Dinosaur Egg: A Forgotten Poem

I was recently contacted via email by a freelance permissions consultant who was writing on behalf of the international section of the Educational Division of Oxford University Press. The consultant requested my permission to use two short poems that I had written and posted on Laura Salas’s blog. The publisher wants to include the poems in a 352 page, paperback textbook for students aged 14-16. Here’s the funny thing: I had forgotten that I had written the poems back in 2008 for one of Laura’s “15 Words or Less Poems” challenges.

Have any of you ever done that--forgotten poems that you had written? I hate to admit that I’ve done it more than once. 

For Poetry Friday this week, I have another of my “forgotten” poems. I found it this morning when I was reading through one of the drafts of my unpublished poetry collection titled Docile Fossil. It’s a mask poem.

Dinosaur Egg

My shell turned to stone…

My heart and my bone.

I never saw sky,

Felt rain on my face.

I never knew snow.

I never hatched…

So…

How could I grow?

I was trapped in this place—

My rocky hard case

Eons ago.

I never knew light…

Only darkness and night.

I never was born.

My life was all done

Before it had begun.

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Matt has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.

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



 

My granddaughter Julia loves books. That makes her grandma smile! One of her new favorites to look through is a poetry collection that I gave her for Christmas—Christmas Presents: Holiday Poetry. Yesterday, she even sat in my lap as I read her some of the poems in the book.

 

 

Another one of her favorite books is Jamberry. Here are some pictures that I took of her reading it recently.

 

 

 

 I hope Julia will continue to love books. I’m happy that she doesn’t chew on them now.

 

 

Here’s a list poem that I wrote some time ago. I’m dedicating it to my granddaughter Julia today.

 

THINGS TO DO IF YOU ARE A BOOK

Be filled with words that tell a tale

of a little mouse and a giant whale
of a runty pig and his spider friend
who was true and loyal to the end
of a child who ate just bread and jam
of a funky guy, green eggs, and ham
of a spunky girl named Ramona Q.
of a Jabberwock that a young boy slew.
Be filled with words and tell a tale
that will let my imagination sail.
Be a mystery
or a fantasy
and sing with sounds of poetry.
Between your covers
let there be
a story that’s just right for me.

 

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol’s Corner.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!



A Holiday Video to Make You Smile

I wanted to wish all my friends in the kidlitosphere a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wild Rose Reader Holiday & Gift Books Post 2012

 

THE HORN BOOK

Holiday High Notes 2012

Holiday High Notes 2011

Holiday High Notes 2010

Holiday High Notes 2009

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

December Holiday Books:October 2012

December Holiday Books 2011

December Holiday Books 2010


SCHOLASTIC

Holiday Booksfor Ages 8-10

 

READING ROCKETS

Ten Books for the Holiday Season


THE CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW—GROWING READERS

Kids’ Christmas Books, 2010: Forthe Naughty & Nice

THE LOOKING GLASS CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEWS

Christmas Picture Books

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS (BCCB)

Guide Book to Gift Books: An Annotated List of Booksfor Youth 2012

Guide Book to Gift Books: An Annotated List of Booksfor Youth 2011

 

WILD ROSE READER & BLUE ROSE GIRLS

Christmas Board Books for BabiesPicture Book Reviews: Winter Trees, Christmas Trees

Christmas Books in Verse

Picture Book Review: The Best Christmas Ever

Picture Book Review: Christmas Magic

 

TERMITES: An Original Animal Mask Poem

I know I’ve mentioned more than once on this blog that I LOVE writing animal mask poems. I have written dozens of them. A few years ago, I took the advice of my friends Grace Lin and Janet Wong and culled out all the poems about smaller animals and insects that children might observe in their backyards or find close to home for a collection. I also wrote some new poems. I had tentatively titled the collection Backyard Voices. Then I changed it to Listen! Listen! after I wrote the following poem to introduce my collection of animal mask poems:

Listen. Listen. Cup an ear.

Little creatures living near

Speak in voices we can hear.

One of the new poems that I wrote for Listen! Listen! is about insects that we hate to find invading our homes—TERMITES.

TERMITES

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Yum, yum!

Wood

Tastes so

Tastes so

Tastes so good.

A piney plank

A two by four

A big broad beam

A parquet floor

A pair of clogs

A tool shed door

We eat all day

And we still want more.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Yum, yum!

Wood

Tastes so

Tastes so

Tastes SO GOOD.

 

 

Amy has the Poetry Friday Roundup at The Poem Farm.

 

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We had a wonderful family Thanksgiving at "The Farm." Julia didn't sleep all day. She so enjoyed having lots of company.

 

Julia on Thanksgiving





This week I took Julia outside  a couple of times so she could explore her yard. I took this short video of her:

 

It is great being a nanny granny! I love spending so much time with my granddaughter Julia.