Monday Poetry Stretch - List Poem

I read Leaves of Grass in college and fell in love with Whitman. In much of this work, Whitman uses lists. Since I've been re-reading some of these poems, list poems have been on my mind. Therefore, today's poetry stretch takes the form of the list poem.

A list poem can take many forms. It could be a list of:

• things or events
• a person's traits or qualities (also called a blazon)
• a series of events or activities

List poems can any length, rhymed or unrhymed.
(Adapted from The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms.)

Bruce Lansky has some ideas for encouraging kids to write list poems. You can try writing an instant list poem or read these instructive notes. However, the best example I've read lately is the amazing piece by Sara Lewis Holmes entitled 39 Reasons to Write.

Here is the list poem I wrote this morning.

The Chorus of Dawn
It begins with the
TAP, TAP, TAP
of the woodpecker raising
the conductor's baton and
calling all to life.

Next comes the
RUSTLE, RUSTLE, RUSTLE
of the leaves,
as scurrying squirrels begin
their daily quest for food.

They are joined by the
WHISTLE, WHISTLE, WHISTLE
of myriad songbirds
calling for a mate.

The sound crescendos
but is broken by the noisy
BARK, BARK, BARK
of the neighborhood dogs,
calling out to one another.

Silence again.

The calm is broken by the
SHUSH, SHUSH, SHUSH
of the wind through the trees,
ushering in a new kind of music.

It is followed by the
PLOP, PLOP, PLOP
of the cooling rain,
bringing water to the
thirsty ground.

I can hear the flowers
SIGH, SIGH, SIGH
and
SLURP, SLURP, SLURP
as they drink until full.

I open my eyes to a new day,
already revealed in
morning song.

So, do you want to play? What kind of list poem will you write? Post your creation(s) on your blog and then leave a link in the comments. Once we have some poems, I'll link them all here.