It was a busy Friday to end a crazy week, so my poetry Friday entry is a bit on the late side. Fortunately, many friends have already contributed! (See: A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, Jen Robinson's Book Page, Students for Literacy Ottawa, and Scholar's Blog.)
This week my choice is a contemporary, funny poem, "Awful Ogre Rises," from Jack Prelutsky's wonderful Awful Ogre's Awful Day.
"Awful Ogre Rises"
My rattlesnake awakens me,
I swat its scaly head.
My buzzard pecks my belly
Till I fling it from my bed.
My rats attack me as I rise
But scatter when I roar.
I boot my sweet tarantula
Across the stony floor.
I tickle my piranha,
Who regards me with a bite,
Then disengage the leeches
That besiege me overnight.
I flick aside the lizard
Clinging grimly to my chin,
And now I feel I'm ready
For my morning to begin.
Who doesn't feel like our poor ogre some mornings?
"Awful Ogre Rises" is the first of many poems in Awful Ogre's Awful Day, a delight of a read for the young ogre in your life. Illustrated with gory charm by Paul O. Zelinsky, Awful Ogre's Awful Day is sure to impress young readers with its special sense of humor (i.e., humor that appeals to your average third grader).
****Update! Susan at Chicken Spaghetti has posted an original FIB (see Gregory K. at GottaBook for FIB details). Nice work, Susan! Oh, and in linking to Gregory K., I've found he posted an original poem, "Mixed Up" (not a fib), on Friday. Great reading, guys.
