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Poet Tony Lewis-Jones

Tanka 11.03.11

God
be kind
to Japan this time.
May the waters recede
and our friends have peace.

Tony Lewis-Jones is a poet and editor who lives in Bristol, UK.

Thanks for reading Poets for Tsunami Relief.

Please consider a donation to The Red Cross.

In Canada, go to: http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000043&tid=016

In the UK, go to: http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now

In the US, click on the red button I’ve added on my sidebar (on the home page http://atomic-temporary-2589064.wpcomstaging.com), top right.

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Poets for Tsunami Relief

I spent the day trying to figure out how to help our friends in Japan, Hawaii, and other areas devastated by today’s earthquake and tsunami(s).

I am just one person, but I realized with the network of talented poets I’ve built over the years, I actually have a lot to offer. Not enough time to publish a book of poems with proceeds to relief – I want to help NOW. After brainstorming with my friends Mark and Brandee on Twitter, I decided I could do something effective, right here on my blog.

Introducing ‘Poets for Tsunami Relief” –a one-week blogzine of poetry by my talented poet pals. I’ll be posting as many poems as I can this week on many different themes. My plan is to offer my audience a variety of excellent poetry in hopes that readers will open their minds and hearts to the poems, and to the cause.

After reading poems in this Poets for Tsunami blogzine, I hope you’ll click on “Donate” button to the right, which leads you directly to the American Red Cross site, where you can choose how you want to donate to help with relief efforts. I didn’t post a link to Canadian Red Cross yet, as most of my readers are American, but I will happily add links to various Red Cross web sites beneath the poetry posts, especially if you ask for them in the comments.

I’m pleased to announce my poet friend in the UK, poet Tony Lewis-Jones, has already submitted a beautiful tanka, which I’ll be posting shortly. Please submit your poems for consideration and a one-line bio to writer@hgrace.com

Thanks for reading Poets for Tsunami Relief.

Please consider a donation to The Red Cross.

In Canada, go to: http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000043&tid=016

In the UK, go to: http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now

In the US, click on the red button I’ve added on my sidebar

(red button is on the home page http://atomic-temporary-2589064.wpcomstaging.com), top right.

Cheers
Heather

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Dream Big, With Art by Kayla Stewart, 5

For this one, I suggested she have two girls facing the sea. She wasn’t sure what I meant, so I told her to draw them in bathing suits, and wavy hair, viewed from behind, and I drew hair in the air to show her what I meant.

This one just makes me want to go cartwheel on the beach…

Yippeeeeeeeee!

Please go visit on my new blog and comment if you have time!

Dream Big, With Art by Kayla Stewart, 5.

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Giggle Poems by HGS, with Art by Kayla Stewart,5

Giggle Poems by HGS, with Art by Kayla Stewart,5.

Kayla has been drawing up a storm every day after school. “Mommy, can I illustrate another one of your kids poems?” she’ll say, the minute she’s in the door. We’re having a lot of fun with this project. I swear I don’t do any of the drawing (except in one case, with ‘The Groovy Granny,’ I helped her draw Granny’s ipod).

This is how it works: I read her one of my children’s poems out loud, and when it’s done, she’ll excitedly toss out ideas about what she wants to draw. I’ll encourage her and remind her of certain important elements in the poem.  That’s the extent of my hand in this! So far, all I’ve written on her masterpieces is the words “chair pose,” which she asked me to write. You don’t mess with talent like this!

I’ve posted a few over at A Children’s Poetry Place–please go take a look and share this with anyone you think would be interested in it…

Giggle Poems by HGS, with Art by Kayla Stewart,5.

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Messy Nat and Neat Nina

I like to dust;
I like to clean.
I love to make things
shimmer and glean.

My sister Nat is different;
she likes a good mess.
So sometimes I clean for her,
I confess.

Once I took her to the cleaners,
not her old coin Laundromat,
but they made a mistake,
and laundered Nat!

I came back the next day.
There she hung, with the clothes:
Spotless and pressed,
from her head to her toes.

Now we share the housework,
But Nat gets the clothes cleaned.
For we’ll never forget
that day she was steamed.

from the manuscript The Party In Your Lunchbox copyright Heather Grace Stewart, Art by Kayla Stewart, age 5. I’m trying to get a bit of traffic and knowledge about my new blog, “A Children’s Poetry Place,” could you please visit there, and tell others about it too? Thanks so much. Here’s the link:

Messy Nat and Neat Nina, with Art by Kayla Stewart, 5.