I'm Sorry

Sue, Sue,
What do you do,
if you step on the toes
of a kangaroo?

Well, you say
I'm sorry, of course.
What else can you say?
Speak up quick
'fore he hops away.

Fred, Fred,
What can be said
when you knock
my hat from my head?

Well, you say
I'm sorry, of course.
What else can you say?
Speak up quick
'fore my hat blows away.

Ray, Ray
what do you say
when putting on
a Hawaiian lei?

Well, you say
Aloha, of course.
What else can you say?
Speak up quick
'fore she hulas away.

      I've been having fun today matching names with actions.  I started with things to say please and thank you about.  Can you write your own mannerly poem today?  Or can you write a verse using your own name.  Have fun writing.

HAIKU

coyotes howl
3 AM
still  4 AM


     Yesterday I used the title of my poem to set the topic of the poem.  Haiku do not have titles, so I had to use the first line to carry the topic.  Do these there lines carry a whole story for you?  I'm usually not in favor of poems with the ambiguity of word having two meanings, but I think I used that little word still to that advantage here.  The still can mean that the noise is going on still, or it can be like quiet and still. Is that good or misleading to you?  Does it get in the way of the meaning of the poem?  Would it have been better to put that word at the end of the line?  I could have put a coma or a caesura after still, but that seemed too heavy handed to me.  I did put two spaces there though to subtly draw some emphasis to the word.  These are the decisions poets get to make. Now, I could have just as easily have said, I was up all night with the coyotes' howl--but this haiku was more fun for me.  I hope it worked for you too as you participated with the poem.
    Now it is your turn to have fun playing with poetry.  Try your own haiku.  I have a friend, Lenard Moore, who once told me that one needs to write at least a thousand haiku before you get any good at it.  I don't think I've written a thousand yet, but I'm getting close.  Of course, he is the person whose goal is to have 50 poems out for submission at all times.  I'm a long way from that, but it is always nice to have friends who make you stretch.
  Have a happy Sunday writing.

COYOTES SING

Yips, yaps, howls
echo over the lake
Coyotes so noisy
they keep me awake.

It's 3 AM
the moon is bright.
Coyotes are chirping
and yapping tonight.

It's 4 AM
they are singing some more
I think I'd rather hear
coyotes snore.


     I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.  I think the coyotes were celebrating the weekend.  So here is a fun list poem to try--write a poem about the things that keep you awake at night.  Have fun.

    I'm not sure if I really need the three stanzas to tell this story.  I'm trying to condense the content to two stanzas.  But then again this poem may want to be a form poem that requires a repeating line like a triolet, or a villenelle.  Oh what fun.  I get to play with this some more. 

    I've already condensed the information into a haiku, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see that. 
    Thank you for reading my drafts of poems.  I really appreciate it. You do make poetry fun for me.

The Snake

Little fellow
not very old
hardly moves
because he's cold.

Curled up
on the cold cement,
he doesn't move,
his body bent.

I pick him up
place him in the grass
and hope that
hungry hawks will pass.


     Hey, it is Friday.  Do you think animals do anything to get ready for the weekend?  Have fun writing your own poem today about being hungry.  

Dori over at Dori Reads is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today.  Thanks, Dori.

DIRT

Mom, I fell
and I'm a mess.
I got dirt
on my new dress.

There is dirt
all over the place,
on my shoes,
my hands,
my face.

     I'm at a Highlights Foundation Poetry Workshop titles Poetry for the Delight of It, facilitated by David L. Harrison.  The prompt he gave for this poem was dirt. Would you like to try writing your own dirt  poems today?

SILLY

Silly me,
silly you.
What a silly
thing to do.

Had some gum,
thought I'd chew.
Gave you some,
you chewed too.

I blew a bubble
in a pink hue,
You blew a bubble,
it was pink too.

We started rising
into the blue.
Off we went
me and you.

Then the bubbles,
both went 

K  E  R-
S   P   L   A   T!

And we fell
down quite flat.

Now we're covered
in sticky goo.
That's what happens
when you chew.

Silly me.
Silly you.
What a silly
thing to do.

     I really have a good time reading this poem aloud.  Try it and see if you like the taste of the words in your mouth.  Can you write your own silly poem today? 

THE BEAR

There is a bear in the forest
with long dark nails.
He has a shabby coat
and a short brown tail. 

He digs in the dirt
to eat snails and grubs.
He muches all the blackberries
that he takes off our shrubs.

He stands in the river
catches fish in the steam
and he eats everything
that he's ever seen.


     What do you know about bears?  Can you write about a bear for your poem today? 
Happy October.