THE OSTRICH

"I'll be your friend,"
the ostrich said.
"Come, let us go run."

"Nah!" said Lion
arching his back,
"for me that isn't fun."

     A Very Lazy Lion is still looking for a friend.  Ostrich has offered to be a friend, but it isn't good enough for Lion.  Have you ever tried to be someone's friend and been rejected?  How did you feel? Friends are people who like to do the same things we like to do.  What do you like to do? Can you think of one new thing to try today?  Can you write a poem about it?
     Have a great Saturday.
Sometimes it is better to walk than to run.

SQUIRREL

A squirrel drinks
from my swimming pool.
I guess it's how
the squirrel stays cool.

Watch him lapping
with a little pink tongue.
Then he scoots, and
runs, runs, runs.

     I fly off tomorrow, into the hurricane, so my posts might become a little irregular for the next six days.  What is something in your life that stops and starts?  (Think about that one.)  Now, can you write a poem about it?  Have fun writing and have a great weekend. 

CHANGES

I'm waiting for springtime 
to explode
as I watch quail and lizards
cross the road.

The lizard keeps his belly high,
his tail curled up toward the sky.
You might think of scorpion
or snakes on the run,
but it's just a lizard
enjoying the sun.

This is how he
keeps birds away
and lives to run 
another day.


    Changes are happening.  Nothing stays the same.  Tomorrow we have a new moon and a new month.  What changes are happening around you?  Can you write a poem about change?  Maybe you'd like to try a haiku if the changes are in nature that you notice.  Hope your Friday is wild and crazy.  Live big. Have fun.

MY TOYS

My favorite doll
is an action figure
I put her in water
and she grows bigger.

My favorite doll
has lace socks.
She comes to school
in my lunch box.

My favorite doll
has a feather fan.
She sleeps in a bed
I made from a can.

My favorite doll
is getting fat.
She is hiding out
beneath my hat.

My favorite doll
has a dress that's red.
Now she is sitting
on top of my bed.

My favorite doll
likes to run and jog.
She is resting
beside my dog.

I can't find my doll.
Oh, what should I do?
There she is hiding
next to my shoe.

MORNING

Like a child on Christmas morning,
clouds creep over the mountains,
slow, and then they run.
Light shines on the hillside,
it gleams with morning sun,
a new day has begun.

     Can you tell I was up early today?  Can you write your own poem about your morning?  Have fun writing.

AT THE BEACH

Today I will
run on the beach.
I'll smile at each
runner I meet.
I'll count each smile
that comes back to me
when I am running
in the sand.

Today I'll listen
to sounds on the beach.
I'll hear the birds
and waves crashing.
I'll hear children
building a castle
in the sand.

Today I'll try to
smell the beach,
the scent of salt
mixed with suntan oil,
and sandy seaweed
while I'm at the beach.

Today I'll open my mouth
to taste the salt air
on my tongue
when I am at the beach.

Today, I'll feel
happy in the sunshine.
I'll try not to burn
while I'm having fun
running on the beach.


     Today's poem is a list poem.  Can you see how I've used each of the five senses to list what it is like through the senses when I'm at the beach?  Your challenge for today is to take something you like to do--dance, go to the movies, eat pizza, read a book--and write your own list poem using your own senses.  It is through our senses that we experience the world and so when you write using your five senses, the reader can experience your world with you.  Have fun writing today.

SATURDAY

It's Saturday.

I feel like fun.

I put on my shoes

and go for a run.

     How do you wake up on Saturdays?  What do you do?  Can you write a poem about your Saturday morning?
     I'm going to a Family Fun Poetry program at the Poetry Center in Tucson, AZ today.  Sure wish you were here to go with me.  I'm definitely going to have a great Saturday.  I hope your day is fun too.

The thought just hit me that I could put on my shoes and do other things:

It is Saturday.
I'm ready for romance.
I put on my shoes
and then I  dance.

Ants

Ants are scurrying

on the side walk.

What would they tell me

if they could talk?

They run over the steps.

They run across the sill.

They run under the planter

and into their ant hill.

I'm glad I'm not an ant.

They hurry quite a lot.

I haven't got their energy

because it's just too hot.

   I spent too much time today watching ants.  What are you watching today?  Are you watching any of the Olympics on television?  Can you write a poem about something you observe today?