Sony Pepperoni, pen and ink on graph paper, doodle © 2008
by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Em, my youngest daughter, has been reading and writing poetry all this month with her third-grade class. She wrote two limericks and one haiku, and she carried in her Poetry Book a poem called “My hobby” by Shel Silverstein. She read all of these poems to everyone in our family.
I asked her if I could publish on red Ravine the poems she wrote. “Yes!” was her answer. She has been eagerly awaiting the post since then.
So, without further ado, here are three poems by Em.
There was a girl named Pearl.
She had a big curl.
She saw a pig,
gave him a wig.
The pig met a pretty girl.
There was a pug called Sony.
She smelled like a piece of baloney.
So we took her to see the Soapy Dog,
people there said, “She looks like a hog.”
Because she ate so much pepperoni.
Spring has sprung
Flowers are blooming
Bees are buzzing all around
Sun shining brightly
-related to posts Got Poetry? (National Poem In Your Pocket Day), haiku (one-a-day), and Ten Things About Sony The Pug.
Em, your limericks are really FUN. I love how the pig met a pretty girl after he put on his wig. 8)
I also have a Shel Silverstein book on my shelf — an old one called, A Light in the Attic. It was dedicated to his daughter. What I love about his poetry (and yours) is that it makes me smile a huge smile.
Your haiku is lovely, too. Very nice. Hey, what do you like about writing poetry? And how did your family respond when you read your poems to them?
_____________
ybonesy, really great portrait of Sony! Goes great with Em’s poetry.
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Thanks, QM. I will make sure Em reads your comment and has a chance to answer your questions this evening.
Hey, is that Shel Silverstein book of yours from childhood or did you get it as an adult? And since we’re on the topic of Silverstein, have you ever read his book The Giving Tree? That’s one of a few that we have from when the girls were young. Of course, there’s a whole feminist theory around that book (or, I should say, anti-feminist). It is interesting how in writing — poetry and creative non-fiction, in particular — it is hard to disguise any deep, underlying biases and values we have. I don’t judge it myself; it’s a great book. But it always did strike me as being very, very sad.
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Yes, thanks. Please read it to Em when you get home tonight.
I think I received the Silverstein book as a gift in my late 20’s. I did not know of him as a child, though I see by your link that his first book came out in 1956. I think I have Where the Sidewalk Ends, too, somewhere on my shelf. I remember he was really popular with adults, too, in the 70’s and 80’s.
Hey, what was the feminist controversy with The Giving Tree? I have not read it or heard of the controversy. Now I’m curious.
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I’ll have to find a link to something that talks about it in detail, but my version is this: The book is about a boy and a tree, who happens to be female. The boy loves the tree, climbs it, eats its apples. As the boy grows up, he visits the tree less, takes his girlfriend there, carves their initials into the tree. As he grows into a man, he goes to the tree because he needs help. The tree gives him all her apples to the man (formerly the boy). As he grows older, she gives him wood. Finally, when he is old, she lets him cut her down so that he can build what he needs to build. (I might be misremembering the actual sequence, but that’s the gist.)
The controversy comes about from the notion that he takes everything from the tree, that he is selfish, and that the tree gives and loves unconditionally. It’s the similarities to conventional relationships between men and women, expectations that men have of women, and the notion that everything is given up for the man.
Anyhow, if you don’t know about this controversy, your first read of the book will likely be (as mine was) quite moving. You might focus more on the “unconditional love” that the tree has for the boy through his life. Although it might strike you, as it did me, that this relationship is clearly lopsided and that the tree’s sacrifices were too much in the end.
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Wikipedia’s page on this is pretty complete: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giving_Tree.
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Ah, I see. I had glanced at that page but didn’t realize from the description that the tree was female. No wonder. I did read about the codependent controversy. Remember when codependent was the big buzzword? Was that the 80’s or 90’s? The decades are all starting to run together for me. 8)
No, that’s not true. I have a much firmer idea of what came out of the decades when I was coming of age – culture, music, writing of the 60’s and 70’s. By the end of the 80’s, things start to blur for me. Funny how that goes.
You know what’s interesting, too, is when you put a book in the historical context of the time it was written. In 1964, when The Giving Tree was written, the next wave of feminism (after the 1920’s wave) was just starting to grow roots.
I’m curious, does it say in the book that the tree is female? Or is it assumed?
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Yes, it’s clear. First line: “Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.”
