It’s PoetryFriday!
She created a poetic form. She founded a poetry zine for students. She’s a tireless advocate for the planet. She’s an author, a poet, a wife, a mom. And she’s hosting us for our Poetry Friday weekend roundup!
Please join us via Heidi Mordhorst’s juicy little universe.
In honor of Heidi’s hosting, I challenged the Nevermores this week to write a definito, the poetic form (truth be told, Heidi refers to it as more an “intention” than a form):
the definito is a free verse poem of 8-12 lines (aimed at readers 8-12 years old) that highlights wordplay as it demonstrates the meaning of a less common word, which always ends the poem.
cultivate
build
a bed
soil, fortified
showers
of sun
and rain
seed, starter
sweat the season
pour in hope
for harvest
cultivate
photo and poem
©2024 Patricia J. Franz
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Great job!!
“pour in hope” – yes, so much of gardening and tending to the soil is hope, isn’t it? After you’ve done all you can, the rest is watching, waiting, and hoping. 🙂
Patricia, I like your definito poem with its addition of alliteration. I also like the idea of “pouring in hope”. It is a good ingredient!
Awww, Patricia, I do feel very honored!! Cultivate is a great word for a definito, and you did it justice. I like how “sweat the season” acknowledges both the hard labor AND the slight anxiety we have, knowing we’re not really in control. Excellent!
I like seeing the line breaks here, Patricia. Nicely done!
Love that ‘pour in hope’, Patricia! That’s a big part of what gardeners do, isn’t it?
Oh I love the spacing (which we couldn’t see in our discussion board). 🙂
Showers of sun AND rain…yep, gotta have both. (those beds are so cool!) Thank you, Patricia! xo
Echoing Irene — cool beds! Great poem, too!
“pour in hope” — that works on so many levels, Patricia!
Cultivate is a great word to define by definito. We keep trying to talk Heidi into making a definito anthology. What a fun form for adult poets and kids!