7-Minute Stretch #5 Poetry Challenge: What's that Noise?
If your tots haven't read this book, they are missing out--and so are you! Buy It!
A poll of incredibly interested 2,3 & 4 year-olds revealed noteworthy data: Their favorite part of my picture book, Not Norman, A Goldfish Story, was:
Not our spunky main character,
Not the brilliant story,
Not the delightful pictures,
Not . . . Norman???
It was the dark page toward the end of the story when our tad-bit-scared boy says, "What's that noise?"
Prompted by certain sounds, our minds take us places--interesting, provocative, visceral...scary places. Which leads me to this week's prompt. Let's use sounds to mess around with readers minds--and make our poetry...well...Sing
Poetry Challenge #5
What's That Noise?
Take a walk—around your house, a store, the school, or your neighborhood.
Write a poem about it. But, rather than focusing on what you see, focus on what you hear.
Extra points for using an onomatopoeia—or a few. In case you forgot: that’s a words that sound like the sound of the object it’s describing.
You know the drill:
Set the timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Write a poem, paragraph, or story. If the prompt moves you, follow it. If it sparks something else, go with it! Our 7-Minute Poetry Challenge is not about writing great poetry; or writing what is expected; it’s not even about writing anything good. It’s about one thing, writing IT!
For Inspiration: Here's a poem chock full of sounds by Roger McGough
“The Sound Collector
A stranger called this morning
Dressed all in black and grey
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away
The whistling of the kettle
The turning of the lock
The purring of the kitten
The ticking of the clock
The popping of the toaster
The crunching of the flakes
When you spread the marmalade
The scraping noise it makes
The hissing of the frying pan
The ticking of the grill
The bubbling of the bathtub
As it starts to fill
The drumming of the raindrops
On the windowpane
When you do the washing-up
The gurgle of the drain
The crying of the baby
The squeaking of the chair
The swishing of the curtain
The creaking of the stair
A stranger called this morning
He didn’t leave his name
Left us only silence
Life will never be the same
”
**Need/Want more inspirations? Here's a whole page of sound poems.
And, if you do join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge be sure to let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole dang poem, in the comments!