Saturday, April 04, 2015

PO-EMotion -- Anger


"Wild Platypus 4" by Klaus - Flickr: Wild Platypus 4. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 


WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT ME FOR WHAT I AM?!?!?

I'm an
egg-laying
duck-billed
beaver-tailed
otter-footed
evolution-confounding
naturalist-baffling
real-life
no-joke
Australian-born
coin-featured

MAMMAL!

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015


The first four hyphenated pairs in my poem today are borrowed straight from the Wikipedia article on the Platypus. Just goes to show that you can find your inspiration just about anywhere!






Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!
Kay WAS spittin' mad!

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 
in the comments at Poetrepository.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.
Check the comments here and at Poetrepository for her poems.


Yay! Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,
leaving poetry trax in the comments.


Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 
She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible. 




The roundup of 2015 Poetry Month projects throughout the Kidlitosphere can be found at 

7 comments:

  1. What fun! I love they way you weave science into your poetry. I'm learning so much.

    I decided to try my hand at a limerick today: Spittin' Mad

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with Kay. I love how you have science in everything. It gives me ideas for helping my students who love math and science. I love your writing so much.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What did you bury deep inside me
    with your words last night, burning bright,
    even as I sulked off into my own little storm,
    leaving you still with a rainbow hidden
    in your pocket for the hour when
    our blues skies might yet again arrive?

    -Kevin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad there's some hope at the end!

      Delete
    2. You never cease to amaze me! I love the rhythm of this poem, how you capture the platypus in all of those two word lines. And then there's the famous MLH "make that title do little work" trick! Another perfect poem! Here's mine:

      "Dear Mr. Activist"

      I watch
      as you organize protests
      speak at workshops
      attend meetings meetings
      post on social media

      about racial profiling
      how wrong the police are
      how black men are not getting a fair deal

      I totally agree with you
      I wish it was different
      and I want you to keep fighting
      but sometimes
      I wish you would remember
      that the smallest things
      matter most

      I wish you would come
      to my school
      and sit next to
      that little kindergarten guy
      you know, the one with the chocolate skin
      and sparkly brown eyes
      who has never even met his daddy
      you could read him a story
      he would love it
      if you showed up every week
      or even a couple of times a month

      I wish you would
      hold an after school meeting
      and pass out belts
      to our fifth graders
      the ones whose pants
      are just beginning to sag
      maybe teach them
      how to tie a tie
      before graduation
      because it's a whole lot easier
      to learn those things
      from a living breathing
      human being
      than by watching
      a youtube video

      I wish you would show
      at the neighborhood basketball court
      you know, the one across from the post office
      where the middle schoolers hang out
      from sun-up to sun-down
      you could shoot hoops
      maybe even organize a team
      teach the kids what it means
      to work as a team,
      to pass instead of shoot
      to commit to showing up at practice
      to persevere when your team
      is losing by a whole lot
      help those adolescents understand
      that not many black men
      are professional athletes
      and that most of them who are
      got there by a whole lot
      of practice and hard work
      and they took care of their business
      at school too

      I wish you would invite
      a high school kid
      to follow you through a day
      or eat a meal at your table
      maybe hang out with you on a weekend
      those guys need to know
      how a real man treats his wife
      and that manhood involves
      a whole lot more
      than hunting down enough coins
      to buy your next joint
      and acting like a crazed animal
      in a pen of females in heat

      dear mr. activist
      i totally agree with you
      that things need to change
      but sometimes
      I wish you would remember
      that the smallest things
      matter most

      Carol Wilcox, (c) 2015

      Delete
  4. I hope I get to see a platypus someday, Mary Lee. This is great, that "evolution-confounding". I think I should go read more! Here's a try:

    Advice - Maybe?

    Animals growl a warning, and they
    bristle, stand upright, sometimes turn away.
    They want to be sure they’re okay.

    Is that why a person’s anger appears,
    sometimes it’s shouting , sometimes it’s tears?
    Next time, try growling to allay all the fears?
    Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

    ReplyDelete

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