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Background image: BEATLES Abbey Road, by vinylmeister

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Tomorrow may rain,
So I’ll follow the sun.
Where Strawberries are lain,
I’ll take a run.

For every mistake,
I must then learn.
I am a starving snake,
Strawberries I yearn.

I could have lain on dregs,
And floated downstream.
I have no legs,

For running, it seems.

Yesterday came suddenly,
The strawberry fields have gone.
I wanted some gluttony,
But I will have to bear on.

By Angelique Pacheco
(C) 2019

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That early morning

I had time to take a walk –

nowhere to be,

no task called to me.

Carefree,

I chose a new path.

Early sun dimpled the lawns.

Shadows held onto the dew.

Blackbirds near the creek

gathered together this Sunday

praising their own god,

creating a community

of unique protectors of peace.

I moved up the creek, not wishing

to bother that congregation,

adrift in my own kind of peace,

borderless among the trees.

Linda Baie ©

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Duck, duck goose
look, look moose

wandering a rain storm
singing the blues

Knock knock door

stomp stomp floor

now a moose is inside

too big to ignore!

Duck duck goose
look, look moose

silly in a bathrobe
wondering who’s?

Clap, clap freeze
slap, slap knees
give me back my robe
unless you ask, please!

(c) Linda Mitchell

Words selected: rain, wandering, belong, door, silly
Can you guess The Beatles song?

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by Dianne Moritz

Imagine, sang Lennon
so many years ago
a genius going solo
tears stain my cheeks
still imagining....

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with angel’s wings
and purple flowers,
pages singing
Mary’s Song,
children’s voices
poet strong,
words of wisdom,
Dear Ones,
sonnet, free verse,
rhyming runs,
music, stage,
serenades,
records, honors,
accolades,
celebration,
laughter, cheers,
enduring love
fifty years.

Then in these times of trouble,
all the broken-hearted,
we will see,
the answer
is the memory
of Dear Lee.

Madeleine Kuderick
(c) 2019

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Little Darling,
that mean old dream was dark and dreary.
Snuggle closely.
Hold Muffin tight. Her eyes are teary.
Look! A rainbow.
The fluffy kittens rise and slide down.
Shall we join them?
Watch gentle colors softly swirl 'round.
Stretch your arms out.
In rainbow glow, we're never weary.
Glide, my darling.
The playground's bright. The dream is cheery.

©2019 Sydney O'Neill

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So it is
when we are broken--
moments arise
to show us
how to be
again
how to see
again
how we're free
again.

Margaret Simon

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Somewhere under the rainbow, seven hundred meters below

Thirty-three men in clouds of dust after San Jose explodes

Miners melt like lemon drops in the ninety-five degree heat

Their daily diet, two cookies, a spoonful of tuna, a slice of peach

They dare to dream of survival, hope dreams really do come true

And wish to wake up someday soon to see more skies of blue

Excitement and expectations are suddenly way up high

When the sound of T130 becomes a constant lullaby

After sixty-nine days, a rescue, the world watches, near and far

Each happy man ascends and becomes a media star

© 2019 Mindy Gars Dolandis

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Sweet grace
saved me, the lost,
I’m found;
I see
In that precious hour
I believed.
Good is mine,
Hope entwines;
My shield endures
And I’m secured.
When mortal heart
Shall cease,
I’ll possess
Joy and peace;
Bright as the sun
God’s praises
Sung.

By Donna JT Smith

*And now for a change of pace...I used a lot of the words and just took out or replaced some. Sorry, not a Beatles song, but one with which I thought most people would be quite familiar!

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When paths are rough
And pain surrounds;
As darkness comes,
Trouble confounds .

You fall so hard,
Your dreams delayed;
Weary and small,
Yet there’s a way.

Just lean on me
In cold of night;
Dry your eyes,
Refocus sight.

Your star’s bright glow
Above the ridge
Will guide our walk;
We’ll cross that bridge.

By Donna JT Smith, 08/21/2019

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It’s not wise to rush change,

Just relax, take it slowly.

Give it time, think it through,

Hasten not to make a new you.

