Poetry Friday over at Simply Put

I'm finally participating in Poetry Friday again, largely because my 14-year-old gave me some new poems she wrote. But I'm participating from my other blog. So head on over to Simply Put and check out "Pippi's" latest poem.

A Shakespeare Poem on Friday

No, not a poem by Shakespeare, one about him. You see, my 13-year-old daughter is supposed to be writing a research paper. The topic she chose was about the debate some people go into about who "really" wrote Shakespeare's plays. (For the record she thinks he wrote them, and I agree.)

Anyway, while she was supposed to be busily typing up her paper, she got to thinking about Shakespeare's son, Hamnet and this is what she came up with.

Hamnet Shakespeare

by KRM

Papa comes home, smiling, whistling,

He tells us stories of London

And

Perhaps performs a skit or two

He picks me up

Tells me I’m more handsome

Than the last time

He saw me

Was that six months hence?

Susanna and prissy Judith

Both tease me as we set the places

Mother chides us,

Our father is home, be on your

Best Behavior

Papa tells us he could

Care less, He loves us

As we are

I wonder secretly to

Mother,

‘Why isn’t Papa home more?’

Mother has no good answer. She smiles

Tells me what I’ve heard before

“Work”

Other Papas have work

Here in Stratford.

Why does our Papa

Work in London?

He’s an actor, Mother says

He writes plays,

He’s a player, he acts

For the public, the king, the queen

Sometimes.

Papa and Mother sit before

The fire, talking about

Us

I think.

My twin, Judith

Tells me it’s

Rude to listen, to work on my

Latin like a good boy

I stick my tongue out

At her.

She’s a prissy girl,

What does she know?

Papa and Mother argue

She says for him to come

Home more often

He says it can’t be done

She says others manage it

He says he loves her very much

There’s writing he must get to

She says ‘The children

Need a father’

He says, ‘they more need a mother’

He smiles at me, peering from behind the door

Curiosity getting the

Better of me

Mother doesn’t see me

She’s angry

Angrier than

She is at me

Sometimes, when I

Don’t do my schoolwork.

Papa sits by the fire, writing.

Feather scratches the paper, I wonder

What he writes.

He tells me to come to him, to

Listen to a scene.

He writes other things, too

Things about “Anne”

My mother.

He crumples that up

And tosses it into the fire

I watch the flames envelope

The paper

He tells me about the stage

I tell him about Susanna and Prissy Judith

He tells me I’d be a great actor

Stealing the stage

I say

I want to go with him to London

He says maybe one day, Hamnet.

It’s August,

I’m sicker than sick

Mother says she’s called for

Papa,

But I don’t want Papa

I want to be well

Prissy Judith, and Susanna are

Reverent by my bedside

I think about Papa

Maybe I’ll go to London

With him after

I’m well

I tell Mother this

She cries.

I think about Papa

The way they’d argue

How he’d write about her

I tell her this

She cries again. She tells

Me I’ll be well again

Soon, soon, soon

But by then

I knew

I wouldn’t be

Hamnet Shakespeare died in August 1596 from unknown causes. It's also unknown if his father was present at the time.

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 5

Once again it's Poetry Friday and I have yet another installment of my daughter's original poem Tessa in Wonderland. The first four parts can be found here, here, here and here.

Tessa in Wonderland

by KRM

Part V

Horatio’s paws balled around

The reins,

“Spade? Under the rule of…

of…”

He couldn’t say it.

Queen Heart.

Queen Heart.

“Queen Heart,”

There. I’d said it.

Horatio’s furry face twisted

Into a grimace

“The only Province

Unclaimed

Is Diamonds…

Diamonds who actually

Likes Heart,

But is unwilling to give in.

They’re willing to fight, though.”

He hissed.

“Is there anything

We can do?” I asked

“Sell these Carrots in town,”

Horatio said.

“And then go home.”

There’s nothing we could do.

Carrots sold,

And we rumbled

Down an empty road to

Horatio’s home.

It was almost peaceful,

And I leaned against the

Rabbit as he drove along,

Silently, yet tensed.

A scream

Pierced the lazy twilight.

“NO!

DON’T LET THEM!

NEVER!”

And then…all was silent.

Horatio handed me the reins,

A look of horror on his furry face.

“That was my

father’s voice,”

He whispered,

And got out of the

Cart.

“Straight down the lane,”

He told me.

“I’ll be faster on foot,”

And he darted away.

I stared at the reins,

And gently urged the animals

On.

When we reached the house,

It had been ransacked.

“My father,”

Horatio whimpered,

Coming out

And helping me out of the cart

“I can’t find him.”

The Poetry Friday Round-Up is at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Check it out.

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 4

Once again it's Poetry Friday and I have yet another installment of my daughter's original poem Tessa in Wonderland. The first three parts can be found here, here and here.

Tessa in Wonderland

by KRM

Part iv

Spadedeck.

It’s wonderful

Hustle-bustle of city rhythms

The Frogs selling chocolate covered

Worms and Flies,

Giant Butterfly Messengers

Zooming around,

The thieves,

Patrolling the streets,

Asking for things,

The little shops

With amazing displays in

Their windows

The town square and

Clock Tower

The Theaters and

The restaurants

And the Castle

Looming in the distance.

