Recent poetry from Linda Ann Nickerson

Valentine's Day is Vile (A Valentine's Day Poem)

Linda Ann Nickerson — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:07:18 EDT

Do you love Valentine's Day or hate it? Most people have a love-hate relationship with this hearty holiday. Valentine's Day may mean romance ... or just plain meanness. To some, Valentine's Day is indeed vile.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Jan 22, 2010

Top 10 Famous Poems for Christmas Cards

Linda Ann Nickerson — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:31:25 EDT

Christmas poems may be the most memorable verses of the entire year. Treasured verses echo annually through Christmas picture books and holiday greetings. Here are our top 10 favorite famous Christmas poems for use in Christmas cards.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Dec 21, 2009

Night Shift (A Poem for the Winter Solstice)

Linda Ann Nickerson — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:40:11 EDT

A Poem for the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year, as a new sort of chill lingers upon us all.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Dec 12, 2009

For What Am I Most Thankful This Year?

Linda Ann Nickerson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:02 EDT

For what am I most thankful this year at Thanksgiving? The greatest blessings in my life may be found in this rhymed acrostic poem. Included is a plea for greater gratitude and a renewed attitude. Happy Thanksgiving!

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Nov 20, 2009

My Top 10 Favorite Famous Poems for Thanksgiving

Linda Ann Nickerson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:37:24 EDT

On Thanksgiving, we join loved ones for hearty helpings of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and other favorite holiday foods. Many creative writers have penned verses to mark the celebration of Thanksgiving. What are your favorite Thanksgiving poems?

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Nov 18, 2009

Chalk it Up to Summer (Summer Poem)

Linda Ann Nickerson — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:02:29 EDT

Concrete images appear on our walkway each summer, as children draw with sidewalk chalk. The front walk looks almost like a horrific crime scene in summer, with chalk outlines of small bodies. The first swipe of a dog's paw eliminates the chalk evidence.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Jun 11, 2009

A Muse for a Month - Free Lines Conversed for Two Fortnights' Dispersed

Linda Ann Nickerson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:52:45 EDT

Muses beckoned, and poets answered. April was National Poetry Month. Creative writers rose to meet daily poetry challenges. I enjoyed writing poems for every day's challenge and look forward to next year's Poetry Month. In the meantime . . .

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 30, 2009

Never Trust a Mockingbird

Linda Ann Nickerson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:13:25 EDT

Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, was born on April 28, 1926. It seems only fitting to publish a mockingbird poem for Harper Lee's birthday. Just as Harper Lee's mockingbird was more than an avian, so might this one be as well.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 29, 2009

The Lighthouse Decoupaged - a Cut-Up Poem

Linda Ann Nickerson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:23:09 EDT

Cut-up poetry is a surrealistic rearranging of the words and lines of a poem. The intentionally randomized lines of a cut-up poem may offer a very different theme than the original verse. Compare "The Lighthouse Decoupaged" with "The Lighthouse."

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 29, 2009

Beckoned Homeward - A Sonnet Scripted for the Sacred One

Linda Ann Nickerson — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:36:19 EDT

This sonnet is composed in the traditional format, meter and rhyme scheme of the Shakespearean sonnet. Celebrating in sonnet form, the poem salutes the great value of God. How much better is a single day serving God than a thousand days in the dark?

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 28, 2009

Not Shaken, but Stirred - a Rhyming Prayer for the Gardener's Care

Linda Ann Nickerson — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:12:53 EDT

Why does wickedness seem to win in our world? Tyrants and terrorists wreak their havoc. Peacemakers and promoters of positivity struggle, while evildoers seem to flourish. This poem, written in iambic pentameter, asks: Where may justice be found?

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 26, 2009

My Divine Deliverer - a Poetic Paraphrase of Psalm 86

Linda Ann Nickerson — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:13:01 EDT

The acrostic is a classic form of ancient Hebrew poetry, still practiced by modern poets. The first letters of each line of an acrostic together spell out a significant word. Here's a look at Psalm 86, loosely paraphrased as an acrostic poem and a prayer.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 24, 2009

Denim Deluxe - Limericked Rants on a Shared Pair of Pants

Linda Ann Nickerson — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:32:20 EDT

What's your favorite movie? One of our family favorites is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This poem offers a glance at the concept of traveling pants. What would it be like to share a single pair of blue jeans with a treasured group of friends?

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 23, 2009

Adding it Up - a Calculated Risk

Linda Ann Nickerson — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:42:01 EDT

Addition poem - Counting up and assembling the puzzling pieces of our own lives may be tricky enough. Why do we insist on interfering with the puzzles of others' lives as well? Are we able to determine which pieces may be missing from another's puzzle?

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 18, 2009

Initial Ideas: A Brainstorm Acrostic

Linda Ann Nickerson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:11:48 EDT

Acrostic poems need not contain rhyme or meter, but this acrostic poem does. Brainstorms offer creative notions, new ideas and open-ended possibilities. What brainstorms are brewing in your own imagination today?

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 17, 2009

Pour My Soul on Paper

Linda Ann Nickerson — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:58:06 EDT

Why does a writer write? Why do storytellers spin their yarns? What makes a poet ponder and put pen to paper? This NaisaiKu poem considers such concepts.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 14, 2009

Shooting Forth - A Sestina of Spring

Linda Ann Nickerson — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:28:20 EDT

A Sestina of Spring - The 39-line sestina is one of the most complex forms of all poems. With a prescribed rotation of line endings in six sestets and a reshuffling of these final words in the closing tercet, the sestina tells a story with style.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 13, 2009

Echoing Through Generations

Linda Ann Nickerson — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:32:51 EDT

Who's my favorite musician? This classic star of old wrote songs that have endured for generations. Warrior and womanizer, he still possessed a tender heart and penned lyrics to last forever. This poem salutes a fine poet of old, the psalmist David.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 09, 2009

Diplomas with Diplomacy (A Graduation Poem)

Linda Ann Nickerson — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:51:58 EDT

Commencement ceremonies begin. Parents clutch graduation programs, scanning for their child's name and waiting for their turn to cheer proudly for their own graduate. A parent is, after all, a graduate's top fan forever.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 03, 2009

Upgrades and Accolades (A Graduation Poem)

Linda Ann Nickerson — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:42:53 EDT

A graduation celebration is a proud moment for students and parents alike, capping off many years of commitment and perseverance. Still, as a graduation marks the end of one chapter in a young person's life, it also opens a brand-new beginning.

Contributor: Linda Ann Nickerson
Published: Apr 03, 2009