The Lobster
See the hard-shelled
Leggy lobster
Like an underwater
Mobster
With two claws
To catch and crush
Worms and mollusks
Into mush
And antennae
Long and thick
Used for striking
Like a stick.
So be careful
On vacation
Not to step on
This crustacean.
The Rhea
It's just an ostrich, rhearranged.
The trees are lush with fresh green leaves, the formerly sparse thicket of trees and shrubby bushes has filled out to obscure our view of the pond, a pair of hummingbirds amaze us with their aerial acrobatics by the feeder, and just now an oriole is peeking in our window. Nature is on full display in the month of May. My thoughts are on gardening and spending much of my day outside instead of cloistered inside. I'm drawn to the poetry books on my shelf about animals and nature and will be selecting from them this week and next.
I acquired this book at a library event and got a cool autograph from the author, Douglas Florian, a native New Yorker who developed a sustained interest in nature from his artist father. As Florian later recalled on Embracing the Child online, "I studied drawing with many teachers, but my first was my father. He taught me to love nature in all of its forms." At age fifteen, Florian attended a summer painting course at New York's School of Visual Arts and he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to make art his career. "When I walked into the school's large studio filled with paint-encrusted easels, vivid palettes, and the smell of linseed oil," Florian explained in a Harcourt Brace publicity release, "I knew then and there I was going to be an artist."
He gained success when he combined his art with writing light verse for children. You might recognize the influence of Ogden Nash in his poetry. I found this nice summary at http://paulaoneil.tripod.com/id7.html
According to Douglas Florian...
You have to write a lot before you get really good at it.
There is only one rule to follow when writing poetry: There are no rules!
"Poetry is not black and white. It is more like the gray and purple area that connects all the things we live in."
Always study your subject. Get your hands on as many books about your subject as possible.
His favorite book is always the one he has just finished.
The advice that Douglas would give to a would-be children's author is: "The harder I work, the luckier I get." So get down to work, but try to have fun!
"Remember, in poetry, the only rule is the POETRY RULES!
I acquired this book at a library event and got a cool autograph from the author, Douglas Florian, a native New Yorker who developed a sustained interest in nature from his artist father. As Florian later recalled on Embracing the Child online, "I studied drawing with many teachers, but my first was my father. He taught me to love nature in all of its forms." At age fifteen, Florian attended a summer painting course at New York's School of Visual Arts and he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to make art his career. "When I walked into the school's large studio filled with paint-encrusted easels, vivid palettes, and the smell of linseed oil," Florian explained in a Harcourt Brace publicity release, "I knew then and there I was going to be an artist."
He gained success when he combined his art with writing light verse for children. You might recognize the influence of Ogden Nash in his poetry. I found this nice summary at http://paulaoneil.tripod.com/id7.html
According to Douglas Florian...
You have to write a lot before you get really good at it.
There is only one rule to follow when writing poetry: There are no rules!
"Poetry is not black and white. It is more like the gray and purple area that connects all the things we live in."
Always study your subject. Get your hands on as many books about your subject as possible.
His favorite book is always the one he has just finished.
The advice that Douglas would give to a would-be children's author is: "The harder I work, the luckier I get." So get down to work, but try to have fun!
"Remember, in poetry, the only rule is the POETRY RULES!
Enjoy this short video of Florian reading about Worker Bees.
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