The Quick Mouse

A gray mouse scampered by.
The lion said,
"Stay and play."

"Eeeeeek,"
squeaked the mouse
and hurried away.


  Lazy Lion is looking for a friend.  He thought Mouse would be his friend.  But, Mouse ran away.  Why do you think Mouse ran?  How do you think Lion felt?  How do you think Mouse felt?
  Some schools have a "friendship" bench.  When a child needs someone to play with they sit on the bench until another child comes to ask them to play.  Does your school have a friendship bench?
  Can you write a poem today about being friends or friendship?  Have fun writing.

A person of great fortune counts his wealth in friends, but you only really need one good friend.

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. 

LITTLE MOUSE

In my house 
while I'm sleeping
a little mouse
is crawling, creeping.

In the dark
he scurries past
tiny feet
running fast.

While my cat
wants to play
the little mouse
runs away.


     Can you write a poem today with an animal for the main character? Have fun writing.

Mice Aren't Nice!

What is that noise
I hear in my house?
It's a scurry.
It's a scraping.
It's a little gray mouse.

His nails are clicking
all over the floor.
I hear him knocking
at every wood door.

With a little gray tail
and noisy small feet,
I think he is looking
for something to eat.

I've set out traps.
I'm not being rude.
That little gray mouse
ate up all my food.


    It is that time of year.  The mice and packrats are having babies, so who knows where I'm going to find them next.  I'm always sad when I find one of them in my swimming pool.  Can you write a poem today about one of the pests around your house?  (And if you're moved to write about your little brother, that is OK too.)

WILIFORD MOUSE

Wiliford Mouse

liked to spend hours

sitting in the garden

smelling the flowers.


This little mouse

was quite a hoot

sniffing the pollen

with his yellow snoot.


He'd taste the petals,

lap up the dew

but when the cat

came stalking through


Wiliford tried hiding

under the pansies

but he couldn't help it

young Wiliford sneezed.

AH  AH  CHOOOOO!






    Hey, Happy Thursday.  I want to thank you for stopping by and reading my poem.  I've used a slip rhyme, or assonance rhyme in the last stanza.  If you can think of a flower that rhymes perfectly with sneezed, please let me know.  That last stanza still needs work, but I'll get to it.
    Do you like mice?  Click here to read MICE by Rose Flyman.
    Here is your challenge for today, can you write a poem that uses Ah-choo? 

Muffins

Muffins are tasty.

Muffins are sweet.

They're my favorite

food to eat.

Blueberry,

banana,

poppy seed.

These yummy

muffins

are what

I need.

Be it a mouse,

a moose 

or me,

we eat every

muffin 

that we see.

      Happy Monday.  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Today can you write a poem about one of your favorite foods?
    

Whale and Mouse

A whale and a mouse

tried living together

in a shell house

deep down in the sea.

But the whale

wouldn't fit in

and the mouse

couldn't swim

in their shell house

deep down in the sea.

So they went their own ways,

got together on Sundays

to eat cookies, drink tea

and talk of their shell house

deep down in the sea.

      I was going to do something totally different for today, but this poem came out instead.  It is very rough-drafty, but that is OK.  I need something to start with for revisions.  It is always best to get something written so you have a place to start. 
I was going to create a fill in the blank poem, but that hasn't happened-- yet. The first thing for that poem was to name 2 animals, with the suggestion to make them as different as possible or opposite as you can.  That is how I ended up with a great big whale and a small furry mouse.  The question is always there--how can they be friends?  And there you have today's exercise.  Can you write a poem about 2 animals being friends?  Hey, have fun playing with this one.  It doesn't have to be animals.  Can you imagine the conversation between a great big double bass fiddle and a tiny flute?  How can they be friends?  Or the flute and a bird?  Now there is an interesting combination.  Have fun writing.