Irene Latham’s fabulous Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem is pausing here today; tomorrow Diane at Random Noodling brings it into the final stanza!
When you listen to your footsteps
the words become music and
the rhythm that you’re rapping gets your fingers tapping, too.
Your pen starts dancing across the page
a private pirouette, a solitary samba until
smiling, you’re beguiling as your love comes shining through.
Pause a moment in your dreaming, hear the whispers
of the words, one dancer to another, saying
Listen, that’s our cue! Mind your meter. Find your rhyme.
Ignore the trepidation while you jitterbug and jive.
Arm in arm, toe to toe, words begin to wiggle and flow
as your heart starts singing let your mind keep swinging
from life’s trapeze, like a clown on the breeze.
Swinging upside down, throw and catch new sounds–
Take a risk, try a trick; break a sweat: safety net?
Don’t check! You’re soaring and exploring,
dangle high, blood rush; spiral down, crowd hush–
limb-by-line-by-limb envision, pyramidic penned precision.
And if you should topple, if you should flop
if your meter takes a beating; your rhyme runs out of steam—
know this tumbling and fumbling is all part of the act,
so get up with a flourish. Your pencil’s still intact.
Snap those synapses! Feel the pulsing through your pen
Commit, measure by measure, to the coda’s cadence.
To see more of the poem’s progression, visit the Progressive Poem participants:
Day 1: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Day 2: Joy Acey
Day 3: Matt Forrest
Day 4: Jone McCulloch
Day 5: Doraine Bennett
Day 6: Gayle Krouse
Day 7: Janet Fagal
Day 8: Julie Larios
Day 9: Carrie Finison
Day 10: Linda Baie
Day 11: Margaret Simon
Day 12: Linda Kulp
Day 13: Catherine Johnson
Day 14: Heidi Mordhorst
Day 15: Mary Lee Hayn
Day 16: Liz Steinglass
Day 17: Renee LaTulippe
Day 18: Penny Klostermann
Day 19: Irene Latham
Day 20: Buffy Silverman
Day 21: Tabatha Yeatts
Day 22: Laura Shovan
Day 23: Joanna Marple
Day 24: Katja Czaja
Day 25: Diane Mayr
Day 26: Robyn Hood Black
Day 27: Ruth Hersey
Day 28: Laura Purdie Salas
Day 29: Denise Mortensen
Day 30: April Halprin Wayland
Ooh, love all those c words! Commitment is exactly what it takes. Thank you, Katja!
Hi, Katya. Awesome alliteration in this line! I love that firm verb “commit” — it reiterates that our poet character has the strength to finish what he/she started.
Love that you included the coda, perfect word for this last part of the poem, our coda! Nice all the way through, Katja!
The “coda’s cadence” has a nice…cadence! I also like “measure to measure,” which can mean more than one thing.
I love how you have slowed the rhythm down just a tad and am going to be tasting ‘coda’s cadence’ in my mouth all day.
Love the alliteration! And the commitment! Great line to carry our poem forward to a satisfying ending!
Yes, I agree with Linda–this line is a great setup to the poem’s coda. Can’t wait to see what the final stanza will bring.
Wonderful, Katya! Adding my cheers for the “commit” and “coda” too. Thanks for a great line!
Just adding my voice to the chorus of “Yay!” I, too, like the firm, encouraging alliteration of your line…
I am cheering too! I love the voice of this poem and your line – such a wise, kind, firm teacher. Thank you!
I love the alliteration and the pace you’ve set for a finish, great line.
I’m catching up to your cadence and stopping in to thank you for mentioning commitment, which is a big part of being a “real” writer.