Creative Writing

Poetry

Persona Poem

A structured 8-line poem, biographical in nature.

title Name of author of poem

·first name/nickname of the person in the poem ·4 adjectives which describe the person ·X of Y formula, about an important relationship to the person ·3 things s/he loves ·3 things that scare her/him ·3 things s/he wants to see ·resident of...a place or time or concept ·last name of the person in the poem

Persona Poem

Edward CullenBy Edward Cullen

Edward Immortal, lonely, loving, protective

Son of CarlisleVegetarianism, Bella, running through the forest

Volturri, Bella’s safety, ShapeshiftersBella grow old, blush of Bella’s face, Esme’s Island

Resident of Forks, WashingtonCullen

Persona Poem

Katniss EverdeenBy Katniss Everdeen

Katniss Humble, resourceful, protective, hunter

Sister of PrimGale, her family, Peeta

The Games, The Capitol, President SnowHome, her father, the woods

Resident of District 12Everdeen

Up and Down Poems

Description for Up and Down Poems: Structured poems using a word or phrase in a top-to-bottom ("up and down") direction. Works well as follow up for a class event, activity, topic or related reading.

Up and Down Poems

Horrible stuff, cOmpletely disgusting, in fact! Makes mE Want to gO and find a "Real job"... Nah, I don't thinK so!!

Up and Down Poems

Directions …..·Choose a word or phrase as the topic for the poem.·Students then brainstorm related words ·Consider adjectives, adverbs, feeling words, power words, etc. ·Write the word DOWN the middle of the page ·one letter per line ··Fit words and phrases around the letters, using the brainstorm list to help. The idea is that each letter from the key word becomes incorporated into the word or phrase going across. ··Hint: Write the key word in all caps, big, or even in color, so letters stand out and the key word can is easy to read.

Up and Down Poems

Why Eat InGreatHeaping Tons

abstract

personal

creations

Stress Overload something

that overpowers the mind

taking over the body at the worst

imaginable time, forcing

decisions to be made wrong,

or sometimes to late.

Phone Poem

Topic/Title:

First digit of phone number______Second______Third______Fourth______Fifth_____Sixth_____Seventh_____

Phone Poem

·Directions: Some poetry forms invite the writer to come up with a specific number of syllables for each line of a poem.  Use your phone number to help you select which words you will include in the seven lines of your instant poem by matching the number of syllables with your phone number. Start by writing your phone number vertically.  Then use that number as your guide to precisely how many syllables can go on that line of your poem.

“Guilty Pleasures”

5    I bite into the5    peppermint patty.5    The taste floods my mouth.1    Not2    guilty.1    No2    regrets.

“The Grinch”

6    I cannot believe it.7    Holiday break comes fast now.5    No decorations.1    No 1    warmth.5    The spirit is gone.5    Claus should just fly by.

If (or What If) Poem

This form of poetry asks you to considerpossibilities.

Begin with the word If . . . or the words What If . . . and let your imagination flow. Write at least 30 lines. Include a rhyme scheme if you’d like.

If (or What If) Poem

·If I were invisible, I’d explore every secret place on Earth.·If I were blind, I’d spend more time listening.·If I were rich, I’d buy something special for every person.·What if time suddenly ceased to pass?·What if the world’s leaders weren’t so arrogant?·What if zoos displayed different types of people?·What if I won the lottery?

Limerick

A humorous poem with 5 lines using the end rhyme scheme... aabba.

Limerick Template B

I once met a ______________from _________. Every day s/he _________________________.But whenever s/he ______________________. The _________________________________. That strange ____________ from __________.

Limerick

“A Cold Woman”

By Paul McCann

There once was a woman of ice .She never knew how to be nice .

She spent all of her life,on the edge of a knife,

cutting herself off from advice.

Limerick

“Fashion”

Can't believe it’s true, must be a ruse.It seems kids these days actually choose.

