Happy Holidays 2014

Wishing you a great holiday season!

Many thanks to all who have followed Yellow Pencils this year. I hope 2015 brings you an abundance of story ideas, creative bursts, and time to put words to the page. 

Yellow Pencils will be back in two weeks for another year of writing tips and prompts. 

Happy ho-ho-holidaying!  

A Writer's List to Santa 2014

Ho ho ho! It's time to write to Santa.

What do we writers really want? 

Instead of asking for the newest gadgets under our tree, what if we request inspiration for our writing? 

What if we ask Santa to bring us patience, or confidence, or other qualities that help us begin and finish the best story we can write? 



This year, I'm asking for:

• Belief in myself when I lose faith in my story.

• Perseverance when I'm writing yet another draft. 

• Humility to ask for help from a teacher or another writer when I need it.

• Curiosity to keep looking for great story ideas. 

• Genius--just kidding, but wouldn't it be nice?

How about you? What qualities would you like to find under your tree? 

A Magical Setting

I normally write realistic fiction, but there are times I like to think about writing fantasy stories. 

Like when I look at this tree.

I took this photo in England, but this wonderful, gnarled tree says to me, "magical setting." 

Who or what lives in the tree? How old is it? What is the name of the forest? What is about to happen?

Use this tree for the setting of a fantasy story, and see what you discover. It may be something magical. 

Writing about Snow

This week it snowed here where I live. How about you?

Whether you get five feet of snow a year or none, you probably have some feelings about snow. When you see, hear, smell, touch (and even taste) snow falling, what emotions do you feel? 

Do you love the first snowfall of the year? Why? Do you hate snow and cold? Why?

Do you wish it would snow where you live? Do you wish it would STOP snowing where you live?

Let's write about snow. We can use our five senses--taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing--to describe it. We can remember a fun time or a sad time when snow was falling. 

Do you wait at the window for the first snowfall? Do you hope for a blizzard so you'll get a snow day from school? 

However you feel about snow, this phenomenon from the sky is pretty amazing. 

Write about this white, fuzzy stuff that for many of us spells w-i-n-t-e-r. 

A Silly Thanksgiving Poem

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We get to eat a lot of great food. 

Better than that, we can be thankful for all the good things in our lives. When we add those things up, there's a lot to be thankful for. 

This all sounds pretty serious, doesn't it?

Of course Thanksgiving also has its fun side, which we can celebrate with a Silly Thanksgiving Poem.

Write a poem that tells about the fun, light side of the holiday at your house. Here's mine. How about yours? 

A Thanksgiving Count-Up

One, two, three fours.

Pumpkin pie comes through the doors. 

Five, six, seven, eights.

Put out the best dinner plates. 

Nine, ten, eleven, twelves.

Where are Santa's helper elves?

Oops! Wrong holiday! 

Nine, ten, eleven, twelves.

Place the salads on the shelves.

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteens.

 A basket full of jelly beans.

Arrghh. Not again!

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteens.

Is it time for Halloweens?

Back to Thanksgiving!

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteens.

 Do we have to eat the greens? 

Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.

Thanks for all we have in plenty! 

Getting Stuck

Last week I taught a teen workshop at my local library, and we talked about Getting Stuck. 

I used capital letters for Getting Stuck because it often feels like a Major Problem (capital letters) when we do.

Here's what happens to me: 

I begin a story or novel. Everything's going great. Then…I get stuck. Many of us reach a point where we hit a dead end and we run out of gas. 

How can we move our characters to the end of the story, resolve the conflict, and finish with a satisfying end? 

In my experience, Getting Stuck happens when I don't think through two issues.

• First, who is my protagonist? What does she want? What does this character love, hate, or fear? What are the flaws that keep getting her into trouble? What is the most important thing in my protagonist's life? 

(This last question may be different from "What does she want?" In The Hunger Games, Katniss wants to stay alive. The most important thing in her life is her sister.) 

• Second, how high are the stakes for my protagonist? Is the story conflict something that really matters to him? If it isn't, the conflict may not be strong enough. Who or what is stopping my character from getting what he wants? Why? What will happen if he doesn't get it?

These are questions I now ask myself before I begin a new story or novel. (I ask myself a lot of other questions, too, but those will wait for another post.)

Whether you're a "jumper" (you love to jump right into a story without planning) or a "plotter" (you love to outline), try answering these questions before you begin writing or when you get stuck. 

Write your answers down, then study them. Do you see patterns? What changes can you make to keep your story moving forward?

I can't guarantee you'll never hit a dead end. But you may go from Getting Stuck to getting stuck. And that's progress in my book.

Autumn Tastes

We're always looking for ways to use the five senses in our stories, right? 

