Today I have an intriguing new book to share. ‘Vivid’ by Julie Paschkis -a hybrid text incorporating poetry and informational notes about colour. The author and illustrator reminds us how colour is woven into our language, connected to our moods and colour has different connotations among different societal groups.  The poems are mostly quite short, free verse poems at times employing repetition and elements of rhyme. The poems easily complement the fascinating facts that accompany each of the poetic offerings. The partnership between information and poetry created in this text adds a deeper dimension to the reading experience. 'Even though blue is often associated with sadness, it is the most popular colour according to polls taken in ten countries around the world.' On a personal note, and as a reader, this book meets two strong interests of mine- factual information and verse. The book demonstrates the various ways to think about colour and delivers a playf...

The Triolet (TREE-o-LAY), is a poetic form with 13th century French roots. It has links to the rondeau or 'round' poem.  The triolet is perfect for using repetition, because the first line of the poem is used 3 times and the second line is used twice. It's an 8-line poem, so there are only 3 other lines to write. Two of those lines rhyme with the first line, the other rhymes with the second line. The triolet looks like this: A (first line) B (second line) a (rhymes with first line) A (repeat first line) a (rhymes with first line) b (rhymes with second line) A (repeat first line) B (repeat second line) I only had to look out the window this morning in order to find my inspiration. I could hear the wind howling through the trees and witness its command, its power, over all things outdoors.  The Morning Wind The wind now bullies the trees Ferocious, unyielding and bold It formed from a gentle breeze The wind now bullies the trees With th...