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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
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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
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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
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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:

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

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

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

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  4. 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

    ReplyDelete
  5. 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...

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

    ReplyDelete
  7. 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

    ReplyDelete
  8. 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!

    ReplyDelete

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