Tricia is back with another poetry challenge for us this week at The Miss Rumphius Effect: Monday Poetry Stretch - Animal Poems.
For Tricia’s Poetry Stretch, I decided to revisit an animal mask poem about a toucan that I had written many years ago. I wasn’t happy with the poem’s ending. I had changed it a number of times. I decided to do a bit more research on the toucan—of which there are different types—in hopes of getting some fresh ideas for the poem…and maybe writing a better ending.
Here’s the toucan poem as it stands at the moment:
TOUCAN TALK
by Elaine Magliaro
I’m Toucan. I’m more beak than bird.
In profile I may look absurd.
I sport a bill that’s giant-size.
It’s true. I don’t hyperbolize.
It’s strong and filled with rigid foam.
It’s like an airy honeycomb.
It doesn’t weigh me down. It’s light!
It’s sharp.
It’s colorful
And bright.
It helps me to attract a mate.
It’s perfect female birdie bait!
It’s really great for plucking fruit
From trees—and self defense, to boot.
A useful tool, it’s versatile—
A beak that truly fits the bill!
Very fun!!! I like the "almost rhyme" of versatile and bill at the end.
ReplyDeleteMary Lee,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the near rhyme in the last two lines. According to the pronunciation key in the dictionary the two words aren't an "exact" rhyme--but they're listed as rhyming words in THE COMPLETE RHYMING DICTIONARY. I guess it all depends on how one pronounces the words.
For example, in one of my poems I have supper and Papa as near rhymes. Only where I live would those two words be considered such.
Love your toucan poem, Elaine. Poems that both entertain and teach me (honeycomb? fantastic!) are some of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I received Falling Down the Page the other day. Thank you so much! I love it! I plan to feature it in a Poetry Friday post soon. Your poem is lovely (which I already knew from reading it here on your blog), and the whole anthology is just terrific! Thank you!