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.
