Happy Poetry Friday! I finally just had a chance to read Pug and Other Animal Poems, by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Steve Jenkins. The poems are, of course, wonderful. I was trying to choose between several fabulous ones to share. The cries of Canada geese flying above in Minnesota in autumn and spring are one of my very favorite sounds, so I decided to go with this one. Since this has been a long winter with a late spring, I've been hearing this spring music a lot this past month.Geese
Then, they
Wavered away
Down the cold
Sky, with cries
Like grieving;
Now, we
Hear in those
Same high voices
Returning, a noisy
Rejoining!
--Valerie Worth, all rights reserved
I adore that cold sky and repeated sounds in here (sky/cries; voices/noisy/rejoicing). It reminds me of the sound diagramming exercise/post I did several years ago. I'm revising a project for an editor right now, and I think I'll put this technique to use as I work on this. Have you ever tried anything like that?
The Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by the smart and prolific Diane Mayr at Random Noodling--go check it out!
And today, Friday, is your very last chance to enter our current giveaway for Debbie Dadey's Mermaid Tales: Treasure in Trident City.
--Laura Purdie Salas
Great choice! Worth's "Autumn Geese" is another of my favorites. It's a total of 8 words!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the poem "Geese" next to the face of that adorable pug. Our Schnauzer loves to chase geese at the lake. I'm imagining Valerie's pug eyeing that poem, dreaming of the chase.
ReplyDeleteI read this book for the Cybil's, and of course, loved that Worth's poems were re-imagined. Geese are here year round, Laura, but I still love to watch them fly over, moving from lake to wetlands, I think. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI was caught in a bit of a traffic jam just this morning as a pair of Canada geese led their large, gray goslings across the road! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteThe pug on the cover attracts me immediately and Valerie is a "worthy" poet indeed. I jumped to your link to the sound diagramming and want to try it out. I could just spend all day lost in Poetry Friday.
ReplyDeleteWe are seeing and hearing the Canada geese here in California, too! In fact I saw some right next to the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. I also love their coming and going sounds, and the poetry of Valerie Worth. Thank you for sharing "Geese." "a noisy Rejoining" is just right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, everyone. I agree, I could get lost in Poetry Friday, too... I'm glad you guys enjoyed Worth's beautiful poem!
ReplyDeleteI love this book! There's so much to appreciate in Valerie Worth's artistry.
ReplyDeleteThe pairing of Jenkins and Worth is a dream. I'm so glad to see this second work. And I love the poem you shared!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that link and the post on sound diagramming. Fascinating! I'll have to give that a try!
ReplyDeleteLove the poem, with its economy of words and precision...thanks for the sound diagramming information too, will have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing not only the poem, but the link about sound diagramming. I wasn't familiar with the concept, or Cohen's book. I'll have to check it out!
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