"Satellite Works the Night Shift"- a new poem

Happy Poetry Friday everyone! Today, we're hosted by the fabulous Irene Latham. Check out her joyous, stormy Poetry Month post and roundup here. Thanks Irene!

This week I'm sharing the first of my drafts for my Poetry Month project. This poem is based on an image from NASA, and the news that the Trump administration recently drastically cut maintenance to satellites that gather essential weather forecasting data.

"Tropical Storm Isaac by Night" Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day Night Band data

SATELLITE WORKS THE NIGHT SHIFT

Clouds whirl overhead,

so what should we put by the door?

Galoshes for splashing?

Plywood for protecting?

Luggage for leaving?

Spot the storm, satellite.

Tell me –

are we safe?

~Sarah Grace Tuttle

Something I love about this image? The clouds are lit from above by moonlight.

And now, some updates on April poetry goals:

Poetry Month Project: (20 poems inspired by photos/images of history and/or science that the current administration is trying to erase) I have a nearly-complete list of poem topics, and have collected some images. It's been slow going, in part because I've been going down so many research rabbit holes. But, I consider it time well spent. 1/20 poems drafted. By the end of next week, I hope to have 10-15 drafts completed.

Bonus Goal 1: Poetry Picture Book Concept Draft:  (5 poems + an outline) Not yet started.

Bonus Goal 2: Poetry Picture Book Revision: (5 new poems) Not yet started.

For a little more information on my projects, as well as resources on banned poetry, check out last week's post. Happy Poetry Month!