I know what you mean about certain memories of certain decades being crisper than others. Dee had to dress like “The 80s” one day last week — every day they had a different thing to do. Anyway, I couldn’t remember a thing about the 80s. Like, what we did we wear? How was our hair? What was the music? It was not a stand-out decade, in my opinion. 8)
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The 80’s! Don’t get me started (I remember the early 80’s, though I don’t remember what happened at the end). I do remember that I moved to Minnesota from Montana early that decade. I also turned 30, some of my friends had perms, Heart was still big, and all anyone talked about in Minneapolis was Prince and the Replacements. 8)
BTW, it was Record Store Day last Saturday. I was too tired to do a post on it. But The Replacements were discovered by a local record store owner. And The Electric Fetus, one of the oldest independent record stores in the Twin Cities, turned 40 years old. They (MPR) interviewed the owner. He makes the employees take a music test before he hires them.
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I would flunk a music test. I’m really bad at remembering who wrote what, what the names of songs are, and when certain songs came out. My recollection of songs is tied completely to who in my family loved them. I know Freddy Fender, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard (all my mothers), and then I can list all of my other family member’s favorite singers and some of their albums. Even my own favorites are not as strongly imprinted as those of my family.
BTW, one of the Poetry Slam finalists did an ode to Freddy Fender, and I honestly wondered if anyone else in the audience appreciated it as much as I did. He didn’t score very high on that one.
80s perms. Ugh. Remember how men were getting perms, too? And wasn’t the mullet — or a modified version of it, with feather bangs — a big 80s do? Madonna was big. Heart, but you mentioned that one. Even after doing the research with Dee last week, I’m drawing a blank.
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Em – I like the pig with a wig who meets Pearl girl with a curl – the idea of pigs with wigs is funny to think about. i think Shel Siverstein would get a big grin on his face on reading this poem of yours, as well as your limerick about the pug called Sony. Keep up playing with words – it is fun to do and share with everyone else. I’m going to have a big smile on my face the rest of today. G
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ybonesy – your pug drawing is very tactile – i want to run my fingers across his furrowed brows – he is also tasteworthy to the tongue -salami/baloney/ chocolate sculpture pug. have you ever tried your hand at making small sculptures, molds and then edible sculptures? Yumm – chocolate pug -delightfully delicious. Hee! G
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G., yum! I knew there was something delicious about that drawing. It’s the chocolate. I think you are on to something with the sculpture. 8) Can’t wait to see what ybonesy does next.
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ybonesy, RE: the music details – Liz and I were talking about it the other day as we were driving across town. We were both VERY into the music of our coming of age years. I was the one people went to for details on any kind of music back then. I knew the bands, the names of the band members, age, songwriters, year the band started, what other bands they were in. You name it.
When I hit my 40’s, my priorities shifted. And those kinds of details mattered a lot less to me. So I would say, after the 1990’s, I’m at a complete loss about the details of music and bands. However, I have a strong memory of all the music details of the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s, and can still call them up when I hear a song or album.
Liz was commenting about how she doesn’t know as much about music either, as she did before. There was a time when I never drove anywhere without music on in my car. Now I listen to it once in a while. I prefer complete silence now. Or I listen to books on CD or MPR. Strange how things change.
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Em,
I’m going to guess two things about you, will you tell me if I’m right? I think you LOVE animals and I think you probably giggle A LOT.
I wonder, after all the poetry you’ve been learning about this month, do you have a favorite poem or a favorite poet?
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wicked awesome! i so love the writing of young people.
3 of my nieces have been introduced to shel (via, well, me of course) and they love him to shards. they can read on their own now, but when i visit, their favourite thing is for me to read them at least a dozen before bed…and they always seem to pick the long ones, haha.
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Em, your poems are absolutely delightful! Being fond of pigs, I especially enjoyed the first one! The pig with a wig & he meets a pretty girl! I got quite a chuckle out of that! I also think the Sony poem is great! Sony pepperoni!Ha!
The haiku is equally as wonderful! I’ll bet you are enjoying the change of seasons! Sounds as if you love animals & nature. Keep up the great work!
Yb, the doodle is perfect! D
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Great way to describe something — they love him to shards. Hope you don’t mind if I start using that phrase, Scarmastra.
Shel’s poetry is delightful. “The hobby” is, guess what?, spitting off a building onto people below. That’s what the narrator’s hobby is. How fun is that?? And then there’s another that Em loves about a sister who is kind of unbearable.
I will pass on these wonderful comments to Em this evening. She will be thrilled. I’ll share her answers to the questions, too.
Thanks, also, for the great descriptors, G and QM, on the chocolate pug. Yummm…hollow on the inside or not? Such choices. I’m glad her tactile nature came through. That is meant to be a piece of baloney floating in the back, and little pepperonis make up her name. Of course, these are little things that I put in there for me assuming no one else will ever get them. (QM, on my Ode To A Pink Shoe post, I ended the post with “heel toe heel toe” imagery — did you happen to notice?) BTW, I need a better array of colors. I only have seven, and the addition of pink and orange (two new colors I got for Christmas) has been fun. Have you noticed how much I’m using the pink lately?
