Sunday, April 11, 2010

NaPoWriMo Poem #11 - Heart Rock Farm

This is the time of year when our Icelandic Sheep begin to lose their fleece.  Some shepherds shear in Spring and Fall, but we only have our sheep shorn come Fall.  In Spring, we roo our flock, pulling out tufts of fleece and sometimes rolling off whole coats at once.  Icelandics have a natural wool break in Spring, and this makes the rooing easy.  Plus, sheep love to feel fresh air on their bodies, so they usually stand quite still.  (Just imagine spending a whole winter wrapped in the same blanket!)  I'll post a picture of this crazy process soon, because it is fascinating.  Lately, I've been thinking about how these woolly creatures must be feeling in such hot coats.

 Nora Looking Warm
Photo by Amy LV

Spring Sheep

Take me. 
Make me naked.
It's awfully hot 
in here.
I'm full of wool 
but I'll feel better
once I'm not 
a walking sweater.
Give my coat 
to bird and nest.
Knit yourself 
a cozy vest.
My fleece is yours 
to card and spin.
Shepherd --
get your shears.
Begin!

© Amy LV

In this ongoing celebration of National Poetry Month, Elaine Magliaro at Wild Rose Reader lists several sites full of poetry-joy, including a few videos of poets.  She also invites us to write and submit mask poems to her "Great Animal Mask Poem Post".  I've always loved pretending to be something different from a human...haven't you? 

(Please click on COMMENTS below to share a thought.)

5 comments:

  1. New to me: Icelandic Sheep. And a new verb as well: to roo. Fun!

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  2. Great Poem! As a fellow Icelandic shepherd, writer and next state neighbor, I'm glad to have found you, really enjoyed your blog.

    Perri

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  3. Thank you, Mary Lee and Perri! What fun this is to connect shepherds to poets...let the rooing begin!
    A.

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  4. We really enjoyed this poem today - especially "I'll feel better once I'm not a walking sweater." I had just read my students poems from the book, Laundry Pile, Poems in Different Voices , and we tried out writing from a different perspective. So this poem fit in perfectly! This morning I almost forget to check in here, and my students called out, Mrs. K - THE BLOG! DON'T FORGET THE BLOG!

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  5. Dear First Grade Poets,
    Thank you very much for reading my blog...it almost feels like we're having breakfast together! I can't wait to read some of your poems in different voices...if you visit www.wildrosereader.blogspot.com, you can see some fun ones about animals. Don't you feel like you see poems everywhere you look?
    Love,
    Amy

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