It's a very strange fad to dress up just like Dad.

Bell-bottom pants and big clunky shoes.

Limerick

·Across the top of a blank sheet of paper, write 5-6 places you have lived or visited.... neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, addresses ·Choose the 2 places that are easiest to rhyme Help each other "brainstorm" rhyming words Write in columns underneath the place names. This can be done using only the last syllable of the name…Example: ·Beijing: bring, fling, king, Ming, opening, ring, sing, sling, sting, thing ...

There was a young lady of NigerWho smiled as she rode on a tiger.    They returned from the ride    With the lady insideAnd the smile on the face of the tiger.

When I was hunting for deerI heard it with my own ear

So I looked aroundBut because of the sound

It ran off fast in fear

Limerick Template A

There was a young lady named Bright,Who traveled much faster than light.    She started one day    In the relative way,And returned on the previous night.

There once was a dog named JackHe was kind of very fatWhen I wanted to playAll he did was bark and layUntil his owners came back his way

Limerick SkinnyThere was a young lady of LynnWho was so uncommonly thin    That when she essayed    To drink lemonadeShe slipped through the straw and fell in.

Grandma LimerickGrandma, with plastic on the recliner,seems to be just getting blinder.Though as mean as a witch,she fell deep in a ditch.And now no one can seem to find her.

A Boy Named MattThere once was a boy named MattWho captured my heart like thatHe was so kindAnd such a findI had to have him stat.

There once was a boy named Pete

Who went on a diet of meat.

He missed his Life-Savers

And all their good flavors.

If only the meat had been sweet!

While dancing upon my toesis when my happiness shows.I twirl and I boundto the classical soundas I imagine my audience in rows.

Limerick

Free Verse

This type of poetry is free of rhyme and regular rhythm (meter). It may appear in several stanzas or in a single long one.

Be sure to include examples of figurative language, imagery, allusions, metaphors or similes, and repetition.

Free verse poetry attempts to capture the normal rhythms of ordinary speech.

Attempt to write at least 30 lines. Choose a topic that interests you or one for which you hold strong feelings.

I love your voice,your soft brown hair.I love your eyesand love your stare.

I love your laugh,your cocky smirk,your stupid jokes.You precious jerk,

you know I do.I want my handsall through your haireach treasured strand.

I’m wrapped aroundyour finger still.Am I yet yours?Your love does kill

the things I holdso close to meand yet you’re thebest jerk I see.

“Jerk” by Christina

Free Verse-How to start·Choose your subject and write about it. Get it all out. Stay deep and true to the rhythm of the poetic movement rolling through you, but get everything about the subject down on paper. ·Check your rough poem to see if anything is missing. If you need to add a line, or even a stanza, do so. If you want to include a metaphor, simile, or turn of phrase, add it. ·Read the rough poem aloud. Check the sequence of lines and make sure that one flows into the other. ·Move through your poem and make sure you’ve selected the words that give proper accent and cadence to the overall poem. ·punctuate the poem like you 'd like it to read. Commas, periods, and semi-colons for pauses.·Read the poem aloud until it flows and you feel it inside. That’s a sure sign of a well-completed piece of free verse.

“Winter Poem” by Nikki Giovanni

once a snowflake fellon my brow and i lovedit so much and i kissedit and it was happy and called its cousinsand brothers and a webof snow engulfed me theni reached to love them alland i squeezed them and they becamea spring rain and i stood perfectlystill and was a flower

We existedIn turquoise sighs and cerulean whispers.Your arms, snug and forgiving, Sent azure pulsing down my spine.In your room,Navy shadows poured down the walls.We were bathed in sapphire.Our skin glowed ghostly in the pale moonlight,And we expelled breaths tinted with teal.

We were sublime.

Blue was your favorite color, you always said.It showed.I could feel it in your bones.Cobalt blood thrummed through your veins,Sparks of indigo flickered in your eyes.

You were blue.

One day, you blurted out orange.It tumbled from between your teethAnd forced the cyan from your walls.In our sanctuary, The tangerine words were profane.

All wrong.

Your mouth dripped mango,Your heartbeat thudded orange,And the look in your eyesWas sharp with rust.

I saw the orange kisses on your cheeks,The orange fingerprints on your collar.

The blue was gone.

Discrepancy

Make Believe

We were doomed from the beginning,Blinded from the start,But nothing can be doneTo fool a happy heart.With each smile and giggle,Every embrace and every kiss,We were shooting toward a happy ending,And we missed.Cinderella lost her slipperAnd it was never found.Prince Charming came too late,Now no one’s sleeping sound.Pillows are soaking wet,Hopes are all lost.No more dancing in the clouds.Dreams have all been tossed.The fairy-tale warmth has left usAs winter’s setting in.The storybook reads the end,But where should we begin?Now your heart strives to be broken,And you long for lonely nightsThis time our ship is sinkingWe’re going down without a fight.

FootballFootball is an awesome game, I love the adrenaline rush you get from playing and the excitement from creating a big play and that you can hit someone as hard as you can

and get praised for it, also you get to actually see the success from all the hard work you put in to get better and

everyone on the team realizes that its bigger than themselves and they become a family as a result, there is just no other feeling like making a huge hit on someone

and hearing the crowd roar.

Ode

An ode is an exalted lyric poem, aiming at loftier thought, more dignified expression, and more intricate formal structure than most lyrics. Another characteristic of odes is that they

often addressed to someone or something.

An ode is a long lyric poem, serious and dignified in subject, tone, and style, often written to celebrate an event, person, being or power--or to provide a vehicle for private

meditation. Sometimes an ode may have an elaborate stanzaic structure. Almost all odes are poems of address, in which the poet uses apostrophe( repetition of the initial word of thou -a poetic figure of

speech in which inanimate object or absent person is directly addressed).

Irregular odes: they have no set rhyme scheme and no set stanza (line grouping) pattern.

Horatian odes follow a regular stanza pattern and rhyme scheme

Definition: A long, lyric poem with a serious subject, tone, and style usually written in celebration of something.

Brainstorm Ideas: Death of a loved one, slavery, holidays, graduations,

NOT to make fun of someone or the event taking place.

Woe to the math student,Doomed to the grave,If surviving to the bell,The soul may be saved, But oh, when returned homeThere awaits homework,The student, in despair,Calls the teacher a jerk

Woe to the math student Who will surely dieThe numbers are deadly,And no one knows whyThe brain has shut down, The body is weak,And oh, what’s awaitingIn math class next week?

Woe to the math student,In an advanced class,Who tries oh so hard,And yet can’t seem to passThe equations are evil,The numbers, nonsenseAnd all the test gradesContain dark suspense

Woe to the math student,A slave to the bookOdd answers are in back Oh so tempting to lookWho studies for hours,And stares at the page,The body is paralyzed,But inside, so much rage

Ode to the Weary Math Student

Ode to the Bride

Ode to the brideshe is so kind.

Ode to the brideWhose smile shines.Leaving a pathOf peddles behind.Walking calmDown the aisle.

Ode to the bride whose parents cry.Giving their littlegirl away.

Ode to a Grandfather

Ode to his lifeHow he touched so Many peoples lives

Ode to his memoriesHow he brought the Best out of everyone

Ode to his talentHow he became a legend

On the hardwood

Ode to his hard workHow he never wasted Anytime to get better

Ode to Mr. AndersonHe will never be forgotten

Ode to the Forgotten

Ode to the people who were forgottenThey were once loved and cared for

Ode to their livesEveryday they hurtWhile in desperation for loveand generosity.

Ode to their heartThat was torn apart viciouslyWith little considerationOf their inner feelings

Ode to their memoriesThat bring back happinessOr to the onesThat are very vague.