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QM, that’s cool that you have those music details from your coming-of-age years. Those were rich times, musically speaking. Hey, if you were to listen to music on the radio, what kind of station would you pick? I’m asking because I’m wondering if you like Classic Rock type of stations. Jim loves them, and he came of age then.
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Sinclair, you pegged my girl. I’ll be interested to see if she also agrees with your read on some of her personality traits.
diddy, are you a big fan of Charlotte’s Web? 8)
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I “am” a fan of Charlotte’s Web! I have nephew however, who was absolutely frightened by the movie version!
In addition, I have an original copy of The Three Little Pigs book, which is nothing like the version we all know! Even I am frightened by the original! D
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QM: Em wants you to know that she thinks A Light in the Attic is good. About writing poetry, she says “I like rhyming and thinking up things.”
We all enjoyed hearing Em’s poems. She read her poems around the time that we were first talking about National Poetry Month. First she read her haiku, then her limericks. We thought they were wonderful.
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G, when I read Em your comment, she noticed that “you all” (the commenters) are talking about Shel Silverstein. Interesting that he’s so well known.
Sinclair, I just read Em your guess about her LOVING animals and giggling a lot. She burst into giggles and said, “How did she know that???” She’s giggling now as I write this.
Re: a favorite poem or favorite poet, Em says, “My favorite poet is Jack Prelutsky.” Her favorite poem is by Jack Prelutsky, and it is “I have a dozen dragons.” She has known about this poet since kindergarten. “OOOh, I also like ‘I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor’ and ‘My hobby’.”
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As a parent of a third grader, and an owner of a wonderful pug named shadow . . . well . . . I just loved this post.
Tell Em to keep at it. She’s got skills and the more she writes the better she’ll get.
But you’ve probably already told her that . . .
My 4th grade daughter recently wrote a poem about MLK and, thanks to her teacher who handled the submission, it got published in our local community paper. I’ll share it if you don’t mind . . .
Brian
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Em, I really like your limericks and haiku! I like putting some humor into poetry, because everyone needs to smile every day, right?
Keep up the great writing. Are you also artistic, like your Mom? Her drawing of Sony is so very “perfectly-pug,”
Who named him Sony, and for what reason? Bet you could write a limerick about how he got his name.
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Em’s poems make me hungry for pizza.
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ybonesy – being an ex-balcony-spitter at the age of seven and eight I enjoy the inspired goofy silliness of Shel Silverstein and can hardly wait to read some of his poetry with my grand-daughter. We’ll have great belly laughs and roll alound on the floor (rubs her hands together in anticipation!) G
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Hey Brian, I didn’t know you had both a 4th grader and a pug. Aren’t both great? I’d love to read your daughter’s poem on MLK. Did she write it during National Poetry Month? Let me know where it is, and don’t hesitate to post it in Comments here.
oliverowl, thanks for the compliment on the pug. The girls are very artistic. They love to paint, draw, and write. Dee also is getting good at making films on the laptop.
Hey Ben, me too, now that you mention it.
A baloney-*spitter*, G? Who would you spit it at? I’m intrigued. My friend Tracy and I would zap (in the microwave) a piece of baloney with shredded Colby Jack in the middle. The baloney would curl up like a cup around the greasy, melted cheese. But we never spit it. We gobbled it down. Kind of yucky to think about it. 8)
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ybonesy–
“Great way to describe something — they love him to shards. Hope you don’t mind if I start using that phrase, Scarmastra.”
please do. i am not quite sure where that came from, but i like it, too, now that i notice it! isn’t it funny how that happens?
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It’s a very cute kind of hog-dog though.
I heart pugs (& chugs)
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[…] Hall was all the rage, along with Club Med, the VCR, streaking (yes, I tried it), and Pet Rocks (move over Sony the Pug!). Patty Hearst wielded her first machine gun, Son of Sam ran loose in the streets, Pol Pot, leader of […]
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Here’s my daughter’s poem, written around MLK Day:
______________
“Freedom is Only 50 Percent”
Freedom is only 50 percent,
At least that’s what I’ve heard.
I think that there should be much more,
I think that it’s absurd.
Care is only 30 percent,
I think it should be doubled.
People should care more ’bout friends,
And less abut their troubles.
MLK coverd freedom,
I will cover care.
Now that we’ve got those two down,
Who will cover care?
________________
I’m not sure where the percentages came from . . . perhaps something they were studying in class. But it worked. And it came from her very large heart.
I’m so proud . . .
Brian
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Em, thanks for getting back to me. I like your answer about why you like writing poetry (#21).
