Poem - The Secret of My Art by Chris Harris

The Secret of My Art

"It's a beautiful whale," my teacher declared.

"This drawing will get a gold star!'

"It's a beautiful whale," my father declared,

"Your talents will carry you far!"

It's a beautiful whale," my mother declared,

"What a wonderful artist you are!"

Well, maybe it is a beautiful whale . . .

But I was trying to draw a guitar,

Chris Harris

from the book I'm Just No Good At Rhyming

Talk about "you can't judge a book by its cover! : 

Poem: Sea Joy by Jacqueline Bouvier

Sea Joy

When I go down by the sandy shore
I can think of nothing I want more
Than to live by the blooming blue sea
As the seagulls flutter round about me

I can run about - when the tide is out
With the wind and the sand and the sea all about
And the seagulls are swirling and diving for fish
Oh - to live by the sea is my only wish..

           Jacqueline Bouvier
           from A Family of Poems (Kennedy)

Poem: Stegosaurus by David Elliott

Stegosaurus

Your brain?

The size

of a

walnut.

Your bulk?

Immense.

Which proves

there’s some-

thing more

to life

than just

intelligence.

                        David Elliott

Poem: The Aliens Have Landed by Kenn Nesbitt

The Aliens Have Landed

The aliens have landed!
It’s distressing, but they’re here.
They piloted their flying saucer
through our atmosphere.

They landed like a meteor
engulfed in smoke and flame.
Then out they climbed immersed in slime
and burbled as they came.

Their hands are greasy tentacles.
Their heads are weird machines.
Their bodies look like cauliflower
and smell like dead sardines.

Their blood is liquid helium.
Their eyes are made of granite.
Their breath exudes the stench of foods
from some unearthly planet.

And if you want to see these
sickly, unattractive creatures,
you’ll find them working in your school;
they all got jobs as teachers!

                                    Kenn Nesbitt

Poem: My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

My Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of it is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow –

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow:

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;

I’d think shame to stick to nursie as the shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

                                    Robert Louis Stevenson

Poem: Golden Gate Bridge by Joan Bransfield Graham

Golden Gate Bridge

Rising above

            the fog,

I am an aria

            of orange,

a symphony

            of steel –

a remembered

            melody.

Beneath

            I span the

Golden Gate Strait,

            from shore to

shore, with a

            chorus of cars.

What song will you

            discover

On the other side?

                                    Joan Bransfield Graham

Poem: The Moon was but a Chin of Gold by Emily Dickinson

The Moon was but a Chin of Gold

A night or two ago ---

And now she turns Her perfect Face

Upon the World below ---

                                    Emily Dickinson

Poem: Diary of a Very Short Winter Day by Judy Sierra

Diary of a Very Short Winter Day

At the first hint of dawn
I awake with a yawn
And follow my cousins
(All thirty-three dozen)
To the end of the land.
Where we stand and we stand,
Playing who'll-dive-in-first,
And, fearing the worst.
We listen for seals
Who want us for meals.
I see one penguin lunge.
Then in we all plunge,
Take a bath, gulp a snack,
And climb out in a pack...
Hurry back to our home
For a quick preen and comb
So our feathers aren't wet
As we watch the sun set.

           by Judy Sierra

Poem: The Library by Sara Holbrook

The Library

Take the walk
to the open door,
this is where you
find out more
about the stars,
oceans, quakes
dragons, cars,
cheetahs, snakes,
unicorns, and
jumping beans,
horses, bugs,
and time machines.
From killer whales,
and free-tailed bats
to hammer heads
and kitty cats,
the library has got a book.
Come on in,
take a look.
Learn how to cook
or write a poem.
Read it here
or take it home.
What do you want to learn about?
It's free!
It's here!
Check it out!     
                     Sara Holbrook

Poem: Toad by the Road by Joanne Ryder

Toad by the Road

I’m only a toad

By the side of the road,

Watching the world go by.

Some bustle and hurry.

Some bustle and scurry.

Some wiggle, flicker, or fly.

They come and they go

On their way to and fro.

But I’d rather sit and sing.

It’s a glorious day,

So I’m happy to stay

And savor the songs of spring.

