Friday, November 4, 2011

Dog Poems for Poetry Friday!

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Howdy, Campers!
~
Every day in October, I played around with poems about two things:
a dog and a gift.  I wrote the obvious, I wrote cliches.  Then I tried to write the not-so-obvious.  I tried standing on my head and looking at the topic in a different light.
Here are some of the poems:
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SURPRISE!
by April Halprin Wayland
~

I am hiding, hiding in a
big box with little holes
trying not to wiggle
my butt or wag my tail!
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Open me, open me, please--
I am drooling to meet you!
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HINT, HINT
by April Halprin Wayland
~

Mom—I don't mean to whine,
whimper, howl or growl...
it's just that
the holidays
are coming up
and I'm
really,
really,
really good
at picking up dog poop.


WHEN YOU HEAR GOOD NEWS
by April Halprin Wayland
~

when you yell HOORAY
when you are
Mexican jumping beans
and your eyes are
fourth of July sparklers
that is a gift
from the universe
saying good job, good job
or maybe saying
good dog, good dog
~
THUMP, THUMP, THANK YOU!
by April Halprin Wayland~
Look what I got for
Hanukah! Just what I itched
for—my very own boy!

FAVORITES
by April Halprin Wayland
~

My favorite aunt? Cissie!
My favorite uncle? Stu!
The best dessert?
Cheese cake!
My favorite number? Two!
My favorite holiday?
Hanukah!
The best weather? Foggy!
My favorite color? Purple!
The best present? Doggy!
And those are my Poetry Friday contributions centered around a dog and a gift!

Thanks to Laura Salas at Writing the World for Kids for hosting today!
~
So--how about writing your own dog/gift poems...
and sharing them here with us?
Remember to write with joy!

Poems, photos (of Eli, the photogenic dog) and drawings
c) 2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved


P.S. from Carmela Don't forget! Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win your own autographed copy of Leonard Marcus' just released The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth. Enter here by 11 pm (CST) TODAY!

8 comments:

Robyn Hood Black said...

Wagging my tail for these selections today, April! Thanks for sharing. Love the turning of the tables in the Hanukah haiku.

Author Amok said...

"Thump, Thump, Thank You" is my favorite of the bunch. These are so much fun, April. My dog, Sam, enjoyed reading them with me.

JoAnn Early Macken said...

"I am drooling to meet you!" Ha, ha! I love these, April!

laurasalas said...

These are great, April! I, too, was writing gift poems all month--perhaps for the same project:>)

Here's a dog poem that appeared in my book Stampede!, which compares kids at school to different animals:

Here, Boy!

Lunch bell starts ringing
Down the hallway I bound
I’m a dog who’s just heard
The can opener sound

One slice of pizza
some more meat loaf, please
Some salad and—yum—
Ravioli with cheese

Hamburger patty
A stick of fried fish
Keep piling it on—
There’s still room on my dish

Run to the table
Quick! Hurry! Can’t wait
To gulp down my food
And then lick clean my plate

--Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

April Halprin Wayland said...

Howdy, Laura, Robyn, JoAnne and Toby --thanks for your comments. This is why I love blogging--SOMEONE is reading your stuff!

And Laura--thank you for sharing Here Boy! The details bring me right back to the cafeteria...

April Halprin Wayland said...

(oops...that should have been JoAnn, sans "e"--sorry!)

Heidi Mordhorst said...

These made me laugh, April, and you're so good to share just everything--I appreciate the open-journal peek. My favorite is the one that suggests that dogs are religious and might celebrate Hannukah.

Here's one from Pumpkin Butterfly that echoes some of your ideas.

Night Luck


Night is deep in a dark box
deep in a cushion of down
nestled in tissue
tied with ribbons
Night is asleep in the dark

Night wakes with curious paws
wakes in a furry fog
wrestles the tissue
nibbles the ribbons
Night is awake in the dark

Night tumbles in velvet directions
tumbles along to your bed
wagging your worries
sniffing your wishes
Night is a friend in the dark

April Halprin Wayland said...

Dear Heidi,

How I love your writing! The line, "Night tumbles in velvet directions" is just wonderful. Thank you for sharing this with all of us!