I KNOW

" I know,"
said the frog
as he sat on his pad,
"there must
be a reason
for feeling so sad."


"Oh dear,"
said a fly
as he buzzed by,
"there sits a frog
about to cry."


"Please,"
 said the fly,
"Don't feel so sad."
"Zap," went the frog
and now he's glad.

  Did you hear the joke about the Mother Frog who told her little tadpole not to play with his food? Can you try writing an acrostic poem on the word FROG today?  Have fun.

   Today I will try to be my best self.

Hiding Frog

Little green frog hides in the moss
behind a rock,
hopes no one sees
him hiding there.

He doesn't move, perhaps he thinks
you won't see him
if he doesn't
blink an eye lid.

But you do see him sitting there
and you both stare
before he croaks
and hops away.

  This is a minute poem.  It has 60 syllables, divided between three stanzas.  The first line has 8 syllables, and the next three lines each have 4 syllables.  Would you like to try writing your own minute poem today?  I can guarantee it will take more than a minute to write it.  Have fun shaping your lines.

And here is a quote from a book mark my friend Tabatha Yeatts sent to me:
You are the sky.  Everything else is just weather. Pema Chodron 

haiku

A frog bellows deep
crickets rub their raspy knees
quiet of the night

   Something is up. I haven't heard a chicken crow, cluck or even belch for the longest time.  They were in the grass this afternoon when I walked down to the road to bring the trash can back to the house.
   Did you know the sight of something, or what something looks like is the most frequently written about sense?  The second most frequently written about sense is sound.  For your poem today, can you write about the sound of something?  As I'm sitting here writing, I can hear my tea kettle boiling, my clock ticking, my refrigerator humming and my computer keyboard keys clicking.  What do you hear?  I hope you have fun writing about it.

You deserve to be happy.  Make it so.

LOVE POEM

I don't know why
a caterpillar turns
into a butterfly.

Or why the black comma
of a polliwog
turns into a frog.

All I know
is beauty can come, unexpectedly,
from the most unusual places
like love.

Which is why
I'm writing
this poem
for you. 

   I don't know why, but love poems are hard for me to write.  If I set out to write one, I always feel like I'm blocked.  So many poems have been written about love, that it is hard for me to find something new to write about, or maybe it is just hard for me to expose my feelings.  I don't know.  All I know is when poetry contests have a category for "love poems," I always pass and skip to the next category.  Your poetry challenge for today is to write a poem about all the things you love.  I doesn't have to rhyme.  Try to use all of your senses in the list.  Do you like school, or summer vacation?  What is about vacation that you love?  Have fun making your list.  If you'd like to share, leave your list in the comments below.  Just remember this is a site intended for children and I will censor anything I deem inappropriate for children under 13 years of age.

Earth's the right place for love: I don't know where it's likely to go better.  Robert Frost, "Birches," 1916.

KISSING FROGS

copyright 2015, Joy Acey

I am one happy frog.
I like sitting in my bog,
eating bugs and flies
as I watch the days go by.

However, I confess
my life would be a mess
if I were made to kiss
the lips of a princess.

 Do you know the fairy tale about the Princess and the Frog?  What would happen if all the frogs were getting kissed by little girls who wanted to find a prince? What is your favorite fairy tale?  Can you take a fairy tale, turn it on it's ear and then write a poem about it?  Have fun being wild and crazy.  Happy writing.

I cannot get out of my head a fairy-tale of olden times.--Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)



The Poetry Friday Round Up is hosted this week by Heidi Mordhorst on her blog My Juicy Little Universe.  Thanks, Heidi.  She has a delicious poem about going back to school titled, No Not Yet, with lots of fun word play.  Check out her poem and lots of other fun poetry on her blog.

TANKA

new moon,      a dark time

searching firefly can't find

an answering flash

a single frog by the stream 

haunts my night with his croaking

     I thought I'd try another tanka for today's poem.  A tanka is a syllabic poem like a haiku.

It starts with the 5-7-5 pattern and adds two more 7 syllable lines.  So it is 5-7-5-7-7.  Unlike haiku that is a nature poem, tankas are poems about love.  They were called pillow poems because in early Japan women would write the poems and leave them on their lover's pillow.Would you like to try writing a tanka today? Have a great Saturday. 

Children's Poetry Can Help You See.

NOT A FROG

Some call me frog
as I hop down the road,
with bumpy, dry skin,
I am a __ __ __ __.

RIBBET, RIBBET

Ribbet, Ribbet,
    Sings a frog,
While he sits
     Upon a log.

He watches, listens
     and he sighs--
Out darts his tongue,
     Zapping flies.
         Ahhh!


