The month of March warmed up my writing muscles and heart. Rather than being tired and done with daily writing on April first I want to keep going. Fortunately, April offers many possibilities.
Poetry calls from everywhere. Poets have found themes and created projects. Groups such as Ethical ELA have amazing poet teacher prompts. Inviting communities.
What to do?
I wanted to continue daily writing, but I was focus-less. Until I thought of a list I made last month: 30 things that make me happy. One for each of day of April. Why not? And with that, my first poetry project has begun.
30 things that make me happy for the 30 days of April
day one: holding a warm cup of anything when I’m cold
My hands are susceptible to the cold. And they take a long time to warm up. It is something I’m used to, sometimes I not aware of it until I touch something warm. When I am aware, I’m usually bone cold and that is when nothing is better than holding a warm cup of anything.
It starts with the finger tips and works its way down to the palms. Holding
on to the grocery cart, reaching for a
bag of frozen berries I warm
up to the task, checking off the must haves on the list, pleased until I cup
my hand on the side of
my daughter’s face; she recoils, cold Mommy! Shamed, I rub my hands together, anything
to reconnect this foreign extremity. When
I test my palm, on my arm, gooseflesh follows. I’m
sorry, sweetheart. Tenderly she wraps her hands around mine, Mommy cold.
To Read To Write To Be 
You have definitely inspired me, and I do love the “Golden Shovel” form. Thanks for keeping up the writing celebration (and habit). I’ll be posting something later today. LOVE “Mommy cold.”
Ha! Here you are doing the thing, the poetry thing. Yee Ha! My hands tend to be cold, too. I have a fond memory of doing grocery handouts at Solomon House and a woman holding my hands in hers to warm them. What a kind gesture!
Hello Julieanne!! Welcome to your April challenge, and aren’t you clever to have prepped your prompts ahead of time. Love hearing your daughter’s small voice and thinking a lot about mine, who just turned 22. It’s a long time since someone warmed us by calling us Mommy, isn’t it?
Well, I wasn’t so smart about the list, just lucky! That small voice was a memory, my girl is about to turn 23! As you know their voices are always present and continue to wrap their hands around your heart.