Poem in Your Pocket Day ~ 2010

Yesterday, my kids came home from school all excited. "Tomorrow is 'Poem in Your Pocket Day!'" they announced, slamming a yellow flier down on the kitchen table en route to the backyard. Scanning the page I read the following:

Please help me find a poem that I can keep in my pocket on Thursday. I will share my poem throughout the day with my friends and teachers.

This assignment may elicit groans in some households, but my kids have been exposed to poetry for a couple years now and were up to the challenge.

My 7-year-old had two criteria: his pocket poem had to be funny and it had to rhyme. Here's his selection:


4 - from More Opposites


What is the opposite of pillow?
The answer, child, is armadillo.
“Oh, don’t talk nonsense!” you protest.
However, if you tried to rest
Your head upon the creature, you
Would find that what I say is true.
It isn’t soft. From head to tail
It wears a scratchy coat of mail.
And furthermore, it won’t hold still
Upon a bed, as pillows will,
But squirms, and jumps at every chance
To run away and eat some ants.
So there! Admit that I was right,
Or else we’ll have a pillow fight.


- Richard Wilbur, Collected Poems 1943-2004



My 9-year-old decided he'd rather bring one of his own original works. He chose a limerick he wrote in third grade that got a lot of laughs:


There was a large hippopotamus
who always fell down on his bottom-us.
They called him a fool,
but he thought it was cruel,
so he didn’t like it a lot-u-mus.


- M.L. 3rd Grade

Lunchbox Poems: The Beginning

My mother taught elementary school for over 35 years.  As a mom to two elementary aged boys myself, I appreciate the classroom insight and ideas she shares with me. Several years ago, she recommended I introduce my boys to poetry, explaining that its concise form and descriptive imagery made it an engaging genre for kids.

Taking her advice to heart, the next day I went to the library and explored the children's poetry section.  I was disappointed to find that so much of the poetry printed for children had tedious rhymes with silly and grotesque themes.  Thankfully, among the volumes of silly verses, I found a few poetry anthologies that took a different approach:  adult-worthy poetry with kid-friendly themes!

I instantly bonded with the concept and became excited to share poetry with my boys.  But how was I going to fit poetry reading into their already busy lives? 

The idea:  Put a poem in their lunchbox every day!

OK, that's enough background for now.  On with the poetry!

Jacks

Tossed
quickly
from an eager fist,
this silver-mix
goes somersaulting,
silver
falling to the walk,
raining
tin bouquets;
small bundles
of piggyback
stars.

- Rebecca Kai Dotlich, 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury