Poetry Friday Roundup: Starry Beach

Posted on November 4, 2011 by laurasalas

Welcome to Poetry Friday! This is my first time hosting here at my new (and still being decorated) bloghome on WordPress, and I’m happy you’re here!

Here’s a poem I wrote earlier this year. It’s part of a batch of seashell poems I wrote to submit to a themed magazine. None were accepted, but I’m hoping to revise a few of them and send them out somewhere else. Maybe. Or maybe not.

Photo: Nhobgood Nick Hobgood

Starry Beach

Magic paints the beach at night
Moonlight pours down, liquid, bright
World of water, sky of sand
A sea star twinkles in my hand

Bony home’s been left behind
Jeweled treasure, night-time find
Five rays gleaming, small but grand
A sea star twinkles in my hand

Gritty beauty, brittle star
I don’t wonder what you are
Stony gems bedeck each strand
A sea star twinkles in my hand

Please leave a comment, too, if you have time!

71 thoughts on “Poetry Friday Roundup: Starry Beach”

Ben @ The Small Nouns on November 5, 2011 at 12:38 pm said:

Your poem is beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Two weeks in a row now, I’m late to the Poetry Friday game. BUT it’s Friday somewhere right? No? Oh well.

http://thesmallnouns.blogspot.com/2011/11/poetry-friday-looking-to-past.html

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:24 am said:
  
  No problem! Glad you got here!
  
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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:29 am said:
  
  P.S. I liked the poem you shared–especially
  
  I got six overdues,
  suspension of borrowing rights
  and a D in Physics
  but had by heart what Archimedes proves.
  
  But I couldn’t leave a Comment. The Comment box wouldn’t load on my page.
  
  Reply ↓
Iphigene on November 5, 2011 at 3:08 am said:

Hi Laura
Thanks for hosting and welcome to WordPress!
I love the lines ” Gritty beauty, Brittle Star” I guess I keep thinking it can mean so much more than a starfish.
Here’s our contribution to poetry friday: http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/dahls-revolting-rhyme/

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:30 am said:
  
  Thanks! It’s always lovely (and instructive) to hear which words or phrases readers connect to:>)
  
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macrush53 on November 5, 2011 at 2:50 am said:

I love your new site. And that photo with the poem is fantastic.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:32 am said:
  
  Thanks so much!
  
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Ruth on November 4, 2011 at 10:19 pm said:

Thanks for hosting! I love your starfish poem. I’m sharing Jan Owen’s poem “First Love” today.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:32 am said:
  
  Thanks, Ruth!
  
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Charles Ghigna (Father Goose) on November 4, 2011 at 7:44 pm said:

Hello, again!
I think there was a kink in link I posted.
Here’s the good link, I think: The BALD EGO Blog

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:36 am said:
  
  Thanks–gorgeous artwork!
  
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Joyce Ray on November 4, 2011 at 7:06 pm said:

Laura, I’m not sharing today, but love Starry Beach! My favorite line is “Gritty beauty, brittle star.” And the allusion to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” with “I don’t wonder what you are” and the repetitive last line of each stanza is perfect.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:37 am said:
  
  Thanks, Joyce, for taking the time to let me know what worked best for you! Enjoy all of this week’s poems!
  
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Julie Larios on November 4, 2011 at 5:10 pm said:

Oh, my gosh – I misspelled Steven’s name – that’s STEVEN Withrow – how silly of me.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:38 am said:
  
  We’ll call it poetic license:>)
  
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Lorie Ann Grover on November 4, 2011 at 5:07 pm said:

Love your poem, Laura! May many enjoy the imagery and sound! Thanks for hosting. :~)

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:38 am said:
  
  Thanks very much, Lorie Ann!
  
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Julie Larios on November 4, 2011 at 5:06 pm said:

Oh, there’s nothing like the beach at night, is there? Lovely poem, Laura.

I put my Poetry Friday link up with Mr. Linky – but I’ll repeat it here: This week at
The Drift Record I’m featuring a poem by Stephen Withrow and linking to the interview of him over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:39 am said:
  
  Thanks, Julie–the beach (and family) is the only thing I miss about Florida!
  
