Poetry Challenge #285-Would You? Could You?
Parents hide them, children love them, editors warn “don’t try them,” today we celebrate them. What are they?
Dr. Seuss’s rhyming picture books. Thank you Dr. Seuss for the most stick-in-your-head read-it-again books of all time! And Happy Birthday! (March 2, 1904-Sept. 24, 1991.)
Do you like my hat? I do! I do!
Dr. Seuss was not his real name, nor was he a real doctor. Dr. Seuss is the pen name for Theodor Geisel. “Seuss” was his mother’s maiden name.
“Ted” Geisel was an illustrator and an editor who challenged himself to write an entertaining primer from a set word list as a sort of protest against boring primers such as the Dick and Jane reading books. The story goes that he was given the word list, chose the first two he found that rhymed: cat and hat, and the first few lines came to him while in an elevator. The rest is millions of copies of one of the longest sing-songiest, beloved picture books of all time. Guess the title?
You guessed it! The Cat in the Hat, published in 1967.
Writers take heart: Seuss’s first picture book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street* published in 1937, was first rejected 27 times. He even has a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ at the 6500 block of Hollywood Boulevard.
“Adults are obsolete children . . .”
Poetry Challenge #285
Would you, could you . . .
Choose a concept: colors, weather, prepositions, numbers, adventure, art, A.I, bedtime . . . and explore it in a rhyming poem—a singsong, rhyming, predictably-patterned poem. The kind of poem Dr. Seuss might have written.
In fact, if you’d like, choose a stanza or two from one of your favorite Dr. Seuss books and copy its rhyming pattern—after all, imitation is the highest form of flattery!
One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish.
I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am.
If you’re stuck coming up with end rhymes, don’t stress it. If Dr. Seuss could make up words and rhyme one word with itself over and over and over and over—you can too!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, Seuss it!**
**With cultural sensitivity please!
*And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street* is one of 6 titles Dr. Seuss Enterprises has ceased publishing because of insensitive and racist imagery.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2500+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
Poetry Challenge #261-Kidding Around
It’s National Parents’ Day Off (Sept 14th)! Can you imagine how excited your parents are today?
National Parent’s Day Off was established in 2021, but EPIC! A digital library. Why? “Parenting can be challenging and messy; that’s why parents should get ready for an EPIC BREAK!”
While that is absolutely true, what’s happens to the kids? Enter that Cat in the Hat!
Poetry Challenge #261
Kidding Around!
Imagine your parents really take the day off. What doesn’t get done? What happens because of that? What would you miss the most?
Write a poem about one of the things your parents wouldn’t do. Or write a list poem of all the things.
Try to include how these missing tasks would make you feel.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2000+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .