In Residence at Today's Little Ditty

Happy Poetry Friday!

Elizabeth Steinglass is this week's Poetry Friday host.
You'll find a bevy of beautiful verse at Liz's blog.

I have a day off from teaching at Northfield E.S.

Instead, I am "in residence" at Michelle Heindenrich Barnes' blog, Today's Little Ditty. That's where you'll find my Poetry Friday post for this week.

Visit Today's Little Ditty to find out why I am ranting about this first grade poem, which made the rounds of the Internet late last week. Seriously, the Mama Bear claws came out on behalf of this little -- and very talented -- poetry cub.

Photograph by  Jason Gardner

I'm excited to join Renée LaTulippe,  Buffy Silverman, and Carrie Clickard -- making up Michelle's fantastic four poetry bloggers. Thanks for inviting me to be part of the TLD team, Michelle. I hope I represent all the poets-in-the-schools out there well.

On Monday, I'll have more Northfield Elementary poems to share. We're moving on to opposite poems -- a great way to learn how to use stanzas.

Hugging out the Snow Day Blues

It's good to have writerly friends.

You may have heard about yesterday's winter storm, the one that dumped an inch of snow per hour on Maryland. People FREAK OUT here if snow is mentioned in the forecast. Three inches of white stuff is an emergency. By bedtime, we had at least six.

The children were off school, but they are teenagers. My days of Play-Doh and Lego marathons are, sadly, over.

This is my kind of snow day project.

Stuck at home. What to do? I know...

it's been a while since I challenged Poetry Friday blogger Michelle Heidenrich Barnes to one of our infamous Limerick Challenges.

Michelle has a series on her blog, Today's Little Ditty, called Limerick Alley. I'm not sure how the Limerick Challenges between us began, but it may have begun with the Lime Rickey Limerick Challenge.

Raspberry Lime Rickeys from Tracey's Culinary Adventures.

Then there was the Miniature Golf Limerick Challenge. The frozen grape challenge.

And when I posted the National One Hit Wonder Day Limerick Challenge on Facebook, and more writerly friends joined in. (Those poems were roll on the floor funny. Anyone remember Kajagoogoo?)

Yesterday was notable for more than the weather. It was also National Hugging Day. My Limerick Challenge was clear. I threw down the gauntlet on Twitter. Michelle was quick to respond.

@MichelleHBarnes -- It's National Hug Day. Up for a limerick challenge?
— Laura Shovan (@LauraShovan) January 21, 2014

@LauraShovan -- on National Hug Day? How can I not try to squeeze one out! I've a quick errand to run and then I'll put pencil to paper.
— Michelle H Barnes (@MichelleHBarnes) January 21, 2014

I did a little research on hugs. We are big fans of the "20 second hug" at my house (science geeks -- yes, even hugs have a science). I wrote my limerick and posted it on Facebook, with an invitation for others to join in.

Here are the results, National Hugging Day limericks by me, Michelle, and my poet friend Michael Ratcliffe.

The Science of Hugs
by Laura Shovan

Most hugs last for three seconds, true.
Long embraces are better for you.
Oxytocin starts flowing
if your hug is still going
while you count from one to twenty-two.

Michael Ratcliffe's Hug Day Limerick

While hugs are quite good for most folk,
I happen to be one of those blokes
With a very large bubble
For whom hugs cause trouble
And make me feel like I'm stuck in a yoke.

You Never Know Who You'll Run into on National Hug Day
by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

Beware the Constrictor's embrace.
His affections are largely misplaced.
He'll give you a snuggle,
But after a struggle
He'll squeeze the last smile off your face.

Read about this squeezy snake at Nat Geo.

As I put this post together, I thought about how hugs separate the Sensory Seekers (me, me, me!) from the Sensory Avoiders.

I hope you got whatever kind of hug makes you smile yesterday, Writerly Friends. Playing limerick challenge with my fellow poets put a huge smile on my face (no boa constrictor necessary).

If you love limericks, visit Michelle's blog to read more.

You might like following @NationalDays on Twitter. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't know today is National Southern Food Day. Time to grab my snow-bound kids and bake some biscuits.

Thanks to Michael and Michelle. Today's limericks were posted with permission from the authors.