INstead of catching up I thought I'd do this one and work my way back. I took the silly poem route:
Cafe Faux Pas
Coffee with cocoa Coffee with loco and a side of sly caffeine to keep up the dream of busy days. while I'm scratching my head they bring decafe instead now I's ready for bed. :(
Well, I ended up writing most of this in my head while doing my morning yoga, so I finished it. Now it really is time to get to work!
PAINT
Upsidedown! That's Linda's head! Bonnie's nose is big and red! Now Vinny has big, bleach blonde hair, and Joe is in his underwear! I make things change from is to ain't with pictures and the program Paint!
Now Linda is a poopy-head, and Bonnie's nose is bleeding red, and Vinny's hair is flames on fire! Joe wears a bra, an underwire! I have a crown, and I'm a Saint! I change things with the program Paint!
Uh oh, mom just saw my pics She doesn't seem to like my tricks. She deleted all my funny art Even poopyhead with farts She says the I must show restraint and I am banned from using Paint.
Nope, just fast writing. I meant to say "has a poopy-head" in the first and meant to have a dash in the second, making it mean a head with poop instead of just and insult. The next to last line should be "that" instead of "the" too LOL
Well I kept weighing the options - silly? serious? silly? serious? And then someone posted a picture on Facebook and this poem poured its way onto the page. So serious won...
Suffer the Little Children
Have you seen this picture? A toddler stands in the tire well of a mud-spattered car, body hugged around the tire, grimy face tear-stained, mouth in silent O of never-ending scream. Caption reveals this is in Syria where bombs have fallen every single day for over a year.
Did you happen to read this article? A beautiful little girl was found, dead, in a plastic bag on a beach on one of Boston’s harbor islands.
Do you think about what it means when police break into the wrong house, dressed in riot gear, routing children from their beds, tossing and breaking their possessions, shoot tear gas, bullets?
Do you care that some children are more likely to witness a shooting than visit a working farm? That thousands of American children go to bed hungry at least once a month because their families ran out of food? That for some little ones, their own home is the most dangerous place?
But tell me again, please, how much you care about children. Explain how childhood is a time of innocence, of play and silliness.
I saw that post. I do find the fact that children are more likely to witness a shooting than visit a working farm to say a lot about our culture. Very powerful serious poem.
BTW, I mentioned way earlier in a day before you started this that I don't intend to do any critique on poems because it would discourage more new writing, doing editing instead. I thought maybe we could revisit these poems in the coming months and critique them then.
Being silly is fun, being silly is easier as I get older because I do silly things without meaning to, like mixing up words, and forgetting stuff and it's OK because silly is good and silly is as silly does.
I love this one - probably because I relate to it! And I you make me think this is why grandparents and grandkids famously bond so well: they both understand and appreciate silliness!
It wasn't my fault although the look on her face said it was cats and claws and a freshly waxed floor make for a funny scene.
I had just waxed the kitchen floor I think you're beginning to picture what happened next and it truly was not my fault! I swear it's true!
Dignified Siamese comes running through when suddenly nails lose traction and like a cartoon cat legs start flailing as she tries to get across freshly waxed floor!
A panicked look on her royal face as she skitters and spins and finally gets to the living room carpet and grabs and edge to stop the slide.
She takes a moment to catch her breath then with quiet dignity walks onto the carpet with that look only a Siamese can give as if her humiliation never happened.
Not that it matters, but I have found I get more success if I write the poem on another sheet before I post it. It's easier, and I love taking the easy way, though my mom used to scold me for it. Glad you are up and about. Our friend Paul was very concerned. He is such a sweetheart!
Pay attention: Who is there at the bottom? the hand-ups? still around? Pay attention: Who is still caring? Fighting? Praying? But also pay attention: Who is kicking your teeth? Condescending? Evil? Keep the ones there at the bottom, For they will celebrate with you.
INstead of catching up I thought I'd do this one and work my way back. I took the silly poem route:
ReplyDeleteCafe Faux Pas
Coffee with cocoa
Coffee with loco
and a side of sly
caffeine
to keep up
the dream of busy
days.
while I'm scratching my head
they bring decafe instead
now I's ready for bed. :(
LOL. Yeah I thought silly was the way to go too. I write too many "serious" poems.
DeleteWell, I ended up writing most of this in my head while doing my morning yoga, so I finished it. Now it really is time to get to work!
