Maria Marshall
Making Nature Fun
© Maria Marshall
Books
The Best of Today's Little Ditty, 2017-2018 (Volume 3).
Iggo Island Press, 2019
Compiled by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
Contains my poems:
"Winter Wonderland"
"Epitaph for a Slug"
Available here
The Best of Today's Little Ditty, 2016 (Volume 2).
Iggo Island Press, 2017
Compiled by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
Contains my poem:
"Measuring Time"
Available here
Photograph © A. Marshall
I love connecting kids to nature through stories, photographs, and hikes.
The Best of Today's Little Ditty, 2014-2015 (Volume 1).
Iggo Island Press, 2016
Compiled by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
Contains my poem:
"Leaf"
Available here
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
DMC: "Single Future" by Maria Marshall
SINGLE FUTURE
How do you believe,
when "we" becomes "me"?
All that remains is I.
Surrounded by dreams that won't
come true. And futures too big to fit.
© 2017 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
*Nikki Grimes challenged us to write a golden shovel poem using a line from one of the poems in the post - "Believe me, I won't fit."
Monday, February 19, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for a Slug" by Maria Marshall
EPITAPH FOR A SLUG
Your shiny trail gave you away,
when hungry ducks came out to play.
One look, a peck, and a giant slurp,
and you were nothing but a burp.
© 2017 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
*J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen challenged us to write an epitaph poem - a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Monday, September 11, 2017
DMC: "Winter Wonderland" by Maria Marshall
WINTER WONDERLAND
Autumn brings change and death.
Every Fall, green hastens into a jumbled
kaleidoscope of leaves.
Marking Nature’s order for
peace and quiet,
rest, solitude, and time.
Under vast white eXpanses.
Yielding to zephyrs.
© 2017 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
*Carole Boston Weatherford challenged us to write an abecedarian poem (in which the text is in alphabetical order).
Snowy Backyard at Night © Maria Marshall
Thursday, March 17, 2016
DMC: "Measuring Time" by Maria Marshall
MEASURING TIME
Pulled apart, we each drift and shift down
through the opening back to the ground.
Slowly slipping, counting out eternity,
we gather together in uniformity.
Individuals, separately small,
together we have the wherewithal,
to delineate time, measure your moments,
count down your life, or increase your focus.
We don't need any gears, springs, or hands,
we stand ready, awaiting your command,
to always and accurately amass —
We are the sands in the hourglass.
© 2016 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
*Amy Ludwig VanDerwater challenged us to write a poem about something small, an animal or object you see every day and do not usually give much thought.
Imperial Sand Dunes, Arizona © Maria Marshall
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
DMC: "Leaf" by Maria Marshall
LEAF
Leaf is a changing word.
So crisp and colorful in fall,
as I dash and descend
into crackling mountains.
Deep, strong green in summer,
as I dodge the blazing sun.
But best of all,
is the softness of spring,
stroking my face
as I read among suspended clouds
of pink flowers.
© 2015 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
*Nikki Grimes challenged us to try a wordplay exercise this month and create our own free verse poems. Click HERE for all the details.
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Aomori Prefecture, Japan © Maria Marshall
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
DMC: "What Do Hummingbirds Know" by Maria Marshall
WHAT DO HUMMINGBIRDS KNOW?
What do hummingbirds know?
To zip and zoom through the skies.
The irrelevance of size.
And life's ephemeral disguise.
(The shortness of our lives.)
What do hummingbirds know?
To sing regardless of your tone.
Be prepared to defend one's own.
And treasure sunny moments alone.
© 2015 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
*Joyce Sidman challenged us to try a "Deeper Wisdom" poem.
Anna's & Roufous Hummingbirds in my yard.
© Maria Marshall