Taste can be one of the hardest senses to include. We tend to overlook taste in favor of sight, smell, sound, and touch. 

Since so many yummy foods are associated with fall, this seems like a great time of year to let taste be the star of the show. 

Here are some of my favorite fall foods. What are yours? 

• pumpkin pie
• cranberry sauce
• squash
• maple muffins
• Halloween candy (Do you have any left?)

Choose one of your favorite fall foods and describe the taste. Is it spicy? Sweet? Sour? What about the texture? Is it smooth? Chunky? 

Here's my description of baked squash with brown sugar and butter:

The bite of squash melted in my mouth. It was as smooth as the butter it swam in. The brown sugar felt wonderfully sweet and gritty against my teeth. The squash tasted like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled up in one. 

And that's just about enough. We never want description or our five senses to slow down our story--just a bit to give our readers a burst of flavor.

Now back to that Halloween candy….

Writing About Dogs

It's been way too long since Yellow Pencils has written about dogs. 

I love dogs, and I especially love our next-door dog, Harper.

Dogs are wonderful in real life, but they can play an important role in our stories, too. 

Sometimes your character needs to talk to someone, but you don't want to have other characters in the scene. Your character may be on a journey, or running away from home, or mourning the death of his or her pet hamster. 

Enter…the dog! 

Write a monologue (one person talking) with a character talking to a dog. Of course the dog can't answer. Or maybe, in your story it speaks words of wisdom. 

Remember to give your dog personality. What kind of dog is it? A purebred or a mutt? Does it have one ear standing and one flopping? Does your dog tilt its head when it listens, or does it lie down with its head in its paws?

What will your character say to the dog? Have fun creating your monologue, and let your dog react….with words or woofs.

Writing Place Names

Take a look at these street corner signs. Whoa! Where is this place?

Warsaw, Poland, to be exact. I took this photo in 2011, and I love it because the photo shows how place names differ in different countries.

This corner is a real place, but when we invent stories, we get to make up place names. Why not have fun doing so?

Write about your very own, made-up street intersection. What will you name the two streets? 

The names can be silly, simple, serious, or impossible to pronounce. They can have special meaning for you or your characters, or be completely random.

When you're done naming your streets, put two characters underneath the signs. Now let them have a conversation. Why are they meeting at this intersection? What is their conflict? 

By the way, one of the signs above means "Krakow Suburb." The other sign commemorates a famous general.

What will your signs say? 

Revision!

Revision is my favorite part about writing. But I know many writers don't agree with me. How about you?

This weekend I went to a workshop on revision led by author Ann Hood. She said, "If you're a writer, you're a reviser."

She added that we writers spend 90% of our time revising. That's a lot of time!

So how do we learn to love revision?

I think of revision as re-vision, or "re-seeing" my story. What works? What doesn't? How can I make my characters deeper, funnier, more alive on the page? 

How can I tighten my plot and make my dialogue snap like a sail in the breeze? And while we're at it, how can I add a simile or metaphor to spice up the story's language? 

Try this exercise. Take the first page of your story, or write a first page. Then read it out loud. Better yet, have someone read it to you. 

Listen. Really listen. 

Then mark places where a character seems dull, the plot has a hole, the dialogue drags, and the language makes you yawn. Type or write in your changes. 

Reread. See the difference? 

Get snappy! Try some revision today!  

Writing...NOT on White Paper

Do you get tired of writing on plain old white paper? Or on your computer screen with that insistent cursor telling you to hurry up?

Author and writing coach Christi Krug has a solution. She calls it "Oddball Hard Copy."

She suggests, "Forget the logical white page. Write on colored paper cut into odd shapes. Cover a shoebox with wrapping paper and write on the top, bottom and sides."

To that I would add: Write with crayons! 

This week, let yourself be creative. Find some colored paper, the back of cereal boxes, recycled magazines, yesterday's newspaper, or old greeting cards. (Make sure no one wants to keep them.) Find your crayons or an assortment of felt-tip pens. 

Then…write. Don't worry about whether your writing is "pretty" or  mistake-free. How is your writing different? Do you feel freer?

Later, if you want, copy what you wrote onto white paper or the screen. But have fun first writing "Oddball Hard Copy."

Poetry for Every Day

I saw this sign the other day in Seattle. I loved that the Department of Transportation wrote a poem about a bridge being painted. 

What if we had poetry surrounding us every day? 

The school cafeteria:

Grab your tray 
Fill it up today! 

The crosswalk:

Wait, then walk.
Look, then gawk
Speak, then talk.
Time to cross!

The grocery store:

Apples and oranges and pears, oh my.
On sale today: cherry pie.
Pick a cart. You're at the mart. 
Ready? Set? Start! 

Pick a place or thing you see every day. Write a poem that tells about it in a fun way. And remember to "cross nicely" at the bridge!

