I’m Thankful for Some Fun

The new issue of Gold Man Review is now available, and includes my poem “Taste of Temptation.” I really love the cover. That shark fin makes me so happy.

Yesterday, at my parents’ house after attending a family friend’s memorial, I glanced through a bookshelf in my childhood bedroom that my parents keep insisting was mine, but I say was my bother’s. Turns out there were books that were mine, my parents’, and my brother’s. I discovered a long, slim book from Instructor Curriculum Materials called Poetry for today’s child by Ruth Kearney Carlson published in 1968 and 1972.

In a section near the end called, “Symphonic tone poems in color,” I was introduced to “Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color.” I found it on YouTube and have been listening to colors all morning. What a great way to block out the construction that has started back up nextdoor.

To inspire the students the teacher in the book paired the music with color poems from Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neill. The poems have little drawings for every word which I found very interesting. Like in the poem Gray, it says some spring coats are gray, but the drawing of the coat is blue. I think I’m going to really enjoy exploring that book.

Then in a section called “Using a record with young children” I read about Dylan Thomas’s recording “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” I found it on YouTube as well. It’s a humorous and vivid story with a poetry only Thomas could deliver.

So much fun from one little book I found on a mystery bookshelf in my childhood room. Here are a couple poems from the section “Poetry for the modern child” supplied for “pupil pleasure and help.”

Words
Words are such funny things,
They can be lovely or give bitter stings,
Think hard before you let them go–
You cannot get them back, you know!
~G. D. Davis

My Word
A noun is quite dependable;
It never leaves you in suspense!
But a participle may be dangling,
And a verb is always tense!
~W. Lowrie Kay

Every day can be a day of thanks if you’re looking on the right bookshelf.
I hope you find some fun to be thankful for.