Hey Diddle Diddle! Three Little Riddles!

Littleness

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Greetings from riddle land!  Last week I had the good fortune to spend two days as a poet-in-residence at Klem North Elementary School in Webster, NY.  During these days, I wrote with and learned from many young poets.  I did a little bit of scribbling in my own notebook too, and those notebook scribbles grew into today's small riddle poems.

I like riddle poems.  It's fun to figure them out.  Here's a great riddle poem book, by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.

Available through IndieBound

I also like short free verse poems that say a lot with few words.  Someone who does this very well is Kristine O'Connell George.  Here is one of my favorite poem books full of small free verse poems.

Available through IndieBound

Well, I did not realize it until I began writing (this happens often), but my poems today surely grew from my admiration of the books you see above.  Remember - read poetry to write poetry.  You will learn so much from other writers.  I always do.

This week I am delighted to visit Michelle Heidenrich Barnes at her beautiful blog, Today's Little Ditty. Along with a generous interview, Michelle shares interiors of EVERY DAY BIRDS, a giveaway, and a writing invitation that I was allowed to choose!

Over at Sharing Our Notebooks, please enjoy a post by writer, college student, and traveler Jenna Kersten. I will draw for our current book giveaway in that space on Sunday, and a new post will go up next week.

Next week, please come back to The Poem Farm to read poems by Tracy Minton's fifth graders from Douglas J. Regan Intermediate School in Starpoint, NY.

And today...the Poetry Friday roundup, open for all and always, is hosted by Linda at TeacherDance.

Oh...if you are still wondering about any of the riddles, here are the answers!  (Just hold your computer upside down or stand on your head to read.)

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Bear Behind - Silly Poems!

Oh My!

by Amy LV

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - This poem let me play with my silly side!  Everyone has a silly side, and writing is a grand way to set it free.  Sometimes I will just look at a situation and wonder about the silly side of it.  What if there was a bear in the outhouse?  I wonder what potatoes think about?  What would it be like to dance with a tree?

You might wish to try that today.  Just look at something or listen to the sounds around you and ask, "Hmmm...what is silly about this?  What could I pretend could be silly about this?"  Then, once your silly side is freed, take out your pencil and simply follow it.

Here's a writing silly tip: one thing I've learned is that silly is different than crazy.  Silly is fun and quirky, a little offbeat and surprising.  Crazy can be confusing and too wild for me when it comes to writing.

Today's poem is written in quatrains - four lines per stanza.  Did you notice that lines 2 and 4 of each stanza rhyme.  Even bears can rhyme...who knew?

If you love camping and poetry, do not miss Kristine O'Connell George's wonderful book TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS.  You can read the title poem here at The Poetry Foundation.

Available through Amazon

This week, I welcome illustrator Nina Crittenden to Sharing Our Notebooks. Nina shares some fabulous notebook peeks along with her inspiring words, and you will have a chance to be entered into her generous drawing of a book and pocket notebook.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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