SUNSET

The sun sets
like a child
forced to bed,
screaming
and yelling
and turning
the sky red.
He wants 
to stay
for another day
so we can
have more time 
to play.

   It has been another busy day for me.  I found the box with my computer, monitor and printer in it, but I don't have them hooked up yet.  My desk is still upside down in the middle of the floor.  It needed to be glued and then I couldn't take the weight of it to turn it over because my broken wrist is still causing some problems with weighty things.  Plus, my empty file cabinet was locked to move it.  Now, I can't find the keys to unlock it.  I put the shelf brackets taped inside and now I can't open the files to get them out.  All little problems.  Anybody have suggestions for where I should look for the keys, or how to get the locked file cabinet open?  Anyway, I figure in about another 20 days, I'll have all the boxes emptied.  One of my bookcases did not last the journey, so I guess the answer is to get rid of some of my books. Anyway, after working all day on getting boxes emptied and the house more settled, I'm tired and expect to sleep well tonight.
   I hope your day was a good one and that you wrote an interesting poem.

  Tomorrow is another day.

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.

Hello, Mr. Cardinal

Looking out my window
what should I see
but a bright red cardinal
sitting in my tree.

His eye was dark and shiny
as he looked straight back at me
and I wondered what he had seen
as he was flying free.

Did he see the deer wandering
down by the sheltered stream?
Or maybe squirrels playing tag
like an Olympic team.

     If you were a bird, what kind would you be?  What would you see as you soared through the air?  If you were a bird in a cage, what would you like to read in the papers lining your cage?  Have fun writing today.

JELLY, OH MY!

On my toast, I like jelly.
On my biscuits, in my belly.

Jelly on my fingers.
Jelly on my face.
I've gotten jelly
all over the place.

I think that I am
a jelly mess.
I LOVE jelly,
can you guess?

    My jelly is a beautiful red color.  How many things can you think of in a minute that are red?  Can you select one thing on your list to write a poem about, or can you write a poem about being red?  Have fun writing.  Maybe you can eat some toast and jelly while you write.

MY NEW T-SHIRT

Oh, Dear!
This is my greatest dread.
Mom put my new white t-shirt
in the wash with something red.

That red something,
what would you think?
It turned my t-shirt
a vivid shade of pink.

     I hope you are having a great day.  Do you have a favorite t-shirt, shoes or dress?  Can you write a poem today about one piece of clothing you like the best?  This could be fun.  Maybe it's your blanket. 

Desert Ocotillo

Ocotillos bloom
in spires of red, hot pokers
your birthday candles
everywhere the flames burning
too quickly they are blown out


      This poem is a tanka.  I haven't written many tankas so I did have to go back to one of my form books to check that I had done the syllables correctly.  Tankas were made popular by Chinese courtesans who published books of tanka written to their sponsor.  Those books are some of the first poetry books published of poetry by women.  The tanka has 31 syllables, five lines long in a 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 pattern.  It is like a haiku 5-7-5, with two extra 7 syllable lines.  Also, these poems encouraged the use of reference to the lover or sponsor.

    Your challenge for today is to try writing your own tanka.  Have fun.

     And here is a thought, if you get stumped in writing.

"The poet doesn't invent.  He listens."    Jean Cocteau

BUTTERFLY GARDEN

 Inside the butterfly garden
the butterflies are all astir.

 Their wings, they are flapping,
flying in a whir.

 Yellow, orange and blue ones,
dancing all about.

 Careful when you exit.
Do not let them out.

 Watch them stop to rest,
dull underside of wing.

 Filled with graceful magic

the butterfly garden brings.


   Have you ever hatched a butterfly?  Have you watched one fly?  Have you visited a butterfly garden? 
Can you write your own butterfly poem today?   

THE COLOR PINK

"Pink," she said.
With the softness of clouds
the fragrance of sweet peas,
the taste of warm watermelon.

Pink, the kindest of colors,
a flamingo dunking
to grasp a shrimp,
or the almost white
of galahs.

Pink is forgiveness
in soothing tones,
the soft nap of baby's blanket.

Pink wipes tears
from the cheeks
of the mean reds.


   Can you write your own color poem today?  What does the color make you thin of?  what music goes with your color?  Have fun writing your poem.

BARREL CACTUS

Barrel Cactus, Joy Acey, Aug. 2013

In the desert it's raining.
The thunder BOOMS.
But in the morning
the barrel cactus blooms.

The flowers are glossy ,
yellow and red,
so I'm happy if I see
a thunder head.


     Most of the time the barrel cacti are just big lumps of spines.  Some have pretty yellow spines, like on golden barrel cacti.  But when we have monsoon rains every plant and animal feels like it better reproduce fast or they will miss their window of opportunity.  What is blooming around you?  Can you write a poem describing a plant you know?  Have fun thinking about all the things you know about the plant.
Does your plant have a name?  Enjoy writing your poem.

HAPPY FLAG DAY

The wind blows.
The metal chain
clanks against
the flag pole
and at the top
the colors unfurl
red, white and blue.
Our flag
stands for one nation,
our states
united in liberty,
freedom, truth,
justice.  The flag
of these United States
has a long history.
Each time I see
our flag waving
I think of
more than our flag.
Thanks to you
for helping
to keep 
our country free.

   What do you think of when you see a flag?  Fireworks, baseball games, parades?  Can you write your own "flag" poem today?

SUNRISE

Sunrise
is like
my paintbox--
full of purples
blues and reds.
With such a
gorgeous sky,
who can
stay in bed?


    What did the sky look like for you this morning?  Can you write your own poem about the sunrise you saw (or didn't see) this morning?  Was your sunrise like a spilled bowl of fruit with oranges, grapes, lemons and cherries coloring the sky?

MY NEW RED SWEATSHIRT

Dad bought me 
a sweatshirt
when we went 
to the game.
It's warm 
and it's red
and has 
the team's name.

I wore it to school.
I wore it to play.
For a week I wore it
everyday.

Mom said, "This 
needs washing,
it's started to stink."
Now my socks
and my undies
are all colored
PINK!


     There is still time to enter your name in the drawing for a copy of GUESS WHO'S IN THE DESERT, Chaline Profiri's new rhyming riddle book about the desert.

Apples

Apple pie,

     Apple Betty,

          Apple crisp,

Make them ready.

I can eat apples

    every day.

It is how I keep

    the doctor away.



     Are apples your favorite fruit?  Bananas?  How about watermelon?  Lately I've been thinking about writing concrete poems (shape poems) for fruit and stressing the color.  Red apples, yellow bananas, pink watermelon (maybe orange cantaloupe would be a better example.)  Do you want to try one?  Draw some circles for purple grapes and put one word in each grape.  Maybe, round, globe, sweet, world, ball, lavender, puce, egg plant, sugary, wine, fruity, crisp.  (I could continue with all the words to describe wine.) I forgot raisin.  Do you get the picture?  What other purple words can you think of?  Crayon? Rainbow? Indigo? Violet? Harold?  Have fun making up your own concrete poem. 

Christmas Colors

White and red

are the colors

of Christmas

for me.

The white

of fresh snow

draping on the trees,

like bridal gowns,

covering the ground.

The red

of cardinals

under the bird feeder

picking at seeds

in the snow.

Their call

in the quiet--

a Christmas carol.

     What is your favorite Christmas carol?  Have you ever gone caroling?  Can you write a poem about the music you like best at holiday time?