Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Poem: Massacre at Newtown

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Massacre at Newtown

By Devon Vose Rickabaugh


Gunman at Newtown 
Elementary School
shooting, firing, killing
over and over again.
Twenty children dying
their Blood gushing out,
their life leaking out.
Parents crying calling 
searching for their babies.
This is not a war.
This is not at duck hunt.
Why does he have a gun?
Why is he shooting children?


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Llama and friends - back on the farm for now

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Billy the Ewe
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

I’m Billy the Kid and I love to eat grass
With llamas and sheep we’ll devour en masse
My dad and his friends will be part of the crew
He’s William the Goat-- did I need to tell you

Surface water facilities will be trimmed up so neat
No “environmental impact”—our Crew can’t be beat
We’ll eat all the grasses and weeds up as well
We don’t think they’re “NOXIOUS”-we think they are swell.

We’ll keep costs way down as the greens we devour
We’ll just keep on chomping in sunshine or shower
Our salads need no dressing—we like them just plain
We’ll be “eating local”—in sunshine or rain

Vegetation management crew
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

We have a new role and it makes us so proud
It’s VEGETATION MANAGEMENT—we’ll stand out in the crowd
We hear that a Shepherd will be on the premises
He will be a friend and for sure not our Nemesis

So we are so happy to be part of your plan
We’re glad to assist you the best that we can

Billy the Kid  (secretary)
Goats/Llamas/SheepChompingSocietyAlliance

--Jean Monce Bryant

Ed Portnow and Wonky from Earthcraft Services, Inc.
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

As it happens, the llama, alpacas, goats, sheep and other vegetation management workers were so efficient that they have, at least temporarily, eaten themselves out of a job. A contact in the surface water department says that:

Currently there are no animals in the City as we wait for plants to regrow. The animals were victims of their own success and will be brought back to sites in the near future as things sprout back up. This is a pilot project and as such we’re going through a learning process seeing how quickly the animals consume available plants, how the community reacts, etc.

Judging from comments to this newsletter, the herd is wildly popular, with people getting attached to individual animals (Woody, for example) and taking great enjoyment from seeing them all at work.




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Poem: I love crows!!!!

Monday, April 16, 2012

American Crow. Photo by Frank Kleyn

I LOVE CROWS‘!!!!
By Jean Monce Bryant

I love crows
That may seem odd
But they are creatures
Straight from God

They are so smart
They are so funny
They make the grey days
Oh so sunny /

They have me trained
It’s plain to see
They hold great power
Over me

They look me right
Into the eye
And to the door
I quickly fly

To open up
The jar
that’s there
And fling the peanuts
In the air

They call their buddies
To the feast
A selfish bunch?
No not the least

They share so freely
Help the needy
Think of others
Are not greedy

They share the wealth
They share the bounty
Would WE did that
In every county

They care for all
The young and old
THEIR Health Care Plan
Is what I’m told

WE say that animals
Are dumb
And to that myth
Some may succumb

‘WE grab the Biggest
The very best part
And with our words
Can wound
a heart

WE keep so busy
Life’s such
a rush
When lonely ones
Would love our touch

It does not take
A lot of time
A word of love
Is quite sublime

My lesson’s over
Please don’t be sad
Those wondrous birds
Will make you glad

I love their swagger
I love their strut
They look majestic
Like that King Tut

I like their squawk
I like their talk
I like the funny
Way they walk

I like their sharing
I like their caring
I like the family Love
They’re swearing

They have some habits
That they should break
But don’t we all
For heaven’s sake

I guess it’s plain
As your own nose
It’s obvious
That I love crows!!!


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Poem: Third Place Commons

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Young and old dance to the music of a Hawaiian band
at the Third Place Commons
Photo by Diane Hettrick

Third Place Commons is the organization that uses the public space at the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre for community activities and events. The main commons area has a stage, a meeting room, and seven restaurants. Dozens of formal and informal groups meet there, small children play, others use the giant chess set - sometimes even for chess. Every Friday and Saturday live music groups perform. Sara J. Glerum is a regular inhabitant of The Commons and was inspired to write this poem.


