Dream Poem

There is a river
I skate upon
in my dreams
from dusk until dawn.

Oh the adventures,
skating near and far
and when I'm tired
I rest on a star.

    What do you dream about? Your dreams can take you anywhere.  Can you write your own dream poem today?  Make it fun.

Who is Happy?

The cats jump for joy.
The dogs leap with glee.
Everyone is happy.
What can
the excitement
be?


    What gets you excited?  Can you write a poem about excitement today? Answer the question of this poem to make the next verse.  What are you passionate about?  Do have fun writing your poem.  Happy Tuesday.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE

Whoever said,
The best things
in life are free,
stopped to listen
to birds singing
in a tree.

 I hoped that worked for you.  I was trying up loading a video of the bird singing.

And now, I noticed the moon was still out on my morning walk.

The moon is caught
in the saguaro spines.
The needles are strong,
holding like twine.

What will happen
if it can't get away?
Will we be stuck,
day after day?

Will we never
have another night?
Somehow that doesn't
seem quite right.

    

     Ok. That one will take patience.  There are a lot of long pauses.  I was trying to make a poem up on the spot, something I like to challenge myself to do and the pauses between lines are a little long while I was thinking about where the poem was going to go.  Have you ever tried to make up a rhyme while standing on your feet?  Sometimes the movement of my feet helps the rhythm of the poem.  But, in this case I just wanted something to go with the cool moon in the saguaro.  I tried a haiku too.  Perhaps you'd like to try a haiku to go with one of the pictures you've seen today, or better yet, use something from your landscape.  Have fun.

If the videos don't work, I'll come back and edit them out.  Have a great weekend.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Karen Edmisten this week on her blog at http://karenedmisten.blogspot.com/  Thanks for a great party, Karen.  You can find lots of other great poetry for children on her blog.

GUESS WHO?

Who is out on Halloween night

riding a broom in the pale moon light?

Who sits behind on the witch's broom

and holds on tight with every ZOOM?

Who purrs a loud kitty keen,

to wish us all

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.



    Now, I'm going to try this poem with an echo.  Let's see if it will work?  This way, it becomes a poem for two voices.  The echo is a repeat by students, and everyone joins in on the last line.
Who is out on Halloween night
                                               on Halloween night

riding a broom in the pale moon light?
                                              in the pale moon light?

Who sits behind on the witch's broom
                                              on the witch's broom

and holds on tight with every ZOOM?
                                              with every ZOOM?

Who purrs a loud kitty keen,
                                             a loud kitty keen

to wish us all

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

     I hope you have a great Halloween.  Today's poem is a riddle poem.  Can you write your own riddles for some of the things Halloween?  My first thought was a jack-o-lantern.

Do not think
it is hog wash.
Before he changed
he was an orange squash.  

   I had to use my rhyming dictionary for that one.  There aren't a lot a great words to rhyme with squash.  Hey, just have fun.  We're not trying for Shakespearean sonnets here.  Enjoy your holiday and make poetry a part of it.

MY BEST FRIEND JOHN

Knocking at my door

was Monster John

face all white,

waxy and wan.

I was scared.

My cheeks turned red.

Trick-or-treat

was what

Monster John said.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

     See, I'm still playing with this silly rhyme.  This time I've taken the name of my friend and plugged it into the poem.  Do you have a friend who is going trick-or-treating for Halloween?  What costume will he wear?  Can you write your own poem about your friend?

Knocking at my door

was Princess Joy.

She carried a wand,

a children's toy.

I laughed so hard,

my cheeks turned red.

Trick-or-treat,

was what the Princess said.

Happy Halloween.

     All right!  Enough.  But, wouldn't you like to try writing your own Halloween poem and put your name in the poem.  I hope you have a happy Sunday writing poetry.

Silly Rhyme

Before Uncle died 
and said Adios,
they called for a doctor
most grandiose.

The doctor sat up Uncle
before he'd diagnose,
"This man is not dead,
he's comatose."


     Oh goodness, I'm being silly again.  Today I looked at a page of rhyming words from the SCHOLASTIC RHYMING DICTIONARY.   The page (from the book, p. 142) was part of a handout from a poetry workshop.  I was looking at the three syllable words ending  in OSE.  There were only four, so I thought I could write a short poem using the words.  Can you use a rhyming dictionary today to write a silly poem?  Have a good time.

He's another silly one from OSE

There was a lady
big as three buffaloes
who lives in a tiny
little bungalow.

Until the day when
a special beaux
asked her out to
the movie show.

The dear lady
quickly came to blows
trying  to put on
her pantyhose.

She was standing
on her tippy toes
when everything fell
like dominoes.

