BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

      Sorry to be slow with my posting for yesterday, but it was my birthday and I was having a grand time. I went to a Friends of the Library book sale and bought lots of great picture and poetry books.  Lots of books at $10 a bag.  And here is a poem about what happened with my birthday dinner.

BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

Eating dinner,
my cards and presents
by my plate.

Unwrapping gifts
my family knows me
I get a new journal.

The cake is chocolate
the ice cream too.
I look up to see
movement out the window.

Surprise!
There in my backyard
is a bobcat.
She slowly walks closer.

She has come to give me
one more present
the gift of her sighting.

     Do I need the last line of this poem? Or, should I switch the last two lines? Can you see how, "There in my backyard/ is a bobcat." is more exciting than There is a bobcat/ in my backyard? The order of the words  helps to build excitement.
     Can you write a free verse poem about what you did today?
     I feel wonderfully blessed to have so many friends sending greetings for my birthday via email and Facebook.  Thank you all.  I'm such a lucky girl.

Editing a poem is like picking fleas from a monkey's back.