There's nothing better then getting poetry in your inbox on a daily basis. So, given my love for all things school-related, I was particularly thrilled that this week's American Life in Poetry included a poem ostensibly about a school supply every child needs.
School
by Daniel J. Langton
I was sent home the first day
with a note: Danny needs a ruler.
My father nodded, nothing seemed so apt.
School is for rules, countries need rulers,
graphs need graphing, the world is straight ahead.
Read the poem in its entirety.
This got me thinking about the movie You've Got Mail and this note sent by Joe Fox.
"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. "
Yes, I ADORE New York in the fall, but I also LOVE school supplies (not the shopping so much). Honestly, have you met a teacher that isn't enamored of the newest twist on colored pencils? Or crayons? I'm quite intrigued by the poetry of Joe Fox's "bouquet of newly sharpened pencils."
Your challenge this week is come up with some poetic turn of your own for some deserving school supply. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results in time for Poetry Friday.
Crayons I would Like To Have
ReplyDeleteMother Goose Right Wing White.
Princess Striped Dress Pink.
Knight’s Old Chain Mail Grey.
Pirate's Golden Clink.
Humpty D’s Inner Yellow
Simple Simon's Apple Pie.
Cheshire Cat’s Cardomon Grin.
Easter Egg Red Dye.
Little Mermaid’s Ocean Green.
Gabled Anne’s Red Hair.
Little Boy‘s Bluesy Horn.
And no—I won’t share.
© Jane Yolen 2012 All rights reserved
Oh, I'd like to have those crayons, too!
ReplyDeleteMiss writing with you, Tricia - super busy doing this stupid move; hope to come back soon!
So good, Jane! And a couple of those are nicely creepy--poor Humpty!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite poem about school supplies is Kristine O’Connell George’s “September” (from The Great Frog Race). Here’s mine:
ReplyDeleteFirst Day
I have pencils, yellow
like a school bus.
I have markers—
rainbow hasn’t gone dry.
A TV commercial lunchbox,
paper creeping in blue lines.
Pink erasers like baby mice.
I check everything twice.
And sigh.
What I want to know is why
I can’t buy a girl to sit
at my desk and smile big.
Someone the other kids
will smile back at.
Instead they say “pig”
and “oink-oink-oink” softly
so the teacher won’t hear.
I feel the fear rise
up in my chest.
“Yeah, Mom, I guess
I have everything.”
Everything you can see.
School supplies? Why
can’t I buy a new me?
—Kate Coombs, 2012
all rights reserved
Oooh, good poem, Kate--so sad.
DeleteJulie--Just saw your note, thanks! I made myself sad writing it: poor kid!
DeleteHere's one I wrote about crayons.. Hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCrayons
I love my box of crayons.
I use them very much
I doodle, draft, design and draw.
I have an artist’s touch.
I finished up the orange
the day before today.
The yellow, brown, and purple ones
have somewhere gone astray.
My sister ate the green one.
I've just run out of red.
The black was borrowed by the mouse
that dwells beneath my bed.
I love my box of crayons,
though they're in short supply.
Now all I have is half a blue.
I guess I'll draw the sky.
I’m glad to pass by this page! Great blog! These poems brings me back to childhood. Thanks for sharing…
ReplyDeleteMaxCowen.com
SWAG
ReplyDeleteErasers,
Rulers,
Crayons,
Folders
Or as I call them
Paper holders.
Markers,
Binders,
Pens
and
Pencils
Or as I call them
Writing utensils.
Highlighters,
Laptops,
A new
Book bag
When it comes
to supplies
I have
the coolest swag.
(c) Charles Waters 2012 all rights reserved.
From the pink Post-its:
ReplyDeletePen me, peel me,
post me
prominently for
perfection in
ephemeral
expression.
A New Pencil Eraser
ReplyDeleteFlat-topped, flamingo-pink and flexible,
Yet to obliterate a single loop or line,
Of my mistakes.
Won’t last longg.
SLEW
ReplyDeleteThirteen sharpened pencils,
lie neatly in a row,
each point facing forward,
they look all set to go.
Check around the classroom,
see other pencils too,
no one has as much as me,
I sure do have a slew.
Johnny hasn't any,
no school supplies in sight,
I hand him one of my thirteen,
just so he can write.
© Carol Weis 2012, all rights reserved
If wishes were sailboats...
ReplyDeleteIf my little desk
were a seafaring boat,
I’d scour the world
for a magical tent,
on a mist-covered
moor... where I’d
play with the monkeys
and tickle the goats,
sing to the finches
on my little boat.
I’d zigzag to China,
I’d climb the Great Wall—
then slip into Yemen
for summer and fall.
I’d winter in Turkey,
explore Istanbul,
then drift up to
Deutschland for
spaetzle and gruel.
I’d travel by moonlight
bathe in the sea,
meander to Lisbon
for lemons and ghee.
When it was springtime,
I’d float back to school,
tell everyone, everywhere—
school is so cool!
(c) juliekrantz, 2012. All rights reserved.
If wishes were sailboats…
ReplyDeleteIf my little desk
were a seafaring boat,
I’d scour the world
for a magical tent—
on a mist-covered
moor—where I’d
play with the monkeys
and tickle the goats,
sing to the finches
on my little boat.
I’d zigzag to China,
I’d climb the Great Wall—
then slip into Yemen
for summer and fall.
I’d winter in Turkey,
explore Istanbul,
then drift up to
Deutschland for
spaetzle and gruel.
I’d travel by moonlight
bathe in the sea,
meander to Lisbon
for lemons and ghee.
When it was springtime,
I’d float back to school,
tell everyone, everywhere—
school is so cool!
(c) juliekrantz, 2012. All rights reserved.