Hello. Fats here.
Still on our current theme—Monsters, Beasts, and Chimeras—I am sharing with you two monster-and-beast-related poems with artworks by visionary director Tim Burton. Poetry Friday round-up this week is hosted by lovely Linda Baie of TeacherDance.
The first of these poems is written by author-illustrator, Rachel Bright. Her written work includes children’s stories and poems, clever advertising copy and lots of other stuff besides. Her illustrative work is a smorgasboard of giant, hand-printed poems, mind-bogglingly detailed gouache illustrations and a cacophony of quirky prints and etchings. Among her published children’s books are Love Monster and My Sister is An Alien. I stumbled upon her poem by accident while looking at Google images for “poems about monsters.”
Rachel Bright’s “Other People’s Monsters” is a screenprint poem that is up for sale in her gallery/store website, Look on the Bright Side. I figured that the print might be too small to read, so I typed the verses underneath the image. Enjoy!
Other People’s Monsters
Other people’s monsters live under the bed
even if they’re only really monsters in their head.
They crouch and lurk quite soundlessly, deciding when to pounce
with wierdy eyes and strangely skin and names you can’t pronounce.
Why then do my monsters do nothing like that stuff?
I suppose it might just be because I’m not afraid enough.
For a start they’re teeny tiny with brightly colored spots
and then they’re always laughing or eating icy pops.
They say they don’t like hiding and if they really must
they wouldn’t choose beneath the bed with fluffy balls of dust.
Instead they sit quite brazenly in soft and comfy places
making funny bubbly sounds and pulling silly faces.
Other people’s monsters do their monster thing just fine
but when I think about it they’re not as good as mine.
The second, untitled poem is written by novelist and journalist, Chuck Palanhiuk. He is best known for his novel, Fight Club, which was made into a movie in 1999 starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. The poem featured below is one that Chuck wrote when he was in fifth grade. Chuck’s fifth grade teacher [Mr. Olsen], passed this onto a librarian in Burbank, Washington who was kind enough to forward it to the Cult [Chuck Palanhiuk Bibliography]. “Mr. Olsen in the fifth grade made me want to be a writer. He said, ‘Chuck, you do this really well. And this is much better than setting fires, so keep it up’. That made me a writer.”
Gathering Books 
The monster poem is delicious, full of all the things kids “might” imagine, instead of scary things, and the 5th grade poem, and comments, what every teacher would love to hear about. Thanks Fats-a good ending post to this latest theme. Thank you!
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I was so happy I found that monster poem. I love the layout of it, too. I can imagine it in a frame, hanging on the wall. It’s beautiful when students become inspired by their teachers, their hearts ignited by their teachers’ encouraging words. =)
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These are monsters that young kids can appreciate! Rachel kicks hers off the important info that the monsters are only “in their head.” If the monsters are yours, ideally you can let them “sit quite brazenly in soft and comfy places
making funny bubbly sounds and pulling silly faces”!
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I agree, Tabatha. It’s nice to be reminded that monsters can be whatever you wish them to be. If they scare you, then you must have a really wild imagination. 😉
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Okay, first poem: I definitely like the second kind of monsters better. And the second poem: Love the teacher’s comment!!! More poetry, less fire-starting! (Or more fires-in-the-soul-starting with poetry!!)
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Very nice on that last point, Mary! I was thinking of exactly the same thing – teachers setting the fires in the hearts of their students in the best possible way. I have a lot of respect for teachers and the things they do for their students. Truly inspiring. =)
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Fun! 😀
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VERY!!! =D Thanks for dropping by, Erik! =)
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