THIRD PLACE COMMONS
By Sara J. Glerum

You asked me to tell
you just what it means
and why I proclaim
such depth of delight.

IT’S THE . . .

Rattle of dishes
tapping of keyboards
laughter of children
jumping on chess squares.

Knitting and sewing
drawing and painting
writing, critiquing
and practicing French.

Conversing of moms
loving their time off
meeting an old friend
running committees.

Spying a loved one
next to my table
pulling up chairs
expanding the chat.

Hearing an excerpt
from operas and books
watching recitals
clapping for choirs.

Old people tired
young full of vinegar
parents and singles
families and teens.

Everyone welcome
all with a purpose
coming to Third Place
to have a good time.


Dinosaurs are an important part of chess
Austin Carpp and his sons play at Third Place Commons
Photo by Diane Hettrick



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Poem by Bob Barta: A Leaf

Friday, October 14, 2011

It's fall and the leaves are falling. If there isn't a breeze, go pick up some leaves. Free-up your mind and enjoy the geometry and the colors of each leaf, or just shuffle in a pile of leaves and pretend you're a kid again:)


A LEAF

©2011 Bob Barta

A leaf on a tree, what does it mean to me?
It waves its beauty in the summer’s breeze,
Surely a comfort more lasting than tea!

Its oscillating motions entertain me.
as it collaborates with the billowing winds.
A leaf on a tree, what does it mean to me?

A leaf makes me wonder
why its beauty is a mystery to me
Surely a comfort more lasting than tea!

And wonder of wonders even while I sleep,
It makes the air that I breathe.
A leaf on a tree, what does it mean to me?

I am delighted by its beautiful shapes
and marvel in its oxygenating science.
Surely a comfort more lasting than tea!

A leaf is there for you and me for a reason,
and in winter it falls to make another for next season.
A leaf on a tree, what does it mean to me?
Surely a comfort more lasting than tea!

On a windy day, go check and see,
the beautiful dance of a leaf on a tree


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Richmond Beach teen wins in King County Library 2011 Teen Poetry Contest

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Maia stands in front of the octopus in the Richmond Beach Library,
holding her gift card.  Photo courtesy RB Library

Maia P, resident of Richmond Beach, is one of three winners in the 2011 Teen Poetry Contest sponsored by the King County Library System in celebration of National Poetry Month. Maia's poem was chosen from almost 600 worthy entries, and she received a gift card for Barnes and Noble as a prize.

Here is Maia's winning poem:

Rain Dance

I dance in the rain
on the asphalt stage
of the street.

The spotlights are lightning
the confetti is raindrops
and the roaring crowd is thunder.

But my mother
calling me to come inside
is still the same.

--Aarene Storms, Librarian

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Shorecrest student awarded Honorable Mention in Poetry Month contest

Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council announced the winners of its fourth annual Poetry Month Celebration. Edmonds residents swept first place honors in the both the Adult and Student categories. First place honors in the Adult Division went to Monda Van Hollebeke of Edmonds for her poem "Homeless Man on the Avenue" and first place in the Student Division went to Emma Spence of Edmonds Woodway High School for her poem "Her Garden."

An Honorable Mention in the Student Division went to Shorecrest 10th grader Anya Bychkova for "Pieces."

Winners read their pieces at a celebration at Third Place Commons on April 27.

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Poem: A Lot to live for: a life in service to others

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Bob Barta is a well-known volunteer who does, indeed, live his life in service to others.

“A Lot To Live For: A Life In Service To Others” ©2009 by Robert J. Barta

Hello Mr. farmer,
there you go tilling your fields to and fro,

Day by day and year after year you have patiently
endured the strain of the Sun, the wind and the rain,
so that others could benefit from the fruits of your grains.

Would you please explain to me Mr. farmer, what is the redeeming value
of the strain you patiently endured from the sun, the wind, and the rain?

Come sit and listen said he.

As the years have gone by, I have come to realize that neither money, social status,
nor the honors bestowed upon me, defined me or fulfilled me, it was the day-by-day
joy and pride I experienced in being of service to others.