Horatio drove right by,

Pointing

Landmarks out

Telling me who

To avoid

As if I’d need to know.

The rabbit brought me

To his house

And told me that I could

Stay there till

I figured out how

To get home.

I told him I wouldn’t be

There long, then.

Spadedeck.

The card soldiers

Marching in,

The Megaphone bird

Proclaiming that

Her Majesty, Monarch

Of the Heartlands,

Queen Heart,

Had officially won

The cold war

Against her sister Province,

Spades,

And had conquered.

The only Province

Unconquered

Was New Club.

The war was

Almost over

Tyranny,

Complete dictatorship,

Was now

The unfortunate

Future.

The Poetry Friday round-up can be found at Paper Tigers. Go, check it out!

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 3

Tim Burton may have his vision of Alice in Wonderland, but my daughter has her own. And in time for Poetry Friday here is part three of her original poem: Tessa in Wonderland.

Tessa in Wonderland

by KRM

Part III

“Spades?”

I said.

“As in the shovel?

Or the card?”

The rabbit had helped me into

His cart,

And I was sitting next to him.

It was weird,

He was as big as I was.

“As in the Province.”

The rabbit said.

“By the way,

I’m Horatio,”

“And I’m Tessa,”

I said,

Tucking

A strand of loose

Hair behind my

Ear.

“Where are we going?”

I asked.

“To my home.

It’s

In the outskirts of

Spadedeck,

Capital

Of the Spade Province.”

I nodded solemnly,

Looking down

At my sneakers.

I wished

That mom knew

Where I was

So that she

Could come get me,

Or that I hadn’t

Left my phone at home.

I wished

I knew

What would happen

Next.

Parts I and II of her poem are here and here.

The Poetry Friday round-up can be found at Some Novel Ideas. Go check it out!

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 2

This snowy Friday, I bring you the second in a continuing series by my 13-year-old daughter.

Tessa in Wonderland

by KRM

Part II
When I awoke, I immediately knew
It was NOT a
Dream.
The headache
I’d acquired from my
Run-in with the tree
Was real enough
The scrapes on my knees
Were real
I pinched my arm
And felt it,
This was no dream.

I propped myself up
Watching a cart or two
Filled with
Human-sized frogs
Card people
Walruses and
Things like that
Pass by.
Wondering if
Maybe they noticed me.
I never realized
That they were trying hard
Not
To.

“What is this place?”
I asked passersby
Who ignored me
Completely
Like the others.
I kept asking
Until a
Chocolate-colored
Rabbit
Slowed his mules,
Reigns held tightly in
His brown paws,
One ear was flopped
Over his right eye
And it twitched slightly.
“Where am I?”
I asked.
He stared at me.
“You’re an otherworlder?” He said
In awe

“I guess.” I said,
Rubbing my scraped knees
“Well, Otherworlder
This is
The Spade Province
Of
Wonderland.”

MsMac is hosting the Poetry Friday Round-up over at Check it Out. So go and check it out!

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 1

Knowing that I like to showcase her poems on Poetry Friday, my 13-year-old daughter has written me a series of poems specifically for Poetry Friday. Here is the first one.

Tessa in Wonderland

by KRM

Part I
I remember falling
Out of that tree’s
Strong arms,
The ground crumbling
Beneath me
As I fell into that
Sinkhole.
At least, that’s what I thought
It was at the time
Everyone
Told me that I had
Had a bad dream
But I knew it was anything but
A dream.

I fell through the hole
Yelling as loud as I could
Limbs flailing,
Then I hit the ground,
And I continued to yell
As I rolled
Down a hill,
Scraping my knees
Ripping my grass-stained overalls
My tumble only stopped
When a huge oak tree,
Ironically the same kind that I had
Fallen out of
Stopped my journey
After that
It was only
Darkness

Wonderland was a scary place
No one trusted the other
Rabbits talked
Flowers sang
Trees indulged in meaningful conversation
A girl from the otherworld,
Like me,
Is regarded like a freak
Because we hardly ever make it down there.
Wonderlanders had their own
Troubles,
It was surprising I made it out
Alive.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

The Poetry Friday Round-Up this week is by Irene Latham at Live. Love. Explore.

Poetry Friday

It's Poetry Friday once again, and luckily I came across another poem my 13-year-old daughter wrote (I'm very lucky she likes to write poems or I'd have nothing to put up on Poetry Friday!)

Odd and Queer but not Strange
By KRM

Isn’t it strange
How
In stories they never tell
About how
The character
Flunked Civics
Because he was fighting
Crime?
Or how so and so
Fell asleep in Math.
Or how the hero
Couldn’t open his locker
When Evil Character was
Dropping books
On His head?

Isn’t it Weird
How
Fairy tales conveniently
Have villains and
Princesses in stock?
Or how Princesses
Hate to sew…
And get locked in towers?
Where do they find these towers?
I’ll bet they make
Great
Detention and
Suspension rooms.

