poetry

Nature offers little treasures right before our eyes–like this bird’s nest perched on a wreath on my glass front door. Standing on a stool, I saw that an egg was added each day.  Now, as the mother house finch sits on her nest, I try to give her space.

What gems await your notice? Look closely. Focus. Then capture a few key words on paper.

Wreath-top Nest                                   

 A mother finch

flits,

     flies

until she finds

a fading wreath

still hanging on a door.

She twitters,

     chatters,

gathers grass,

     soft leaves,

     and fur

to weave into a bed.

Day by day,

blue eggs appear—

     one

     and two,

     then three,

     now four.

At last, she nestles

in her wreath-top nest

as her tiny heart

     hums lullabies

to young ones curled in eggs.

Rhythms and play of sounds in poetry call attention to words and invite physical response—clapping, tapping—all exploration of language.

Even young children who have heard poems can tell about an idea, an image, or a happening as someone else records. As a grandmother, I began sending poems to my young grandson before he was a year old. Imagine my delight when he sent me his first poem. Recently, I sent him a poem about geese I saw in an unexpected place.  Here is my poem:

Goose Dreams

In the middle of town,

three quiet geese

sit in the shade

of a maple tree

and dream

of a rippled lake.

 
 
 And here is Jonathan’s 3 1/2-year-old response (with Mom’s typing):

The geese love to swim
When they are done they walk in a line
The babies walk behind their mom
One after another

Having nudged poems out of first graders (to twelfth graders) as well as my own preschool sons years ago, I know that children have poems in them. All they may need is some poems to hear, a prompt, and someone to appreciate their creative ideas.

Share poems!