Ode to those who have triedThose who haven't given upThe ones that will keep climbin'For them life hasn't been easy.

Ode to Myself

Just as Walt Whitman would say, if he were with me today.....There is a "Song of Myself",A song that sings of my internal wealth.A child of God, and alsoable to make a friend out of every foe.For I have true love insideAny egotisms have surely died.The beautiful song that strives to be heardthis song is clearer than any songbird.There is no reason to feel pity for my God and his love is always with me.And I will try to learn as much as I should,knowing that there are no problems, just oppurtunities to be good.

Ode to a Blizzard

O! wonderful for weight and whiteness!

Ideolog whose absolutes Are always proven right By white and then More white and white again, Winning the same argument year After year by making the opposition Disappear!

O! dear miniature of infinity with no End in sight and no snow- Flake exactly like Another, all A little different no Matter how many may fall, Just like our own DNA or the human face Eternal!

Ballad

Definition: Ballads are simple stories told in poetic form. Sometimes alesson is told in the last poetic form. Sometimes a lesson is told in the lastphrase.

A ballad can have any number of stanzas, and it generally follows an abcb pattern. Ballads are used as verses of songs. Much country music is simply a ballad that is sung. Ballads can have different rhyme pattern, but the one that is most common is abcb.

Brainstorm Ideas: Unattainable/forbidden love, relationships, remembrance of loved ones, everyday life, dreams/aspirations

Examples of Ballads

Gratitudeby Jarrett B.

Your white-capped summit is calling, Waiting for those who will claim it firstThere is nothing more for anyone’s wantingThan to make your fresh powder bubbles burstWhile on your peak gazing down I will choose my trail with careFor on my head is a crown That I will forever wearI thank you, mighty peak For it is you I will always seek

The dream isn’t deadThough I’ve seen it take flightIt spread its great wingsAnd disappeared into nightI watched it go, bidding good-byeBut I would see it againI know I would try

Such fantastic illusion, an amazing sightSparkling amber, green, and goldI kissed the wings and held on tightBut let go and watched them unfoldI knew it would be backLike it would always beFor this dream, the beautiful birdIt is a part of me

It comes back now and thenWhen I give it a homeAn open heart to love it withAnd loyalty to be shownI let it fly, let it go awayTo whatever it searches forBut I know it’ll be back somedayStanding at my front door

I look ahead to the futureFor I know it will be brightSomeday, I’ll not have to watch my dreamDisappear into nightIt will sit beside me, holding my handKiss my face, forever trueFor my dream is only my dreamIf my dream is you

The Dream Isn't Deadby sgtpepperx3

I AM LEGENDSTRONG AND ALMIGHTY SO IMPORTANT, THEY'VE ASKED TO INDITE MEI AM LEGEND. MY HEAD IS HELD HIGH,WITHOUT A REASON TO CRYBECAUSE ALL OF THE WORLD WOULD SIGHI AM LEGEND.NOT WILL SMITH AND HIS SON IN A MOVIEI AM SOMEONE MOVINGTHE MOST TALKED ABOUT...TRULYI AM LEGEND.NOT AN UNVERIFIABLE STORY, NOT AN INSCRIPTION ON AN OBJECT. BUT A PERSON OF MASS GLORYI AM LEGEND.THE ONE WHOM YOU NEVER FORGET. THE ONE YOU CANT STOP REMEMBERING.THE ONE YOU'RE JUST NOT HINDERING.I AM LEGEND.CHAMPION OF ALL BATTLES, FIGHTS AND WARS.THE OPENER OF ALL CLOSED DOORS.THE ONE BETTER THAN THOSE BEFORE.THE ONE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.I AM LEGEND.THE ONE TO GET ALL IN YOUR HEAD.THE PERSON YOU CANT STAND.THE ONE ON YOUR MIND WHEN YOU GET OUT OF BED.THE ONE YOU REMEMBER EVERY WORD SHE SAID.I AM LEGEND.THAT ICONIC IDOL AND ROLE MODEL, TOO.THE ONE YOU "JUST HAVE TO" INTRODUCE YOUR MOTHER TO.THE HIGHLY HONORABLE AND TRUE.I AM LEGEND.I DONT KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE SAID IT.I DONT KNOW HOW MANY MORE TIMES I HAVE TO TIL YOU GET IT. AND IF YOU FORGOT JUST THAT QUICK. REMEMBER.I AM LEGEND

