These last couple of weeks with the weather being more fanciful and moody than anyone I know, I kept my fingers crossed that the first day of spring will signal more sun. And I started to count down to a sunny spring.

And the weather forecast for the coming week points towards that – a sunny spring (for now). So that means my earlier plan for spending time in the backyard as I read, write, and do some gardening is more of a possibility now. Keeping my fingers crossed anyways…

Poetic Sundays

World Poetry Day

It is World Poetry Day on the 21st of March!! With that in mind, I wanted to let you know that I will be working on an A to Z Challenge in April, with Poetry as the theme. So do stop by whenever you can throughout the month to check out my poetic offerings, as well as those of others taking part in the challenge (each one has their own theme).

3-2-1 Poem (Or My Name For It – Count Down Poem)

I saw this poem/form in a website called fanstory. While I did not see it in any of the other usual places I love visiting, it did seem apt to share the form on 3/21! I have also included a few variations of my own for this poetry writing exercise.

What is a 3-2-1 Poem?

Simply put, a 3-2-1 is a tercet, couplet, and single line with last line rhyming with either last line of tercet or last line of couplet. All lines in the tercet rhyme as do the two lines in the couplet. There seem to be no other restrictions on syllable count or meter; though as always, having an even number of syllables across lines (in each stanza at least) will help maintain a rhythm to the poem.

My thought on the single line’s rhyme: I would rather it rhymes with the tercet rather than the couplet else it would simply feel like two tercets. Unless the couplet is one single line split over the two lines, and that last single line is one sentence by itself (makes sense?)

So this is how it looks

xxx….xa
xxx….xa
xxx….xa

xxx….xb
xxx….xb

xxx….x(a or b)

My Suggested Variations, or Have Fun With the Form

• Make it harder for yourself. Try to have three three-syllable words in each line of the tercet, two two-syllable words in each line of the couplet, and a single syllable for that last single line. Or make it any number of words but ensure the syllable count for each word is 3-2-1 in the tercet-couplet-single line stanzas.
• And then make it easier for yourself. Forget rhyming if you wish and just have a tercet, couplet, and a single line.
• Or harder again if you wish. Make each stanza alliterative (or each line alliterative)

My Example

Well, first is a poem from one of my favorite guest posters (<3) who is springing forward to summer already! Here, the last line is a close rhyme to summer..:)

Count Down to Summer
Waiting for her to come – I mean, summer.
I hope she will not be a bummer.
Soon there will be (no) time to slumber!

What fun we’ll have with, ‘I don’t know,’
and the not knowing where we will go!!!

But first, we’ve to wait for her to come here.
– By one of my guest posters for me (Vidya @ LadyInReadWrites)

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On My Blog

This week’s posts…

• Sunday Scribblings #64: Sharing a Slice of Wonderful PiE
• 3 Books to Learn More About Our Remarkable Natural World
• Books I Am Sure I Will Love Reading
• Poetic Potpourri From A to Z: Revealing the Theme

& We Did a Count Down On the Home Front

As we waited a) for the weather to make up its mind, and b) for responses to my teenager’s college applications..

Some of My Instagram Posts

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Upcoming

On My Blog and Home Front

Dare I make promises here about what is coming on my blog? For those book summaries and recipes I thought about last week are yet to happen. Well, hope springs eternal, right? So this week, I will work towards a book summary along with book reviews, and at least one other type of post.

On the home front, we are keeping our fingers crossed for the last remaining college application results to be announced; and then we will have to make our decision.

Here is the Count Down to This Week’s Celebrations

The seven days starting on March 21st is recognized as the Week of Solidarity with The Peoples Struggling Against Racism and Racial Discrimination.

The Literary and Close-to-it Celebrations

• March 22nd marks cool birthdays! Randolph Caldecott (of the Caldecott Medal fame), Louis L’amour (Western novels, anyone?), and James Patterson all share this date for their birthday. And Reese Witherspoon as well (I had to include hers here along with literary celebrations because, hey, her book club!!)
• The 25th of March is National Tolkien Reading Day, and also happens to be author Kate DiCamillio’s birthday. So you could pick up either Lord of the Rings, or The Tale of Despereaux.
• March 26th seems to be a literary-birthday-powerhouse as well; Tennessee Williams, Robert Frost, and Viktor Frankl are among some of the authors who have their birthdays on this date.
• March 27th happens to be National Scribble Day; and I decided to include it here for it is after all with scribbles that the first writing and art skills start!
• It is also World Theatre Day on the 27th of March
• And Maxim Gorky’s birthday is on March 28th; so you could pick up Mother or Childhood.

The Foodie Celebrations

• Dessert first or breakfast, actually, with National Bavarian Crepes Day on the 22nd of March.
• Then on March 23rd, snack it up with National Chip and Dip Day , or have some toast as it is National Melba Toast Day as well. It is also National Tamale Day …
• This is followed by National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day on the 24th of March.
• The 26th of March celebrates a versatile green with National Spinach Day, and a chewy sweet treat with National Nougat Day.
• Then the 27th of March is National Spanish Paella Day. I will look for a vegetarian recipe for this as I have not made paella before.
• And then there is deliciousness on March 28th with National Black Forest Cake Day. Or you can get creative with National Something on a Stick Day.

The Other Celebrations

• Go ahead and goof off on March 22nd as it is National Goof Off Day!!
• The 22nd of March is also World Water Day; so see how we can conserve this precious resource. And one more celebration for this date with the International Day of the Seal
• As I mentioned in an earlier post, March 23rd celebrates another wild animal with World Bear Day
• March 26th is Epilepsy Awareness Day – Purple Day
• We celebrate Earth Hour annually on the last Saturday of March

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, this was it for my Sunday Scribblings.

What is your favorite thing to count down to? Or a favorite way to count down? I recall the days of doing a 3 – 2 -1 with a lots of fractions thrown in between as I parented my teens when they were littler. And I still do so sometimes, just because…

As always, I would love to hear your comments on my post(s), poetic Sunday section, and anything else. And which of these days do you plan to celebrate (or any other)? Also, I do look forward to reading your poems (if you have attempted one or the other forms so far?!) 

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon