Muscle and Grace

The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.
~Thomas Carlyle

Welcome! Glad you stopped by. The top quote doesn't have anything to do with the post, except that I am always celebrating those hidden veins of water. Our weather finally turned cold this week, so I am bundling up and sharing the first part of a poem by Jamie Morewood Anderson called "Winter Milk." You can read the rest here. Please leave your link in the comments!

Winter Milk
by Jamie Morewood Anderson

Now it is morning,
dawn begins to hem the day, the meadow
and brindled grass take the light.
There is something so beautiful about the window,
the loose silhouette behind the rinse of glass,
the liquid shadow of feline so angular and illustrated
its clarity could break the heart.
The moment she sees him,
panther-like in the dusky daybreak,
the dun-colored cow lets down her milk.
I know precisely
how this bovine’s body is composed,
withers and hoof, the flesh of udder,
her skin so alive against mine.
But he is a mystery, an indescribable movement
of muscle and grace.

********

Robyn Hood Black has a winter poem, too - by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. And a picture of her adorable Chihuahua. All connected by mice....

Kathryn Apel (Kat) is experiencing altogether different weather in her Australian home. She shares three short poems from her #MoP16 efforts.

CB Hanek says, "Thanks to Donna Smith's Christmas Eve post and photo, I was motivated to experience the same Winter heavenly wonder, albeit from another vantage point “underneath the same big sky" (as Linda Ronstadt once reminded us). Thus, my haiku: 'Cold Moon on Christmas Morn.'"

Buffy Silverman has been thinking about snowflakes, and is sharing some snowflake poems today. (Her snowflake photo is spectacular!)

Linda Kulp is in this week with a review of Irene's Latham's lovely new book WHEN THE SUN SHINES ON ANTARCTICA.

Mary Lee offers some haiku art she made over Christmas break as a gift for her brother.

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes turns the spotlight on Douglas Florian and a rather unexpected ditty challenge. (She also makes a good point about the quote and poem being more connected than I first thought!)

Karen Edmisten keeps the holidays going with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

April Halprin Wayland says, "Watch a 49-second video of a poet giving a writing tip...and then try it. I did! It sent me on a wild ride..."

At Random Noodling, Diane celebrates the lovely gift from her winter swap partner, Robyn.

Kurious Kitty has A Great Big Cuddle to share with everyone!

Jama Rattigan is back from holiday break with Michael Blumenthal's "Be Kind."

Laura Purdie Salas brings us Row 1 of a Poetry Princess crown sonnet. Her sonnet is about hydrogen, an extra timely element this week.

I wanted to put it in order, so I am breaking in with the rest of them:

Tricia Stohr-Hunt has the second poem in the Poetry Princess crown sonnet.

Sara Lewis Holmes features the element Argon in her sonnet, the third.

Kelly Fineman has the fourth sonnet.

Liz Garton Scanlon brings the fifth sonnet.

Tanita Davis offers the sixth in the crown of sonnets on the Periodic Table.

Tricia Stohr-Hunt also has the final poem in the crown and the entire poem shared.

Matt Forrest Esenwine posts a winter haiku inspired by Buffy Silverman's snowflake photo.

At Gathering Books, Fats is in with bookish poetry.

Linda Baie is thanking Margaret Simon for her winter swap gifts.

Heidi Mordhorst is excerpting Cybils finalists this month and she chose two poems from Joyce Sidman's Winter Bees to begin.

Carol's Corner has another Cybils finalist: Deborah Ruddell's "How a Poet Orders a Milkshake" from POPCORN ASTRONAUTS AND OTHER BITE-ABLE RHYMES.

Kay at A Journey through the Pages has a review of a poetry anthology "What Have You Lost?" selected by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Irene Latham shares three favorite poems from Mary Oliver's newest book FELICITY.

Katie @ The Logonauts brings some of her third graders' responses (as poems) to the question "What is Poetry?"

Kimberley Moran wrote about the pieces of herself she has lost along the way.

Tara at A Teaching Life is in with a snowy poem, feeling the absence of snow.

At The Poem Farm, Amy shares a little story of a poem that grew from a discovery on a winter walk.

Ruth at There's No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town offers Philip Booth's First Lesson.

Doraine Bennett has "Frost at Midnight" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Friendly Fairy Tales has an icy offering.

Violet Nesdoly contributes a tanka, written to celebrate a stretch of winter at her most beautiful.

As if we weren't already delving into the most difficult kinds of poems to write with a crown sonnet in our midst, Keri Recommends gets us thinking about reversos!

At A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt, Penny's great niece, Klaire, illustrates her poem.

Bildungsroman has lyrics from the song "Wait For It" from the musical Hamilton.

Poetry for Kids Joy has The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science.

Because of the frigid temperatures this week, Catherine at Reading to the Core's cat has been sticking close, making her think of Eleanor Farjeon's poem, "Cats."

Carol Varsalona welcomes winter.

Charles Waters shares a wonderful update at Poetry Time.

Janet Squires' selection is "It's Raining Pigs & Noodles" by Jack Prelutsky with illustrations by James Stevenson.

Julieanne's poem at To Read To Write To Be is about reading joy.

Andi is cheering for the Poetry Sister's Crown.

Alice at Supratentorial has "In Memoriam (Ring Out Wild Bells)" by Lord Alfred Tennyson.

Margaret Simon cruises in with acrostic poems she and her students are writing with their one little words.

Mrs. Merrill is back!.