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

I have a good excuse for posting late this Poetry Friday. Look at the picture below.

Here's the background story. I was the second car in line at the drive-up window at the bank where we do business. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the car in front of me BACKING UP! I honked my horn--but too late. The driver of the car crashed into me and broke my passenger-side headlight. So it goes.

Now...from car crashes to poetry...about children's books.

One of the things that I enjoyed most about being an elementary school teacher was reading aloud to children. It's something that I still miss eight years after my retirement. These days I--like other family members--love reading to my little granddaughter Julia Anna who is beginning to understand books better now that she is eight-months-old. She does, however, still enjoy chewing on her favorite board books.

Here's a "things to do" poem that I wrote last year. It includes some of the favorite books that I read to my students and my daughter.

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 badger who loved eating bread and jam

of a funky guy, green eggs, and ham

of a spunky girl named Ramona Q.

of a boy and the Jabberwock he slew.

Be filled with words and tell a tale

that will let my imagination sail.

Be a mystery

or a fantasy

or sing with sounds of poetry.

Between your covers

let there be

a story that’s just right for me.

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Tabatha has the Poetry Friday Roundup over at The Opposite of Indifference.

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REMINDER

Win a Poetry Book!
Every week during April, I’m giving away a children’s poetry book at Wild Rose Reader. If you leave a comment at one of my poetry posts during the fourth week of National Poetry Month (April 22-28), I’ll enter your name in the drawing to win a copy of Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto, which was written by Paul B. Janeczko.