GOBBLE, GOBBLE

Gobble, Gobble, screams Mr. Turkey
as he tries to run away.
I don't want to be on your table
on this Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Here's wishing you the best meal ever.  Let's give thanks for all our blessings.  You, I count among my blessings.  Thank you for all your patience and kindness.  

THANKSGIVING BLESSING

May you have a fruitful fall,
May your turkey be a butterball.
May the pies all be golden brown.
May friends and family gather round.
May the food be plentiful and the complaints be few.
This is my Thanksgiving wish for you.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Mr. T. Speaks V

"Gobble, gobble,"
said Mr. Turkey.
                           "If I color myself gray
                            to look like an elephant
                             maybe you'll go away."

What other colors could a turkey be?  What else can he do to get away?  Have fun writing your own poem today.

November 24, 2014

Mr. T. Speaks IV

"Goggle. Gobble,"
said Mr. Turkey,
                            "I'll stay out 
                            in all kinds of weathers
                            if you'll let me 
                            keep my feathers."


Sorry this is late, I didn't have internet connection yesterday.  Are you getting ready for the holiday?  What are you doing?  Can you write a poem about that?

Mr. T. Speaks III

I'm still working in two voices.

"Gobble! Gobble!"
Said Mr. Turkey,
                             walking in his turkey trot.
"Gobble! Gobble!"
Said Mr. Turkey,
                            "Please don't serve me hot."


And here is the next for the counting rhyme.

On the third of November
Mr. Turkey said,
"If I color myself green
and crawl like a gator,
maybe you won't see me,
till much, much later."

   There aren't too many more days until you get to eat your turkey.  What will you eat for Thanksgiving Day?  Have fun writing a food poem today.

Mr. T. Speaks II

I had so much fun thinking about a talking turkey yesterday that Mr. Turkey had to have something today too.  This is still in two voices.

"Gobble! Gobble!"
Said Mr. Turkey,
                              trying to make himself thinner .
"Gobble! Gobble!"
Said Mr. Turkey.
                             "I don't want to be Thanksgiving dinner."



  And since I started the counting yesterday let's see if I can keep it going today.

On the second of November
Mr. Turkey ran off in a trot.
He cried, "It's almost Thanksgiving,
and I just forgot."

   Can you find some time to write your own poem of Thanksgiving today?  Have fun writing your poem.

Linked Haiku

Golden brown turkey
on Grandma's shining china--
family gives thanks

Grandpa is missing
his spirit is with us all
giving his blessing


     Have you ever tried writing linked haiku?  You can write a verse and another and put them together to tell a story, or you can write with friends.  You write a verse and then a friend can write a haiku to go with your verse.  Have fun trying to write linked haiku today.

haiku

Scent of roast turkey
filling my grandmother's home
my stomach growling

Thanksgiving Cinquain

Turkey
for Thanksgiving
roasted a golden brown,
family and friends gather to
give thanks.


   I had trouble with the eight syllable line.  I kept counting family as two syllables on one count then three in the next.  I finally had to look up the proper pronunciation of family.  Simple, right?  But, it just goes to show you, it never hurts to double check on syllabic forms.  The cinquain has two syllables in the first line, four, six, eight, and two syllables in the next lines, making a five line poem.  Can you try writing your own cinquain today?  Have fun writing.

LITTLE RED WAGON

A turkey with
his foot a dragging
is pushing along
his little red wagon.

He is riding fast
it is clear
he's trying to get
out of here.


    Thanks to my sister Clo Ann Smith who suggested I write about a turkey and a little red wagon today.  This one is for you, Sis.  I'd ask where you get your ideas from, but I know it is our weird family.  Now can you draw a picture to go with the poem?
   When my boys were young we had a little red wagon we took with us every where.  It worked better than a stroller.  I can remember when my son was five, I would pick him up from school and he would ride the wagon home from school.  One day I was showing him how to careen down the hill in the wagon and I tipped the wagon over.  He wasn't hurt because my body was wrapped around him, but I got some great scrapes on my leg, thigh and bum.  I felt rather foolish explaining to friends how I had hurt myself, but I was proud of my battle scars.  My poor kids had a terror for a mother.
     If you had a little red scooter, who would ride it?  Where would it go?  What would you see?  Can you write a poem about this today?  Have fun.  Enjoy.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Gobble, gobble, Mr. Tom Turkey
strutting around the grassy yard.
Scratching grubs up from the dirt
he is growing big and fat.
We will pluck and dress him,
cook in the oven
for Thanksgiving
delicious
turkey
feast.

     This is a nonet, a nine line poem with nine syllables in the first line and then one less syllable in each successive line, ending with a one syllable line.  Can you try writing your own nonet today?  Have fun writing.

   

Turkey's Lament

Hurry, hurry,
keep up the pace.
Quick, quick, quick,
find me a place.

Make it safe,
a hidden winner.
I dont want to be
your Thanksgiving dinner.

