Irene Latham launched the first Progressive Poem in 2012 to celebrate the Poetry Month, and the incredibly talented poetry community. Every day in April, a different poet adds a line to the progressive poem, which grows and changes over the course of the month. You never quite know where the poem will go, and it’s always an exciting experience!
The very talented Liz kicked off this year’s progressive poem – be sure to check out her blog and read her post!
Here’s the beautiful spring line tjat Liz came up with to get us all started:
Nestled in her cozy bed, a seed stretched.
And here’s my contribution:
Oh, what wonderful dreams she had had!
I’ll admit I was a bit nervous going in to this project – what if I couldn’t think of something clever or creative? I’m not an experienced poet, just a hobby writer who likes to pen a few lines for the fun of it. But the Progressive Poetry folks are all a wonderfully welcoming and encouraging bunch (as well as incredibly talented!), so I decided to just go with the flow, and see where my creativity took me!
The flowers around my home are slowly beginning to wake, and I couldn’t be happier! I started with the idea of a tiny little seed waking up after sleeping through a long, cold winter, and I wondered what that little seed might have been dreaming about all that time. I’m curious to see where the next poets take this!
Want to follow along and see what all the amazingly talented Progressive Poem participants come up with this month? Of course you do! Here’s the schedule for this year’s poetry extravaganza!
April
Thanks so much for visiting today! I can’t wait to read everyone’s contributions to the poem – I’m sure it’s going to be amazing!
Love it, Jane and Liz! April is a perfect month for a seed with dreams
We all need to have dreams, and sometimes the smaller we are, the bigger we dream.
I love that the seed had dreams!
I wonder what they will be!
What did she dream? I am excited to see if we find out….and to see if her dream comes true! Your line follows so beautifully and offers up so many choices for the next writer, the ever-present challenge of this potluck poem! xx
The seeds seem to sleep for so long here in the Northern Hemisphere, they have so much time for dreaming! I can’t wait to see where it takes our little seed.
Looking forward, looking back. That’s a lovely balanced way to move us along, Jane. (Especially when just stretching and awakening.)
My thoughts exactly! And I like to think that we’re all like little seeds, full of dreams and promise, just waiting for the right time to bloom.
Thank you, Jane! I love imagining what dreams a seed might have had… so glad you decided to join the fun this year… what will happen next?? xo
Look at you, Jane, opening the door for a bit of backstory perhaps before our seed launches further into the world – like you’ve been Progressive Poem-ing for years! Thanks for your line and for jumping into the fun! :0)
Fun! I’m up next:>)
And we are off. Where will these dreams and this little someone take us? When dreams become reality it makes life so much better. Welcome to the 2018 PP. You are correct about the Poetry Friday group, talented and welcoming for sure, I was very nervous early on and still am one who has to ponder and create what feels like a zillion choices before I can commit to a line. And I think it is fun, even if I struggle the writer’s struggle! I don’t have my own blog but I comment when I can and am a poetry advocate with children. Irene is gracious and generous to post my line on her blog. She is truly a generous host.
Oh my goodness, I struggled and agonized over this line for ages! But eventually you just have to take the plunge, right? It all works out in the end somehow!
Wonderful, Jane. You’ve opened up another way to imagine what’s going on with that tiny seed!
I’m so excited to see where our fellow poets take her!
Hi, Jane!
Huh–I thought I knew at least that this poem would be moving forward into awakening, but I’m surprised already that first we might need to reflect on what passed during the long night before sprouting.
Way to go for a rhythmic line that includes “had had”–grammatical bravery!
I used to teach English, and I loved to pull out the (entirely grammatically correct) line: “The teachers he had had had had little impact on him” – English is crazy!!
I love it – our seed has consciousness! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Hooray for spring and the waking of the dreaming seeds and bulbs!
That’s exactly how I felt writing this – the flowers are slowly starting to wake up after a long (very long…)winter’s nap!
I wonder if she knows what she’ll become? Does she dream about being that (whatever THAT) is) specifically or does she dream about what she might perhaps become when she “grows up?” Can’t wait to find out!
Totally different direction than I expected, too. That’s what’s so much fun about this poem!
I like to keep things interesting and unexpected!
Jane, the wonder of dreamland has been opened by your second line. I can’t wait to see where Laura takes the poem now. We are off and running with the scent of spring in the air.
Our little seed is in very good hands now, I can’t wait to see where they take her!
Ah Jane-thanks for taking this little seed one more step with so many possibilities ahead and behind!
I can’t wait to see where she goes! Who knows what seeds might dream about during those long, cold winter months!
Both lines have been nicely open-ended and thought-provoking. I wonder where this will meander next!
Our first unexpected twist! I would not have thought about a seed dreaming… and I love it. Thanks!
Your poem affected life?! Yes, you can share your lovely poem and its great “after story” with the world… Submit now on LifePoemsProject.com
Hi Jane, you seed- sender you. Smiles for your wonder dream route. I love it.