Crazy Mad

I'm mad about monkeys,
crazy for cockatoos.
I love cuddly koalas
and jumping kangaroos.

All of these animals
and my own little Ted
leave me no room
when I go to bed.

Do you have a favorite stuffed animal you sleep with?  What do you think your animal dreams about? Can you write a poem about your stuffed animal's dream today? Have fun writing.

I paid the electric bill to read your poem.

NIGHT CAP

I wear my night cap
on my head,
put on pajamas,
I'm ready for bed.

    Do you know why people used to wear night caps?  What are some other clothing items you can think of that people no longer wear?  Can you try writing a poem about another piece of clothing?  Have fun writing.

SICK DAY

My nose is dripping.
It's turning shining red.
I cannot get the drip to stop.
I think today
I'll stay
in bed.

   I had a busy weekend, and I'm paying for it today.  My nose is running and I'm really having to push myself to get some work done.  I'm moving very slowly today.  What is the slowest moving creature that you know about?  Can you write a poems about it today?  Have fun writing.

I've a ticket
on the dream train.
I'm leaving town tonight.
I've a ticket for sweet dreams
when I go to bed tonight.

If you had a ticket on the dream train, where would it take you?  Have fun writing your own poem.

SO HUNGRY

I'm so hungry
I could eat a bear.
My teddy says,
"Don't go there!"

I'm so hungry
I could eat a horse.
"Don't eat me!"
says my horse, of course.

I'm so hungry
I could eat a cow.
"If I'm eaten,
there's no milk, now."

I'm no longer hungry
Don't want to be fed.
I think I'll return
to my bed instead.


     This is not the first poem I've written about being hungry.  What kind of poem could you write to answer the question: How hungry are you?  What would you eat?  Have fun writing a food poem today.

Nonet

Half moon light shines on the Saguaro
casting dark shadows in the sand.
Their arms stretch up offering
blessings to the desert,
praise to the cool night.
I, in my bed,
am wishing
it were
me.

   Yesterday I said I was working on nine line poems and shared two lai with you.  Today I have another syllabic poem--the nonet.  This poetic form has nine lines and nine syllables in the first line, eight in the second and each subsequent line has one less syllable until the last line has only one syllable.  Finding a suitable one syllable word to end the poem on is the tricky part of this form.
Your challenge for today is to try writing your own nine line poem.  Have fun writing.

CRAZY FRED

Crazy Fred is stuck in bed
He can't get up today.
His belt is wrapped around the frame
and there he's forced to stay.

     I'm working on nonsense poems today.  This is the first verse to something I see as longer.  Crazy Fred is going to take his bed with him every where, like a turtle.  I've got more work to do, but I thought I'd share this verse with you.  Can you write your own silly poem with a made up character?  Let me see if I can help out a little.

Cousin Harry liked making magic.
That's how he lost his nose.

Oh my, Oh my,
Aunt Mildred's teeth
got stuck in the pie.

Uncle Bob has lost his job.
The pickle factory is shutting down.

You can use any of these lines for poem starters, or create your own.  Have a fun time writing your poem and being a little silly today.  It doesn't have to rhyme.

I'm Hiding

I'm hiding here
under my bed
pretending I'm
the cat
waiting to be fed.
Won't you please
pet the head
of the cat 
who is hiding
under the bed.


     Where is your favorite place to hide?  Can you write a poem about hiding or about something you'd like to hide.  Have fun writing.

The Monkey

A monkey raced
into my room.
He's jumping 
on the bed.
I hope he'll 
be gone soon,
and isn't waiting
to be fed.

A GHOST AT THE DOOR?

The wind is whistling.
The door rattles a lot.
Is there a ghost there?
I surely hope NOT.


 I had so much fun writing about a ghost yesterday, I thought I'd try again today.  Where else can I place the ghost?  

The noise scares my dog.
She runs for her bed
then uses her paws
to cover her head.

    Can you write a poem today about something that might scare you?

MONDAY MORNING SLOG

Some mornings 
I don't want
to get up at all.
Back in my bed,
I want to crawl.

It is then
that I plaster
a smile on my face.
I get up, get dressed
and join the human race.


     Do you ever have mornings when you don't want to get up?  What would you do if you could spend the whole day in bed?  Can you write an ode to your bed today?  Enjoy your writing.

MY TOYS

My favorite doll
is an action figure
I put her in water
and she grows bigger.

My favorite doll
has lace socks.
She comes to school
in my lunch box.

My favorite doll
has a feather fan.
She sleeps in a bed
I made from a can.

My favorite doll
is getting fat.
She is hiding out
beneath my hat.

My favorite doll
has a dress that's red.
Now she is sitting
on top of my bed.

My favorite doll
likes to run and jog.
She is resting
beside my dog.

I can't find my doll.
Oh, what should I do?
There she is hiding
next to my shoe.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you like my smile?
Do you like my hair?

Do you like my bed?
Or how about my chair?

Do you like me standing here?
Or how 'bout over there?

Do you like my pear-ish shape?
Or like my face that's square?

Do you like my raven hair?
Or should I dye it fair?

Would you like to pet my dog?
Or maybe  ride my mare?

Tell me what of mine you like.
Or do you even care?

Would you like some tea with mint?
Perhaps you need a rest.

I'm fishing here for compliments.
It's what I do the best.

     My friend David L. Harrison has monthly prompts for writing poems on his blog.  The word for May is fog.  And now, he has added a monthly theme--fishing.  But, I didn't want to write about going fishing, or fishing poles and wiggly worms.  So as I thought about writing a poem, I got to fishing for compliments.  Then I had fun putting this poem together.  Compliments are always nice to give and receive.  What would someone say to you to give you a compliment?  Can you write a poem about it?  Do have fun.

ME

Sometimes I'm happy.
Sometimes I'm sad.
Sometimes I'm good.
I try not to be bad.

But whatever I am,
whatever you see,
I try to be glad
that I am me.

Today I decide
what I will be
and I'm glad that
I'm happy and me.


    How are you feeling on this Monday?  It is a new week?  What are you going to decide to do this week?  Pick one thing to work on this week and see if you can make it happen.  Do you have a book you want to finish, or a spelling test to ace?  Maybe your goal is to make your bed each morning.  What is your goal?  Can you write a short poem about it?  Have fun. 

STORM

Lightning crashes.

Thunder roars.

I'm safe and warm

here indoors.

This storm is noisy.

It's what I dread.

I'm glad I'm here

asleep in bed.

     Obviously I wasn't happy with yesterday's poem because it was stirring around in my head all night while I was sleeping.  So, I thought I'd try again today.  Which poems do you like better, yesterday's or today's?  Can you write a poem about rain today?

4 AM

The clock

on my nightstand

gleams red

4 AM.

It is dark.

 I'm still a bed.

Across the night air

comes the whistle

of a train

and in my dream

I'm riding

the Santa Fe

through the rain,

through the snow,

all the way

to the moon.

Clackety-clack, clackety-clack.

I'll be there soon.

     This is one of what I call my dream poems.  Many famous poets, have written poems about their dreams.  John Barrymore, Langston Hughes, Edgar Allen Poe--
just to name a few.  My dreams are usually short.  What are your dreams like?  Do you write your dreams down?  I keep a dream journal on my night stand.
It doesn't take long to write your dreams down first thing in the morning so you can keep them.  Otherwise all those good ideas that come to you in the night get lost.  Today's challenge is to write a poem about one of your dreams.  Do you think dreams are important to your life?  Why?  What do dream poems do for you?