Hello, Poetry Friend
Lord Ramnor: “I’m reading children’s poems,” he said, “to clear my mind before the day’s tasks. I have done it for years—whenever I can.”
Heather: “Children’s poetry, a great lord like you?” she asked. “Does it distract you?”
Lord Ramnor: “No,” he answered. “Well, I suppose it does. But I feel less—I don’t know—less sullied by the awful parts of my work when I read.”
When is the last time you read children’s poetry? If it wasn’t yesterday, then it’s been too long.
Children’s poetry is like dessert—it’s usually short and easy to digest. It’s often funny. In the excerpt above, Lord Ramnor is reading a poem about a bunny who stole an apple pie.
“Who was it stole the apple pie?”
“‘Twasn’t I, ‘Twasn’t I.”
“Who stole, then?” rings her reply.
Still I deny, still deny.
Asked I am why I should lie.
“I am innocent,” I cry,
but inside I know who stole the pie,
for ‘twas I, for ‘twas I,
‘twas I who stole the apple pie
but shall deny it till I die.
Inside I know who stole the pie
for there it lies, in my insides.
Heather calls the poem “sweet and funny. But so deceitful.” That combination is exactly why it appears at this point in the story. Despite much joy and laughter in the citadel, there is treachery afoot.
What might you gain from this poem about a lying bunny today? Do you feel temporarily less sullied by the awful parts of your work or life? Are you more clear-headed? Perhaps you needed its wordplay to unstick your next sentence.
If you don’t have your own stash of silly bunny poems, visit your local library. Start with a classic, like Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends or Margaret Wise Brown’s The Runaway Bunny. (Sorry, this is a bunny-heavy post.) Pick a book by its cover.
Eat the good stuff first.
Poetry Journal
Read the poem about the apple pie and the thieving bunny.
Jot down what you notice, what you like, what you don’t, what questions you have, and at least one way in which the poem speaks to your soul.
Read the poem again, aloud (if you didn’t the first time). Is there anything you notice this time that you want to add to your journal?
Write your own poem about dessert. If you like, email me what you write.
Take care, Megan