     I had a grand time last night playing with some pastels my sister gave to me.
What do you think of my silly frog?  This poem uses onomatopoeia.  Can you write your own poem with onomatopoeia?  Have fun.

Freida the Frog

Said Freida, a frog
laying her eggs,
"I'm bored, and exhausted
and I've cramps in my legs,
from squatting here laying
in this cold pond each night
It's a chore, I abhor it.
It's definitely not right."

    I went to a workshop yesterday morning and one of the things we talked about was using mentor texts to help us with our writing. One of my favorite writers of picture books in verse is Dr. Seuss.So I thought I'd try this re-vamp from one of his stories.  So your challenge today is to take a poem or story written in verse and write your own version.  You don't have to do the whole story, just try the experience of this and see if it works for your and gives you any ideas.

GREEN FROG SHOES

I met a very clever, verbal two year old yesterday named Wyatt.  He was wearing green rubber clogs.  This poem is for him.

In my green froggy clogs

I can jump, jump, jump.

Over old, dead tree logs

and traffic safety bumps.

    OK now it is your turn.  Today is Thursday, and I'm thirsty.  Can you write a poem about things you like to drink?  Have fun.  (Perhaps a simple couplet.)  You are welcome to leave your poem in the comments below.  Thank you. 
  Thanks for coming by for a visit.

Dancing Frog

There was a frog

who wanted to dance.

He begged his mom

to have a chance

to take lessons

and learn the samba.

He also wanted

to cha cha and mamba.

He tried to be graceful

when he danced the waltz

but his teacher pointed

to his big feet faults.

He did lack rhythm

couldn't hear the beat

in fact he had

two left feet.

There was one dance

he liked a heap.

It was the dance

where he could leap.

So while other frogs

went out to play,

this young frog

practiced ballet.

   

       Oh I had fun with this one thinking about what a dancing frog would look like.  I wonder who would want to be a frog's partner, would you?  For today's challenge, put a frog some place unexpected and write about it.  Do you know a frog that would like a birthday cake?  What do you think the flavor would be?  Have fun

FORM POEM

LITTLE YELLOW FROG

Little yellow frog,

Little yellow frog,

Where have you been?

I've been hiding,

I've been hiding,

said little yellow frog,

under a log.

LITTLE RED HEN

Little red hen,

Little red hen,

Where have you been?

I've been sitting,

I've been sitting,

said little red hen,

trying to hatch these eggs.

     Can you see the pattern I've set up in these two poems? 

Little (color)  (animal).
Little (color)  (animal),
Where have you been?

 I've been (action word),
I've been (action word),
said the little (color) (animal)
(line to explain where or what the action is)

So let's try it with a cat.

Little white cat,

Little white cat,

Where have you been?

I've been sleeping,

I've been sleeping,

said little white cat,

on this cozy mat.

Or a dog.

Little brown dog,

Little brown dog,

Where have you been?

I've been running,

I've been running,

said the little brown dog,

through this misty fog.

 I'm already thinking about the verses I can write using this pattern with a goat, a lion, an ostrich, the moon, (see, it doesn't have to be an animal), the broom, even a Texas tycoon.  Just to show you the form can be used for something other than animals, I wanted to use different colors too.  So I thought about silver and the first thing that came to mind was a shovel.

Little silver shovel, 

Little silver shovel,

Where have you been?

I've been digging, 

I've been digging,

said little silver shovel

all across the gravel.

   So now it is your turn.  Can you write your own poem using this form?  If you had a whole group of poems you could put them together in your own little book of poetry.  Have fun.  If you'd like to leave your poem in the comments below, I'd LOVE to read your creation.  Thank you.

Poison Dart Frog

Nature can be deadly.

Watch out

for the poison dart frog.

Natives catch them

on a palm frond

gently squeeze

and the frog secretes

a deadly liquid

for the tips of poison darts.

  
     This tiny frog looks so cute, but do not touch.  In the dim forest light the yellow stripes glow.
    Can you try writing a poem today about frogs?

My Pocket

When my boys were young, I used to enjoy emptying their pockets at the end of the day.  It was always interesting to see what they had collected and thought was important to them on their adventures during the day.

My Pocket

In my pocket

I have a rock

and a piece

of sidewalk chalk.

I have a nail,

and a Monopoly card

to get out of jail,

a foreign stamp

that came in the mail,

a piece of gum

that's very stale,

the rattle from

a dead snake's tail,

a piece of bone

from a whale.

I have a Lincoln Log,

a milk bottle pog,

a tag from the dog,

a metal cog

and, oh yes,

here is

my pet frog.

     Quick, check what you have in your pocket right now?  Can you write a poem about it?