ReplyDeletePAINT
Upsidedown! That's Linda's head!
Bonnie's nose is big and red!
Now Vinny has big, bleach blonde hair,
and Joe is in his underwear!
I make things change from is to ain't
with pictures and the program Paint!
Now Linda is a poopy-head,
and Bonnie's nose is bleeding red,
and Vinny's hair is flames on fire!
Joe wears a bra, an underwire!
I have a crown, and I'm a Saint!
I change things with the program Paint!
Uh oh, mom just saw my pics
She doesn't seem to like my tricks.
She deleted all my funny art
Even poopyhead with farts
She says the I must show restraint
and I am banned from using Paint.
This cracked me up! Did you deliberately use different forms of poopy head?
DeleteWhen you do light verse you do a really good job - I guess because your rhyme and meter are so consistent.
Nope, just fast writing. I meant to say "has a poopy-head" in the first and meant to have a dash in the second, making it mean a head with poop instead of just and insult. The next to last line should be "that" instead of "the" too LOL
Deletelmbo!! too funny and fun to read
DeleteWell I kept weighing the options - silly? serious? silly? serious? And then someone posted a picture on Facebook and this poem poured its way onto the page. So serious won...
ReplyDeleteSuffer the Little Children
Have you seen this picture?
A toddler stands in the tire well
of a mud-spattered car, body
hugged around the tire, grimy face
tear-stained, mouth in silent O
of never-ending scream.
Caption reveals this is in Syria
where bombs have fallen
every single day for over a year.
Did you happen to read this article?
A beautiful little girl was found,
dead, in a plastic bag on a beach
on one of Boston’s harbor islands.
Do you think about what it means
when police break into the wrong house,
dressed in riot gear, routing children
from their beds, tossing and breaking
their possessions, shoot tear gas, bullets?
Do you care that some children
are more likely to witness a shooting
than visit a working farm?
That thousands of American children
go to bed hungry at least once a month
because their families ran out of food?
That for some little ones, their own home
is the most dangerous place?
But tell me again, please,
how much you care about children.
Explain how childhood is a time
of innocence, of play and silliness.
©Priscilla Anne Tennant Herrington
I saw that post. I do find the fact that children are more likely to witness a shooting than visit a working farm to say a lot about our culture. Very powerful serious poem.
DeleteBTW, I mentioned way earlier in a day before you started this that I don't intend to do any critique on poems because it would discourage more new writing, doing editing instead. I thought maybe we could revisit these poems in the coming months and critique them then.
Deleteheartbreaking!
DeleteBeing silly is fun,
ReplyDeletebeing silly is easier
as I get older
because I do silly things
without meaning to,
like mixing up words,
and forgetting stuff
and it's OK
because silly is good
and silly is
as silly does.
I find I allow myself to be silly more now as I get older than I did before also.
Deleteyep don't even have to try to be silly it just flows naturally :-)
DeleteI love this one - probably because I relate to it! And I you make me think this is why grandparents and grandkids famously bond so well: they both understand and appreciate silliness!
ReplyDeleteSiloughly Cat!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't my fault although
the look on her face said it was
cats and claws and a freshly
waxed floor make for a funny scene.
I had just waxed the kitchen floor
I think you're beginning to picture
what happened next and it truly
was not my fault! I swear it's true!
Dignified Siamese comes running through
when suddenly nails lose traction and
like a cartoon cat legs start flailing
as she tries to get across freshly waxed floor!
A panicked look on her royal face
as she skitters and spins
and finally gets to the living room carpet
and grabs and edge to stop the slide.
She takes a moment to catch her breath
then with quiet dignity walks onto the carpet
with that look only a Siamese can give
as if her humiliation never happened.
okay that was supposed to say and grabs an edge but you can't edit here and as I'm catching up I am too lazy to delete and rewrite
DeleteNot that it matters, but I have found I get more success if I write the poem on another sheet before I post it. It's easier, and I love taking the easy way, though my mom used to scold me for it. Glad you are up and about. Our friend Paul was very concerned. He is such a sweetheart!
ReplyDeletePay attention:
ReplyDeleteWho is there at the bottom?
the hand-ups?
still around?
Pay attention:
Who is still caring?
Fighting?
Praying?
But also pay attention:
Who is kicking your teeth?
Condescending?
Evil?
Keep the ones there at the bottom,
For they will celebrate with you.