Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Happy Birthday Mary Ann Hoberman!

Today is the birthday of Mary Ann Hoberman, the current Children's Poet Laureate. You can read about her at this Poetry Makers interview from April, 2009. In honor of her birthday I thought I'd share a poem. I have a fondness for giraffes, so this poem of hers is one of my favorites.
Giraffes

I like them.
Ask me why.
        Because they hold their heads so high.
        Because their necks stretch to the sky.
        Because they're quiet, calm, and shy.
        Because they run so fast they fly.
        Because their eyes are velvet brown.
        Because their coats are spotted tan.
        Because they eat the tops of trees.
        Because their legs have knobby knees.
        Because
        Because
        Because. That's why
I like giraffes.

Poem ©Mary Ann Hoberman. All rights reserved.
Happy birthday, Mary Ann!

2 comments:

  1. What a lovely poem! I love giraffes, too, and on the safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom, a baby gifaffe was keeping pace with our open vehicle. We could practically have stretched out and touched her. She was no more than 5 feet from us. Amazing!

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  2. Thank you so much, Tricia - your good wishes made my birthday celebrations even better! And thanks also for posting "Giraffes." It's like seeing an old friend again.

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