April is National Poetry Month, so it seems appropriate to feature poetry for the letter P. I do not seek out poetry to read, but pick it up from time to time. A few years ago, my husband and I got a book that declared to include the 100 best poems of all time. We read it aloud to each other and I found it occasionally enjoyable and sometimes tedious. My speed is more the like the clever stylings of Shel Silversteen. However, I think my favorite poem of all time was one written by one of my childhood friends, Jon.I was in sixth grade in Mrs. Greathouse's English class and we were writing poems. I dutifully wrote my totally unmemorable poem that I then read for the class. I was pleased with what I had written until Jon stood up and read his. Jon was one of those boys who was smart enough, but was always horsing around instead of doing his work. He tried to get away with the least amount of school work that he could. So not surprisingly, he only wrote a few lines. His poem went like this.
The thunder roared,
The lightning flashed,
A tree fell down,
And a frog got smashed.
Even though the poem was very simple, I was impressed. With only a few words, he told a story that brought very clear images to mind. And it had a surprise ending. I was also impressed because he had spent most of the period goofing off while I slaved away on the assignment. That was the day, I developed a crush on Jon. The crush didn't last long, but the memory of his poem did.
I confess that I don't like poetry but that one made me laugh. It was short and sweet and told a story, as you said. I wonder, if you got in touch with him and told him you remember his poem so well, if he would remember it as well.
ReplyDeleteI just tried to find Jon on Facebook and he wasn't there. However, I bet he doesn't remember this poem. It was just something he wrote at the last minute so he wouldn't get in trouble for not doing his assignment. But obviously, it made an impression on me.
DeleteOverall, I'm not a huge poetry lover. Shel Silverstein is fun, and I've become re-acquainted with some poems because of my kids. The few poems I do seem to enjoy are old ones--Robert Frost, The Daffodils by William Wordsworth, that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteJon's poem is a riot. Definitely a poem written by a boy.
Yep, it has boy written all over it.
DeleteI love that you remember the poem from your youth, especially since it inspired a crush!
ReplyDeleteI do like poetry. My favorites are Osymandias, Invictus, Phenomenal Woman, A Psalm of Life, great number of Judith Vorist poems and Little Orphant Annie, and The Raggedy Man (which I read nearly every night to my sons when they were young)
I don't know most of the poems you listed, but I think some of them were in the book that Ward and I read. I wonder if your musical background helps you relate to poetry more than the average person?
DeleteI'm not a big poetry fan either... somehow it always strikes me as a bit pretentious, especially the non-rhyming variety. I do, however, have a thing for song lyrics. I love internal rhyme schemes and clever use of wording to make the rhyme and meter work out. So maybe I'm a pretentious song lover? "My Heart beat like a Hamma'. Your arms held around me tight. And stars fell on Alabama last night." Jon's poem is not to shabby either! :-)
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by song lyrics. The wording of some songs is so simple but so moving. They make me think, "I could write that." Then I try and have as of yet to be successful. Like everything else, good song writers make it look easy.
DeleteI love poetry! I had to study and memorize some for school and I read and memorized others at home, for my own pleasure. Later, of course, I had to try my hand at writing my own. I still have two ledger sized books of poems I wrote as a teen. One of my favorite books as a child was Robert L. Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verse. I have a few books of poetry at home that I read on a regular basis - The collected works of Rabindranath Tagore, a book titled 101 Famous Poems, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. I believe I put the collected poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson in the donations pile, as a lot is available online, these days.
ReplyDeleteYou are a true poetry lover. I wonder if early memorizing of poems had something to do with that? Do your ever get out your teenage poems and read them again? What do you think of them today?
DeleteI haven't read them recently. :)
DeleteThat made me laugh! I used to write poems. I quit several years ago.
ReplyDelete