It’s the first Friday of March (where has the time gone?) and a new month of Poetry Fridays. Thank you Kathryn Apel for hosting this week at Katwhiskers! She has an inspiring post and acrostic poem about writing, persistence and passion. Congratulations to her on her new picture book, “A Bird in the Herd.”
I have been polishing a work in progress, a collection of non-fiction poems for third grade about something we all know about, the wonder of digestion. I have been thinking about humor and what facts to include where.
Though I didn’t get to every February prompt offered by Laura Shovan, I gave one or two a try every week. The poem I want to share this week is from a prompt by Randi Sonenshine on day #25, using this photo for inspiration.
The prompt is about the ways living things try to blend in. The photo above is of an octopus that is disguised as coral. I’m not sure I see it, but that is the point, isn’t it? The master of disguise, the walking stick, aka stick bug, came to mind.
Stick bugs are found all over the world except Antarctica or Patagonia. They can be a foot long, but most are several inches. They are fascinating to look at because it’s hard to tell at first if it is a twig or a bug.
There are about 3,000 species and usually they will reside in one single tree their whole life, eating its leaves. Oaks are popular. They live about one year and survive mainly by their ability to avoid detection by taking on the color and texture of wood, although some use unpleasant secretions and sharp spines to defend themselves.
SUNDAY MORNING IN HOLLYWOOD A long brown stick bug, dead-still, in twig-pose, on an oak tree except to munch on a leaf, Lady Gaga hurries to a coffee shop in dark shades jeans and no make-up. Will they outsmart bats, birds, and the paparazzi and finish breakfast? © Janice Scully 2021
I have no idea if Lady Gaga wants to avoid the paparazzi but I imagine she does, at least on Sunday morning.
Good luck to our teachers as they get vaccines soon and children returning safely to school. With children in mind, I’ll close with a joyful verse by William Blake. We all know how children want to play and resist coming back indoors at the end of a summer day. Hopefully kids will have more freedom this summer.
NURSE'S SONG by William Blake When the voices of children are heard on the green And laughing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest within my breast And everything else is still. "Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down And the dews of night arise; Come, come, leave off play, and let us away Till the morning appears in the skies." "No, no let us play, for it is yet day And we cannot go to sleep; Besides, in the sky the little birds fly And the hills are all cover'd with sheep. "Well, well, go & play till the light fades away And then go home to bed." The little ones leaped & shouted & Laugh'd And all the hills echoed.
Your poem took such an unexpected twist, Janice. And I did not know that bats ate stick insects. Wow. Talking about unexpected… That last of William Blake’s poem has me questioning my pronunciation of ‘echoed’ all these years. Is it pronounced ‘echo-ed’ elsewhere? (Such a lovely playful rhythm to this poem – very much like a group of children interacting.)
I loved your comments on your post about writing, passion and persistence. Your book looks delightful, about unlikely friends I suppose. I have to read it.
Your poem made me smile, Janice. Paralleling Lady Gaga with a stick insect is clever. I like to think she would be amused by this.
Like Kat, I also stopped at the last line of Blake’s poem and said it aloud as echo -ed.
What a fun surprise in your poem, dear Janice. You made me smile, especially because we live under a grandmother oak & almost every year are able to see a walking stick on one of our walls ~~ often wondering if was knocked down to Earth by a squirrel. Unlike thoughtful you, I’ve never written a poem about that. You are inspiring me.
Happy Weekend!
Jan/Bookseedstudio
I love twig-pose, having just finished a Zoom yoga class. I’ve taught my grandson how to do tree pose. The Lady Gaga scene definitely adds humor.
Stick bugs are endlessly fascinating, as is Lady Gaga! Thanks for the smile and for Blake’s poem, Janice. 🙂
Love this post, Janice; to me, the octopus one of nature’s most fascinating creatures. Your poem comparing a stick bug to Lady Gaga -! It’s an imaginative delight! She must seek to avoid detection at times, for all the others she rivets the world. Blake’s lines are so poignant, linked to children returning to school. Thank you for all of these bright spots today.
Janice, thank you for including Lady Gaga in your stickbug poem. 🙂 So glad you are working on a poetry manuscript… exciting! I *think* I see the octopus in the photo. Such amazing creatures! As I shy person, I have often used long hair to “hide” behind. xo
I loved that prompt, too, Janice, & am so excited when “sometimes” I spy a stick-bug here. Your poem is a delight, comparing the actions of that intriguing creature with an also intriguing Lady Gaga. I read through the comments, also wonder about echo-ed, but it’s a lovely poem about children. Thanks, and best wishes with your new project!
Yes, Blake must have meant echo-ed.’ Or, like Emily Dickenson, changed things up.
I love your celebrity stick bug!
What a fun, clever poem you wrote Janice—great title too. You’ve given me a totally new picture of the stick-bug, I hope they don’t eat all the leaves… Thanks also for the Blake poem, and all the best with your poem project!
The sound of children laughing and playing is probably the sweetest sound to my ears. I love that poem by Blake. Thank you for sharing it.
I love, love, love that you are writing nonfiction poetry for 3rd grade. And, the comparisons between Lady Gaga and a walking stick made me giggle. A delightful poem.
I’m not sure I ever saw the octopus in that photo–it is clever at disguise. I was not expecting your poem to parallel the stick bug and Lady Gaga, but I hope both can enjoy their breakfasts in peace! The Blake poem is delightful. I hope children (and all of us) are free soon to enjoy each other’s company again.
Thanks for smile – Lady Gaga and stick bugs! I never would have put those two together. Very clever.
Janice, I too enjoyed both the octopus prompt from the Feb. Project AND your Lady Gaga-stick insect juxtaposition. I love the idea that Hollywood is a also stick bug’s stomping ground.
Hahahaha. Love the stick bug and Lady Gaga pairing. Brilliant!
Such a fun and clever twist, Janice! Love it. 🙂
And speaking of vaccines, my husband and daughter (both teachers who have had full, in-person classrooms since last August, believe it or not) FINALLY got their first doses of vaccine this weekend. Hooray! I’m overjoyed. 🙂