The Cow Speaks

Brown, brown, brown

is everything I see.

My coat is brown

and so is the ground,

the hills

and even this nude tree.

My stall in the barn is brown.

Every where I look around

is brown, brown, brown.

That brown paper bag

you use to carry your poetry,

fling out the words,

bring colors to me.

     I had some weird dreams last night.  I was playing all kinds of poetry games when this cow came to talk to me.  What is your favorite animal?  If that animal could speak to you, what would it say?  Keep your imagination running.  Get out on that poetry highway.  Write that poem and have a jolly good time doing it.  Enjoy.

Buenos Dias

Buenos dias, Merry Sunshine,

what makes you wake so soon?

You've scared all the clouds away,

and shone away the moon.

     I hope your day is filled with sunshine.  The sun is important to all our lives.  Can you write your own poem about the sun? 

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..."?

Javalina Paul

It was just June

when a jocular javelina

by the name of Paul

took a jumbo leap

and jumped over my wall.

He rooted all the jicama,

jogged round the jacaranda,

and did the jitter bug

in my wandering jew.

And then when he was though,

He ate everything

with joyful grace

before I could

chase him

from my place.

     Writing with "j"s is tough, especially finding "j"s in the middle of words.  And you would think with a name like JOY, I'd be an expert of "j" words.  I thought about writing about jugglers, court jesters and jousting, but here is where I ended up.  Would you like to try writing your own poem about medieval times?  Or how about a time period not current.  Maybe the future?  Can you make a list poem from all the "J" words you know.  Have fun.

Isabel Iguana

Isabel Iguana skipped 

to the fair in the city.

She tickled herself pink

so she would be pretty.

This is how she 

won first prize

and admiration

from iguana guys.

     How many "i"s are in this poem?  How many words can you think of that start with the letter "i"?  Ice cream, intelligent, igloo, icky?  Can you write your own poem with lots of "i"s?  It must be fun.

Halfway to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea

Henry Haddock met

Hannah Halibut

halfway to the bottom

of the deep blue sea.

Said Henry to Hannah,

"You've stolen my heart.

Will you marry me,

halfway to the bottom

of the deep blue sea?"

Said Hannah to Henry,

"You are a handsome fish,

my husband you will be

halfway to the bottom

of the deep blue sea."
 

So they hired a humpback whale

to do their ceremony

halfway to the bottom

of the deep blue sea.
 

There they lived happily

and had hundreds of little fishies

halfway to the bottom

of the deep blue sea.
    

How many "h's" can you find in this poem?  Can you make your own list of "h" words?  How can you put those words together to write your own poem?  This would be a good poem to stress the sense of hearing.  Have fun.
    I owe inspiration for this poem to Pat and Don Murphy.  We had dinner with them last night at a sea food restaurant and I mentioned I was working on an "H" poem. They suggested the "h" fish.  

    When I told my sister about the haddock and halibut, she suggested I add a humpback whale.  So of course, the whale had to do the ceremony. 

     Today on our walk I recited this poem to my husband and he pointed out that haddock and halibut are bottom dwellers.  But I told him they would never get married anyway and if a frog could marry the mouse, I could have a halibut marry a haddock and have baby fishies, halfway to the bottom of the deep blue sea. 

     Actually that is the phrase I like best about this poem.  This can be done as a poem in two voices with the audience (or children) repeating the phrase, halfway to the bottom of the deep blue sea.  Enjoy.

Missing You

I smell the fresh air

and flowers sweet--

primroses and snap dragons

line the street.

The colors are fresh

and super lovely.

They smell so sweet

and other worldly.

Sunshine and flowers

it doesn't get better than this.
You are the only

person I miss.

I wish you could walk

along the beach with me,

or we could sit

neath the tall pine trees.

     Happy Sunday.  Today is a great day for a walk outside.  Use all your senses and what do you see, feel, hear, smell and taste?  Can you use all of this information for a poem?