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***MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!***
dVerse LIVE will be Saturday September 14th from 10 AM to 11 AM EDT.
The link to join us with audio and video will be embedded in the OLN prompt published on Thursday, September 12th.

Lillian here, delighted to host Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for writers around the globe!

As a septuagenarian, I was in 8th grade when the television show, Sing Along with Mitch premiered. Running from 1961 to 1964, it was inspired by the popular Sing Along with Mitch record album series. During one week in 1958, the top three albums were Sing Along with Mitch, More Sing Along with Mitch, and Christmas Sing Along with Mitch. Mitch Miller conducted an all male chorus on the albums and on the television show.

We watched television in our small den, my parents sitting on our faux-leather beige couch that pulled out to a “sofa bed” – the kind with the bar that hit you right in the middle of your back when you laid down on it! We had a “blonde console” television: a large light-colored wooden cabinet held our black and white television within its confines. In those days, your television was considered a piece of furniture. Every once in a while, it would “go on the blink” and my dad would telephone our friendly tv repair man. He’d come over, and struggling with the weight of the thing, pull the television cabinet away from the wall. He’d then open up what looked like a large fishing tackle box….the kind with the shelves that spill out of it. It held electronic “tubes” of all sizes. He’d squat behind the tv with his arm out in front of him, holding a mirror so he could see the tv screen’s reflection in it. He’d take our tv’s tubes out one at a time, replacing each one with a new identical tube from his case. Sometimes it took him fifteen minutes to find the “burned out” tube. Other times, it took well over an hour.

Below is a recording from a Sing Along with Mitch album. It sounds exactly like it did many years ago on the television show. And yes, the lyrics were shown on the bottom of the tv screen so you could indeed sing along with Mitch and his chorus! Below, I’ve shared a recording of the song By the Beautiful Sea. I remember singing it with my folks in our den! Take a listen. So – how is this all connected to today’s prompt? Maybe you’ve guessed. We’re going to write poetry about the sea or, if you like, the ocean. There’s no particular form or length….but it must somehow be about the sea/ocean! It could be about an experience you’ve had, a mythic poem about a seafarer, or simply a description of the sea. Or you could write a children’s poem set at the seaside. Remember the wonderful poem written by American poet and writer, Eugene Field: Wynken, Blynken and Nod? Do post your poem to Mr. Linky below. I look forward to feeling the saltwater spray in my face and perhaps hearing some sea gulls as you take us to the sea with your words!

New to dVerse?  Need to be refreshed on the rules? Here’s what to do:

  • Write a poem that somehow deals with the sea or ocean.
  • Post the poem to your blog AND add the exact URL for your poem to Mr. Linky below.
  • REMEMBER to either TAG dVerse in your post, or include a link at the end of your poem that leads readers back to dVerse (https://dversepoets.com). 
  • If you do not TAG or include a link to dVerse at the end of your post, I will gently remind you to do so. After all, this will increase your readership and comments, and others will find dVerse and hopefully join in the fun. If you do not add the TAG or link after my reminder, I will remove your post from Mr. Linky. I do not want to do that! So please do include the TAG or link!