On my morning walk I saw:
a gila woodpecker sitting on a tall saguaro,
a dozen doves sitting on a telephone wire,
two western cotton-tail rabbits,
a covey of quail,
lots of lizards,
a piece of red quartz,
a roadrunner running,
and, oops,
a quick moving king snake.
This is a very simple list poem of things I saw on my morning walk. There are three lines that use alliteration. That is where words have the same beginning sound. I've also repeated the "qu" sound three times in this poem. Can you find those? Repetition of sounds helps to put more music into your poems.
My friend Ellen Johnston-Hale taught me that, "It isn't about the rabbits; it's de-tails." There are details in almost every line of this poem. Do you notice how I could have just said birds, rabbits, a rock, a snake? But the details included in each line make the line more interesting.
Why do you think I wrote oops, in the penultimate (next to last) line?
Can you write your own list poem about things you saw on your way to school today? Remember to include lots of details and try to include at least one alliteration. Have fun writing and please share your creation.
