National Poetry Month and Speaking Engagements

Yesterday I spoke at Sycamore Aktion Club. Since many of the members come to the library on a regular basis, I decided that talking about Poetry and sharing some poems would be much more interesting.

I have to admit, that my favorite poems generally come from books in the children's department. I was a children's librarian for many years and I have always been attracted to the imagery that children's poems have to offer.

I selected and read the following poems to the group.

Mud Flood
The spring rains came
And made a flood
So now there's mud
and mud
and mud.
It oozes on my shoes and boots
My pants and shirts and outersuits.
The only cure for springtime muds
Is suds
and suds
and suds
and suds.

From Handsprings by Douglas Florian

Bella Had a New Umbrella
Bella had a new umbrella,
Didn't want to lose it,
So when she walked out in the rain
She didn't ever use it.

Her nose went sniff,
Her shoes went squish,
Her socks grew soggy,
Her glasses got foggy,
Her pockets filled with water
And a little green froggy.

All she could speak was a weak kachoo!
But Bella's umbrella
Stayed nice and new.

From For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to tickle Your Funnybone written by Eve Merriam

Letter to the Sun
Dear Sun:
It's so wet.

The meadow has turned to bog.
Chill, sinking, squishy sog.

We long for your face, Sun.
We crave your rays,
those
long,
lovely,
honey-colored says.

O Dear Sun,
we're huddled in our buds,
waiting to bloom.

Please come soon . . .
the only ones still singing
are the frogs.

Signed, Aktion Club

From Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow by Joyce Sidman

After reading the poems, I suggested that we write our own spring poem. Everyone was invited to share a word about spring. We wrote them all on a big piece of paper and the we created this poem.

Easter is Over Spring is Here
Butterfly flies to the
Flowers in the sunshine.
Flowers bloom in the green grass.
Robins eat worms.
Bunnies hop.
Rain pours down
Rainbows appear
And it is a nice day out to ride
a horse while birds
Sing spring songs in May
for Mother's Day.

I share this today because, I want to share the moments and the people that make my job at the library so incredible and wonderful.

Happy Spring! Happy Poetry Month!