Friday, September 17, 2010

Things to Do If You Are a Mole: An Original List Poem

Here is one of my favorite list poems from my original “Things to Do” poetry collection. It is another one of the poems I had to cut from my new “Things to Do” manuscript. That’s how it goes sometimes—you have to eliminate some of the poems you love in order to create a more cohesive and unified collection.


Things to Do If You Are a Mole


Make your home

in the damp darkness

underground

unknowing of snow

and stars

and summer breezes.

Live among roots

and rocks

and sleeping cicadas.

Excavate tunnels

in the moist brown earth.

Listen for the soft music

of seeds sprouting,

worms wiggling,

rain pattering on your grassy roof.

Spend your days in a world

of unending night.




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The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Wild Rose Reader this week! Click here to leave the URL of your poetry post at my Poetry Friday Roundup post.

7 comments:

laurasalas said...

Oh, Elaine! I'm sharing Things to Do If You're a Pencil and that anthology at a conference in a couple of weeks. Love your Things to Do poems.

Those last two lines are killer. You rock.

Diane said...

I love this one, Elaine. I can see why it's a favorite.

Anonymous said...

VERY nice list poem! You have a real knack with this sort of form!

Bridget R. Wilson said...

Great poem, Elaine! I've always wanted a mole for a pet. My mom mourns what they do to our yard. Sigh. :)

jama said...

You are the queen of list poems :). Love the "soft music of seeds sprouting."

Author Amok said...

It's such a sensory poem, Elaine. I can see the mole's home (even if he can't). Good luck with the collection.

Looking for the Write Words said...

Hi Elaine,

I always love your poems written in the To Do format. I hope that you do not mind my playing around with the format as I become more comfortable as a writer. Next week I am planning on some poetry for Writing Workshop and am looking forward to introducing this format to my new poets. Should be heaps of fun!
Thanks,

Theresa