I AM LEGENDby Sylebrtyeemom

EpitaphEpitaph poetry is used to honor those who have passed away. This could be about yourself or someone you know or read about.

·Write down a list of qualities of the person honored or discussed in the epitaph. Get detailed. Think of the things that mattered most, but also look for unique qualities that the person possessed. ·Create a detailed list of accomplishments. Look for ideas from the person's friends, hobbies, livelihood and family situation. ·Ask yourself what that person would want said about herself to others in a crowd. How would s/he like to be remembered? What was important to him/her? ·Look for a way to weave humor into the poem

Epitaph

·Jeanine Custis·She failed her breathalizer test·now she lays with the best

·Margaret Daniels·She always said her feet were killing her ·but nobody believed her.

·Beneath this stone a lump of clay·Lies Uncle Peter Dan'els·Who early in the month of May·Took off his winter flannels

Epitaph

·LESTER MOORE ·Here lies Lester Moore ·Four slugs from a .44 ·No Les

No More.

Note: Lester Moore was a Wells, Fargo Co. station agent for Naco, Arizona in the cowboy days of the 1880's. He's buried in the Boot Hill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona

Epitaph

·ANN MANN Dec. 8, 1767 ·Here lies Ann Mann, ·Who lived an old maid ·But died an old Mann. ··ANNA WALLACE ·The children of Israel wanted bread ·And the Lord sent them manna; ·Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife, ·And the devil sent him Anna.

Shaped Poems

The words should be formed into a shape or creatively arranged.

Diamante Poems: Contain opposing concepts which meet in the middle line, structured in a diamond shape

Diamante Poems

Line 1: 1 noun. The topic or theme of the poem (and the opposite of line 7). Line 2: 2 adjectives. They describe the noun in line 1. Line 3: 3 gerunds (verb + ing). They describe the noun in line 1. Line 4: 4 nouns: two nouns related to line 1 and two nouns related to line 7. Line 5: 3 gerunds (verb + ing). They describe the noun in line 7. Line 6: 2 adjectives. They describe the noun in line 7. Line 7: 1 noun. This is an antonym (opposite) for the noun in line 1.

Shaped Poems

“Seasons”

WinterSnowy, cold

Skiing, Skating, SleddingMountains, Winds, Breeze, OceanSwimming, Surfing, Scuba diving

Sunny, hotSummer

Shaped Poems

“CONSCIENCE”

DREAMSSUBCONSCIOUS, IMAGINARY

SLEEPING, WISHING,THINKINGFANTASY, ACTUALITY, VISION,

GENUINEBEING, SEEING, KNOWING,

AUTHENTIC, FACTUALREALITY

“The Circle of Life”

LifeWonderful, fortunate

Fantasizing, socializing, communicatingHorrible, beautiful, beginning, end

Gruesome, bad, terribleDeath

Shaped Poems

So Shiny and Brilliant. Could be for your friends, mother, or daughter. Makes every girl smile. Maybe even cry and say yes.

Shaped Poems

ASmall

Drop OfSadness

Pours DownYour CheekAs You Fight

Back ThePain

Shaped Poems

 They are kneeling upright on a flowered bed 

  He      has just caught her there 

                               and holds her still      Her gown 

                 has slipped down                                             off her

shoulder  He has an urgent hunger 

                      His dark head                                   bends to hers 

                                            hungrily  And the woman the woman 

    turns her tangerine lips from his             one hand like the head of a

dead swan                     draped down over 

                                                his heavy neck 

Also known as Michael Jordan’s game the game is full of mistakes even the best player ever missed over 9,000 shots in his career It’s an intense, breath taking, life changing game,

that anyone can play but not everyone can succeed in, it takes a lot of hard work and time you’ve got to be willing to commit to the game year round, if your whole team does that, your

team will not only succeed but become a family in the process.

