the snake leaves his skin
across the sandy desert--
adds one more rattle

    Happy Saturday.  Can you find time today to write a haiku.  Pick any topic you choose. Have fun. 


Breathe.  Remember to breathe.  It is a great way to relax.

SNAKE SKIN

Walking outside my house
I spied a snake skin.
I saw a rocky hole
and hoped the snake wasn't in.

If I take
this dried skin find
do you think 
the snake will mind?

     Life in the desert can be so much fun discovering all the flora and fauna.  Can you write your own poem today about a plant or animal that lives near you? Have fun writing.  

 
   Poetry and science can make a complete learning experience.

IDLE HOURS

I've wasted another day
looking out my window
watching the hawk
slowly spiral in circles
his wings stretched wide.
He's been out in the heat
working, drifting, floating.
I like to think he's searching
for that snake I almost 
stepped on this morning.

    Here the day is almost gone and I still have lots of work to do.  What was on your TO-DO list today?  Can you write a poem about one of the things on your list?  Have fun writing.

With Children's Poetry you can create the life you've always dreamed of.

ONE HOT SUMMER 6

Will the monsoons ever come?

Will we see the water

rush and gush across the road?

Will the cracks

in the earth disappear?

Once more?

Yes, the monsoons will come

and we will see water

rushing and gushing

and filling the cracks.

But now it is summer,

and the snake and tarantula

sleep underground.

Now you and I shall hike.

Here is your backpack

and your water bottle.

All ready to go?

Walk slow.

Shhhhhh.

    Today is day six of my poems based on NOW IT IS WINTER written by Eileen Spinelli.
Only two days left to this tale. 
     Here is your poetry challenge for today.  Can you make a list of things you would say "Shhhh," to?  Can you write a poem about that?  Write a list poem, or pick one item and tell us about it.  How do you feel hen someone tells you to shhhh?  Have fun with writing your poem.

Children's Poetry is the owl that calls to me each night.

DESERT ACROSTIC

Down in the gully

East of my house

Snake is watching a little gray mouse.

Eek, squeaked the mouse, Gulp,

Replied the snake, and

That is the end of this tale.

    I've been thinking acrostics lately, so last night I started thinking about this poem.  But, as you can see, as soon as I started writing the poem, my brain wanted a rhyming poem.  And I really wanted to make it a Western Diamondback Rattle snake and a packrat.  There were more details I wanted to include.  This is a sure sign for me that I'm forcing the poem into the form I want it in rather than letting the poem be what it wants to be.  In fact, I even started playing with using "tail" instead of "tale" to end the poem.  That way the packrat would still be alive instead of being dinner.  The point is, this is not a finished poem.  I know that.  The poem has told me so.  I need to listen to my poems.
     Here is your poetry challenge for today.  Write an acrostic poem. Then listen to your poem.  Where does it want to take you?

Children's Poetry can take you to far off lands. 

November 14, 2014

THE SNAKE

One foot,
two feet,
the snake
has no feet.

He can only
slip and slide
over the ground
in a quick glide.

Oh, pity the snake
he has not feet
to set a beat
for poetry.

    It is your free choice what to write today.  Write the poem you have always wanted to write.  Write for fun.  Write to tell a story.  Write about something you learned.  Just have fun writing.  Enjoy your creation.

WITCH'S BREW

A warty witch stirred
her cauldron pot.
Her brew was steamy.
Her brew was hot.

She took at taste,
said, "See what I got.
Two toads, three newts
and a snake in my pot.

"Come on now,
I'll give you a taste.
I don't want my stew
to go to waste."

   I wanted to draw a picture of a witch to go with this poem and I got to thinking what a witch would look like.  Witches can look like anything.  I must really give it a try.  So here is your prompt for today, can you write a poem about a witch?  Can you tell what she looks like?  Is your witch fat or thin?  Tall or short?  Stylish or old fashioned? Have fun writing your poem.

MAY 9

A Lai

Bobbing the fence rail
are two feathered quail--
mistake.

Along that same trail
flicks his rattle-tail,
a snake.

His meal, it will fail
as up the birds sail--
heart-ache.


     I thought for May 9, I'd try a couple of nine line poems.  The first is the French form, the lai.  This form uses two rhyme families.  A syllabic form, there are five syllables for the first two lines using one rhyme, followed by two syllable lines for the second rhyme.  So, the lines look like:

x x x x a
x x x x a
x b

x x x x a
x x x x a
x b

x x x x a
x x x x a
x b

  It is fun working with the long and short lines, but it does make the poem list-like with that really short two syllable line.

Here's another:

Once you may recall
when we were still small
we'd play
at chasing a ball.
You'd try not to fall
each day
and sometimes we'd crawl
or we would stretch tall
in May.

   Another nine line poem is the nonet.  The first line has nine syllables, the second eight, with each successive line having one less syllable until the ninth line has only one syllable.  This takes some planning because you have to end on a single syllable word.   I'm working on a nonet for tomorrow.

   But May 10th is Astronomy Day, so I might write about the moon.  And it is also National Public Gardens Day, so I might make my poem about the garden.  What will you write about today?  Can you try writing a lai or a nonet?  Have fun writing.

   The Poetry Friday Round Up is hosted by Jama Rattigan on her blog Alphabet Soup.  Head over to Jama's Alphabet Soup to read more poetry today.  Thank you, Jama for hosting a fun party.

Turtle's and Mink's Conversation.