Said he, my friend, I urge you to go through each day with this question in mind:
Just for today, just for right now, how can I serve and whom can I serve?
In addition, be aware in what way do they wish to be served?

Each day as you retire, think about and experience the joy and the pride in the special
ways that you have been of service to others; in turn, think about how others are
serving you and graciously be thankful to them at every opportunity.

In addition, the truth is, life and living is not about what others can do for you,
life and living is about the redeeming value of service to others.

And now you know why, day by day, and year after year, I have patiently
endured the heat of the sun, the bite of the wind, and the chill of the rain.

As he went on his way said I, thank you Mr. farmer for
explaining to me that the redeeming value of enduring our
day-by-day stresses and strains lead to joy
and pride as we live our life in service to others.

A life in service to others nurtures courage,
sustains hope, maintains pride and belief in oneself.
Indeed we have a lot to live for
when we live our lives in service to others.

~~~~~~
“The best way to know who you are and what you are is to/
lose yourself in the service of others.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“ I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know,
the only ones who will be really happy are
those who have sought and found how to serve.” -Albert Schweitzer.

“What we do for ourselves dies with us.
What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal”. Albert Pine. 1851

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Call to Poets for 2011 Poetry Month Contest

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council seeks submissions for its fourth annual Poetry Month Celebration.

Selected poets will be invited to read at a special event during April, National Poetry Month, which will also feature recognized local published poets, including J.J. Baugher and Belle Randall.

Winning poems will be displayed at the Shoreline Arts Festival in June.

Poems will be judged in three separate divisions:
  • Secondary Student (grades 7-12)
  • College Student
  • Non-Student Adult.

Cash prizes will be awarded in College and Adult categories. Submission deadline is March 18, 2011. Application forms are available online.  For more information please contact the Arts Council office at 206-417-4645 or email.

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Submit your poems to the Shoreline - LFP Arts Council

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council Announces:
Call to Poets
2011 Poetry Month Contest

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council seeks submissions for its fourth annual Poetry Month Celebration. Selected poets will be invited to read at a special event during April, National Poetry Month, which will also feature recognized local published poets, including J.J. Baugher and Belle Randall. Winning poems will be displayed at the Shoreline Arts Festival in June. Poems will be judged in three separate divisions: Secondary Student (grades 7-12), College Student, and Non-Student Adult. Cash prizes will be awarded in College and Adult categories. Submission deadline is March 18, 2011. Application forms are available online. For more information contact the Arts Council office at 206-417-4645 or email.

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Poetry Month Celebration, Thursday, April 29 - Student winners

Friday, April 23, 2010

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council
Announces the
The Third Annual Poetry Month Celebration
Thursday, April 29 – 7:00 pm
Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park
Free Community Event


Winners in the Student Division:

(Juror Janée J. Baugher’s comments included)

First Place: Beatrice Garrard - The Practice Room
Edmonds Woodway High School
“I was especially impressed with the intriguing, contemplative narrative, as well as the vivid, imaginative details.”


Second: Place: Hallie Dunham - So Late, Too Soon
The Evergreen School
“Enviable use of compression, rhythm, and typographical arrangement.”


Third Place: Kathryn Hedges - Galaxy
Shorecrest High School
“A whimsical poem with lovely imaginative leaps. The poem’s conceit resolved in a most surprising way.”


Honorable Mentions:

First: Kamile Jordan - So Be It
The Evergreen School
“Excellent union between literal and figurative language. Super use of repetition.”


Second Place: Kamile Jordan - Something Un-kept
The Evergreen School
“A sophisticated metaphorical poem that evoked yearning and mystery.”



About the Juror:

Originally from Renton, Washington, Janée J. Baugher has performed at Bumbershoot, Get Lit!, Arts Edge Arts Festival, and is a former Jack Straw Writer. Currently, Baugher just completed her second term as a Humanities Washington Inquiring Minds Speaker. Since receiving an MFA degree from Eastern Washington University, Baugher has taught at Highline Community College, UW-Experimental College, and Richard Hugo House. A former poetry editor of Willow Springs and Switched-on Gutenberg, Baugher regularly collaborates with visual artists, composers, and choreographers. Her recent collaborations were produced at University of Cincinnati–Conservatory of Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen, MI), and Dance Now! Ensemble (Miami Beach, FL). Her début collection of poems is Coördinates of Yes (Ahadada Books, 2010.)