                        Joanne Ryder

Poem: Stone Wall by James Stevenson

Stone Wall

A strong stone wall
Is good to see:

All those different rocks
Working together
Getting along fine.

             James Stevenson

Poem: What Happens to Colors by Jack Prelutsky

What Happens to the Colors?

What happens to the colors

when night replaces day?

What turns the wrens to ravens,

the trees to shades of gray?

Who paints away the garden

when the sky’s a sea of ink?

Who robs the sleeping flowers

of their purple and their pink?

What makes the midnight clover

Quiver black upon the lawn?

What happens to the colors?

What brings them back at dawn?

                    Jack Prelutsky

Poem: Bear in There by Shel Silverstein

Bear in There

There’s a Polar Bear

In our Frigidaire ---

He likes it ‘cause it’s cold in there.

With his seat in the meat

And his face in the fish

And his big hairy paws

In the buttery dish.

He’s nibbling the noodles,

He’s munching the rice,

He’s slurping the soda,

He’s licking the ice.

And he lets out a roar

If you open the door.

And it gives me a scare

To know he’s in there ---

That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

              Shel Silverstein

Poetry Moments

Today I started videotaping my brief "Poetry Moments" that will be aired once a week, during this upcoming summer and hopefully longer at the library where I work.  They'll be put up on The Bosler Memorial Library Facebook Page.

Day 1 - 6/9/20 -  I wanted to start with Shel Silverstein, but perhaps a poem that wouldn't be quite as well known as most.  So I went to A Light in the Attic and chose "Bear in There."

Day 2 - 6/11/20 - I really wanted to follow up Silverstein with Jack Prelutsky, but didn't want it to be one of his funny or silly ones, so I chose "What Happens to the Colors?" from Sing a Song of Seasons.

Day 3 - 6/16/20 - Wanting to go with something different, I went for short, sweet, and unrhymed for this one,  "Stone Wall' by James Stevenson from one of his "corny" books.

Day 4 - 6/18/20 - A fun poem with rhyme and rhythm and a great photo I found.  "Toad by the Road" by Joanne Ryder.

Day 5 - 6/23/20 - I love penguins, and I've found lots of penguin poems.  Today I'm adding "Diary of A Very Short Winter Day" by Judy Sierra.

Day 6 - 6/25/20 -  Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) wrote short poems and never gave them a title.  Here's one about the moon that begins "The Moon was but a Chin of Gold"

Day 7 -  6/30/20 - My close friend, Dede, lives just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, California.  I've been lucky enough to drive back and forth this magical bridge dozens of times.  I've loved every thrilling moment.  Joan Bransfield Graham uses music and metaphor to help describe the magnificence of this bridge in her poem, "Golden Gate Bridge."

Day 8 - 7/2/20 - A library poem today.  Took it from Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong's The Poetry Friday Anthology.which is packed with perfect poems for sharing, and they label sections from Kindergarten to grade 5.    This one's by Sara Holbrook, "The Library."

Day 9 - 7/7/20 - I wanted something short, sweet, and clever, so went with "Stegosaurus" by David Elliot from his book of dinosaur poems.

Day 10 - 7/9/20 - Most of Kenn Nesbitt's poetry is really fun and funny, and I check out his website once in awhile.  So today I decided to go for FUNNY!  "The Aliens Have Landed" came directly from his website.  I think it'll tickle younger elementary kids.

Day 11 - 7/14/20 - Since we're in the midst of summer I decided to go for a purely summertime poem today.  I've wanted to include a "list poem," and I think this one fit all of my criteria for the day!  I read Douglas Florian's "What I Love About Summer" from his poetry book, Summersaults.

Day 12 - 7/16/20 - Changing it up a little, I'm doing Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Shadow" from A Child's Garden of Verses.

Day 13 -

Day 14 -

Day 15 - 7/28/20 - From the book Marvelous Math, an anthology (a collection of poems by different poets) edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins comes part of Mary O'Neill's poem, Take a Number.

Day 16 - 7/30/20 - When I picked up the book I'm Just No Good At Rhyming (Harris) all I could think of was the old addage "You can't judge a book by its cover."  Talk about a nondescript cover!  But there were many poems that I really enjoyed, including The Secret of My Art.  Just plain fun!
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