"What do you think?"
asked the mink,
"Would you like
some cocoa to drink?"

"Oh my dear,
I think it's clear,
that water
from the sink,
would make
a better drink
for a mink,"
said turtle.


   Quick, name two animals.  Now write a conversation between the two.  What would a cat say to the cow?  What would a pig say to the hummingbird?  What would Charlotte say to Wilbur?  

"Who-who,"
said the Owl.
"I think it's true,
that the night
brings a moon
to me and to you."

"Oh, no,"
said the snake.
"You've made 
 a mistake.
That light you  see
is a flashlight, tee-hee."

    Have fun creating your own poem.

The Snake

Little fellow
not very old
hardly moves
because he's cold.

Curled up
on the cold cement,
he doesn't move,
his body bent.

I pick him up
place him in the grass
and hope that
hungry hawks will pass.


     Hey, it is Friday.  Do you think animals do anything to get ready for the weekend?  Have fun writing your own poem today about being hungry.  

Dori over at Dori Reads is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today.  Thanks, Dori.

IT STARTS WITH THE GRASSHOPPER

Grasshopper hopping
down the road,
he got eaten 
by a toad.

Toad was hopping,
made a mistake,
he got eaten 
by a snake.

Snake slinked off
said, See you later.
He got eaten
by an alligator.

Alligator swam
off to the sea,
said, I'm so glad
I am me.

Until he was caught
by a hag
and was made into
a lady's hand bag.


     Who would eat the alligator?  It is all part of the food chain.  Can you write your own food chain poem today?  Have fun writing.

SATURDAY MORNING

Woke up this morning
there on my deck
a snake was sleeping
and causing heck.

The dog was barking,
the cat hissed to say,
Wake up, Mr. Snake.
Please slither away.

JUNGLE ABECEDARIAN

   I can't believe I'm coming back for one more round, I guess I'm just having too much fun with this form.  I opened my notebook this morning to write today's poem and found the beginnings of this poem that had stalled out and decided  I could finish it.

“Ahem,” said an Alligator,

Biding his time, “This

Creek flows fast and mighty fine.”

Down on the bank is bunch grass to

Eat, It's juicy, sweet,

Fine, tender, and so

Good and green. The

Holopono River has the best bunch grass

I've ever seen. And

Just as the Alligator has another

K-R-U-N-C-H,

'Long swims a river snake looking for lunch.

Monkeys make

Noise in the Bayans

Overhead, knowing each of them soon may be dead.

“Please,” said the gator politely, “I'm looking

Quite diligently for a

Reptile for

Supper for me.

That tastes terrific and is

Ultimately filling, a

Very nice dinner.

Would you be willing?” “Can't grant the wish.” Snake

X-ed his eyes, “Here's the deal, it's no surprise,

You won't want me for your next meal, I'm too small.

Zebras make a much better dish.”

    Please help me out, any suggestions for improvement?  Have you tried writing your abecedarian yet?  Have fun writing your own poem today. 

haiku

a hawk, hear its cry

as a car whizzes by

a snake on the road

     Do you ever have days when you get stuck and can't think of anything to write about?  Look out your window.  What is the first thing you see?  Now look for something to move or listen for a noise.  So now you have two things to try writing a haiku about.  Try this and let me know what happens for you.  You are welcome to leave your poem in the comments below.  I'd like to read your poem.  Have a great day listening and observing.

Food Chain

FOOD CHAIN

On my walk today I saw

a dead rabbit,

dead tarantula,

dead pack rat,

dead snake.

They all made

a deadly mistake

Decided the road to take

to get to the other side.

Poor dead rabbit,

dead tarantula,

dead pack rat

dead snake

now, in the desert sun

they bake.

     Happy Saturday.  Sorry I'm late today. I've been at the hospital with my father-in-law who fell and broke his other hip, the left one this time.  Dad is 91 years old  and so has lots of health issues that take a lot of time.  Try writing a poem about one of your relatives today.  If you make it your dad, you can use it for a Father's Day card tomorrow.  Have fun.

What did you see?

What did you see on your walk today?

Oh, what did you see, my dear?

I saw a dead snake in the road

so dead it was nothing to fear.

A Phainopepla sitting in a tree

and a cardinal singing to me.

I saw a hummingbird fine

sitting on a telephone line.

And there, too close, were two coyotes

who stood and just stared at me.

I mustn't forget the cotton tails

and the bobbing heads of desert quails.

Of course there was a cactus wren

who sat and called again and again.

This and that and so much more

were all out walking with me.

This is what I saw on my walk today, dear.

This is what I saw on my walk.

   It was a lovely day today and yes I had a great walk.  It is definitely getting close to Spring, there was a scorpion in the bathroom this morning that I had to get rid of before my shower.  Today's poem is a list poem.  It lists the things I saw on my morning walk.  Can you take a walk today and write your own list poem?  Don't worry about making it rhyme.  Add some details that tell what the thing on your list is doing. 
Please share your poem in the comments.  Have a great day.

Oh Pity the Snake

OH!                   s n                         no                           beat
      P                     a                             fe                               f                            !
        i            e        k                  s           et                     e      o                       Y
         t         h           e               a                                    h          r                 R
          y     t                   h  e    h                 to                 t                           T
                                                                      s   e   t                  P  O   E


      This is a concrete poem.  It takes the shape of the thing the poem is written about.  Linda had asked for a snake poem, so here it is.  Can you write your own shape poem?
      For extra fun, check out my Poetry Musings for today.