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Linda Baie on November 4, 2011 at 4:38 pm said:

I guess I should have left a link. I found a lovely nature poem from Australia from a naturalist of long ago. http://teacherdance.blogspot.com/

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mwebster76 on November 4, 2011 at 4:33 pm said:

I also forgot to post a link to my blog… In honor of Poetry Friday, today I shared a poem by Andrea Carlisle titled, “Emily Dickonson’s To-Do List.”
http://writeontheworld.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/emily-dickinsons-to-do-list/

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Tara on November 4, 2011 at 3:48 pm said:

Oops…I forgot to leave a link to my blog, where I’ve posted about a new poet I’ve discovered, Rachel Contreni Flynn, and a poetry website I “discovered.”
http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/

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Janet Squires on November 4, 2011 at 3:09 pm said:

Thanks for hosting.
My selection is “Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors” poems by Joyce Sidman and illustrations by Beckie Prange.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:40 am said:
  
  Such a fantastic book! I’m just realizing I went to all the links in Mister Linky and I don’t think yours was in there–was it? Maybe I just missed it…
  
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jeannine atkins on November 4, 2011 at 2:38 pm said:

Hi, Laura, new poem, new blog site, new book! Looks like a good fall for you, Laura!

I wrote about poetry and P*Tag at http://jeannineatkinsonwritingandstuff.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/poetry-picture-books-and-ptag/

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:41 am said:
  
  Thanks, Jeannine–and congrats again on your lovely poem in p*tag!
  
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jama on November 4, 2011 at 1:39 pm said:

Oh, starfish! Love your poem!
Today I’m pondering teakettles over at alphabet soup.
Thanks for hosting today! Your new blog home is wonderful *wanders off to look around*. . .

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:41 am said:
  
  Thanks, Jama–and don’t look too hard. Lots of unpacked boxes lying around:>)
  
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Elaine M. on November 4, 2011 at 1:24 pm said:

Laura,

Thanks for doing the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.

At Wild Rose Reader, I have a post about the poetry anthology “Dare to Dream…Change the World.” It includes a letter poem that I wrote to Jonas Salk. (That poem is not the one that will be included in the book.)

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:42 am said:
  
  Thanks, Elaine–my anthology-mate:>)
  
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Elaine M. on November 4, 2011 at 1:21 pm said:

Laura,

Thanks for doing the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.

At Wild Rose Reader, I have a post about the poetry anthology “Dare to Dream…Change the World.” It includes a letter poem that I wrote to Jonas Salk. (That Salk poem won’t be included in the book.)

http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2011/11/dare-to-dreamchange-world-poetry.html

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The Write Sisters on November 4, 2011 at 1:16 pm said:

Lovely poem, Laura.

The Write Sisters share a reflection on Poetry (and art) in society, from a speech by President Kennedy:
.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:43 am said:
  
  Thanks for playing. I’ve been having a great time really committing to visiting every post this PF!
  
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Marjorie (PaperTigers) on November 4, 2011 at 1:08 pm said:

Thank you for hosting. And I love your poem – I’ve always liked the topsy-turviness of stars in the sea too
Over at PaperTigers, I have extracts from some of the many children’s poems included in the stunning Children of the World by Anthony Asael and Stephanie Rabemiafara – http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/poetry-friday-art-and-poetry-in-all-of-us/

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:44 am said:
  
  Thanks, Marjorie!
  
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mwebster76 on November 4, 2011 at 12:57 pm said:

Is it Friday again already? 8/
Happy Poetry Friday, thanks for hosting!

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:44 am said:
  
  Oh, how the weeks fly by, right?
  
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Karen Edmisten on November 4, 2011 at 12:42 pm said:

Laura, that’s lovely. Congrats on your new home here! Enjoy getting settled in.

I’m in this week with Barbara Crooker. Thanks for hosting.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:45 am said:
  
  Thanks, Karen. It will be nice once I’m all unpacked:>)
  
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Linda Baie on November 4, 2011 at 12:24 pm said:

I love the references to the nursery rhyme: “I don’t wonder what you are”, and that you are so sweetly talking to the seastar.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:45 am said:
  
  Thanks, Linda! I love hearing which lines/aspects of a poem work best for readers:>)
  
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Tara on November 4, 2011 at 12:22 pm said:

Thank you for hosting, Laura. I just love that first stanza in particualr – magic!

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:46 am said:
  
  Thanks so much, Tara!
  