She tried hard
not to expose
all her skin
that overflows.

Now she's famous
for inventing clothes.
She has stockings
that open and close.

You can see her and
all she sews
on her you-tube
videos.

     Crazy, yes.  But, isn't that the fun of poetry?  I don't know why I think pantyhose is a funny word, maybe it has to do with some of my experiences with them.  Hope you have a great time writing.

Coyote Fib

One
Two
Running
Coyotes
Dash up a driveway
Leap fences, run along the wash.
Soon they will be gone
No longer
Can they
Roam
Free.

  You'll notice I'm using the content from yesterday's post to write this poem.  I'm playing with the FIB form today.  A FIB is a 6 line  poem based on the Fibonacci number.  Like a haiku, syllables are counted.  Each line is the sum of the two previous lines added together so that the lines have this many syllables 1/1/2/3/5/8. I didn't like ending on the 6th line so I then reversed the sequence.  8/5/3/2/1/1.  The funny thing is, I actually like this poem when I read it from the bottom up, too.

   Can you try writing your own FIB today?  And if you'd like, try writing the reverse, too.

    I don't normally review books on my blog, but I wanted to share a fun new picture book GUESS WHO'S IN THE DESERT, written by Charline Profiri with beautiful illustrations by Susan Swan.  Charline is in my children's poetry critique group and she has shared every step in her publishing process with our group.  The final product is a very, very beautiful book.  It is written in rhyming riddles and is lots of fun.  All my favorite desert critters are having a party in this book.

   If you leave a comment on today's post, on Sunday (2:00 PM MST)  I'll take all the names and throw them in my desert hiking hat.  I'll draw one name and send you my autographed copy of this book.  If you leave a FIB with your comment, I'll put your name in my hat twice.

  Thank you, Charline Profiri for this wonderful book, GUESS WHO'S IN THE DESERT.  I'm sure children will love your poetry and the desert.

  I believe Julie Larios is hosting the Friday Poetry Round Up today on her blog at http://julielarios.blogspot.com/   http://julielarios.blogspot.com/

Thank You

Thank you for coming to visit today.
It's always a good time
when you come to play.

Now that you're here
what shall we do?
Do you want to play
a game or two?

Perhaps we could work puzzles
or even write rhyme.
You're being here
assures a fun time.

     Today's poem needs work, but it is a holiday and I'm so busy trying to catch up on work. 
Happy Inauguration Day.  I'm eager to see what Richard Blanco wrote as an occasional poem for the celebration.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  I can't celebrate MKL Day without thinking about T.J., a five year old autistic boy I met on this day in 2003.  I was wearing my MLK button on my collar and T.J. wanted me to know that he was a KING too, and a Jr. too. 
   T.J. has always been special to me because he gave me the inspiration for this poem.  It was first published in my collection Extra Hands, Extra Heart, poems for and about children with special needs. 

T.J. DISCOVERS BRACES

On Monday
at Burton GeoWorld Magnet School
a young autistic boy
names body parts.

He touches my neck and says, Neck.
Touches my necklace.  Necklace, he says.
Hair.
Eyes. 
Eye brow.
Chin.
Lips.

When his warm fingers
touch my lips,
I smile,
showing my braces.

His dark eyes look inside,
he pauses, considers
then, proudly announces,

A teeth necklace.

New Year

Every single day, do something that makes your heart sing.  Marcia Wieder

Happy New Year

Today is January 1, 2013.

I like to say 

2--0--1--3

because this way

it rhymes with

poetry. 

     Happy New Year.  Today marks my 639th post.  Thank you for letting me have so much fun sharing poetry with you.  I'm determined that this is going to be a very joyful year.  So your challenge for today is to do something to encourage joy in your life and to write a poem about it.  You are welcome to leave your poem in the comments below. Have a fun day today and start the new year as you'd like the year to go.  I'm going to try to get some cleaning done, for me this is another way to have a new beginning.  

        And as an extra bonus, here is a poem I received from meeting Welena, a three year-old Hawaiian  girl.

MY KNEES

I was running.

I fell down.

My knees

they hit

upon the ground.   

The rocks,

they bit

into my knees.

It stung.

It hurt.

I cried,

OW-EEE.

I do NOT like  

those rocks.

Those rocks

do NOT like me.

See, the scrapes

that I have got

from falling

on my knees. 

Baby's Words

Mom heard the baby
and said "Kitchy-coo."
Baby kicked her feet
said, "Goo-goo-goo."

Daddy tickled Baby on her chin
then coughed a little, clearing phlegm.
Baby kicked the air and stared at him
then she said, "Ah-hem, Ah-hem."

