Fats here.
Today’s poem is taken from Knopf Poetry, which was e-mailed to me during Knopf’s “Poem-a-Day” celebration for National Poetry Month. It features the work of Nancy Willard, whose picture book “A Visit to William Blake’s Inn” received the Newbery Medal in 1982.
Nancy Willard’s poem reminds us that the child’s view is essentially poetic, while the poet’s view retains something of the child’s curiosity and hope.
Poetry Friday round-up is hosted this week by Kiesha at Whispers from the Ridge.
Questions My Son Asked Me, Answers I Never Gave Him
1. Do gorillas have birthdays?
Yes. Like the rainbow, they happen.
Like the air, they are not observed.
2. Do butterflies make a noise?
The wire in the butterfly’s tongue
hums gold.
Some men hear butterflies
even in winter.
3. Are they part of our family?
They forgot us, who forgot how to
fly.
4. Who tied my navel? Did God tie it?
God made the thread: O man, live
forever!
Man made the knot: enough is
enough.
5. If I drop my tooth in the telephone
will it go through the wires and bite
someone’s ear?
I have seen earlobes pierced by a
tooth of steel.
It loves what lasts.
It does not love flesh.
It leaves a ring of gold in the wound.
6. If I stand on my head
will the sleep in my eye roll up into
my head?
Does the dream know its own
father?
Can bread go back to the field of its
birth?
7. Can I eat a star?
Yes, with the mouth of time
that enjoys everything.
8. Could we Xerox the moon?
This is the first commandment:
I am the moon, thy moon.
Thou shalt have no other moons
before thee.
9. Who invented water?
The hands of the air, that wanted to
wash each other.
10. What happens at the end of
numbers?
I see three men running toward a
field.
At the edge of the tall grass, they
turn into light.
11. Do the years ever run out?
God said, I will break time’s heart.
Time ran down like an old
phonograph.
It lay flat as a carpet.
At rest on its threads, I am learning
to fly.
Gathering Books 
This poem is brilliant! I am completely in love with it. Thank you for sharing it today! xo
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Wow, wonderful, Fats. I especially love “The hands of the air, that wanted to / wash each other.” I know Nancy Willard wrote other things besides this book, will look for more!
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Oh my goodness, those questions, and those answers! I absolutely believe that working with children helps keep my spirit young and full of wonder and curiosity!
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Love this poem and will need to explore this book. As a Kindergarten teacher, my students often ask, “What happens at the end of numbers?” They are obsessed with the concept of infinity and the term googleplex!
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I love all these questions and the answers.
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What a neat poem! Thanks for sharing the book, too!
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I loved the gentle and loving wisdom in the answers – just beautiful.
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Stunning. I need to be a better questioner, and, clearly, a better answerer!
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That book’s subtitle! 😍
Lovely poem as always. I especially loved the answers to the questions about the gorilla’s birthday and who invented water.
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Thanks for sharing “Questions My Son Asked Me, Answers I Never Gave Him,” it’s wonderful, and I’m reading the book presently! The art is a delight too!
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