi Mordhorst 2016 |
3 is the magic number,
bulging with possibilities.
One thing leads to another
and then another.
Beginning middle end.
3 has eyes to see and ears to hear.
3 purses its lips and
blows a kiss to the future.
Promise of wishes fulfilled.
********************
That's a less-than-one-minute poem that COULD have been (but isn't) in the forthcoming anthology
ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME, edited by Children's Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt. Instead a different tiny poem by me is included, along with many more "60-second poems to send you off to sleep."
I just love the cover illustration by Christoph Niemann, and I can't wait to see what other poems by our Poetry Friday friends are included. It comes out November 1 from Little Brown, just in time for winter gift-giving!
The Poetry Friday round-up is with Margaret at
Reflections on the Teche.
