CHICKEN SONG

The chickens all love
my poetry.
They like to sing 
it back to me.
Cock-a-doodle-doo,
cock-a-doodle-doo,
chickens singing
poetry too.

   Do you have pets?  Do you ever practice saying your poems to them?  Try writing a nonsense poem today about your pet. Have fun writing.

Sometimes the words get caught in my throat.

The Zipper Ewe

The Zipper Ewe
lives at the zoo.
It runs and jumps
and bounces, too.

It climbs on rocks
to eat old socks.
It loves cream pie
and leaps up high.
It slurps beef stew
and marshmallows too.

It does all this
to entertain you,
when you come
to visit the zoo--
the funny Zipper Ewe.

    Some days I just want to be silly, so I wrote a nonsense poem.  The Zipper Ewe is an animal I made up.  What do you think it looks like?  I think it is a sheep with lots of zippers.  Can you make up your own animal today?  Can you write a poem about it?  Have fun and I hope you can be a little silly today too.

Stumbly Little Bear

A stumbly, bumbly little bear
tripped and tumbled, rumbled
down the stair.


He got a knot
upon his nose
and crumpled, rumpled
all his clothes.

Poor little stumbly, bumbly bear.
Now he walks with greater care.

     This poem is pure silliness.  I was having fun with the  m-b  sound.  I liked the way the words felt in my mouth.  I hope you are careful when you walk on stairs.  My house doesn't have stairs.  But I do try to use the hand rail when I use stairs.  What safety rules do you follow?  Do you look both ways before crossing the street?  Do you remember:
Stop, Look, and Listen
before you cross the street.
Use your eyes.
Use your ears,
and then use your feet.

Can you write a poem about one of the things you do to be safe?  Here are some of the rules I remember from when I was young:
Don't play with sharp objects.
Don't run with scissors.
Don't play with matches.
Don't talk to strangers.
Tell my mother where I was going when I left the house.
Don't try to pet strange dogs.
Don't bite my fingernails.
     Goodness, I bet you know of lots of things to add to the list. 

A Black Kangaroo

A Black Kangaroo

in Kalamazoo

said, "I'm glad to know you,

and am keeping an eye

on what you do."

"I'm thinking I have a task for you.

Can you track me back

in the direction of

 Australia and Timbuktu?"

This crazy black kangaroo,

maybe he'll next

come to visit you.

      This Kangaroo carries his travel bag in his pouch.  Who knows where he'll end up next.  If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?  Perhaps you'll travel there in a dream. Can you write a poem about that?   Do you know the song about the "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree..."?

Weird Words!

Yo! Loco, loco,

the dog played the oboe!

The hippo dug deep in the lake.

The big old cat sighed

and shut her eyes

while the hummingbirds

stole birthday cakes.

     This poem is absolute nonsense.  It is what I ended up with when I tried writing a Poetry Obscura poem using Hey, Diddle, Diddle as the starting point.  Since the first line is nonsense words, I used reverse rhyming.  You could pick any musical instrument then make up a nonsense word to rhyme with it.  The nonsense word should have the same number of syllables as the musical instrument.  Can you make your own list on musical instruments and nonsense words that rhyme?  For instance:
Trumpet=blumpet, blumpet
violin=gungadin, gungadin
cymbal=thimble, thimble
piano= me and yo, me and yo
   Try this and see what you can come up with.  Go crazy. Be bold.  But what ever you do, have fun. 

Frog Nonsense

FROG NONSENSE

I saw a frog, he winked at me.

I wondered what he could see.

Was he tickled by a flea?

Maybe bit by a bumble bee?

Pecked by a bird in a tree?

No his feet are just smelly.

Now for something different.  I have a friend Carolyn Short who published a book of cat jokes.  I thought they were funny and before she sent them off to the publisher, she asked me to look at them and make suggestions.  I had so much fun that when I wrote a frog poem, I wanted to write jokes to go along with it.  Since jokes can't be copyrighted, I didn't think it worth trying to get the things published.  So these have sat in my drawer for a few years.  I think all kids like to try writing jokes, maybe you'd like to try your own hand at dog or fish jokes, maybe insect jokes.  (I personally would rather see your poems, but if you're having fun writing, that is the important thing.)  So here are all of my ridiculous frog jokes.  Once I got started I couldn't stop myself.

Frog Jokes

Q: What did the frog call his aunt?

A: Aunt Phoebe Ann (amphibian)

Q: What do bull frogs eat on a diet?

A: They eat LITE with fireflies.

Q: Why was the frog arrested?

A: He was a peeper.

Q: How do you catch a tree frog?

A: Stand on a branch and make a sound like a baby chick—peep, peep.

Q: Why did the frog get a construction job?

A: He liked to ribbet, ribbet. (rivet)

Q: Why did the frog take a glove to the ballgame?

A: He wanted to catch flies.

Q: What did the frog say to the rabbit?

A: Hoppy Easter.

Q: What is a frog’s favorite dessert?

A: Shoo Fly Pie.

Q: What is a frog’s favorite year?

A: Leap Year.

Q: Where does a beatnik frog live?

A: On his pad.

Q: What did the frog think of the pond?

A: It was toad-ally awesome.

Q: What did the boy yell when a frog stole his backpack?

A: Catch that croak.

Q: What did the frog say about his homework?

A: I’m swamped.

Q: What is green, has warts and weighs 300 lbs.?

A: A really fat frog.

Q: When do frogs have 12 legs?

A: When there are three of them.

Q: What frog was an Indian?

A: Chief Sitting Bullfrog.

Q: What frog is a famous cowboy?

A: Hop-along Cassidy.

Q: What frog is a famous gossip columnist?

A: Hedda Hopper.

Q: What did the tadpole say to the parrot?

A: Hi! I’m Polly too. (polliwog)

Q: What is the frog’s favorite song?

A: Fly Me To The Moon.

Q: What do frogs in Pamplona, Italy do each spring?

A: Watch the running of the Bull frogs.

Q: What does a frog like best about school?

A: Recess, he likes to glide on the slide.

Q: What does a frog do during recess?

A: Play hopscotch and leap frog.

Q: Where do you find a frog?

A: It depends on where you left it.

Q: Why did the frog try out for the baseball team?

A: He was good at catching flies.

Q: What do frogs say on January 1^st?

A: Hoppy New Year.

Q: What is a tree frog’s favorite game?

A: Peep-a-boo.

Q: What is a frog’s favorite card game?

A: Go Fish.

Q: What do you get when you cross a frog with an elephant?

A: Swimming trunks.

Q: Why did the frog eat fireflies?

A: He wanted a light snack.

Q: What noisy frog lives at the lighthouse?

A: A frog horn.

Q: In Venice, what do frogs use to move their gondolas?

A: tad-Poles.

Q: Why did the boy keep a frog in his pocket?

A: It made him feel hoppy.

Q: What do you call it when a boy has a frog in his throat?

A: Laryngitis.

Q: What did the frog family name their babies?

A: Polly Wog, and Tad Pole.

Have fun writing.

The Man from Down Under

Here is a crazy character.

THE MAN FROM DOWN UNDER

The man from Down Under wears underwear
of silky, stripey red.
He thinks the world is upside-down
so wears them on his head.

His socks he wears for mittens.
His glasses ride his shoes.
And anyone who sees him knows
he is totally confused.

This is a totally, silly nonsense poem.  Can you write a silly poem about a character you make up?  Perhaps it is the substitute teacher, a crazy musician or how about an artist?  What crazy things can they do?  Have fun writing.  I'd love to see your creation.