Fats here.
Another week flew by! I don’t know about you but I am ready for the weekend. Work has been crazy this week. Work projects that never seem to end and dealing with some really unusual incidents involving a few patrons. Never a dull moment at the library!
Whether you’ve had a busy week or a smooth-sailing one, below are a few poems from a new collection edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins. It’s a children’s poetry anthology entitled, “World Make Way: New Poems Inspired by Art from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.” All images of the artworks were downloaded from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The idea of writing poems based on artworks sounds like a fun and engaging poetry exercise.
Poetry Friday round-up is hosted by Linda at TeacherDance!
“Painting is poetry that is seen
rather than felt,
and poetry is painting that is
felt rather than seen.”
— Leonardo da Vinci

Dancing
Alma Flor Ada
Music fills the room
as we play.
Seven of us grow
taking up all the space
leaving only enough room
for a couple to dance
with quick steps
her hair flying
in abandonment.
Two absorbed by our music
which continues to take over the world
everything else forgotten
unimportant
like scattered litter strewn
on the dance floor.

Cat Watching a Spider
Julie Fogliano
so silent and certain
a spider can cause
a watchful and wondering cat
to pause
all prowl and prance
and teeth and claws

Early Evening
Charles Ghigna
We are rowing our way
across a small, stretched
canvas of time
into the shadows
of a water colored world
where we float as in a dream,
soft and serene,
beyond the touch of our master’s hand
into the final stroke of everlasting light.

Walking to Temple
Janet Wong
Here
we do not rush
in the random way
many people do outside the gates:
shoes shoveling
unevenly through
slush, criss-crossing
in all directions.
Here
we stay in lanes
smoothed down
by those who have
gone before us
placing
each careful step
on a path
already made firm.
Awesome! Ready for the weekend too! 🙂
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This one’s on the Cybils poetry long list. Great choice!
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Thank you for sharing this! I adore this book! Lee Bennett Hopkins certainly puts together a wonderful book! I’m a former librarian – well, a music librarian – so I can relate to the “book hoarding”! 🙂
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We’re supposed to have a little snow tomorrow, I’m ready for the weekend & staying in at least for tomorrow! I do love this book and the poems you shared, maybe especially the one about the cat by Julie Fogliano. Have you read Orleans’ The Library Book, Fats? I found it fascinating, but imagine you as a librarian would love it even more! Happy Weekend!
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Enjoy your weekend! This book looks like such a treasure. I’ve enjoyed the peek inside.
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Charles sets such a beautiful mood with “Early Evening.” Thanks for sharing these, Fats!
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Gorgeous art and poems–it has quickly become a favorite book of mine, thanks for sharing it!
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