Monday, April 27, 2015

National Poetry Month




April is National Poetry Month!

Do you like poetry? I enjoy reading it, but was never a big fan of writing it. Not sure why, guess it just wasn't my thing. 

Several years ago while tutoring a student, our studies included a unit on sharks. For the writing portion, we dabbled in poetry, including limericks. (Who says you can't write poems about sharks?) 

If you promise not to laugh, I will share the shark limerick I wrote to illustrate the principle in our lesson.


The Shark From Cancun

There once was a shark from Cancun,
Who could jump as high as the moon.
One night he took flight,
And had quite a fright,
When he leapt in a hot air balloon.

 
Care to try one too? Feel free to choose any theme - not just sharks - and share in the comments.

Here is a quick refresher:
  • A limerick has five lines
  • The rhyming pattern is AABBA, also called anapestic.
  • Please keep it clean; this is a family friendly blog :)

More Poetry Info
 
Find additional Poetry Month info here.

Visit Brownielocks & the Three Bears for limerick info and examples.

Read Jennnifer Brown Bank's post entitled 7 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month.


Do you enjoy writing poetry? Are you celebrating National Poetry Month?

Happy writing,

Karen


Photo credit: Free Images

Copyright 2010, Karen Lange. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be used without prior written permission from Karen Lange.

19 comments :

  1. Great poem! I so can't write poetry.

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  2. Ha! That was cute, and I will share it with my pre K students when we do a unit on the ocean in a few weeks. LOVE it!

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  3. Bet the guys in the balloon were surprised!
    I am definitely not a poet.

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  4. Natalie,
    Thanks! I know, it isn't my area of expertise either. :)

    Linda,
    Thank you! :) Glad you liked it. I'm honored that you want to use it.

    Diane,
    Thanks so much! :)

    Alex,
    I bet they were too! lol :) Not a poetry expert here either. This activity was actually fun though.

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  5. It was a blog on poetry
    That took control of me.
    I found a word
    To be heard
    And that's my summary.

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  6. Fun post! I used to write poetry, but haven't written much at all since switching to fiction. I don't think I'll try today, either, but I'm glad you shared yours!

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  7. I wrote poetry in high school. I think it was ac way to write without getting too wordy.

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  8. Dixie,
    I love it! Thanks so much for taking the challenge. :) You make me want to write another one.

    Susie,
    Thank you! It would be fun to read some of your poetry. :)

    Terri,
    That's a good point. I hadn't initially thought about it that way. :)

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  9. I love limericks. :) I used to write a lot of poetry in high school and college, but rarely do so nowadays.

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  10. Your limerick made me smile! That could be in a cartoon! I have a binder full of poems from my teenage 'angst' years! Now I prefer to try writing song lyrics over poetry.

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  11. Medeia,
    They can be fun, can't they? Did you save any of your poetry? I bet it would be fun to read!:)

    Lynn,
    I'm glad to hear that! I hadn't thought about that, but I guess it could be a cute cartoon. :) Lyrics are like poetry, I'm thinking!

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  12. Great limerick! I love poetry- both reading and writing it. :) Thursday is Poem in Your Pocket Day. So fun!
    ~Jess

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  13. Enjoyed your limerick :-) I've tried my hand at haiku, but not limericks yet--I'll take this post as a motivator to give it a try. Thanks!

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  14. I saved most of it.

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  15. Jess,
    Thank you! Glad you liked it. :) Will have to check PYP Day out! Sounds like fun.

    Kenda,
    I am glad you did, thank you! Let me know if you give it a try. I'd love to read them! :)

    Medeia,
    Would be fun to read some on your blog if you wanted to share. :)

    Happy weekend,
    Karen

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  16. YaY! It's the first of the month, and your blog loaded. I wish I could add bandwidth. But we already pay over $100.00 a month for internet. UGH. I've had a blast writing poetry for April. Of course, I write poetry every day. It keeps me grounded. I LOVE The Shark From Cancun. Perfect meter, amigo. LOVE. Going to tweet this.

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  17. Robyn,
    Thanks for spending your bandwidth here! I'm honored. :) You do such a great job with poetry - you really have a knack for it, you know? Thanks for sharing, sweet friend! xo
    Karen

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  18. It's May, and I've definitely missed this boat. I dabbled in poetry when I first started writing, but the technical side left me scratching my head. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to share one of the better pieces, but the majority will never see the light of day. :)

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a blessed day!