Happy Poetry Friday!
Welcome to this week’s Poetry Friday party!
(If you’re wondering what Poetry Friday is and how it works, check out this post by Renee LaTulippe.)
This poem came to me one day after years of mulling about the importance of this little word, especially in contrast to its twin or. It’s wonderful to be able to say I’d like vanilla and chocolate, but it’s even better to be able to say I’m sad and I’m happy, I like this and I don’t, I want to go and I don’t want to go. I think and recognizes how messy and complicated we humans are in a way that or does not.
Please leave your link with Mr. Linky. I would of course love you to comment as well, and if you’re so inclined, to share your favorite word.
Have a lovely day and a lovely weekend. See you next week at Buffy’s Blog.
Liz
I agree. And is a lovely word, and your poem is lovely, too. Thank you for hosting this week!
Thanks, Kimberly!
AND it means I can like you, and you and YOU! So much to like about ‘and’. (Thank-you for bringing that to my attention.) Also wanting to say how much I love your ‘Soccerverse’. Very impressed and delighted by it – AND so glad I got to see you … AND get it signed, too! #winning
Still pondering my favourite word – but I think I know one of my least favourite. (Oh – look at that. I just used it.) I very often wish that ‘but’ would just butt out of this writing/publishing gig!?
Hi Kat, I’m so glad you’re enjoying Soccerverse, and I’m so glad we got to meet while you were here. I agree but can be very aggravating.
I’m a big fan of AND also, and I like your poem dedicated to it! And offers space to ponder and hold onto at the same time– this wonderful dual quality that so often is denied us in making choices, And in a small way may slow us down just a bit. Thanks for hosting the roundup Liz!
How wonderful! I’m not sure I would have noticed “and” unless it was pointed out to me this way. I like it! And, I think I can find lots of ways that I can pull two ideas together. Thanks so much for hosting this week. I’ve been trying to keep up with the season. This week I’m sharing some of the #haiku prompt responses from December. I also received a super beautiful poetry swap from Molly. But, that is going to take a separate future post to share.
Love the poem, thanks for making me ponder “and” in this unique way. It’s a word we often take for granted “and” overlook … so I’m glad you gave the word its due. Thanks for hosting this week!
Cool choice, Liz! This reminds me of “One Little Word,” although no one has ever picked a word like “and,” as far as I’ve seen 🙂
Maybe I like “present,” because of its multiple meanings.
Thanks for hosting!
I like present too!
A good reminder about how complicated we all are, Liz! Complicated AND simple – in our own ways.
Haha! Great use of and!
Well, you’ve made me look at “and” with fresh eyes – thank you! (I still hear Lee’s voice in my head asking if ‘little’ words like that are really needed – conjunctions, articles, and such. But here, AND is an important little word indeed. :0) ) Thanks so much for hosting, Liz!
I hear his voice when I reconsider all those little words too.
LOVE your poem–I’d never thought of “and” quite this way before.
Thanks so much for hosting Poetry Friday this week. I’ve left my link, but the post won’t go live till after midnight here (in a few more yours).
And, I believe I have your favorite word in my poem today. I actually went back and forth deciding whether to use it or not, AND I did. I love especially your “why” that you love this word so much, Liz. Thanks for hosting!
Ah, Liz! I love how you honor this humble word. There is a beauty in the linking, in the not having to choose. This poem feels so true. Thank you for sharing it with us…and thank you for hosting too. xx
Thank you for hosting! Your post reminded me of a time when I was teaching the word “ambivalent” to eighth graders, and one of the students said excitedly, “Hey! That’s just how I feel!” I’m not quite ready to choose a favorite word, but you can bet I’ll be thinking about it today. Thanks!
I agree completely! Ambivalent is a wonderful word. I remember teaching it to my children too. So helpful to know.
