Friday, May 18, 2007

Poetry Friday: The Swing



This Poetry Friday I'm sharing my favorite poem from childhood. It's a poem that has been mentioned many times before, but today it has special meaning for me. You see, it's a flying poem and I'm taking my first flying lesson at 4:00 pm. Wish me luck! I'm frightened, but I hope it will be as nice as Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Swing."

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

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Let's start the roundup:

A Fuse #8 contributes Susan Ramsey's "Gaudeamus, Full Band Version."

Little Willow shares "The Truth," by George William (A. E.) Russell, at Bildungsroman.

Elaine talks the poetry of Mary Ann Hoberman at Wild Rose Reader, and she writes a special tribute to teachers over at Blue Rose Girls.

Poor Katie! She has a headache almost every day. But, she's found a great poem by Teresa Ramos called "The Usual" and has posted it at Pixie Palace.

Continuing with the annoying physical symptoms category, Jone laments allergies with an original poem over at Check it Out.

Jules reviews Catherine Reef's biography of E.E. Cummings over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Adrienne celebrates I'm Still Here in the Bathtub: Brand New Silly Dilly Songs, by Alan Katz, at What Adrienne Thinks About That.

Anne reviews Douglas Florian's Comets, Stars, The Moon and Mars at Book Buds.

Cloudscome reviews Margaret Mahy's lovely A Summery Saturday Morning at A Wrung Sponge.

Marcie celebrates J. Patrick Lewis (and who can blame her?) over at World of Words.

Dawn shares "Our Tree" by Marchette Chute at By Sun and Candlelight.

Vivian is all about love (and Shakespeare) today at HipWriterMama.

Nancy shares "Confusion," by Kenneth Rexroth, as well as biographical information and an audio link at Journey Woman.

Els discusses and links to Naomi Shihab Nye's "Cross that Line" over at book, book, book.

Liz takes a good look at questions and last lines in a fascinating post at Liz in Ink.

Okay, I'm back and I live to blog another day. It was definitely scary and I'm still processing the experience! On to more PF:

Suzanne shares "May comes but once a year..." by Elsa Beskow at Adventures in Daily Living. I share the sentiment exactly.

Christine shares a beautiful poem written by her daughter at The Simple and the Ordinary.

Maureene contributes "We grow accustomed to the dark" by Emily Dickinson at By Singing Light.

Kimberley is also reading Dickinson this week, sharing "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," at Lectitans.

MotherReader celebrates the quiet joys of Stellina.

Charlotte shares "Waiting at the Window," by A.A. Milne, at Charlotte's Library.

Michele has the good Doctor on the brain and submits part of Eliot's "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" at Scholar's Blog.

Liz B. shares Jane Yolen's "Fat is not a Fairy Tale" at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.