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| Photo by Sara&Joachim, from Wikimedia Commons |
MEERKAT JUMP ROPE RHYME
eenie
meenie
miney
mo
three little meerkats
all in a row
one looks left
and one looks right
and the third won't
let you out of his sight
three little meerkats
all in a row
eenie
meenie
miney
mo
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
Wait!
Did you hear that?
Stand still;
Hesitate.
Become the world -
Become the landscape -
Become a statue
and do nothing but
wait.
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
The podcast of this poem is here.
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
"Meerkat"
Me?
Meerkat.
You think I'm kinda funny looking?
Those stripes
on my back?
unique.
none of the other
fifty fellows
in my large mob
(or some people call it a gang or clan)
look exactly like me.
That hairless patch on my belly?
The place
where my black skin shows through?
That absorbs heat while I'm standing
on my rear legs,
early in the morning
after cold Kalahari desert nights.
And those big eyes
on the front of my face?
For watching.
African tribesmen
trust me to
protect their villages
from werewolves
that attack stray cattle
And I gotta take my turn at sentry duty
while others are foraging.
We forage for food
every day
Meerkats don't carry around
any stored body fat.
That long curved claw?
That little hummer
can dig my weight
in sand in only seconds.
Mostly, I'm foraging for insects
but if I'm really hungry
I might dig up a scorpion.
Not to brag,
but did I mention
that unlike you humans
I'm immune to
the venom of scorpions.
And those black crescent-shaped ears?
they close.
keep out soil
when I'm digging
pretty handy
a fella's gotta be able to hear
to protect himself
from brothers
who might want to kill him
to up their status
in our meerkat mob.
My long tapering tail?
Yeah, it's different
from my bushy-tailed
mongoose relatives.
That tail helps me balance when I stand upright,
And I use it
for signaling.
The Dutch didn't call me
stick tail
for nothing.
Me?
Sun angel.
You still think I'm kinda funny looking?
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
From Linda (TeacherDance):
Mom says:
“Look at the camera, children.
Smile for Daddy!”
But I keep thinking that something’s up,
and Billy and Jake need to keep their eyes open
for
jackals on the left
lions on the right
and I need to look up
for the eagles.
They call us merely-cats
but we’re always lookin’.
Okay Mom,
we’re going to smile now.
Oops, where’s Billy!
©Linda Baie, 2013
From Cathy (Merely Day by Day):
Sentries
together
we listen for
hawks,
jackals,
eagles.
we watch
tirelessly.
together
we stand
while others
hunt
for lizards,
insects,
birds.
foraging
for food.
we are
ready
at a moment's
notice
to bark
our call,
warning all
to take cover,
to hide
deep
in our tunnels.
together
we stand
strong,
we protect,
we are
the lookouts,
guarding
our mob.
together
we are
one.
©Cathy Mere, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
Mary Lee, you are amazing! Your poems this month have had such a wide range of tones. The silliness of this is just what I needed this morning. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCatherine
Thanks!!
DeleteWait!
ReplyDeleteDid you hear that?
Stand still;
Hesitate.
Become the world -
Become the landscape -
Become a statue
and do nothing but
wait.
-Kevin
The podcast: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1fOhADINwTX
They are so still looking, even though I'm sure it only lasts a very brief moment.
DeleteI was mesmerized by the eyes of the one in the middle.
This is actually my second poem this morning. Started out just writing something super quick, to just kinda get it over with for the day, but then my curiosity got the better of me. I wondered about those meerkats. They are pretty funny looking. What about those circular eyes? And why were they together? Do they really live in groups. And what were they really doing? I looked them up meerkats on wikipedia. And pulled out some interesting facts. Then this poem came about.
ReplyDelete"Meerkat"
Me?
Meerkat.
You think I'm kinda funny looking?
Those stripes
on my back?
unique.
none of the other
fifty fellows
in my large mob
(or some people call it a gang or clan)
look exactly like me.
That hairless patch on my belly?
The place
where my black skin shows through?
That absorbs heat while I'm standing
on my rear legs,
early in the morning
after cold Kalahari desert nights.
And those big eyes
on the front of my face?
For watching.
African tribesmen
trust me to
protect their villages
from werewolves
that attack stray cattle
And I gotta take my turn at sentry duty
while others are foraging.
We forage for food
every day
Meerkats don't carry around
any stored body fat.
That long curved claw?
That little hummer
can dig my weight
in sand in only seconds.
Mostly, I'm foraging for insects
but if I'm really hungry
I might dig up a scorpion.
Not to brag,
but did I mention
that unlike you humans
I'm immune to
the venom of scorpions.
And those black crescent-shaped ears?
they close.
keep out soil
when I'm digging
pretty handy
a fella's gotta be able to hear
to protect himself
from brothers
who might want to kill him
to up their status
in our meerkat mob.
My long tapering tail?
Yeah, it's different
from my bushy-tailed
mongoose relatives.
That tail helps me balance when I stand upright,
And I use it
for signaling.
The Dutch didn't call me
stick tail
for nothing.
Me?
Sun angel.
You still think I'm kinda funny looking?
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
This needs to be a picture book, Carol!!
DeleteCarol, you made me do just a bit of research too, but mine came out somewhat darker. Mary Lee, so funny. The photo really reminded me of 'hear no evil, etc.', so your rhyme fits the hilarity of the pic. Kevin, this connects to my observations of prairie dogs, too. We have to stand so still ourselves just to get a glimpse of them. Thanks, Mary Lee! Here's mine:
ReplyDeleteMom says:
“Look at the camera, children.
Smile for Daddy!”
But I keep thinking that something’s up,
and Billy and Jake need to keep their eyes open
for
jackals on the left
lions on the right
and I need to look up
for the eagles.
They call us merely-cats
but we’re always lookin’.
Okay Mom,
we’re going to smile now.
Oops, where’s Billy!
©Linda Baie, 2013
Love the personalities you gave them, and getting them to stand still for a photo was a perfect pick of situations!!
DeleteWho doesn't love meerkats, and who wouldn't love these poems? Thanks for sharing, Mary Lee. I particularly like the shape of yours, and Linda's "jackals on the left/lions on the right." :0)
ReplyDeleteLove your rhyme!
ReplyDeleteCat Mere ;o)
So after a little meerkat research (see blog) I wrote:
ReplyDeleteSentries
together
we listen for
hawks,
jackals,
eagles.
we watch
tirelessly.
together
we stand
while others
hunt
for lizards,
insects,
birds.
foraging
for food.
we are
ready
at a moment's
notice
to bark
our call,
warning all
to take cover,
to hide
deep
in our tunnels.
together
we stand
strong,
we protect,
we are
the lookouts,
guarding
our mob.
together
we are
one.
Every day I enjoy looking to see everyone's different "take" on the prompt. Today we really went in all different directions. Linda, your poem made me laugh and I know I will think of those meerkats every time I'm in a picture taking situation for the rest of my life! Mary Lee, love the take off on eeny meeny miney mo. Cathy, I was thinking along the same lines you were, I am going to take this piece to share in a nonfiction unit next week. And Kevin, I'm always blown away by the way you can look at a picture and write such big life truth
ReplyDeleteCathy,
ReplyDeleteYours is the perfect meerkat shape!
I, too, will share your poem with my students. It is a micro-example of what I am looking for with their NF research. You have your notes, your resources, and the original piece you created using your information. Thanks for the minilesson!