Welcome to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by the talented artist Michelle Kogan, HERE. Thank you, Michelle for hosting!
What is Poetry Friday? It’s a group of bloggers who love poetry and like to share their thoughts and their work with others. Learn more about Poetry Friday HERE.
I learn something every week from this very smart group of teachers, librarians, poets and visual artists. This week I’ve written several poems called “Definitos” that I discovered on Mary Lee Hahn’s blog: A(nother) Year of Reading. You can find the definition and a fine example of a definito.
What is a definito? According to Mary Lee:
A Definito is ” a free verse poem of 8-12 lines (aimed at readers 8-12 years old) that highlights wordplay as it demonstrates the meaning of a less common word, which always ends the poem.”
I was up for learning new words to write a poem about, so I found this book on my shelf:
Who doesn’t want to sound smart? I wrote a few definitos:
WALL FLOWER
He avoids noise
is as shy as can be
the world can be rough,
like a roiling sea.
When people are mean,
he dives under a bed
hidden from sight
till it is peaceful instead.
Have you known a cat so
PUSILLANIMOUS?
A shy, pusillanimous cat
DOES IT MATTER?
An apple
in a bushel,
A drop of water
in the sea,
hardly of significance,
and no account to me.
So small I’d never miss it
if indeed it wasn’t there--
so in the scale of what’s important,
it is NOMINAL.
UNCERTAIN
When a strong rocky ledge
shows its c r u m b l I n g edge,
When you lie in your bed
and hear mice overhead
When you think the Earth’s flat
and someone's questioning that,
The world can feel oh so
PRECARIOUS.
Using a word in a poem seems an excellent way to actually feel and retain its definition. Pusillanimous will be with me for a while.
Next week, 5/31, I will be hosting and sharing work from Carol Lazuzzetta’s new poetry anthology, PICTURE PERFECT POETRY: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry for Students. See you then!