SUNFLOWERS

One yellow sunflower
covered with dew,
count every petal,
see there are two.

Two brown faces
dancing in the breeze
covered in yellow crowns
see there are three.

Three happy sunflowers
grow in rains that pour
with rough green leaves
see there are four.

Four sunny sunflowers
bees come from the hive
to dance upon them,
can you count the five?

All the pretty sunflowers
growing in the sun
such happy faces,
oh, what fun.

     What is your favorite flower?  Can you write a poem about flowers today?  Have fun writing.

FIVE FIREFLIES

Five sparkling fireflies
flash in the trees,
blinking and sparkling
in the night breeze.

One of those fireflies
flew off with a soar,
blink, blink, flash, flash,
then there were four.

Four flashing fireflies
like stars in the sea,
blink, blink, flash, flash,
then there were three.

Three bright fireflies,
in the grass with dew,
blink, blink, flash, flash,
then there were two.


Two happy fireflies
sparking, having fun,
blink, blink, flash, flash,
then there was one.


One lonely firefly
feeling a little blue.
He's caught in your jelly jar
flashing for you.

    I love watching fireflies.  Do you?  Can you write your own counting poem today?  Have fun.

Sunday

Sunday is a fun day
For you and me to play.
Let's go for a hike,
What do you say?

We can play geologists
It's not vey hard.
We can dig for oil
In my back yard.

Or what if we had a tea party
On the village green.
You may invite all the fairies
That you've ever seen.

Sunday is the best day
For imaginative play. 
Won't you come and be with me
Before you run away.

     I hope you have a great time today.  Can you find a little time for reading and writing a poem?

Ring, ring
the doorbell rings.
I rush to open the door.

Ring, ring
who can it be
standing at my door?

It might be the sitter 
'cause Mom and Dad
are going out.

I hope she is a fun one
and not too overly stout.
I hope she will play with me
and doesn't suffer gout.

And as I stand here waiting
she's pushing on the bell.
Perhaps she'll just go away
and I won't have to tell.


     I like doors.  Do you?  How many doors are there in your house?  Are all the doors the same or different? 
Do you have a favorite sitter?  What do you do when the sitter comes?  Can you write a poem about a sitter, or babysitting?  Have a happy Saturday.

Happy Syttende Mai

Today in Norway is Constitution Day,
the children celebrate with parades.

Everyone wears the national colors
of the flag--red white and blue.

Today the graduating seniors
of their high school have a party,
stay up all night, and sing songs
through their towns.

My Grandmother is Norwegian
and so we will celebrate today too.
She'll  put a special table cloth she made
on our table.  She'll decorate with
her orange good luck horses.

For dinner we'll use the wooden 
painted plates and bowls.

She'll make her lutefisk
and kjott roll, her Norske fiske kraton,
and all her favorite dishes.

We'll eat three kinds of pickled herring
on flat bread or Norwegian crackers.

For dessert, Grandma makes kronekake
a special orange cake.  She lets me help
to break the eggs and stir.

For breakfast I even have my own
special wooden painted egg cup.
I always eat an egg on
Happy Syttende Mai.

     Do you have any special plates, dishes or cups you use for special occasions?  My mother had a special tea cup that she only got to use for cocoa when she was sick. My one son had a cup with a ceramic frog in the bottom that was his cocoa cup.  We even had a Bunnykins bowl where the decal of bunnies around the edge of the bowl had slipped a little so one bunny had lop ears instead of erect ears like all of his friends chasing around the rim of the bowl.  Normally this would be considered a flaw, but my boys always thought that was the lucky bowl and would fight over who got to use it.  Your challenge today is to write a poem about a special food your family eats or a special holiday your family celebrates.

Two spiny lizards
chase across the stucco wall
enjoying their spring


     Today's poem is a haiku.  I like to think that even when I can't think what to write, I can come up with a haiku.  I was really busy yesterday, I went to the gym; I did my morning walk, I went to the dentist.  I should have been thinking poetry all that time, but I was worried about other things, so this is what you get today.  I actually like this haiku a lot.  I like the way the last line has more than one meaning.  A desert spiny lizard is a big one, about 10 inches long.  I watched this couple from my shower this morning.
   Your challenge for today is to write your own poem about an indication you have that it is springtime.

   My copy of LIFTING THE SKY, Southwestern Haiku and Haiga came in the mail this week with four of my haiku published by Dos Gatos Press .

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you like my smile?
Do you like my hair?

Do you like my bed?
Or how about my chair?

Do you like me standing here?
Or how 'bout over there?

Do you like my pear-ish shape?
Or like my face that's square?

Do you like my raven hair?
Or should I dye it fair?

Would you like to pet my dog?
Or maybe  ride my mare?

Tell me what of mine you like.
Or do you even care?

Would you like some tea with mint?
Perhaps you need a rest.

I'm fishing here for compliments.
It's what I do the best.

     My friend David L. Harrison has monthly prompts for writing poems on his blog.  The word for May is fog.  And now, he has added a monthly theme--fishing.  But, I didn't want to write about going fishing, or fishing poles and wiggly worms.  So as I thought about writing a poem, I got to fishing for compliments.  Then I had fun putting this poem together.  Compliments are always nice to give and receive.  What would someone say to you to give you a compliment?  Can you write a poem about it?  Do have fun.