Manticore V

My manticore is a gho-che-at.
He has the head of a ghost,
the feet of a cheetah,
and the body of a very scared cat.

He runs fast outdoors
with his cheetah feet
hunting for fish and souls 
to eat.

He wears a Hawaiian lei
to say Aloha
every day.

  Who ever would have thought to put the head of a ghost on a manticore?  Only the children from Kapa'a Elementary School.  I think this came from the idea that a manticore is a mythical beast.  Isn't the creativity wonderful?  And then to follow through with the idea that a ghost eats souls.  Some thinking is going on.  Wonderful!  I've never had a manticore poem go in this direction before and I love it.  Bright and very creative.
   Can you try writing a manticore poem today?  Maybe you can get your friends to help by suggesting interesting shapes to patch together.  Don't forget to try to use your five senses when writing your poem. 

Seek new paths for your creativity.

MANTICORE III

   This manticore has the head of a dog.  The body of a pentagon.  Cat feet and tail, and eagle wings.  I couldn't remember how to make a five sided shape, so I drew a five pointed star first, and then connected the points.  Hey, it worked.  I'm not that great an artist, but I'll always give it a try.  Just wait till I share the goat head.  I love how the kids stretch my abilities.  The name we came up with for this manticore was a Do-pen-at-le.

My dopenatle is named Jaxs.
He eats dogfood
with his friends
the dog,
eagle,
and cat.
His body
is a pentagon.
He flies in the air
and soon
is gone.  

   This poem was written with the help of second graders at Kapaa Elementary School in Kauai, Hawaii.  Can you try making your own manticore creature and then writing a poem about it?  Have fun creating.

   A poem and bubblegum have a lot in common.

Another Manticore

This manticore has a squid head, turtle body and cat feet.  We called him a squiturat.  He also is wearing a tutu and glasses.

Sebastion, my squiturat
loves ballet,
except he's fat.

He can't leap
off the ground,
with cat feet,
he falls down. 

      This is another manticore poem, written with the second graders at Kapaa Elementary School in Kauai, Hawaii.  Can you tell I had a really good time working with the hildren? 
          Can you try making your own manticore poem.  Take three animals, or objects and piece them together and then give the creature you've made a name.  Where does your creature live?  What does it eat?  What does it like to do?  Have fun creating and writing your poem.

 
E mahalo kakou i ka mea loa'a.  Let us be thankful for what we have.  A Hawaiian proverb.

Happy Manticore

For National Poetry Month I've been working with the children at Kapaa Elementary School to write manticore poems.  First we create our own manticore creature.  Here is a Zeaffigken we created.  It has the head of a zebra.  The body of a giraffe, the tail of an iguana, and chicken feet.

Then we tried writing our poem.

THE ZEAFFIGKEN

My zeaffigken is an amazing thing!
With his giraffe neck, you should hear him sing.
And when he runs, he goes right past,
With chicken legs, he's really fast.

     You might have fun making your own manticore poem.  Use at least three different animals for a head, a body and legs or wings.  Name your manticore.  You get to invent a new word for this.  Tells us what your manticore likes to do or eat.  Where does it live?  Have fun drawing your manticore and writing your poem.

Do what you love and everyday will be play.
 

  Today is Poetry Friday and the Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes on her blog Today's Little Ditty .  You can find more poetry here.  Thank you Michelle for hosting us today.