Celebrate! Happy 4th

Let's celebrate
the 4th of July
by shooting off stars
into the sky.

Let's celebrate
and all eat pie,
make mine peach
on the 4th of July.

Let's all lick ice cream cones.
I'll even buy
when we celebrate
the 4th of July.

The sun is so hot
I think I'll fry.
It's very sunny
on this 4th of July.

Let's swim across the lake.
Just give it a try
as we cool off
on this 4th of July.

We're spitting watermelon seeds.
Watching them fly
as we have a contest
on this 4th of July.

See the fireworks explode!
My-oh-my!
I sure like
the 4th of July.



    What will you do to celebrate the 4th of July?  I think I'm going to be sitting on my lanai watching the explosions in three directions.  Can you try writing your own celebration poem?  Have fun writing.

Happy Poetry Friday

 

 Today is POETRY FRIDAY.  Yahoo!  If you'd like to read more poetry fun, jump over to  Random Noodling for the Poetry Friday Round UP.  Thank you, Diane Mayr  for hosting us this week.

Fairy Dance

Down in the meadow
it's raining today.
Fairies are dancing.
They've come out to play.

Having a party,
they're drinking tea
and they've invited
both you and me.

They're eating cookies
and small cakes with cream
and they'll disappear
when we wake from our dream.


    Do you like having tea parties?  If you were to have one, who would you invite?  What would you eat?  Can you write your own poem about a tea party?



Today is Poetry Friday and  Diane Mayr at Random Noodling is hosting the roundup.  You can find more links to poetry here.  Thank you Diane for hosting us this week.

SEQUOIA

LEAVES

from a Sequoia
long, thin
pine needles

poke and jab
make us slightly
uncomfortable

like the Indian legend
of talking leaves
genius, clever, brilliant

let me remark
upon his native intelligence
taught himself

to read--first in English
then devised script
for his Cherokee

taught his daughter
to read and write
in her own tongue

with his daughter
showed the Chiefs
usefulness of written words

convinced the Cherokee nations
to learn to read and write
and to understand
the power
of talking leaves.

    Michelle Barnes has a poetry challenge this month on her blog Today's Little Ditty suggested by Nikki Grimes. Nikki supplied ten words for writing poems. One of the words was leaf and this got me to the story of talking leaves, how Sequoia convinced the Cherokee nations to learn to read and write. The tall red wood trees that grow along the Pacific Coast are named after him.  I think it is a pretty amazing story. I know stories about dogwood trees, apple trees, willow trees, and even a Davie poplar tree on the campus of the University of North Carolina.  Do you know any stories about trees?  Would you like to make up your own story? Can you write your own poem about a tree, leaves or even one leaf today?  Have fun writing.



  Today is Friday and Diane Mayr is hosting the Friday Poetry Round Up on her blog Random Noodling.  You can read more poetry at her blog and take a tour of all the blog sites featuring poetry today.

MY DOG

My dog at 17,
he's always sweet.
He is never mean.

My dog is a bore,
he dribbles his food
on the floor.

My dog is so dumb,
he stands still
when I yell COME.

My dog is a fool,
on the floor
he likes to drool.

My dog practically shouts,
every five minutes
he wants to go out.

My dog is a creep,
all he does is
sleep, sleep, sleep.

My dog is a grouch,
his favorite bed
is my couch.

My dog is very rude,
he stands at his dish
to gulp his food.

My dog chews
on the phone
like it is
his tasty bone.

My dog still wants
a hug
after he piddles
on the rug.

With all these faults
my dog has got
I love the rascal
quite a lot.

     When a poet repeats a line or phrase in a poem, this poetic technique is called anaphora. Do you see how I've started most of the stanzas with the phrase My Dog is?  As I was writing this poem I kept thinking about the Yo Mama jokes that were popular.  So can you pick a pet--a dog, a cat, a bird, a goldfish--and use anaphora to write several couplets about your pet.  Have fun writing.
    It is Friday and today's Poetry Round Up is hosted by Diane Mayr at her blog Random Noodling.  Just click on the link for more poetry fun today.  Thanks Diane for hosting us all.

   Teaching Authors has a copy of Writers Digest 2015 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market they are giving away at http://www.teachingauthors.com/