Sensory Poem

Describe a place, situation, or event using all 5 (6 for the women) sensesConsider emotional connections to your topic

Free verse, blank verse, rhyme, metered, prose

·Taste·Feel·Sight·Smell·Hearing

Sensory Poem·Decide on a place/situation/event that means something to you.    ·List sensory words to it·Focus on the place/situation/event itself·Avoid using phrases such as "It is..." Avoid using linking verbs except as an exception. ·Avoid phrases such as “It sounds like,” or “tastes like,” or “feels like.” Use information without stating the lazy statements.6. Poem is to be at least six (5) lines long with multiple modifier for each sense.7. Revise as needed to have at least four (4) devices in poem·Personification·Similes·Metaphors·Allusions·Alliteration·End rhyme·Internal Rhyme·Hyperbole·Onomatopoeia·Symbol

Sensory Poem

      LonelinessCold, coarse, clammy fingersCreep their twisted way into the mind.As loneliness' piercing screamEchoes soundlessly into emptiness,Its musty, decaying pathLeaves no room for coherent thought.

 AngerA red, ripping roar ragesOverwhelming all, blasting, blistering,Leaving nothing but ashes.Anger's freezing, burning breathBrings bitterness and defeat.No hope can exist inIts acrid, arid hands.

Sensory Poem

Spring Spring is green with bright yellow buds,New shoots emerge from the dark brown earth,The scent of rain mixes with blossoms in the air,Birds chirp with newfound vibrato in the trees,Succulent strawberries burst in my mouth,All is fresh, warm, and beautiful in the world.

The Waterfall

As I listen to the trickling waterfall,Only peaceful thoughts come to mind,

I lay on my back looking up so tall,Only clouds and trees I can find,

Birds sing a soothing song,Not a thought fills my head,

I have never been in such a relaxing mood in so long,Life can be so stressful so I’d rather be in a meadow instead.

The Onion

The Crackling of theOnion shells as they hit the bin.The strong aroma of Onions fill the air.Burning my eyes untilI cry. How I hateThe juices that flyUpon my lips.

consonance

Definition - Consonance is the repetition, at close intervals, of the final consonants of

accented syllables or important words , especially at the ends of words, as in blank and think or strong and string or Lady lounges lazily and Dark deep dread.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eveningby

Robert FrostWhose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.

Excerpt from Parts by Tedd Arnold.

"I just don't know what's going onOr why it has to be.But every day it's something worse.What's happening to me?I think it was three days agoI first became aware--That in my comb were caught a couplePieces of my hair.I stared at them, amazed, and moreThan just a bit appalledTo think that I was only fiveAnd starting to go bald!"

Beat! Beat! Drums! by Walt Whitman

BEAT! beat! drums!--Blow! bugles! blow!Through the windows--through doors--burst like a ruthless force,Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation;Into the school where the scholar is studying;Leave not the bridegroom quiet--no happiness must he have now withhis bride;Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, plowing his field or gathering hisgrain;So fierce you whirr and pound, you drums--so shrill you bugles blow.

Dewdrops Dancing Down Daisies

By Paul Mc Cann

Don't delay dawns disarming display . Dusk demands daylight . Dewdrops dwell delicatelydrawing dazzling delight .Dewdrops dilute daisies domain. Distinguished debutantes . Diamonds defray delivereddaylights distilled daisy dance .