Savor time, thank a lot

If you choose, you can tarry

Go inside, trust yourself, and be happy.

by Cory Corrado (2019)
(Not a Beatles song either)

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words whispered today

answering life’s mysteries

spreading love to all

Kathleen Mazurowski

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I created a #ditty #poemsong for my granddaughter about waking up in the morning. See my post at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2019/08/expressing-myself-artistically.html for the poem and ditty video. The poem is below.

sweet darling
behind clouds of gray
comes the sun
welcoming
you to greet another day
peek-a-boo hello
©CV, 2019

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In a moment, life shifts.
New troubles arrive.
Shadows multiply,
hiding the sun.

But I choose
to believe.

©Molly Hogan, 2019

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for Lee, by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

The carousel horse
has a tear in its eye.
No fairy floss wants to be spun.
Flowers are wilting,
curtains are drawn,
jugglers say they are done.

The dreamers felt helpless,
chose not to believe it—
"It's just an illusion!" they cried.
But words had collected,
trembling in corners,
afraid that The Muse had died.

They hoped for a rainbow—
a sign or a vision
of what their future might be,
when along came a child
who picked up a poem
and eagerly started to read.

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Today I'm contributing to a collective celebration of the life and work of Lee Bennett Hopkins with an original poem inspired by a line from one of Lee's poems.

The Merry-Go-Round Horse
by Lee Bennett Hopkins

The merry-go-round
horse has a tear in its eye
left by the spring rain.

From The Sky is Full of Song (Harper & Row, 1983)

The Show Must Go On
for Lee, by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

The carousel horsecurtains are drawn,
has a tear in its eye.
No fairy floss wants to be spun.
jugglers say they are done.

The dreamers felt helpless,
chose not to believe it-
"It's just an illusion!" they cried.
But words had collected,
trembling in corners,
afraid that The Muse had died.

They hoped for a rainbow-
a sign or a vision
of what their future might be,
when along came a child
who picked up a poem
and eagerly started to read.
Flowers are wilting,

My poem was also inspired by Jesse Anna Bornemann's ditty challenge to use selected words from a well-known song. And because I'm not very good at keeping secrets, here's the song that helped to inspire my words. Feel free to sing along with Kermit. It might make you feel better-it did for me.

The winner of last week's giveaway for a signed copy of Once Upon a Twisted Tale, by Gayle C. Krause, illustrated by Caroline O'Neal (Clear Fork/Spork, 2019) is...

MARGARET SIMON - Congratulations, Margaret!

Only one week to go for this month's challenge to write a poem inspired by song lyrics. Click HERE for full instructions, and to post your poem for the challenge. Don't miss the new contributions this week by Donna JT Smith, Cory Corrado, Kathleen Mazurowski, and Carol Varsalona, and join us next Friday for a rockin' end-of-month wrap-up celebration!

For more tributes to Lee Bennett Hopkins, visit this week's celebration of his life, words, and works, hosted by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm. #DearOneLBH

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DMC: "The Show Must Go On" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

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Today I'm contributing to a collective celebration of the life and work of Lee Bennett Hopkins with an original poem inspired by a line from one of Lee's poems. The Merry-Go-Round Horse by Lee Bennett Hopkins The merry-go-round horse has a tear in its eyeleft by the spring rain.

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[ apologies  to Paul McCartney/The Beatles & appreciations to poetry editor

Michelle Barnes requesting August 2019, a poem written to song lyrics, at the behest of a Florida poet new to me Jesse Anna Bornemann- great ideaJesse!]

Condo, mangrove

by JG Annino

You say build, I say plant

You say fill, I say no no no, oh plant

You say build and I say plant

You say condo and I say mangrove

mangrove mangrove

I don't know why you say condo, I say mangrove

mangrove, mangrove

I don't know why you say condo, I say mangrove

You say build and I say plant

You say fill, I say no no no, oh plant

You say build and I say plant

You say condo and I say sea grape

sea grape, sea grape

I don't know why you say condo, I say sea grape

sea grape, sea grape

I don't know why you say condo, I say sea grape

You say build and I say plant

You say fill, I say no no no, oh plant

You say build and I say plant

You say condo and I say sea oats

sea oats, sea oats

I don't know why you say condo, I say sea oats

sea oats, sea oats

I don't know why you say condo, I say sea oats

Why why why why why do you say condo

condo condo

Oh no

You say build and I say plant

You say fill, I say plant plant plant

oh plant

I don't know why you say build, I say plant plant

©JanGodownAnninoallrightsreserved

23Aug2019

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Life is a flicker
and mine will die away soon,
but I hope you dance
and remember my brief light
that joined yours—carry on.

