Back in college, I used to write a lot of poetry, being an English major and all. I took two poetry classes (though I shouldn’t have taken the 2nd one) but wrote poems mainly for fun. I like rhymes. Poetry that doesn’t rhyme is just prose with bad formatting. The teacher of my second poetry class didn’t agree with me… which is why I never should have taken the class (the teacher of the first class… where I got a A… even warned me about that).
One time I was sitting in the library studying with a friend and writing an occasional small poem for my own amusement and for hers. I think I made a boast that I could write a poem about whatever animal (or thing… I forget) she wanted me to write about. So she said "armadillo." I wrote a quick 4-line poem that was pretty silly, so she said, "anemone."
Much internal cursing ensued, but I ended up writing one of my favorite silly poems which I still quote to some people even today when the situation warrants.
I mentioned this story to my daughter tonight, so of course she wanted to issue her own challenges… and here are the results.
Challenge #1: Goose
Russell’s Plight
Russell was a fuzzy goose
With feathers soft as silk.
He ate strange things like peppercorns
Crushed up in sour milk.And though his silky feathers gleamed,
He had a heavy heart.
For Russell couldn’t fly, you see.
All he could do was fart.
That got a pretty good laugh from my daughter, but I really took a cheap shot there with the fart joke. That will make any self-respecting kid laugh. Then came another challenge.
Challenge #2: Peanut Butter Pancakes (…and much internal cursing ensued)
Peanut Butter Pancakes
Our peanut butter pancakes come
In thirteen different flavors.
I’m kidding. They just come in one
And this is how we make ours.With peanut butter (only smooth)
And flour, eggs, and butter
And sometimes just a bit of rum.
Yes, rum. I didn’t stutter.We cook them up (without the rum)
And serve them on a platter,
Then eat them with our pirate swords
And that makes quite a clatter!We drink the rum, sing pirate songs,
And what a racket that makes!
Because there is no better loot
Than peanut butter pancakes!
Great reaction. No cheap shot (other than the rum). Happy ending. Off to bed. No more poems. Good night…
"Can we write poems again tomorrow?"
(…and much internal cursing ensued)