Hey, I also wanted to tell you that Liz and I have recited your poems out loud together every morning since you posted them. They make us smile. HUGE smiles. 8)
In fact, when Liz got home today, she went into the bedroom and suddenly, from the kitchen, I heard:
There was a pug called Sony.
She smelled like a piece of baloney…
And, well, you know the rest. LOL
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Brian, really great poem from your daughter. She *does* have a big heart. Thoughtful, too. Tell her we are just as proud to have it posted here on red Ravine.
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ybonesy, I do like Classic Rock radio (#18). And I loved it in the 60’s and 70’s. Now I have to be in the mood for it. It’s big for me in summer, with the windows rolled down, singing at the top of my lungs.
I also love any of the old Motown (love, love, love), some jazz, and I listen to a lot of alternative, off the beaten path kinds of solo artists and bands. Liz usually keeps me connected to those through alternative radio stations.
This morning, Liz had on an 80’s radio station and we were both singing. Remember the Thompson Twins, Stay With Me? That was the one I was singing to making sandwiches.
Hey, I also wanted to say that I didn’t notice the little pepperonis in the name (#17) until you mentioned them (but Liz noticed both the baloney floating in the back, and little pepperonis right away). I guess I was too busy looking at Sony’s chocolate face.
Yes, I have noticed you using the pink a lot lately, too! I love it though. It vibrates. Hey, I think you should splurge on some new colors, get a big old set of them. Treat yourself. (Mother’s Day is coming up!).
I’ve got to go back and check out the Ode To A Pink Shoe, “heel toe heel toe” imagery. I’ll get back to you. 8)
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yb, I just checked it out…heel toe heel toe, yes! I did notice the layout but had not connected that. Subtle layering. I did notice the 1-4-3-2-1 imagergy in this post right away. Nice layout. I always look forward to your doodles. They are so alive with energy.
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Brian, your daughter’s poem is wonderful. The percentages work well. Who will cover care? I like the dual meaning, one very real in today’s political landscape and the other our own individual sense of compassion. Very impactful poem.
I just showed Em the rest of the comments that came in. (Yesterday got super busy, and we weren’t able to check out the post at all.) Em wondered how the poems made OmbudsBen hungry for pizza — pepperoni…oh, I get it.
QM, Em is glad that the poems make you two smile huge smiles. That makes her smile a huge smile.
Hey, glad Liz noticed those details. I figured someone would. Isn’t Liz known for her steel-trap of a mind. Is this part of it? — the attention to detail? Cool. And thanks, QM, for indulging me in going back and checking out heel-toe-heel-toe. I am going to indulge myself in some more pen colors, although I kind of like being limited by my few colors. Forces me to paint odd colors for things. I would love lime green, though. 8)
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Lime green…that goes so well with the new 70’s book post. 8) I was checking out 70’s fashion on YouTube. There’s not a lot of good links of just the 70’s (most mix the 60’s and 70’s, which in my mind are really different!).
Yes, at least get the lime green. And use it a few times next to the pink. 8)
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Yb..I love the whimsical pen and ink!
Em I love your limericks and haiku! Seems the writing gift runs in your family!!
Thank you both for sharing this with us!
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I’m a bit late Em but very nice job on these… Mom’s illustration is pretty cool too
I just have to know…
What color was the wig?
🙂 H
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QM, that’s my thought exactly — lime green next to bright pink. Great color combo!!
Thanks, Suz, for the comment to Em. I’ll make sure she gets it. Same with yours, H. I’ll have to ask her about the wig. Right now she’s getting ready for a big birthday party of one of her friends. Saturdays are so crazy ’round here.
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Em & Dee & yb & Jim, we are so sorry to hear that Sony the Pug is sick. As soon as we knew, Liz went to your poem, Em, and read it out loud to me for Sony Pepperoni. We are sending our prayers. I remember how hard it was on us when Mr. StripeyPants was sick. Sony is like a member of your family. Sending warm thoughts. 😦
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Thanks, QM and Liz.
I am wracked with nerves over here, as is everyone else. We don’t know what’s going to happen. I kind of wish I could be with her in the animal hospital. I just hope she’s not terribly scared.
I went on a little nature walk around the yard to keep my mind off of things. Then I went and tried to nap. Bad idea.
The girls are outside right now. I’ll let them know that you’re praying for Sony.
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ybonesy, yes, keep us posted on Sony. Poor girl. She is in our thoughts. We went over to your other post, Ten Things About Sony The Pug, and checked out her photo again. She’s so cute. We’ll keep checking in over the night to see how it’s going.
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[…] to posts A Girl With A Curl & Her Pug, In Spring, and Ten Things About Sony The […]
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