    Do you know what a lament is?  It is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.  Why do you think a turkey would be sad at this time of year? So here is your poetry prompt for today--can you write a list poem about all the places a turkey might hide?  Go ahead, be silly.  You might put the turkey in the bath tub.  In Uncle Charlie's tennis sweater to impersonate him.  How about in your brother's basketball hoop?  This could be fun.  I hope you have a good time writing your poem.

THE DAY AFTER

I ate turkey,
I ate yams,
I ate cranberries,
biscuits and jams.

I ate stuffing,
pumpkin and apple pies
I'm stuffed all the way
up to my eyes.

I ate so much
on Thanksgiving Day.
I'm starting a diet
as of today.


    Did you have a good Thanksgiving?  There is a lot to be thankful for, isn't there?  I hope you have a great weekend writing.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today I'll eat turkey
for Thanksgiving Day.
I'll see my cousins
and we'll get to play.

And if I'm good
after I've eaten my fill,
Uncle says he'll take us
to sled down his hill.


    I hope you have a happy holiday, and for my friends outside the us, thank you for being a part of my holiday.  I'm so gateful to have so many readers and encouraging friends who like poetry.  I appreciate you.  Blessings.  Have fun writing your own poems.

Turkey Writes a Good Bye Note

Good bye, Mama

I'm flying away

I hope to hide

till after

Thanksgiving Day.

 
     This is the first verse to a longer poem with many verses.  It is a persona poem written in the voice of a turkey.  Now, why would a turkey want to leave home for the holiday?  Your poetry challenge for today is to write the next verse.  Who would the turkey send a shout out to next?  Where would he go?

   I took this picture of the turkeys in Franconia, NH when I attended a poetry workshop at The Frost Place.  It is a lovely place to learn more about poetry.

November

Now is the time 
Our family 
Visits my Uncle 
Eddie and Aunt 
Mary and 
Both of my cousins. We all
Eat turkey and
Remember to be thankful. 


     I had fun playing with this acrostic.  At first I had trouble with the vowels and the crazy V, but then I reminded myself this is a poem and it doesn't have to be truthful.  I have tons of uncles, but not an Uncle Eddie.  I guess I could have had an Aunt Edna and an Uncle Marty.  So now it is your turn, can you write an acrostic for some Thanksgiving item, or something from this month?  Have fun writing poetry.

THANKSGIVING COLORS

After Bill Martin, Jr.

                  The seasons are changing

It's November, you see.

And I'm wondering,

Where will you be?

Olives, Black Olives.

Where will you be?

I'll be in the relish dish

beside your turkey.

Cranberry, Red Cranberry.

Where will you be?

I'll be the sauce

beside your turkey.

Corn, Yellow Corn.

Where will you be?

I'll be the side dish

for your turkey.

Potato, White Potato.

Where will you be?

I'll be mashed potatoes

for your turkey.

Lettuce, Green Lettuce.

Where will you be?

I'll be a salad

for your turkey.

Beets, Purple Beets.

Where will you be?

I'll be the vegetable

for your turkey.

Berry, Blueberry

Where will you be?

I'll be the biscuit jam

for your turkey.

Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin.

Where will you be?

I'll be the pumpkin pie

for your turkey.

Turkey, Brown Turkey.

Where will you be?

I'll be Thanksgiving dinner

for the whole family.

     Since it is getting close to Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fun to write a color poem for all the foods of the Thanksgiving dinner.  This poem could be done in two voices. (There are several ways you could divide up the parts.)  With very young children they could draw the pictures and make a classroom book. Children could pick a color and write their own verses.  There are lots of foods I didn't use celery, yams, gravy, stuffing, carrots, and onions to name a few.  So, your challenge for today is to write your own food poem.  Have fun writing.

    Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Jama Rattigan on her blog Alphabet Soup.  You can find more poetry here.  Thanks Jama for hosting us.  My foodie poem is for you.

YELLOW SQUASH

Yellow Squash, 
Yellow Squash,
What can you be?
I am a vegetable 
to go with your turkey.

    I've been working on some poems with color words lately.  This is one of the seasonal poems. Can you try writing a poem about your favorite color today?  Have fun writing and exploring colors.  For a fun twist what happens if you mix up the colors, so you have a green sun, a blue elephant, a red banana?  What is the craziest mix-up you can think of?

Post Thanksgiving Cinquain

Eating

dinner again

biscuits and pumpkin pie

bowls of left over turkey soup

Grateful.

   How many days did you eat your turkey?  I've put the left over soup in the freezer now.  It will be wonderful on one of the busy cold December evenings.  Can you write your own turkey poem today?  You pick the form you'd like to use.  Have fun.

Happy Thanksgiving

The turkey in the oven
smells like it is roasting.
The kitchen smells like baking.
Meet the friends we are hosting.

The TV shows a football game
Daddy yells, "Hurray!"
Mom asks us all to please
go outside and play.

My cousin makes a center piece.
My aunt sets the table.
This morning we watched Macy's parade,
it came thru on our cable.

We are all so thankful
for all this food to eat.
I'm glad that you stopped by,
it is a special treat.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING