Saturday, April 30, 2011

Not a reverso 15

Here's the latest installment of the cat-bird saga. Because I haven't quite finished my story before the end of the month, I'll be writing a little into May. Then I think, Poetry Sundays -- you know, unwind with a cup of coffee and catch up on poetry, so I hope other people will be posting some as well...

Suddenly, the door is opened
Very quickly a cat runs out
Even faster two birds swoop down,
From the tree across the yard,
Beaks and talons on full display,
To descend upon the stalking cat

Friday, April 29, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 15

Little boy,
everywhere
cat
tail
leaves
behind
fur.

Fur
behind
leaves.
Tail
cat
everywhere,
little boy!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Not a reverso 14

The latest installment of the cat-bird saga:


In our house there is a door
Around the door there are two panes
And by these panes the two cats sit
And hear three birds call from their nest
And see a bird fly from the nest
By the door the two cats cry

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 14

Your dish
not empty.
Why
drink
from sink,
wet
tail
cat?

Cat!
Tail
wet
from sink
drink.
Why
not empty
your dish?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Not a reverso 13

Here is the fourth installment of the cat-bird saga:


From our porch there hang four ferns
In one fern there is a nest
In that nest there are four eggs
In that nest three eggs open
From each egg comes a bird
Each new bird calls quite loudly

Monday, April 25, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 13

Today's poem:


Tail
keeps
cat
time:
This
speckled cat
dances with
little boy.

Little boy
dances with
speckled cat.
This
time,
cat
keeps
tail.

I think this is my favorite so far. Not only is it funny, it is a pretty accurate description of a house with cats and a toddler. Throw in a dog, and you are well on your way to a mad house. :)

Not a reverso 12

I took yesterday off from writing to enjoy Easter with my family. I hope you all enjoyed your Easter as well.

Here is the third installment of the cat-bird saga. The first two installments were posted last week.



Above the door there is a pane.
Below the pane there is a ledge.
On the ledge a bird is perched,
Outside the door of our house.
Inside the door of our house,
Two cats beside the windows sit.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 12

Laughing
little boy
and
red dog,
whining,
toy
with
spotted
cat’s tail.

Cat’s tail
spotted
with
toy:
Whining
red dog;
and
little boy
laughing.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Not a reverso 11

In our house there are two cats
And each cat has two eyes
And each cat has twenty claws
In our house there is a door
Around the door there are two panes
And by these panes the two cats sit


(Second part of cat-bird saga)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Book 73

The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books, 2005

The infamous pigeon is back for an encore performance in the toddler book world. And fortunately, this book arrived in plenty of time to purchase before my son arrived in 2008.

This books does not have much of a story, so if you are looking for that, you may want to stick to the pigeon books for older children. What this book does have is a gamut of emotions. As anyone who has every been a parent to, or even probably around, a two-year-old knows, two-year-olds also have a gamut of emotions. And usually they go through them in about the space of time it takes you to read this very short books. Toddlers don't understand their emotions, and this book does not try to explain them. The book, with its simple text and expressive pigeon, shows them, and that seems to be enough.

If you are wondering if my son still has temper tantrums, the answer is "yes". He has stopped throwing himself to the floors. Now he just "goes boneless" (another Mo Willems book) slowly with the contorted grace of a 1920's ham actor in a death scene.

One caveat: It is probably not a good idea to take yourself too seriously when you are reading this book. I can read it and express the emotions and my son laughs because he thinks I'm being silly. When my husband reads it, my son cries at the angry part.


*For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Not a reverso 10

From our porch there hang four ferns.
In one fern there is a nest.
In that nest there are four eggs.
Across the yard there is a tree.
In that tree there is a bird,
Who jealously guards her four eggs.



(The cat-bird saga begins)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 11

Tail
curled
around
food
dishes --
Little wild cat
torments
tuxedo cat.

Tuxedo cat
torments
little wild cat;
dishes
food
around
curled
tail.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Not a reverso 9

It started with a bird variety,
and then a host of butterflies three,
Then two chipper squirrels rushed to meet me.
It felt like a movie from Walt Disney!

Not a reverso 8

Monday, April 18, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 10

Ruffled,
tail
flitting,
spotted
cat is
bird-
watching.



Watching
bird --
Cat is
spotted!
Flitting,
tail
ruffled.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Not a reverso 8

Like a rank braggart,
April winds blustered and blew --
All sound, no fury.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 9

With its four feet
from tail to head,
the little wild cat
completely occupies
the bed.



The bed
completely occupies
the little wild cat,
from tail to head,
with its four feet.

Book 72

The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!, by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books 2005

First a personal confession: I love, love, LOVE the pigeon in Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. So much so that when I was decorating the baby's room in advance of the baby, I worked a little pigeon into all the paintings. Almost three years later, and I still find it amusing. So when I saw that there was a pigeon board book, of course, I just had to buy it.

And I did. Second confession: I don't LOVE this pigeon as much, but I still like it. And what's more, my toddler boy seems to prefer it to the original, at least right now. He loves the vehicles and thinks the pigeon is silly. So, considering that the Smidgeon of Pigeon series is not written for me, but is, in fact, written for toddlers, this book and the others are definitely a great investment if you are buying books for toddlers.


*For other reviews, please see Book I Buy and Why

Friday, April 15, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 8

Black and white cat
leaps upon
speckled wild cat;
tails
whirling into
crashing
furniture.


Furniture
crashing,
whirling into
tails,
speckled wild cat
leaps upon
black and white cat.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Not a reverso...number 7, I think...

Sophie was pleased with herself yesterday.
She was barking and dancing around.
I thought, perhaps, her wits went away,
Till I saw what lay on the ground.

It wasn't a mole
Come up from its hole.
It wasn't as simple as that.

Oh, no, lying dead,
Bleeding wound to the head
Was a partially mangled old rat!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 7

This is my favorite kind of reverso -- the meaning doesn't just shift subtly, but is almost quite the opposite.


Hidden--
Not
seen,
tail
flicking,
behind the toy tunnel--
Spotted
cat.

Cat
spotted
behind the toy tunnel.
Flicking
tail
seen--
Not
hidden.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Not a reverso...

Storm clouds roll in.
Thomas starts to pout.
Before very long,
It rains inside and out

Monday, April 11, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 6

The little boy
pulls
the speckled cat
by the tail.

By the tail,
the speckled cat
pulls
the little boy.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Not a reverso...

Baby wouldn't sleep,
So he emptied his crib. Then,
baby couldn't sleep.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Eloquent Tail - 4 and 5

I have weekend company arriving shortly, so I'm posting today's and tomorrow's poems today. I'll have to post two on Monday to catch up for Sunday.


Naughty
cat!
Thumping
tail tells on you
fishing

Fishing?
Tail tells on you,
thumping
cat.
Naughty!


No
compliments
for
fishing.
Move
beautiful
tail,
wild cat!

Wild cat
tail --
beautiful
move.
Fishing
for
compliments,
no?

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Book 71

Pretty much everyone who has a child or ever was a child is familiar with "The Wheels on the Bus", but did you know there is a sequel -- and, no I don't mean the fifty-odd verses that seem to go with the original. The sequel is -- you guessed it! -- The Seals on the Bus.

The Seals on the Bus, written by Lenny Holt, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Henry Holt and Company, 2000.

The Wheels on the Bus is a fun song. The Seals on the Bus is a funny book. If you know the tune for the first, you'll have no trouble singing the second. The illustrations are appropriately silly; this is not the place for realism. So funny book, great illustrations, kids love it -- need I say more?


* For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Yesterday I planted a garden...

There is something quite hopeful
about planting a garden.
You trust winter truly is over
and the ground won't harden.

You trust rain to fall
And the plants to grow.
You hope one day to reap
more than you sow.

Yes, planting a garden
is quite incredible.
Especially if you are wanting
something that is edible.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Eloquent Tail - 3

Wild cat
tail
moving --
not
still --
in
sleeping.

Sleeping
in?
Still
not
moving
tail,
wild cat?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Not impressive, but sweet...

Ten little fingers
Ten little toes
One little mouth and
One little nose

Two little ears
Two little eyes
One little boy --
Just the right size

Monday, April 4, 2011

Eloquent Tail - 2

Today's poetic entry continues the tale of Chloe's very expressive tail. :)



Why,
when you feel
content,
does your tail form
a question?

A question:
Does your tail form
content
When you feel?
Why?

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Book 70

What Am I?, Sterling Press 2003

This was one of those books that my son picked out from the library and didn't want to return. Because I am a former children's librarian, I cannot condone that. To prevent an ethical quandary, I ordered him his own copy before the three-week check-out period ended.

Although this book is wonderfully colorful and delightfully drawn, it is not one I would have bought on my own. Never underestimate the power of concentric circle eyes. Not only does my little boy love to run his finger over the ridges, he also discovered that the eyes are just the right size for the Pier One ceramic balls I bought for Spring. He also discovered that those balls do NOT bounce on a hardwood floor -- that would be another story.

As far as the writing goes, it is super-simple and rhymed, although sometimes the rhyming feels a bit forced. I can't fault it too much, because sometimes so does mine. Anyway, as I said, I would not have decided to buy this book except for the fact that my son loves it so much. And your child loving a book is a pretty darn good reason to buy it.


*For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why
Here is my poetic entry for today (not a reverso). Instead, this one is for my little boy.


My Sweet Thomas--

For Easter last year, I bought you a rabbit.
You carry it wherever you go.
Stuffing has slipped from the neck where you grab it.
Now its head freely flops to and fro.

When you've grown, I wonder, will you love that rabbit
With its fur gone pilly and matty?
Will you carry it about, or break that habit?
Will you been seen with a rabbit loved ratty?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Eloquent Tail -- 1

For this month's poetry challenge, decided I wanted to write a "story" in the reverso style that I can illustrate later this year if I'm feeling ambitious. I will NOT be writing a reverso every day -- maybe every other day -- I want a challenge, not a migraine!

For my subject, I chose my fat, lavender-eared, little wild cat. Her markings make her resemble a Mau, but her farm-cat build makes her look much more like an African wildcat. Anyway, she has a most expressive tail, so the title for the ongoing work will be The Eloquent Tail. Here is today's entry and the first verse of my reverso:



The little wild cat
arranges
and
twists
the eloquent tail
to speak
volumes

Volumes
to speak:
The eloquent tail
twists,
and
arranges
the little wild cat.

Friday, April 1, 2011

April!

It's bad poetry month -- I mean poetry month, so as promised? threatened? here is my first entry:

It's the first day of April
And I was dressed like a fool,
For the sun was warm and bright
But the wind was Arctic cool.


And just think, I typed that with a wiggly two-year-old on my lap. :)