(C) Sherry Howard

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What Does the Foreman Say? by Heidi Bee Roemer

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What Does the Foreman Say? by Heidi Bee Roemer

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(Variation of "What Does the Fox Say?" by Ylvis)

Saw goes BUZZ!
Hammer goes BANG!

And the carpenter says, "OW!"

[He hits his thumb with a hammer.]

Wrench goes SQUEAK!

Pipes go CLUNK!

And the plumber, says, "OW! OW!"              [He bumps his head under the sink.]

Wire goes HISS!

Cutters go SNIP!

The electrician, he says, "OW!"                     [He dodges flying sparks.]

Mortar goes GLOP!

Bricks go THUNK!

And the bricklayer says, "OW! OW!"                [He stubs his toe on a brick.]

These are sounds

the foreman hears--

What does the foreman say?

Buzz-buzz, buzz-buzz, buzz- buzz, BANG!

Squeak-squeak,  squeak-squeak, squeak-squeak, CLUNK!

Hiss-hiss, hiss-hiss, hiss-hiss, SNIP!

Glip-glop, glip-glop, glip-glop, THUNK!

Glitzy bling

or thick work gloves?                         [Asks Carpenter to choose.]

Tiara or a hardhat?                             [Asks Plumber to choose.]

Foam flipflops

or tough steel-toed boots?                  [Asks Bricklayer to choose.]

Goggles or a skunk  mask?                 [Asks Electrician to choose.]

These are things

the foreman asks--

What does the foreman say?

"Cha-cha, cha-cha, cha-cha, CHOW!

Pa-pa, pa- pa, pa-pa. pa-pa, POW!

Where's your equipment?
Find it now.

"Hee-hee, hee-hee, hee-hee, HOW!

Chee-chee, chee-chee, chee-chee, chee-chee, WOW!

If you put safety first,

you won't say, "'OW!'"

Copyright @ 2019 by Heidi Bee Roemer

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A nod to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Any Dream Will Do" from JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

I close my eyes, try not to fret it.

But I don’t get it. I don’t have a clue.

There are weird words that can mean their inverse.

And to me that’s quite perverse:

any emoji will do. 🤔

Take the word “fine.” Try to define it,

and then assign it another meaning, too.

Think “excellent.”👏 Or “only good enough.” 👎

These meanings are confusing stuff:

any emoji will do. 😣

Conflicting meanings fuel my woes.

Words with meanings that oppose—

their definitions fade to darkness.

I am left confused. 😩

May I return to this burning 😡 issue?

I’ll need a tissue 😢 defining “wind up,” too.

It means “to start.” 📡 It means “to end.” 🤚

Impossible to comprehend:

any emoji will do. 😖

Conflicting meanings fuel my woes.

Words with meanings that oppose—

their definitions fade to darkness.

I am left confused. 🤯

I close my eyes, try not to fret it.

But I still don’t get it. I don’t have a clue.

Confusing words like “cleave” and words like “give out”

overwhelm me with angst and doubt:

any emoji will do.😟

Helen Kemp Zax

Copyright @ 2019 by Helen Kemp Zax

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Our yard is teeming with life.
Each evening, deer wander through,
Happy to forage on grass
And golden apples that have fallen,
A ring of sweets under the tree.

Our yard is teeming with life.
Each evening, a band of crickets
And other insects
Sing their summer song.

Each evening, a hawk
perches high in the pine tree,
waiting to spot a mouse
Running home to his burrow.

Our yard is teeming with life.

Catherine Flynn, Draft © 2019

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For Tabatha

Lift up your head, you

who’ve given us all so much– You must

relish all our praise, for we appreciate

your acts of poetic kindness, and the

joy you bring us lights up our day!

© 2019 Michelle Kogan

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even when kaleidoscope clouds
fracture the sun
with dark
lies
diamonds dance deep
in her eyes
‘cross a bridge to
looking glass
skies

2019 Kay Jernigan McGriff

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Plenty or nothing,

What will it be?

Plenty is never

Enough for me.

Nothing or plenty,

What will I choose?

I am only free

When I’ve nothing to lose.

Juanita Havill

copyright 2019

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Being full of grace,

Mother Mary speaks to me.

Softly, let it be.

2019 Sandie Vaisnoras