More on the featured poets:

Jared Leising:

Poet Jared Leising has been selected by Jack Straw Productions as the curator of their 2010 Writers Program. Jared is the author of the chapbook The Widows and Orphans of Winesburg, Ohio. His poems have appeared in various Washington publications such as Pontoon, Crab Creek Review, and Stringtown, as well as on Metro Buses and local radio. Jared was selected by Nancy Rawles as a Jack Straw Writer in 2001, has worked as a writer-in-residence for Ballard and Nathan Hale High Schools, been a nominee for Seattle Poet Populist, and before moving to Seattle, he received his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Currently, he teaches English at Cascadia Community College, serves as president of the Washington Community College Humanities Association, and is on the board of directors at 826 Seattle.


Kelli Russell Agodon:

Kelli Russell Agodon is the winner of the 2009 White Pine Press Poetry Prize judged by Carl Dennis. Her manuscript, Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room, will be published by White Pine Press in the fall of 2010. Kelli was born and raised in Seattle, is a graduate of Shorecrest High School, and attended the University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University's Rainier Writing Workshop, where she received her MFA in creative writing. She is also the author of Small Knots (2004) and Geography, winner of the 2003 Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. Currently, Kelli lives in the Northwest with her family. She is the co-editor of the literary journal, Crab Creek Review.


The M.C.:


Aarene Storms is a librarian, a storyteller, and a huge fan of poetry. She serves as a judge for the King County Library System Teen Poetry Contest, and originated and maintains the annual "Serendipity Poetry Project", which places printed poetry in unexpected locations inside local public libraries, including the libraries in Lake Forest Park and Richmond Beach. She also shares stories, music and poetry as a storytelling-host of KSER Radio's Sunday morning program Global Griot.

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Poetry Month Celebration, Thursday, April 29 - Adult winners

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is pleased to present its third annual Poetry Month Celebration on Thursday, April 29 at 7 pm at the Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park Towne Centre. 
Winners of the annual poetry contest in adult and student categories, juried by poets Belle Randall and Janee J. Baugher, will read their poems. 
Published poets Jared Leising and Kelli Russell Agodon will then read and discuss their work. Poet Aerene Storms will be the MC. This event is sponsored in part by Friends of Third Place Commons and Humanities Washington.


Winners of the Adult Division:


(Juror Belle Randall’s comments included)

First Place: Joanne Peterson - E-Z Livin' Mobile Home Park: Thank you Jesus
“I admire this poem for the unabashed seriousness of its content; for the way it evokes an American landscape which we all recognize from experience, although we haven't necessarily seen it before in poetry; and for its images, which are accurate and--and the same time-- evocative of a mood and emotions.”


Second Place: M.C. Miller - Crazy Quilt
“A gem of under statement, this poem pays homage to craft, in its three line stanza structure and repetition of sounds ("in floss...stitch off"), as well as its explicit statement. That the images should vividly convey one distinctive kind of quilt seemed to me an accomplishment.”


Third Place: Joanne Peterson - After Ramona

“A tour de force in the tradition of Slam poetry, this dramatic monologue lets everything ride on the authenticity of the poet's voice. We all recognize the speaker's plight, although the circumstances are entirely his own. Thanks to details like the "Honey Nut Cheerios," it all rings true.”


Honorable Mentions:

First: Michael Schein - Not Saying the F-Word
“By refusing all words beginning with "F", the speaker reduces to absurdity the supposedly liberal book store's call for conventional civility. The poem reveals a tension that does, in fact, exist, in poetry as in society, between indirect ("tell the truth, but tell it slant") and literal language.”


Second: M.C. Miller - Chief Sealth's Gravesite
“This poem says something unexpected in a memorable image ("their grassy pate rippling”) The statement is throughout and original. The speaker does not find it necessary to strike a pose, as so many poets do, but is effortlessly at home in his or her own voice.”


Third: Peggy Barnett - On Your Left
“Like the other dramatic monologues among the winning submissions, this poem is striking for its vitality and immediacy.”


About the Juror:

