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Now then, are you ready for today's Short & Sweet?
I totally wrestled with this one and I hope it's going to be fun and also work right... I guess we'll see :)
So we have to go on the honor system again - no peeking! :) - and I need you to get a piece of paper and a writing implement of your choice. Then write down the following things in a list bearing in mind that everything below is supposed to be related so it can hang together:
1. A noun (you know, a good old person place or thing)
2. A color that describes that noun or some part of that noun you'd like to highlight (e.g. red, or, lavender, or, cerulean)
3. A comparison to that color (in the manner of simile or metaphor e.g. summer sunset, or, shadowed snow on a January evening)
4. Something that belongs to your noun written as adjective, adjective noun (e.g. wide, feathered tail, or, slim, brown limbs, or brass ratcheted gears)
5. A verb ending in -ing that is something your noun could do (e.g. soaring, or, stretching, or, grappling)
6. Another verb ending in -ing that is something else your noun could do (e.g. sailing, or, reaching, or, frowning)
7. A place written as: preposition [a/an/the] adjective adjective noun (e.g. over [a] broad green valley, or, across [the] shimmering shining stream)
8. A description of something your noun could do in relation to something else, written as: verb ending in -ing preposition adjective noun (e.g. scouting for silver salmon, or, basking on sun-baked sand, or, digging up acorn jewels) - (yes, I realize "for" is a conjunction, not a preposition, but you can use it if you want. The reason I didn't put conjunction is because the others - and, or, nor, but, yet - won't work. But use "for" if you want :))
9. Repeat #8 with another description (e.g. plunging toward immovable earth)
10. Repeat #8 with a final description (e.g. hoping for sweet success, or, diving for delicious dinner)
11. A simile for the action in #10 (e.g. like a rocket ship, or, like a bow drawn across singing strings)
12. Your original noun from #1.
Okay! Got your list? What we are accomplishing here is part Madlib, part poetry, and will hopefully result in lots of descriptive poems (haha - like how I tricked you into writing a poem? :)) that will also serve as story sparkers by giving all the devoted readers specific, detailed, poetic descriptions of characters, settings, or objects that they could use in a story! For those of you who write picture books, there are a lot of similarities between picture books and poetry, so this is good practice :)
Wasn't that totally awesome how I snuck that up on you?
So now, all you have to do is type your poem into the comments using this template and your list:
I am [a/an/the] noun from #1
Color from #2 as [a/an/the] comparison from #3
With [a/an/the] adjective adjective noun from #4
Verb from #5, verb from #6
Prepostition [a/an/the] adjective adjective noun from #7
Description from #8
Description from #9
Description from #10
Like [a/an/the] simile from #11
I am [a/an/the] noun from #1
Here's my example:
I am a falcon
Gray as a stormy sky
With powerful, peregrine wings
Soaring, sailing
Across the shimmering, shining stream
Scouting for silver salmon
Plummeting toward wavering water
Diving for delicious dinner
Like an arrow sprung from a huntsman's bow
I am a falcon.
Here's another one because I think this is fun :)
I am a birch
Silver as starlight on snow
With strong, slim limbs
Reaching, stretching
For the faraway, fickle moon
Gazing at kaleidoscope constellations
Soaking in the dewdrop dawn
Standing among my slender sisters
Like a dancer waiting for the music to begin
I am a birch.
And one more:
I am Sarah
Gold and brown like honey on toast
With hidden, heartfelt hopes
Uncurling, unfurling
From their secret silent space
Running with quiet concentration
Leaving behind even the fastest few
Flying on winged feet to finish first
Like fleet Atalanta
I am Sarah.
Ok, I'll stop now because I'm really not very good at this even though I think it's tons of fun :)
So do you get the idea? You may of course tweak a bit. If you need a different verb form or fewer adjectives or an extra word or one less line or two colors, etc. feel free to change it up. The word prompts and template were just to make the job easier and less intimidating :)
I hope you'll all have fun with this! I can't wait to see what you write! And after my humble examples, I hope everyone will feel very brave about putting theirs up - I know without a doubt you can all do better than I did! :)
Have a great weekend, and please join me Monday to welcome Tiffany Haber as she talks about her debut picture book, The Monster Who Lost His Mean (which I just had the pleasure of reading and it is REALLY TERRIFIC and you should all get a copy for the littles in your life, or for yourself as an example of a well-done picture book in verse!!!)
Happy weekend :)
