HAPPY BOYS DAY

     Happy Poetry Friday.

Three paper kites
hang from our house
they flutter, flap and sway.
These paper fish are flying
high to celebrate
Tango no sekku
a Happy Boys Day.

On May fifth in communities with a Japanese influence you'll see paper carp
dancing on bamboo poles to honor the men in the household.  There are lots of Japanese-Americans who live on my island so we celebrate boys day and there are lots of paper carp flying today.  This holiday is also known as the Feast of Banners.  You can find out more about this celebration here. 

   There is a legend about the swimming carp becoming a dragon.  Can you write a poem today about a dragon?  What color would your dragon be?  Have fun writing.

E kūlia i ka nu‘u.

 
Strive to reach the highest.

--a Hawaiian proverb

  To read more poetry posts, Jama Kim Rattigan is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today on 

her blog Jama's Alphabet Soup here.  Thanks Jama, for hosting us this week.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and have a great weekend.

Happy May 5th

   Today is Cinco de Mayo, the day for pinatas, fiestas and family fun as people celebrate Mexico's independence.
    Today is Boy's Day as families pay tribute to the males in their family.  Paper fish kites fly from porches to announce the number of males in the family.
    Today is World Day of Prayer, a day to pray for peace and to offer thanks for all our blessings. 
    I couldn't decide which holiday to write my poem about for today.  I've already written a poem about Cinco de Mayo here.
   I've also written a poem for Boys Day, a holiday celebrated here in Hawaii.
   So I guess I'm writing a prayer poem.

  MY PRAYER FOR YOU

   A star is named for you.
   The moon looks pleased for you, ever changing.
   The sun shines too.

   Pheasants chuck in the grass.
   Roosters watch them pass
   and egrets keep an eye out.

   It takes all kinds.
   Each of us is born at a different time.
   Each of us is different.

   I wish we had more time together.
   Shillings and pounds, how does it end?
   Forget war, I wish you peace.  


   This is  free verse poem written in triplets.  Can you try writing your own free verse poem today?  What do you want to tell the world about your world today?  What do you want to celebrate?  Have fun writing your poem.  Tell it slant.

HAPPY POEM ON YOUR PILLOW DAY

May 5th is a busy day for celebrating.

In Hawaii and Japan, Boys' Day is celebrated on May 5th. Families fly kites, colorful painted carps, from their houses to show a boy lives there to be honored. I've written a poem for this holiday and previously posted it HERE.     http://poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com/2013/05/happy-may-5th-boys-day.html

In the Southwest, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with fiestas and great food today. I've posted an acrostic HERE and a free verse poem HERE ,
and another poem HERE all about Cinco de Mayo.

But, Poem on Your Pillow Day is a new holiday for me.  I can not think of having a pillow poem without thinking of TANKA.  Japanese women would write tanka to put on the pillows of their lovers.  Later women convinced their sponsors to pay to have the poems collected into booklets.  These early booklets were some of the first poetry books published by women poets.  So, here is a tanka for today.

Twenty baby quail
scurry and scatter, running
under their mothers
breasts offering protection
soothing comfort, feathered love

   A tanka is a syllabric poem made up of 5 lines.
Line 1 = 5 syllables
Line 2 = 7 syllables
Line 3 = 5 syllables
Line 4 = 7 syllables
Line 5 = 7 syllables

  It is like a haiku with two extra 7 syllable lines.

  Can you try writing a poem to leave on someone's pillow today?  Have fun writing.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

On Cinco de Mayo
mi familia has a fiesta.
We sing and dance
and eat lots of food.
Tia Margarita brings tamales,
Tia Anna brings the enchiladas.
Mama and I and my sisters
make the tacos and burritos.
My papa plays his guitar.
Tio brings a piñata.
All the children
take turns swinging the bat
to hit the piñata
and to grab the dulces 
that come flying out.
I hope your Cinco de Mayo
is a sweet as ours.


    Today's poem is a free verse poem.  I've used several Spanish words in the poem.  Can you find them?  Your challenge for today is to write a poem using a word from another language.  Have fun writing.

Never Ending Poem

Pancakes for breakfast,
pancakes for lunch,
I like pancakes
a bunch,
      Bunch
          BUNCH!


     Now, you might ask, why did I title this a Never Ending Poem?  Because it can have almost unlimited stanzas if you want to play a poetry game.  Each person can add a stanza but first must repeat all the previous stanzas.

Pineapple for breakfast,
pineapple for lunch,
I like pineapple
a bunch,
      Bunch
          BUNCH!

 Think of all the foods you could put into stanzas for this poem.  Or someone could name a topic like citrus fruits, flowers, trees, shoes.  The first person's stanza would have the topic word and then everyone playing could supply an example for the next stanzas.
  This could also work as a jump rope rhyme and everyone who comes in has to add a verse.  Then 

Too many pancakes for lunch,
Too many pancakes for dinner,
I jump rope
to get 
    thinner,
        Thinner,
             THINNER!
  
   You are welcome to leave your verses in the comments.  I hope you are having a good day writing. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo.  What will you do to celebrate?  Will you write a poem about that?

Cinco de Mayo

Today is the day

the fifth of May

when we can celebrate

the Battle of La Puebla

where 400 Mexican soldiers

defeated the 800 French.

It is a day

for family parties,

for a fiesta with food,

for music and dancing,

and for breaking

the pinata

and eating candy.

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

   What are you doing today?  Can you write a poem about your plans for the weekend.  Remember to try to use all  your senses.

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Celebrate
in a fiesta
neighbors
commemorate
our heritage

dance to mariachi
enjoy the happy

Music playing
and singing about
your ancestors,
ourselves and others.


     So what are you doing to celebrate this wonderful day?