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This is my playground for poetry written for children with ideas and inspiration for writing your own poems. Come on in. Sit for a spell, have a cup of words to swirl around and make your own cup of poetry. I'm so glad you are here. I hope you'll find the Kingdom of Poetry a fun place to be.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Left Handed

When I was little
and sucked my thumb
it always was
with my left one.

When I got older
and drank from a cup
I'd use my left hand
to pick it up.

And then when I
learned to use my fork
with my left hand
I'd stab the pork.

Then at school
it was my plight
to use my left hand
to learn to write.

Mom said, "Oh dear."
Dad said, "Oh my."
Grandpa just winked at me
and gave me a piece of pie--
 with his left hand.

So many people look at me
and raise their eyebrows high.
I just smile and tell them all
I am a left handed kind of guy.

     I want to thank Sharon Landeen from my critique group for the inspiration for this poem.  She showed me pictures of her new little granddaughter. Everyone is hoping she will be left handed because so many people in her family are left handed.  I understood exactly what Sharon meant because I'm left handed.  My husband is left handed.  Both of my sons are left handed.  Sharon also shared  with me a great poem she had written listing all the famous people who are left handed. 
    No matter which hand you use, your hands are useful tools.  Can you write a poem today about something you do with your hands?  Have fun with this one.



13 comments:

  1. Delightful, Joy! Here, off the top of my head:

    EMBROIDERING

    In
    and out.
    Take it around.
    Emerald,
    peacock,
    chocolate brown.
    Minutes slipping,
    hardly a sound.
    That's how I lay my stitches down.

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    Replies
    1. Renee,
      Thanks for stopping by. The emerald, peacock, chocolate brown are colors of embroidery floss, right? Otherwise, I'm going to have to learn more about stitches. Love the peacock,such a lovely surprise. I think it was the recent Lands End catalog that mentioned a finishing seam I wasn't familiar with. Oh, I've got to go find that word again and do the research. Thank you for sharing your poem and for making me think about stitches and seams.

      Delete
    2. Yes, those are the colors of the floss, peacock and chocolate brown being two of my favorites. I haven't found the time or inspiration to embroider in over a year, and when you mentioned hands, I realized how much I missed it!

      Delete
  2. I'm a left handed kind of guy, too!

    Here's a quick one:

    SHE NAMED HER FIRST SON EMERY

    She stops work
    to file a broken nail,
    "I always wanted
    to be a hand model...
    maybe some day."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane,
      Your poem reminds me of the song sung by Barbara Streisand in FUNNY GIRL:
      "I do my nails,
      read up on sales,
      all day the records play,
      When he comes home I tell him,
      'Oh what a day I've had today.'"

      The title is LOL great. Thanks for the laugh and thanks for adding your poem.

      Delete
  3. Applause

    Whether held over my head
    and not making a sound,
    or clapped together
    and very loud,
    you know just how I feel.

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  4. Tabatha, Very clever. Thank you.

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  5. Affirming poem for the left-handed child. Do people still make a deal about not wanting their kids to be left-handed?

    Here's a poem I wrote when I took up crocheting after the grandbabies started coming:

    Baby Afghans

    A baby's on the way
    and doesn't every baby
    need an afghan
    made by Grandma?

    I always was a knitter
    but if you drop a stitch
    knitting is a headache
    plus it’s hard to talk or listen
    while tangoing two needles
    through a cable pattern.

    So I picked crochet Crosshatch
    from Ultimate Stitch Sourcebook
    yarn from Wal-Mart.
    Now twelve months later
    I’m on afghan number five
    and going strong.

    Let’s hook up for coffee
    visit over doubles, triples
    chains and skips
    repeats and turns
    'cause lots of babies
    still need afghans.




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  6. Joy,

    Good to see that your poem inspired so many more. Yay!

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  7. Terrific. It will be on its way to my son, left-handed, but still the only one in immediate family. We do accommodate... Thanks, Joy.

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  8. Left handed people are supposed to be more intelligent....cloey

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