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Maria Horvath on November 4, 2011 at 11:23 am said:

Thank you for hosting, Laura.

And good luck! with your poems.

For Poetry Friday, my blog is featuring a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay that is just beautiful to read out loud.

http://www.ghpoetryplace.blogspot.com/

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:46 am said:
  
  Thanks, Maria!
  
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Robyn Hood Black on November 4, 2011 at 11:14 am said:

Thanks for hosting in your new digs, Laura! Your poem is lovely – I’m particularly taken with “Gritty beauty, brittle star” too. I’m all about the celestial variety today, or rather, howling at the moon at: http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=821585

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:47 am said:
  
  Thanks, Robyn! I love astronomical poems of all sorts:>)
  
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tadmack on November 4, 2011 at 11:12 am said:

Twinkle, twinkle, starry beach
Seaside magic’s in my reach.

I always feel so rich with a handful of shells. Like this one.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:47 am said:
  
  Thanks, Tanita!
  
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dmayr on November 4, 2011 at 11:00 am said:

Good job, Laura. I, too, found myself singing it–and it scanned so well I didn’t falter!

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:47 am said:
  
  Excellent–I love to hear that:>)
  
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Laura Shovan on November 4, 2011 at 10:47 am said:

Hi, Laura. Thanks for hosting. I love the line, “Bony home’s been left behind” — and what a beautiful photograph.

I’m talking about the economy with younger kids today, using Gary Soto’s “How Things Work” as a jumping off point for discussion. http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2011/11/poetry-friday-talking-to-kids-about.html

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:48 am said:
  
  Thank you, Laura. Love to hear what works for you!
  
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Heidi Mordhorst on November 4, 2011 at 10:16 am said:

Back later to enjoy today’s offerings–new site looks great, Laura. Thanks for hosting.

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- laurasalas on November 4, 2011 at 10:45 am said:
  
  Thanks, Heidi!
  
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Mary Lee on November 4, 2011 at 9:45 am said:

Your poem could definitely be sung to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!” Very fun. Such vivid images: “Gritty beauty, brittle star”
“bony home”
“World of water, sky of sand”
Lovely!

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:59 am said:
  
  Thanks, Mary Lee!
  
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Tabatha on November 4, 2011 at 8:53 am said:

Enjoyed your poem, Laura! Thanks for sharing it with us.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 3:59 am said:
  
  Thanks, Tabatha:>)
  
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April Halprin Wayland on November 4, 2011 at 8:35 am said:

Hey, Laura ~

Beautiful poem. Love the refrain. I found myself singing the whole thing.

So they didn’t buy it? Fools, FOOLS!

For Poetry Friday I’ve posted five short dog poems…write one back to me!
http://www.teachingauthors.com/2011/11/dog-poems-for-poetry-friday.html

Thanks for hosting!

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- laurasalas on November 4, 2011 at 10:44 am said:
  
  Hey, April! I see you made it in this morning–yay! I was going to add you from the message you left last night. Anyway, I’ll be over to check out your dog poems later today!
  
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Amy LV on November 4, 2011 at 4:10 am said:

First of all, congratulations on your new blog! I love starfish too – “bony home…gritty beauty…stony gems” Yes! And “twinkling” is a perfect connection to sea stars from TWINKLE TWINKLE…this was so lovely that I found myself singing your poem as I read.
Today I have a poem from history, inspired by a npr StoryCorps story. http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2011/11/history-into-poetry-luigi-del-bianco.html
Thank you for hosting…I look forward to seeing you at NCTE! A.

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- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 4:01 am said:
  
  Thanks, Amy, for the kind words. It will be great to see you at NCTE–you’re on my list of great online poetry resources for teachers!
  
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Charles Ghigna (Father Goose) on November 4, 2011 at 3:32 am said:

Thanks for hosting, Laura!
Love the way your “magic” imagery “paints the beach!”

Featuring two new poems, “Tree of Life” and “Heart Art,”
and my favorite new young artist at
ART SHOW

Reply ↓
- laurasalas on November 6, 2011 at 4:02 am said:
  
  Thanks, Charles!
  
  Reply ↓

laurasalas

writing the world for kids

Poetry Friday Roundup: Starry Beach

71 thoughts on “Poetry Friday Roundup: Starry Beach”

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