Hi everyone! Thanks for coming to the Poetry Friday party today! I'm so glad you stopped by.
Last week, Mary Lee Hahn reminded us of the August Poetry Peeps challenge:
We’re writing after the style of Jane Yolen’s eight line, rhyming poem, “What the Bear Knows,” a poem written in honor of her 400th book, Bear Outside. Our topic is What the ____ Knows.
I love Jane Yolen's work and was excited to take on this challenge.
We love to hike, and one of our favorite things to do when hiking is to look and listen for marmots. They are abundant in the Swiss Alps, and we have spent many a peaceful hour watching them, as other impatient hikers pass us by, unaware that silence and patience will be rewarded with glimpses like this:
I'm looking forward to reading the other Poetry Peeps responses, as well as all of your poetic goodness. Thanks for joining the party! You can add your links here.
Hi, Elisabeth - Thanks for hosting! (There is a message on your page now, Thurs. eve. at 7:19 pm US EDT, that the Link Party won't open for 7 hours?) My post is in memory of my daughter's dear dog, with a link to a Scots-laden "dug" poem:
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Your colorful marmot poem captures their playful magic - I've only seen them once out west in the US, but found them irresistible to watch!
What a delightful poem about marmots Elisabeth—I loved learning more about them, the alpine flowers, and the adventuresome romp of your poem too! Sounds enchanting there, thanks for the virtual visit, and also for hosting the Roundup this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Elizabeth! Your Marmot seems to have a nice life and with the shorter days and colder nights, our lives change in similar ways. The challenge is a great way to celebrate Yolan's work.
ReplyDeleteoooooh, I love the pups playing in the burrow. I'm not sure that I've seen a marmot. How fascinating!
ReplyDeleteAlways a challenge to write in someone else's style - and doubly so when it's Jane! Nicely done, though - this is what Marmot knows, and I feel liek I know Marmot better now!
ReplyDeleteI love the wonderful images and sounds in your marmot poem, especially the pups playing by the burrow and the whistled warning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the round-up. My Poetry Friday post goes live in a few hours--it includes my first tricube poem and a reminder to enter our TeachingAuthors giveaway of Lisa Sukenic's debut verse novel, Miles from Motown, before it ends. But apparently the link party doesn't open for 4 more hours. I'll be in bed then, so I'll be back in the morning to add my link: https://www.teachingauthors.com/2021/08/tricube-poem-and-giveaway-reminder.html
Oh, I'm so happy you took on the challenge -- and I LOVE MARMOTS (aka whistle pigs). Thanks for hosting, and here's my link:https://lizgartonscanlon.com/2021/08/poetry-project-august-2021/
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting Poetry Friday today. I was all set to continue writing with the Poetry Sisters and their end-of-August challenge but Linda Mitchell and I came up with a new swap. Thanks for sharing your poem. Since I don't know much about a marmot, I found your poem to be full of interesting pieces of information set across three seasons. You captured what they know quite nicely.
ReplyDeleteComing from a land that is marmot free, your focus on these little creatures is revelatory Elisabeth. I have several Jane Yolen books, so your focus on her writing is a welcome reminder. Writing in the style of another author is something I regularly invite young writers to try. I often reference it as writing 'under the influence' which is a side joke their teachers get, but the kids remain oblivious. First we imitate, then we innovate...
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting and your marmot words -'zigzag trails across the steeps.'
Because I've been a bit hit and miss with Poetry Friday, I missed this - but you do make me want to try it. And since this week I had a minor lament about missing just-for-fun poetry, (and promptly dabbled) - I'm keen to add this one to my list for this week. Just for the joy of it! (Whistle pigs. Love that, Liz!) So many senses engaged through your poem; warm earth, alpine flowers to taste and a shrill whistle warning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting us today!
*Swoon* Marmots are one of my favorite things about living in Switzerland and your poem captures their awesomeness perfectly. And coming from someone who has tried to photograph these critters, your pic is fabulous. Thanks for hosting! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Elisabeth! Thanks for sharing what a marmot knows (and also what a patient hiker knows :-) ) I like the contrast of coziness and whistled warnings. Thanks also for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, and thanks for playing along, Elizabeth! It's been a lot of years since I've seen marmots, but they are unforgettable, and you've captured their essence perfectly in your poem!
ReplyDeleteElisabeth, I had not realized you're coming to us from the Alps--I too have been rewarded with the sight of marmottes in the area around Courchevel, where my brother-in-law lives. I learned a lot from your poem! My favorite line is "zig-zag trails across the steeps"--and now I'm off to see if our prairie dogs are related to your marmots. Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting this week and for sharing your delightful marmot poem. Your rhyming is so natural and I appreciate the move from summer to winter after that warning whistle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the delightful visit to the Swiss Alps and marmots, filled with sensory delights and paired with the terrific photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Elisabeth. I loved how your poem started in spring and ended in winter, going right through the seasons in just eight lines. I felt like I was right there with the marmots watching them run about. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteElisabeth, thank you for hosting, and for your lovely marmot poem! Jane Yolen's 400 books is definitely something to celebrate. Wow!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth... I love your poem and also the marmots. As I mention in my post, I almost sat on one when on vacation as a kid. The marmots had become used to tourists feeding them, and one was sitting on a rock... almost shared it with me! Haha. Anyway, thanks for sharing and hosting, and good luck spotting more marmots.
ReplyDeleteHi, Elisabeth and thank you for hosting Poetry Friday today! Love this glimpse into your Swiss life and the marmots you encounter on your hikes there. Love the strong sound qualities of your poem too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Elisabeth! You've brought a favorite memory in your special poem. I love hiking and seeing those marmots in our Rockies!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful marmot poem and photo too. I want to reach in and hug it! You really capture the life I imagine in that picture, and I love the ending. Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad you joined the fun! I love marmots, and I really like your poem! Happy Friday.
ReplyDeleteHi Elisabeth! Thanks for hosting! I agree that there is so much in nature that people have to slow down (and even wait) to be able to appreciate. I'm so glad you did not rush by like the other hikers and were able to get this great photo as well as gather words for your poem!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great group of marmot traits and haunts in your poem, Elisabeth! I enjoyed recalling whistling on a Juneau, Alaska hike and discovering that it was a marmot just off from the trail. The one in your image looks like a Mama marmot on the lookout! Marmot pups must be adorable. Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday for all of us!
ReplyDeleteI had such a busy day I completely forgot to come here and add my link until just now. I'm so glad you joined in our challenge...your poem is filled with marmot-ty wonderfulness...it makes me want to know more. And ending with that winter's sleep is just perfect.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting the roundup this week. Now I really want to see a marmot after reading your poem. I like the way the poem experiences the seasons so effortlessly.
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