A Plate of Pi Poems for Pi Day, 2019

 

Care for Another Piece of PI?

 

A Plate of Three Pi Poems for Celebrating Pi Day, 2019

 

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

 

NOTE:  In last week’s WORDWALK, I shared information and guides for writing a pi poem (also called a “piem”).  To help you in celebrating Pi Day, 2019, I am adding to last week’s quartet of piems by including another serving of three pi poems to inspire you to write a piem of your own for Pi Day–or soon thereafter.  If you need the instructions for crafting a pi poem, please refer to my blog post of March 7, which is directly below the entirety of this March 13 WORDWALK post.

 

I hope that you are enjoying a piece of pie as you read the following pi poems.  The first piem was originally posted on WORDWALK on March 8, 2017.

 

 

A Pi Poem to Treasure Crocheted Afghans

 

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

 

 

Hands that held

small,

plain crochet hooks,

as

if artist’s brushes,

turned strands of yarn into canvases

of warmth,

of love gifted to all

who received afghans

crafted by

Mother, Aunt Zita,

and–of course, the most prolific–

my paternal grandmother (Liza).

 

rippled, shell, or granny square

were patterns they crocheted in colors

to match taste,

decor,

occasion

for the lucky recipient.

 

Covered with warmth

of the wool, granny-square

afghan,

I thought of my mother

who still gives me

her caring,

her wisdom,

her amazing inspiration

for this poem.

 

This week,

my sister sent to the twins

two small afghans made by our mother

so that a brand new

generation can feel the warmth from the past

and learn

to smile, wrapped in hand-crocheted love.

 

NOTE:  Below I will repeat the exact same pi poem as above; but I will insert at the onset of each line the number of syllables in that particular line, coinciding with the first thirty-five numerals of the mathematical pi.  I converted the first zero of pi into the number ten; thus, the second-from-the-last line of this post’s piem contains ten syllables.  If you would like to craft a pi poem on Pi Day (3/14/19) and if you write a piem of thirty-five lines or less, you may use the following as an easy syllabic guide for creating your pi poem.

 

 

A Pi Poem to Treasure Crocheted Afghans

 

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

 

 

(3)  Hands that held

(1)  small,

(4)  plain crochet hooks,

(1)  as

(5)  if artist’s brushes,

(9)  turned strands of yarn into canvases

(2)  of warmth,

(6)  of love gifted to all

(5)  who received afghans

(3)  crafted by

(5)  Mother, Aunt Zita,

(8)  and–of course, the most prolific–

(9)  my paternal grandmother (Liza).

 

(7)  rippled, shell, or granny square

(9)  were patterns they crocheted in colors

(3)  to match taste,

(2)  decor,

(3)  occasion

(8)  for the lucky recipient.

 

(4)  Covered with warmth

(8)  of the wool granny-square

(2)  afghan,

(6)  I thought of my mother

(4)  who still gives me

(3)  her caring,

(3)  her wisdom,

(8)  her amazing inspiration

(3)  for this poem.

 

(2)  This week,

(7)  my sister sent to the twins

(9)  two small afghans made by our mother

(5) so that a brand new

(10) generation can feel warmth from the past

(2)  and learn

(8)  to smile, wrapped in hand-crocheted love.

 

 

NOTE:  While you may choose any topic for the focus of your pi poem, I selected “Primavera” (Spanish and Italian for “spring”) for the topic of my next sample of a pi poem–first on my blog on February 28, 2017.  Try your poetic hand at being a “piemist” after you have read the pi poems of this post and the previous post on WORDWALK.

 

Welcome, Primavera:  A Seasoned Pi Poem

 

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

 

 

Spring blessings

come

upon the heel

of

winter’s frosted clouds,

on ochre petals of daffodils,

on trills

of robins’ measured notes,

in hyacinth air,

from sweet voices

of children swinging,

from the soft whir of bicycles,

from fragrance of earth where I will plant

perennial Summer Soul

To hear the quiet affirmation–

dear Nature’s

welcome:

“Primavera,

alas, your turn has come to choose.

How will our March,

April, and May appear?

Whisper

meteorological,

precious secrets

to planters,

gardeners,

tillers of your magical soil.

Bless their fields,

gardens

with fair rationings of rain,

lightning, tempered wind, prodigious sun.

Primavera, come!”

 

 

NOTE:  The third and final pi poem of this season’s collection was previously posted on WORDWALK on March 2, 2016.  Yes, piems prompt me to think of spring; and pi poems become as much a part of our eagerly awaiting spring as all the other harbingers of this budding season.

 

 

Duality of Spring:  A Pi Poem

 

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

 

 

Daffodils

spring

through winter’s snow

to

sing the pert prelude

of handshaking seasons of Nature’s

duet.

 

March–such duality–

snowflakes and flowers

of yellow

harbingers of spring,

conducts a cappella petals

that pose sprightly for still cameras

while the taciturn snowflakes

are melting, melting, melting winter.

 

Champion

flower,

narcissus,

trumpet the sounds and sights of spring–

calendar spring,

meteorological

springtime

evidently versus

a Milwaukee

sporadic,

faux springtime.

 

In Wisconsin, spring is just a

state of mind,

of hope

that winter will take a bow

and allow the scene to change to spring

by the end of May.

 

 

NOTE:  If you plan to use the material of this post and the prior one for educational purposes, I hope you will leave a note in the comment section or send me an e-mail at:

ajm321kh@wi.rr.com

 

 

Thanks for joining in the celebration of Pi Day!

(Watch for an extra post on WORDWALK on March 16 and then the regular weekly post next Wednesday.)

Alice and Leader Dog Willow

 

March 13, 2019, the eve of Pi Day

 

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