Welcome to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by Catherine Flynn Here. Make sure you stop by and find out what she has up her sleeve for us this week. Thank you for being the first host of the year!
What is Poetry Friday? Learn more HERE.
I’ve had a reset with the new year. I’ve have returned to a few manuscripts that have been dormant for a while, with new eyes. One is a manuscript of poetry about the non-fiction topic DIGESTION, of all things.
My plan was two years ago to write a poem about “Team Digestion” that is, all the organs involved in this important endeavor. I was thinking perhaps that kids about seven might like to know where their food goes and that I might have fun writing about it. Also, no matter where you live or who you are, what happens to your food is always the same.
It was fun.
Anyway, I wrote poems, in several different forms, some of them I really like, some not so much, along with non-fiction notes to go with each.
But with this new year, I decided a prose picture book story about digestion is more suited to the topic, not to mention, way more publishable. I’ve revised and written a manuscript that I am much more excited about, more fun to read, and it captures the teamwork involved in digestion.
You’ll have to take my word for it.
But I have poems that I can share. Below is an etheree about a very important part of the team. It’s the mastermind, the liver, that takes all the thoroughly digested nutrients from the busy small intestine, and puts them together to make all the proteins and other things the body needs to grow.
An etheree is a ten line poem that starts with one syllable and ends with ten syllables. Each line grows by one syllable.
LOOKS DON’T TELL MY WHOLE STORY Red silent sentinel never asleep lord of the belly lounging like a walrus in the right upper corner Some things do not look impressive, yet do the unimaginable. Such is the case with the wondrous liver. © Janice Scully 2023
I’ll close with short two liner about the Gall Bladder. Have a great Weekend!
WHAT IS A GALL BLADDER? This organ is the pear shaped bin your liver stores its bile in. © Janice Scully 2023
I don’t know what I would have thought about it as a kid, but current me thinks digestion is a great topic! Everyone should know about how their body works. And you’re right, there’s a lot of teamwork in digestion!
So glad to hear you found and recreated a manuscript you like. Digestion is a fascinating topic! I enjoyed your two poems on the liver and gall bladder.
It’s great that you make these mundane topics so accessible to all, Janice. I love both & that gall bladder read-aloud is terrific. Happy New Year!
Who knew my lounging liver was actually working so hard to keep me healthy? (Even adults might need a picture book about digestion!) I love how you made the etheree not just about the liver…
Good luck with the picture book manuscript!
I love these poems! Can I use them with my students? How fun. And, the idea of digestion is a good one. It’s universal and talked about in every home of every child in some form or another every day. I volunteer to be a beta reader when you’re ready 🙂
These poems are fabulous. I love thinking about the liver “lounging like a walrus.”
I would definitely read a poem collection about Team Digestion!! Kids are going to love it, whether as poetry or prose.
I love these. And I like your reset for this project. Good luck on your endeavors.
Janice, your topic is so interesting and the poems will be intriguing to younger readers (and adults). Best of luck with this project.
Fabulous! I wish you wonderful news with your project!
What a terrific idea! I love how effortlessly you include many important facts in your poems. Good luck with your manuscript!