BELLE RANDALL is the former recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Poetry (2005-7). She has been a panelist for the NEA. Her most recent book is The Coast Starlight, forthcoming from David Robert Books later this year (2010). Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals including The Threepenny Review, Poetry, TriQuarterly, and PN Review (England), as well as such anthologies as Contemporary Religious Poetry and A Gift of Tongues. A former Wallace Stegner Fellowship winner and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, she taught for twenty years in the University of Washington Writer's Certificate Program and at Cornish College of the Arts.

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Third Annual Poetry Month Celebration

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council announces the Third Annual Poetry Month Celebration with a free community event on Thursday, April 29, 7 pm at the Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park Towne Centre.

Winners of the annual poetry contest in student and adult categories, juried by poets Belle Randall and Janee J. Baugher, will read their poems. Published poets Jared Leising and Kelli Russell Agodon will then read and discuss their work. Sponsored in part by Friends of Third Place Commons and Humanities Washington.

More on the featured poets:
Jared Leising

Poet Jared Leising has been selected by Jack Straw Productions as the curator of their 2010 Writers Program. Jared is the author of the chapbook The Widows and Orphans of Winesburg, Ohio. His poems have appeared in various Washington publications such as Pontoon, Crab Creek Review, and Stringtown, as well as on Metro Buses and local radio. Jared was selected by Nancy Rawles as a Jack Straw Writer in 2001, has worked as a writer-in-residence for Ballard and Nathan Hale High Schools, been a nominee for Seattle Poet Populist, and before moving to Seattle, he received his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Currently, he teaches English at Cascadia Community College, serves as president of the Washington Community College Humanities Association, and is on the board of directors at 826 Seattle.
Kelli Russell Agodon

Kelli Russell Agodon is the winner of the 2009 White Pine Press Poetry Prize judged by Carl Dennis. Her manuscript, Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room, will be published by White Pine Press in the fall of 2010. Kelli was born and raised in Seattle, is a graduate of Shorecrest High School, and attended the University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University's Rainier Writing Workshop, where she received her MFA in creative writing. She is also the author of Small Knots (2004) and Geography, winner of the 2003 Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. Currently, Kelli lives in the Northwest with her family. She is the co-editor of the literary journal, Crab Creek Review.



Third Place Commons is located inside the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155. For more information please contact the Arts Council office at 206-417-4645 or email.

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Call to Poets for the 2010 Poetry Month contest

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council seeks submissions for its third annual Poetry Month Celebration. Selected poets will be invited to read at a special event during April, National Poetry Month, which will also feature recognized local published poets, including Kelli Russell Agodon and Jared Leising. Winning poems will be displayed at the Shoreline Arts Festival in June. Poems will be judged in three separate divisions: Secondary Student (grades 7-12), College Student, and Non-Student Adult.

Cash prizes will be awarded in College and Adult categories. Submission deadline is March 19, 2010. Application forms are available online at the Arts Council website.    For more information please contact the Arts Council office at 206-417-4645 or email.

The poet lives as long as his lines are imprinted on the minds of his readers. - Alan Bold

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations.




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An Evening of Poetry, Spoken and Sung

Sunday, November 8, 2009


The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council presents: “An Evening of Poetry, Spoken and Sung”


Locals are invited to a lively performance of poetry and song at Lake Forest Park Towne Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11.

At “An Evening of Poetry, Spoken and Sung,” Shoreline Community College voice students will sing poems set to music. High school and college students will recite their original poems.

The event is free and will be at Third Place Commons, adjacent to Third Place Books, at 17171 Bothell Way NE in Lake Forest Park.

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is sponsoring the event. For information, call 206-417-4645 or see Shoreline LFP Arts.

The event is separate from the Arts Council’s yearly Poetry Contest and Celebration, which happens in April.

The Arts Council is a non-profit that sponsors art events and education. It also runs an art gallery and gift shop in Lake Forest Park Towne Centre.


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