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Poetry Friday: The Party is Here!

 Welcome everyone to Poetry Friday! If you're new to Poetry Friday, you can read more about it here.

I've been chasing deadlines all week, but poetry always provides a welcome pause in the busiest of schedules. Perhaps because of the kind of writing I've been doing (which is not related to poetry at all) it was a bit hard to get started on a poem this week. I looked at a few of the poetic forms I've bookmarked over the past months, but in the end, turned to one of my favorite forms, the acrostic. 

February (an acrostic poem): February Enters cloaked in ice fog, Bringing Rain and sleet. Under grey skies we Adjust scarves and gloves, Raise hoods, and Yearn for spring © Elisabeth Norton, 2022, All rights reserved

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  1. Amy LVFebruary 3, 2022 at 5:26 PM

    Oh, this is a lovely acrostic. I like acrostics that don't stop me at the end of each line, and yours is such a one...and yes...that yearning. Here south of Buffalo, NY, we feel it, keep knitting, keep drinking hot chocolate. Thank you for this hosting...and this hope. xo

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  2. jamaFebruary 3, 2022 at 5:59 PM

    Love acrostics, and yours is a lovely way to mark February (where did January go?). Thanks so much for hosting this week!!

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  3. jamaFebruary 3, 2022 at 6:13 PM

    Love acrostics! Yours is a lovely way to mark February (where did January go?) As it's been especially cold this winter, the yearning for Spring has definitely begun. Thanks for hosting this week (my link goes live at 6 a.m. EST).

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  4. mbhmaineFebruary 3, 2022 at 10:06 PM

    I love a well-written acrostic! They are a great form in and of themselves and also a way to dive into a new topic and spark ideas. February does have some challenges and the yearning for spring is real. Thanks for hosting this week!

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  5. Linda MitchellFebruary 4, 2022 at 12:41 AM

    oooooh, I love a good acrostic. When I need to focus or buckle-down on something, an acrostic helps me. Poetry to the rescue! Best of luck on your deadlines. I'm wishing you lots of words as good as 'February' and that "ice fog. Thanks for hosting.

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  6. Mary LeeFebruary 4, 2022 at 1:08 AM

    I love your acrostic! It is perfect for this SNOWY day! I am definitely yearning to see all those bulbs I planted way back in October. Thanks for hosting this week!

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  7. Robyn Hood BlackFebruary 4, 2022 at 1:52 AM

    Beautiful poem, Elisabeth! My hubby and I were just talking about those recent pictures of ice fog in the news... we don't have that down here on the SC coast. Sea fog, though! Thanks for this lovely marking of time and seasons, and for hosting us all this week.

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  8. Michelle KoganFebruary 4, 2022 at 2:01 AM

    Lovely flowing acrostic Elisabeth, I especially like the ending "Yearn for spring." Nice image too, I'm picking out the bits of green in there and longing for more… Thanks for hosting the Roundup!

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  9. April Halprin WaylandFebruary 4, 2022 at 2:20 AM

    Elisabeth ~ thank you for hosting this week! February is different in my galaxy (So Calif). My hat's off to you and your acrostic. I just tried to write an acrostic showing the Calif side of February and failed miserably. So here's my short response: February? /Brrrrrr!/(But not /here)

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  10. Matt Forrest EsenwineFebruary 4, 2022 at 3:31 AM

    Rain, sleet, and ice fog are exactly what we're dealing with right now in New Hampshire! Perfect little poem for the start of this month, Elisabeth. Thanks for hosting!

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  11. Alan j WrightFebruary 4, 2022 at 3:32 AM

    Elisabeth, your poem possesses all the atmospheric elements a good poem requires. I can feel the encroaching cold. If you like Acrostic poetry, then you would surely love, The Lost Words, by Robert Macfarlane. A beautifully illustrated book celebrating the lost words of the natural world using acrostic structured poems, the writer calls 'spells.' Stay warm and thank you for hosting.

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  12. Linda BFebruary 4, 2022 at 4:10 AM

    Oh, February is beginning with just what you wrote, Elisabeth. We don't have ice fog but plenty of snow and cold, ice crystals on windows. I love that the acrostic fits so well. Thanks for hosting!

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  13. Karen EastlundFebruary 4, 2022 at 5:27 AM

    Rain and fog here today in NJ also. I generally enjoy winter, but today brought a damp chill that makes me yearn for warm sun of spring. Loved your poem. Thanks for hosting.

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  14. Bridget MageeFebruary 4, 2022 at 8:01 AM

    We're under the same 'cloak of ice fog', Elisabeth. Acrostics are great for letting our frosty emotions get 'down' to business to become a poem - well done. Happy February and thanks for hosting today! :)

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  15. Heidi MordhorstFebruary 4, 2022 at 1:22 PM

    Elisabeth, those last four lines are precisely right...winter is tiresome now, and the yearning has began in earnest! Thanks for hosting--I have a weather poem too.

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  16. Irene LathamFebruary 4, 2022 at 2:02 PM

    Elisabeth, thank you for hosting and for that moody February poem! It's wet and cold here but in the ditches there are daffodils. xo

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  17. Karen Edmisten February 4, 2022 at 3:28 PM

    Yes, yearning for spring! :) Thank you, Elisabeth, for hosting. And thanks for your February poem. It's the longest short month of the year, isn't it?

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  18. Janice ScullyFebruary 4, 2022 at 4:11 PM

    I'm glad you took time from the deadlines to write this poem! I can feel the ice fog. Stay warm. Thank you for hosting!

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  19. TabathaFebruary 4, 2022 at 4:25 PM

    Thank you for hosting us, Elisabeth! When I couldn't think of what form to use, I looked at Heidi's site for inspiration and found a post where she says that acrostics come through for her. It worked for me, too. :) Yay, acrostics!

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  20. Catherine FlynnFebruary 4, 2022 at 5:32 PM

    Thank you for hosting today, Elisabeth! Your acrostic captures this dreary February day exactly. I'm longing to shed those "scarves and gloves." Well done!

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  21. Carol VarsalonaFebruary 4, 2022 at 7:48 PM

    Elisabeth, I am more than overwhelmed by deadlines and grandparent sat for 5 days so I am coming late to the Poetry Friday Roundup Party. I am still trying to work on my post so it will come late. Your February acrostic is lovely and the opening is telling with details of what climate change is now turning into across the states. I would like to add it to my Winter's Embrace Gallery if you approve. It is raining here and the day is gloomy but the temps are cozy in the house and a cup of tea warms me up.

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  22. Susan T.February 4, 2022 at 11:27 PM

    Scarves, gloves, and hoods. You got it. That is February around here, too. What a great acrostic!

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  23. laurasalasFebruary 5, 2022 at 2:56 PM

    What a gorgeous acrostic, Elisabeth. I esp love ones that are more lyrical like this. I love winter, but the bitter cold we've had a lot of in MN so far this year--brrrr! Thank you for hosting!

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  24. Sylvia VardellFebruary 6, 2022 at 2:24 AM

    Thanks for hosting, Elisabeth! Has February in Switzerland been super snowy? Here in TX, we just have 2 days of snow and that stops everything! Meanwhile, lovely acrostic!

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