Grandma cleaned out Baby's ear
Looked at her, and said, "Oh dear."
Then she patted Baby's rear.
Baby said, "Cheer-cheer, cheer-cheer."

Grandpa said, "A smell is coming through
I wonder what we should do?"
Baby held up her fingers, two
then she said, "Phoo-phoo, phoo-phoo."

"Wonder if we should call the doctor quick
to find out if Baby is sick?"
The doctor came in very little time.
said, "This baby really is quite fine
she just has a grand talent 
for making words rhyme."

      I tell you what, get out your jump rope and try saying this to the beat of your jumping.  I think it will sound better this way because the meter is really fluey.  I wrote this because the word for the month over at David L. Harrison's blog is "talent" and I wanted to write a poem using the word.  What talents do you have?
Do you want to try writing a poem about your talent?  (To see more TALENT poems, click on the WOM Adult Poems on the top of his tool bar. )

THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY

      Oh it has been an exciting week. I got my ARC (Advance Readers Copy) of a new poetry book.

THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY Poems for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core, compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. (If you click on the title it will take you to the publisher where you can learn more about the book.)

There are 181 poems in this book – 35 for each grade level K-5, and then some extras, written by 75 poets including Jack Prelutsky, J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Yolen, X. J. Kennedy, Arnold Adoff, Linda Sue Park, Georgia Heard, Gail Carson Levine, Eileen Spinelli, David L. Harrison. For a complete listing of the poets included in the book go here. (If you would like to purchase this book, or read reviews, this link will take you to Amazon.( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937057682 ) There are a lot of the Poetry Friday crew in the book!

Can imagine the fun I'm having reading the poems by so many of my friends.

One of the poems that spoke to me from the kindergarten section was a poem by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Rebecca (  http://rebeccakaidotlich.com/  ) has kindly given me permission to share the poem with you.

MRS. BETTY

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

It's Mrs. Betty!

She brought us a pot

of homemade

spaghetti!

copyright ©2012 by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Used with permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd. All rights reserved.

I admire Rebecca's poem and the rhyming of Betty with spaghetti. This got me to thinking about rhyming people's names with foods.

Earlier this week (Wednesday, August 15, 2012), I wrote my own poem that rhymed names with foods, titled MY SIX UNCLES.

Several of my friends have tried this too. Thanks to Linda Andersen  and her grandsons Travis and Jonathan and to Jeanne Poland who has posted her poem at The Vibrant Channel Creator.

Yesterday I started thinking about using the names with other things, but keeping it all in the family with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Brothers, Sisters, Moms, Dads—any relative or friend you can think of.   Some how I tumbled to a family reunion, and there was the group photo.

FAMILY REUNION PHOTO

See Uncle Matt?

He's wearing a hat.

That's cousin Lance

in the short pants.

Auntie Grace

has a smile on her face.

Her twin sister Aunt Trace

wears diamonds and lace.

My Uncle Kurt

is without a shirt.

My Cousin Piers

is making rabbit ears.

My Sister Pearl

has all the curls.

Cousin Jed

is the red head.

And Baby Claire

with the golden hair,

slipped out of her diaper

and is running bare
footed.

      Does Baby Claire make this an X-rated poem? Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea of how much fun it is to rhyme names with some trait or activity of the person. Who else can we put into the family photo? Who have we forgotten? 
      Here is your poetry challenge for today-- write a couplet to add to our family photo. You may leave your contribution in the comments below. 
   
     Oh, I forgot the dog and the cat.  You're welcome to try that. 

      Thanks again to Rebecca Kai Dotlich for sharing her delightful poem Mrs. Betty. Thanks for the inspiration. Happy Poetry Friday and I hope that you too will read and enjoy THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY Poems for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core.

My Six Uncles

My Uncle Billy

likes to eat chili.

My Uncle Drake

loves chocolate cake.

My Uncle Freddy

stuffs on spaghetti.

My Uncle Newt

eats grapefruit.

My Uncle Finn

is way too thin.

All he eats

is a vitamin.

My Uncle Matt

is way too fat.

He eats everything,

some of this 

and lots of that.

And my Aunt Dot

washes up the pot.

     It is fun rhyming foods with names.  You can do this with almost any list, rhyming names with the things on your list.  Do you want to give this a try?

I'm already thinking about a list of things I do in a day.

In the morning,
My Uncle Drake
gets up late.   (Oops, that's a slip rhyme or near rhyme--I'm going to have to work a little harder to find an exact rhyme.  Ah, My Aunt Kate!)

My Aunt Flower
takes a shower.

My Uncle Hawk,
takes a walk.

     OK, you try it.  Have fun.  Please share your ideas in the comments below.