Poetry Friday - The Ravens

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Christie blog, Wondering and Wandering, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Summer is winding down--my daughter is back in school, and my husband starts teaching again in a couple of weeks. While I love having both kids and my husband home, I am excited for the routine that comes with school.

Christie over at Wondering and Wandering put up a bird-related poem challenge. I have been wanting to try my hand again at a golden shovel poem, so I decided to pick a line from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven". We're getting closer and closer to October, so I'll take any chance I can get to bring out the spookiness.

Originally, I planned on having my poem be informational. Did you know a group of them is called an "unkindness" or a "conspiracy"? Or that they're the world's largest songbird? Or that they play pranks?

As I started writing the poem, though, it kind of morphed into something completely different. The original poem doesn't tell us what happens to the narrator, so I decided to explore that a bit. It's a first draft, and the nature of the Golden Shovel made consistent meter quite difficult. But it was a blast to futz around with.

The Ravens

after "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe

A conspiracy of passerines perched in the potter’s field-then

startled by my passing by, this

sooty cloak whipped to the sky. Ebony

wings beat through the air, no common bird

were these. Their croaking cries, beguiling

calls, were meant to just deceive. Twas not my

name they squawked that night which stoked sad

embers in my soul. The desire for her return--pure fancy--

so now I go to my Lenore. Perched atop this precipice I gaze into

The black below. I know she waits. Lenore will greet me, smiling.

Poetry Friday - Inktober Finale

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Linda's blog, Teacher Dance, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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I am giving away a copy of Ben Hatke's Mighty Jack and the Goblin King!

 Be sure to enter!

I did it! 31 poems in 31 days. It may seem like a small feat to some, but I'm pretty proud of myself. Most of them won't see the light of day after this month, a few turned out pretty good, and ALL of them were absolutely fun to write. Which were your favorites?

I am hoping to keep the momentum going as I start NaNoWriMo. Because I did Inktober, I know to expect the mid-month slump and that I can power through it. This is always a fun time of year. 

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 4

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Brenda Davis Harsham's blog, Friendly Fairy Tales, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Another week has gone by and Halloween is almost here! I have managed to squeak out more poems and drawings for Inktober. With just five more days to go, I'm in the home stretch and I think I'll actually be able to accomplish this fairly lofty (for me) goal.

This is a true story. I really used to pretend that I could pop my eye out and spy on people. 

That smooshed words in the 4th line are "your amber eyes steal"

See you next week for the thrilling conclusion of my Poetry Inktober Project!

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 3

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Leigh Anne's blog, A Day in the Life, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Well, I almost threw in the towel this week. Things got a bit hectic and I started telling myself that, while this poetry Inktober project is really fun, my time could be spent doing other things. But I decided that pushing through and finishing a writing commitment was reason enough to keep going. Especially with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) coming up next month. When it gets tough next month, I'll be able to look back and say "Hey! You finished Inktober! You've got this!"

Last week, Michelle Barnes suggested I write one on a childhood fear for her DMC challenge. Funnily, I had written this poem that morning. She was kind enough to share it on Today's Little Ditty. If you read the comments on the post, you can see some of the reasons dolls still creep me out!

This one is inspired by one of my favorite childhood poems/songs, "The Hearse Song" (you can see that my love of the macabre started young.) I first read it in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz.

Don't ask what happened to this one...I think the gargoyle got into a fist fight or something.

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 2

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Irene Latham's blog, Live Your Poem to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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It's Friday the 13th and I am happy to say that I haven't missed a day yet of Inktober! I am doing way better than my poem-a-day goal back in the month of April (I eeked out one poem that month). 

I have been having a lot of fun, mostly because it has been sort of playful and not anything to take too seriously. I find it easier to write in general when I  have fun, don't treat everything as precious, and understand that it's not going to be perfect on the first shot. And you know what has been happening? I've written a few that I'm quite pleased with and may work on to get them polished. It's been a great exercise so far! 

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 1

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to visit Violet Nesdoly's Blog to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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It's October! Hooray! I'm traveling right now to visit family, so I am a bit strapped for time. This past week I've been writing poetry and drawing for my poetry Inktober. Below are the first 5 days. It has been great finding a reason to write some poetry each day and the creepy theme has been fun too. I hope that you enjoy!

Inktober with a Twist

October is almost here! It is my most favorite time of the year. And to celebrate, I'm taking on a new crazy Frankenstein-type project.

 A few years ago, my husband started participating in Inktober. The challenge is to complete one ink drawing a day, every day in October and then post it online. Sounds pretty fun, right?

Well, I am no artist. Below is a sample of my drawing abilities.

*not drawn in ink

So, you're probably wondering why on earth would I want to take on such a project? Because I'm going to mash it up with writing! I'm combining Inktober with A-Poem-A-Day to create a new monster project. Bwahaha! It's alive!! I thought it would be interesting to see how art could get the creative juices flowing for some poetry. And besides, do we really need an excuse to do art, even if we do it badly?

Many people like to do a theme for their Inktober, so I decided to put one together. I'm going to be doing mostly short-form poetry like limericks, tanka, and haikus. By the end of the month, I will have a collection of spooky poetry. And some bad drawings. What do I have to lose?

Poetry Friday - Crazy Kids

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to Laura's page, Writing the World for Kids, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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It is a good thing that October is in sight because I feel like a zombie. it's 8:45pm and I'm falling asleep writing this post! So it's going to be a short one this week.

I have been prepping for my newest challenge: Inktober. I am no artist, but I like to doodle. So, I've decided to write a short poem each day in October and then draw something to go along with it. I'll be posting a bit more in detail tomorrow, but I am excited to have some fun with it.

Speaking of zombies, I stumbled across an interesting poetry book: Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum. The whole book is written in haiku snippets and takes the reader on the journey of a guy who has been bitten and is turning into a zombie. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it seems like it’s right up my alley. Here is one of haiku’s from the book:

Biting into heads 

is much harder than it looks. 

The skull is feisty.

© Ryan Mecum, 2008

I decided to write my own haiku of what has turned me into a zombie this week. 

Sweet angelic babe

Banshee-wails throughout the night

Parents never sleep

© Rebecca Herzog, 2017

My daughter read it over my shoulder as I was writing and insisted that I also write one about her and her love for video games (she wants to be a game designer and voice actor when she grows up). So I obliged.

There once was a girl who liked games

Who quickly won all the acclaim

With daring and poise

She beat all the boys

And now she has fortune and fame 

© Rebecca Herzog, 2017

I hope that everyone's week has gone well and that you have a spectacular beginning of October. It's my favorite.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XII (RIPXII)

Two years ago in November (2015), I discovered the R.I.P community reading challenge. Anyone who has been around me for even a little bit knows that I am head over heels in love with Autumn, Halloween and anything creepy. And I also love to read. It's like the R.I.P. challenge was created just for me!

Of course it was too late to officially participate the year I discover it, but I was so excited to give it a go the following year (2016). Fast forward 10 months, and I was 8 months pregnant and moving across country. Needless to say, I stalled again.

So, it is because of this that I am so incredibly excited to announce my participation THIS year! Hooray! Happy dance all around. Here are the 6 books I hope to read over the next few weeks.

What spooky books are you reading this Fall? Do you have any creepy book recommendations? Leave me a comment below!