Alliteration- Most of the words at the beginning of the sentence begin with the same consonant

Cipher ConnectedBy Paul McCann

Careless cars cutting corners create confusion.Crossing center lines.Countless collisions cost coffins.Collect conscious change.Copy?Continue cautiously.Comply?Cool .

Sunday mass

Sophie snag songs softly, Singing sweetly Sundays, Silently at mass, sayingThanks to god and saints, Wishing a silent night, With a sensitive whisper.

Assonance: the repetition or a pattern of similar vowel sounds, but with different end consonants in a line or passage of verse or prose. but with different An assonance can be described as a vowel rhyme as in the words date and fade.

Robert Louis Stevenson - The Feast of Famine

...From folk that sat on the terrace and drew out the even longSudden crowings of laughter, monotonous drone of song;The quiet passage of souls over his head in the trees;And from all around the haven the crumbling thunder of seas."Farewell, my home," said Rua. "Farewell, O quiet seat!To-morrow in all your valleys the drum of death shall beat."...

Gaily bedight,A gallant nightIn sunshine and in shadow,Had journeyed long,Singing a song,In search of El Dorado.But he grew old -This knight so bold -And - o'er his heart a shadowFell as he foundNo spot of groundThat looked like El Dorado.

And, as his strengthFailed him at length,He met a pilgrim shadow - "Shadow," said he,"Where can it be - This land of El Dorado?"

"Over the mountainsOf the Moon,Down the Valley of the Shadow,Ride, boldly ride,"The shade replied - "If you seek for El Dorado!"

Edgar Allen Poe

El Dorado

Pastoral

A pastoral poem

Definition: a poem viewed from an idealistic stand point of rural or rustic life, usually depicting the peace and serenity of nature

Common topics of pastoral poetry include love and seduction; death and mourning; the corruption of the city or court vs. the "purity" of idealized country life;

The Passionate Shepherd to His Loveby

Christopher Marlowe

Come live with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove

That valleys, groves, hills, and fields, Woods or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the rocks, Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers to whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;

A gown made of the finest wool Which from our pretty lambs we pull;

Fair lined slippers for the cold, With buckles of th purest gold;

A belt of straw and ivy buds, With coral clasps and amber studs:

And if these pleasures may thee move, Come live with me and be my love.

The shepherds' swains shall dance and sing For thy delight each May morning:

If these delights thy mind may move, Then live with me and be my love.

maggie and milly and molly and may by e. e. cummings

10

maggie and milly and molly and may went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded starwhose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea

A Peck of Goldby Robert Frost Dust always blowing about the town, Except when sea-fog laid it down, And I was one of the children told Some of the blowing dust was gold.

All the dust the wind blew high Appeared like gold in the sunset sky, But I was one of the children told Some of the dust was really gold.

Such was life in the Golden Gate: Gold dusted all we drank and ate, And I was one of the children told, 'We all must eat our peck of gold'.

ROSES

You love the roses - so do I. I wish They sky would rain down roses, as they rain From off the shaken bush. Why will it not? Then all the valley would be pink and white And soft to tread on. They would fall as light As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!

George Eliot 1819-1880

Horse

What are you thinking of

as I pass my fingers

through your manes coarse wool?

I take your cheek into my palm,

you root my coat for food,

shiver a little. It is cold here,

in the bare fields, under blank cloud.

You wander between the stark wire

bending to eat, running now

and then. I would do the same

removed from home and company,

taking the warmth of a strangers hands

light and hesitant, like the rain.

Cliff Ashcroft

A Green Cornfield

The earth was green, the sky was blue: I saw and heard one sunny morn A skylark hang betweent he two, A singing speck above the corn;

A stage below, in gay accord, White butterflies danced on the wing, And still the singing skylark soared, And silent sank and soared to sing.

The cornfield stretched a tender green To right and left beside my walks; I knew he had a nest unseen Somewhere among the million stalks.

And as I paused to hear his song While swift the sunny moments slid, Perhaps his mate sat listening long, And listened longer than I did.

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)