Welcome

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.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

A Poet's Prayer


Let my heart grow
with the wonders
of this world.
 

Let me hear 
waves crash
turning rocks and shells
into the soft sand
beneath my feet.
 

May I see
the whale breech,
the albatross
and shearwaters
winging over
the lighthouse.


May I smell 
the sweet spicy scent
of plumeria, orchids
and the pikea.

May I taste
salt air on my tongue,
feel the gentle rain
and the warming sun.


May I see

the bright colors
of a rainbow
arcing over my world
like this poem
I must write.


  Jane Yolen sent a poem today titled Another Writer's Prayer.  I used it as a mentor poem for mine.  Her poem was about all the woodland things she needed to write her stories.  The first time I read her poem, I thought these are all fall things, we need a summer poem for this time of year.  On further reading, I realized it wasn't fall, it was woodland with sycamore trees and gray squirrels.  We don't have squirrels on Kauai.  In fact, as someone pointed out to me recently, there isn't a wide variety of mammals on the Hawaiian islands.  Most of those we do have were imported. 
  So, your poetry challenge for today is to write your own ode, a poem of praise.  Use your five senses and tell what you can see, feel, smell, touch and taste.  Use your locale to share your world with your reader.  Have fun writing your own poem.


  Do you wish to touch the stars?

Friday, May 26, 2017

LOST THINGS



At the edge of the world
is a deep black hole
where all lost things reside--

Ribbons and keys
baby bottles and binkys
All the lost hair
from dogs with mange
the dimes and nickels
of lost pocket change.

Pens and pencils
teething rings
every sock without a mate
nuts, screws and bolts
that disappear
and lone earrings
the homework, wasn't even late
all sorts of things.

Even my teddy
that I forgot
on the bus
and never
found again.


What sorts of things do you lose?  Did you look for it?  Did you find it?  The older I get, the more things I lose track of--most often it's my cell phone.  Can you write a poem today about something lost?  Have fun writing your poem.



Happy Poetry Friday and Aloha Friday
.  
The round up is over on Margaret Simon's blog  Reflections on the Teche  For more poetry fun, jump over and visit Margaret.  Thanks for hosting us, Margaret.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN



Clouds cover
over the moon.
Dawn is coming,
will be here soon.
Rain, rain, rain.

Chickens quiet,
they are still.
Sun is peeking
over the hill.
Rain, rain, rain.

Downspout water
in a rush
welcomes morning.
All is hush, with
Rain, rain, rain.

Friday, May 5, 2017

HAPPY BOYS DAY

     Happy Poetry Friday.


Three paper kites
hang from our house
they flutter, flap and sway.
These paper fish are flying
high to celebrate
Tango no sekku
a Happy Boys Day.

On May fifth in communities with a Japanese influence you'll see paper carp
dancing on bamboo poles to honor the men in the household.  There are lots of Japanese-Americans who live on my island so we celebrate boys day and there are lots of paper carp flying today.  This holiday is also known as the Feast of Banners.  You can find out more about this celebration here

   There is a legend about the swimming carp becoming a dragon.  Can you write a poem today about a dragon?  What color would your dragon be?  Have fun writing.


E kÅ«lia i ka nu‘u.
 
Strive to reach the highest.

--a Hawaiian proverb

  To read more poetry posts, Jama Kim Rattigan is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today on 

her blog Jama's Alphabet Soup here.  Thanks Jama, for hosting us this week.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and have a great weekend.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

EACH BREAK


Each break, a small miracle
see it
     in the geode
          glistening
in magic.

Each book
broken open
     reveals
          new worlds.

Each pomegranite
sends rubys
     dripping
          goodness into the world.

Each wave
breaking
     toward shore
          is a delight
on the beach.

And the birds
tell it all
     each break
          is a small miracle
in their eggs.

     It is probably because I had an appointment to see the Orthopedist for my 4 week check up of my broken pelvic ring yesterday that I got to thinking about all the ways breaking could be a great thing.  I was reading a book about surfing in Tahiti last week and it had beautiful pictures of surfers flying through a barrel wave.  The pictures were stunning of the tube of the wave with a surfer inside.  It got me to thinking how the very act of a wave cresting over on itself defies gravity.  But I've also seen lava tubes that have done the same thing.  What magic it is--a small miracle of nature.  Have you ever considered that our intestines do the same thing?  We have this long tube inside us that runs top to bottom.  That too is a small miracle.
     We are surrounded by wonders of nature.  It is like a magic show and if we take the time to slow and observe, we have a front row seat.
     What is something you have observed today?  Can you write a poem about it?  Have fun observing and writing today.   


Ho'omoe Wai Kahi Ke Kao'o
 
Let Us Travel Together Like Water

Flowing In One Direction--a Hawaiian

proverb.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

THE EARTH CRACKED OPEN: A Lament



I opened my mouth
and tasted the sky.
I opened my heart
and heard birds cry.

Their conversations
were noisy and deep.
In many tongues,
I heard them weep.

The earth is changing.
It's no longer the best.
We birds can't find
a good place to nest.

Temperature is rising.
Can't take the heat.
Like canaries in coal mines
birds die in the street.

Bees leave the hive.
They're in another zone.
Ask how we can do this
to the place we call home.

     A lament is a poem expressing grief or sorrow.  It is a poem of mourning.  I wrote this poem on Earth Day last week.  I'm very concerned about what we are doing to care for our planet, even though I live on a small island in the Pacific Ocean.  I garden and recycle.  What are some things you do to care for our land and oceans?  Can you write a love poem today to the earth?  Have fun brainstorming and then writing your poem.

Me ka mahalo nui.   
With deep gratitude. 

 What can you do to show your 
gratitude to the earth?

Monday, May 1, 2017

HAPPY LEI DAY




Today we went out
to the plumeria tree
to pick some flowers
for mommy and me.

We threaded them all
in a fragrant chain.
We did it once
then again and again.

White and pink,
and rainbow too.
Again and again
until we were through.

We strung the flowers
into a round lei,
to celebrate for
this Lei Day.

 What do you do to celebrate May Day?  Do you give flowers to your friends?  Do you make paper flowers?  Today's challenge is to write a poem about your favorite flower.  I hope you have a happy Lei Day (our 90th) and that you have fun writing poetry.

He lei poina ‘ole ke keiki.
A lei never forgotten is the beloved child. (a Hawaiian proverb)


  Have you ever thought about how dull life would be without flowers?  What would the bees do?  We'd have no honey.  I'm so glad we have flowers and showers to help them grow.