Weird, isn’t it
How they completely
Skim over the structure
Of government in
La-La Land
Except to say that
It was
Ruled by a dictator
King or Queen
Everyone loved….
Why didn’t Everyone fight
For
King and Queen
Instead of going against them
When they were overthrown?

Strange how
You think about this stuff
When you should be
Studying.

The Poetry Friday Round-Up is at Great Kid Books.

Poetry Friday

For Poetry Friday this week my thirteen-year-old daughter is allowing me to share another one of her poems. Though, let it be noted, this poem is not going to get her out of cleaning her room.

Why Cleaning your Room is Bad
by KRM

Six inches High
Standing on my desk
Chubby hands on hips
Looking Fierce
“What did I tell you?”
He asks
“Why didn’t you listen?”
I sat at my desk,
Staring at him,
Confused, Scared.
“Well, human,” He snaps
“Now this is WAR!”
He jumps down
Onto a bed of s
Stuffed animals
Back to his
Tribe under
A heap of doll clothes,
Binders,
And Bags.
I should’ve known better
Than to clean my room
And disturb
The gnomes.

The Poetry Friday Round-up is being hosted by Anastasia Suen over at Picture Book of the Day.

Poetry Friday

Yes, I know I haven't posted in almost a month. I'm going to try to remedy that. In the meantime it's Friday and my daughter wrote a new poem last night, so without further ado here is our contribution to Poetry Friday.

Jack
by KRM

I was no fool
The man paid me
Plenty more for that
Cow than it deserved.
And then he handed me
The beans.

Grinning, decaying teeth
Exposed,
He said, "Keep the change,"
Then he vanished,
With my cow.

I stood in the middle
Of the road for a moment,
Staring at the
Leather pouch
of coins, and the
Five beans in my
Palm.

Then I scampered home,
Tossed my mama the money
and planted those beans.

I never expected it to take one night,
But when the stalk grew
I had every intention
Of being foolish
And seeing what
Was beyond
The clouds it grew
up to.

The rest of course,
Is history.
And yet, I can't help
But wonder
Who would want a
Sickly cow
And part with
Magic beans?

The Poetry Friday round-up is at Liz in Ink.

Poetry Friday

My daughter was chosen to represent her school at "An Evening with Young Writers" at our town's art center.

The two poems that were selected are ones I've posted here before on Poetry Friday, but they bear repeating. I'll put one here and the other over at Simply Put (spread the wealth)

Beauty and the Beast
By KRM

I was the big
Big man,
Muscular
Athletic, wonderful.
But she didn’t want me.
She fawned over
A beast locked
In a haunted castle
These years
What did he
Have that I
Didn’t.
Naturally, I started
Pressing her buttons.
But that made her
Hate me even more.
So then I set
Out.
Last straw.
Kill the beast!
A little lie here
A little blood there,
The benefit was mine.
The girl…mine!
But still,
My plan backfired,
Pushed off a
Tower. Landing
KERSPLAT
Down below.
And that was
My story.
My intentions
Started out
Good.
All I wanted was
Beauty
And
Instead got the
Brunt of the
Beast.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is by Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Poetry Friday

I've decided to post the poem for Poetry Friday over at my writing blog, Simply Put. Go check it out for a wonderful new poem by Pippi.

Home is...

Pippi had to write a poem for school. The title and theme: Home is...

Here is what she came up with:

Home is...
by KRM (6th grade)

Home is guitar music
Set to blasting,
Echoing on the stairwell.
Home is the tapping of keys
As Mom's fingers dance
Over her laptop keyboard.

Home is Dad, sleeping
On the couch downstairs
Quiet, like a cat.
Home is our dying
Maple that isn't as young
As it used to be.
Home is books
Scattered around the
Living room haphazardly.

Home is red raspberry bushes
In the sweltering summer,
Prickly stems, bright berries, and all.
Home is rosebushes
In the springtime
Surrounding the backyard
With their sweet aroma

Home is love,
All year round.

Poetry Friday

It's time for Poetry Friday once again, and I've got another Pippi poem to share.

Maybe
by KRM

Maybe I'm a
Giant
with hands
the size of
Houses
and eyes
the size of
Dinner plates,
Or a fairy
with glittery
Wings.
Maybe I'm
A tree swaying
in the fall
breeze.
Perhaps I'm a
lamp, shining
it's bright light
down upon
the paper
(of equations - ugh.)
Maybe I'm
A Manticore
a club in
my meaty
fist, horns
coming off of
my furry head
Fury spelled
across my eyes
of red.
I could be
a shy satyr
Or a unicorn,
Even.
I could be a
fish blowing
bubbles.
The one thing I'm
NOT
is doing my
incredibly
dumb
HOMEWORK.

Ah, doesn't it just bring you back to middle school again?

The round up this week is by Kelly at Big A little a.

The House on the Corner

Another original poem by Pippi in response to neighbors who moved out this weekend. They will be missed. And they lived in...

The House on the Corner
by KRM

The house on the corner is empty
No lights are on
No car in the driveway
NO TV blaring inside
No babies wailing
or 3 year old to call
out my name as I
walk past on
my way to school

The house on the corner
has been empty before
and it will be
empty again.
And new neighbors will
move in and out.

But the house
on the corner is
empty.
No lights are on.