AND so we are reminded of the valuable work this humble conjunction performs. Liz, your poem draws important attention to the sometimes invisible role this little word plays. It should be taken for granted. You have given me a renewed appreciation- now AND forever! Thanks for hosting AND the alert…
Dear Liz, this reminds me of the questions we get all the time about favorites… what’s your favorite book, favorite movie, favorite time to write…. and and and and and! Thank you for your poem AND for being you! xo
I love this, Liz! I tend to dismiss “and” when thinking of words because it’s not evocative or vivid. But you’re right–it opens the way to embracing conflicting ideas and to getting rid of an either/or mindset. This morning, my favorite word is sizzle. Thanks for hosting!
Ooooh. Sizzle! I love it.
I have long been a fan of and–your poem brilliantly shows its power and its ability to show how complicated we humans are. I also struggle with any question about my favorite anything. My answers usually range from all of them to it depends. I suspect my favorite word might be the right word at the right time. Thanks for hosting today!
Oh, I love the turn this took! (Especially as an Enneagram 4.) 🙂 It’s perfect.
Thanks so much for hosting, Liz!
Liz, your poem signifies the importance of one simple word that really could be a one word thought for the new year AND new decade. With hope AND good cheer, I salute what you accomplished using this beautiful word “and”. Thank you for hosting. One of my wishes during NCTE19 was to have met you face-to-face. I hope to do so in the future.
Yes! Me too!
The word “and” simply holds the world together, it seems. “I can not like something/ and like it too.” This is such a wonderful poem!
It’s so nice to see AND given some love and attention in your poem, Liz. It’s long overdue for this hard little worker who so often gets the shaft in poetry circles. You’re so good at opening eyes with your poems. This is another wonderful example of that talent.
Aww…thanks, Michelle!
Thanks for hosting, Liz! How neat that AND has its very own poem now. Like others, I have never thought about the significance of this little conjunction, responsible for the joining of so much that is important to us.
So wise that little connector, and. So important except that the world is not clearly divided between this and that. In my adult poems I can feel freer to leave it in, but in my kid’s poems, I tend to try to eliminate it. But when it is used with such purpose, it just goes to shows somethings get a bad rap and are misunderstood. This makes me think of my poem about the mermaid. I included my favorite word from 4th grade, turquoise, on purpose. First, it fit, but second I wanted an homage to childhood, to remembering the thrill of imagination and pretend, of wishing, of adventuring if even in your own room, in your own mind. I love that poets for kids are both wise and full of delight, joyful and aware of the threats we face, seasoned and young at heart. Glad I had time today to read the blogs I love so much!!!
I love your poetic tribute to the word “and” and 😉 I’m a big fan of Soccerverse. I’m not able to participate this week, but (sorry, Kat!) I so appreciate your hosting!
Oh my. Imagine life without and. How lonely it would be to not be able to join words adrift. Thank you for hosting, Liz!
I love this word…so inclusive, with no judgement attached.
AND…thanks for hosting the roundup!
Thanks, Mary Lee, what a lovely way to put it.
Liz–
To me the little linking words–all those conjunctions, prepositions, etc, are what enable, as your poem captures, our subtle, higher order human thinking! Without them so many concepts and imaginations would be difficult if not impossible, not to mention coding. I shall continue to use ANDs to make my list of more than one favorite word. : ) Did you see how Merriam Webster’s Word of the Year is THEY? Thanks so much for hosting at this busy time of year.
I agree about the linking words and thinking, and I really appreciated their choice.
AND this poem is brilliant, as are YOU, Liz!
And is a wonderful word AND I really enjoyed your poem about and I especially like the line and reminds me I can be both happy and sad. Thanks
–And thanks for hosting this week, too.
Just getting to reading last week’s post, Liz. AND, I love it!
Thanks for a very insightful poem, Liz! “And” to think it’s such a simple word that most people probably don’t pay much attention to! One of my favorite words is “solitude.” There are so many beautiful words and it’s hard to choose just one. Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday this week! Have a great weekend!