Emotions in Our Writing

Last Saturday I led a writing retreat, and we talked a lot about emotions. 

Not our emotions, but the emotions of our characters. And our readers.

Readers want to feel what our character feels. They want to feel terrible when our character loses his job. They want to feel sad when our character's father dies. They want to feel happy when our character kicks the winning goal.

How to put those feelings into our stories? By showing our characters' emotions--honestly and truthfully--on the page. 

Have you ever been in a situation where you've had cold feet? Where you really wanted or needed to do something, but you lost your nerve? 

What kind of emotions did you feel? Fear, guilt, shame, relief? 

Write a description of a character who gets cold feet. Maybe he can't make that leap with bungee-jumping. Maybe he backs out of a robbery. Maybe he panics in the game with three seconds left on the clock. Good or bad, we all have emotions when we lose our nerve. 

Create a situation for your character that requires nerve. What are his emotions when he gets cold feet? Let your character feel those emotions, and your readers will, too. 

Writing with Details

Following up on description (our topic last week), I've been thinking about details. 

Let's say a cat walks in and out of our story. Writing "the cat" may be just fine. 

But we may want the reader to "see" our cat. We can do that by adding details to make the cat pounce off the page. (Pun intended!)

Of course details aren't limited to cats. What about that bed in your story? Is it queen-size or a bunk bed (and does your character sleep on the top or the bottom)? Is the tree outside the window a poplar or a birch? Are the shoes your character grabs flip-flops, high heels, or hiking boots? 

Pick an object in a story you're currently working on. Add just enough details to make us "see" what your character sees.

Back to cats. Here are a few details for "Miss Fluffy" above: 

Miss Fluffy stared intently at the mouse. Black patches like tar covered her face and body. Her ears bent forward, ready for the tiniest squeak. 

We don't need to go overboard with details: a little goes a long way. Try adding a few details--it's like sprinkling salt or pepper onto your story. 

Description: Chocolate Shampoo?

Do you like chocolate? I love it.

What do we do with chocolate? We eat it or drink it, right? 

But what if we invented…Chocolate Shampoo? Yes, Chocolate Shampoo!

We can have fun with description by creating an ad for this totally new product.

New! Choco-Choc Shampoo! 

Is your hair tired and drab? Does it feel like dry straw?

Try Choco-Choc! Our new product puts the zing of chocolate into your hair. 

Your hair will feel silky, smooth, and best of all--chocolately. It will smell divine, like sugary sweet cocoa. 

Have a good hair day every day. Try Choco-Choc today!  

Now it's your turn. Don't forget to give your Chocolate Shampoo a cool name. And remember, don't drink your shampoo. 

Back to School…With a List Poem

Welcome back to school! I hope you get to do lots of writing.

To celebrate the new school year, let's write a List Poem.

What's a List Poem? 

It's just like it sounds. We make a list!

Think about your first day of school this year. What did you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell? What really stood out? 

First Day

new markers that squeak on the board
my desk with the wobbly seat
the girl with purple braces
the new teacher who smiles a lot
books that smell like the library
morning recess
the airplane that buzzes past the window
mac n cheese at lunch
afternoon recess

the markers stop squeaking
my desk settles down
i smile at the purple braces 
not bad today

Summer Writing Prompt #11

We'll end our summer prompts with a mystery.

Summer Writing Prompt #11

Write about a treasure map and a stolen key. 

Summer Writing Prompt #10

Have you ever gone to your mailbox (I mean the physical one near your house), and it seems to be filled with junk mail? That happens to me a lot!!!

Usually the junk mail goes straight to recycling. But what if there was a very special piece of junk mail? That's our writing prompt for this week.

Summer Writing Prompt #10

Write about a piece of junk mail that changes someone's life.

Summer Writing Prompt #9

Writing about food is always fun…especially when the food is cupcakes! 

What about those hardworking people who make these fantastic creations for us to eat---the cupcake decorators. What if one of them enters the "Ultimate Cupcake Contest," but things don't turn out quite as planned? 

Summer Writing Prompt #9

A cupcake decorator enters the Ultimate Cupcake Contest

Summer Writing Prompt #8

Have you ever been in a place where you don't speak the language?

Whether your answer is yes or no, imagine eating in a cafe where you can't read the menu! After you order, will you be served raw octopus or a yummy chocolate dessert?

Summer Writing Prompt #8

Write about a cafe with a menu in an unfamiliar language. 

Summer Writing Prompt #7

Every time I hear a police siren, I wonder what's happening. How about you? 

Use your imagination to "hear" the siren and write a story to go with it. Is there a robbery in progress? Has there been an accident? Is a cat stuck in a tree?

Summer Writing Prompt #7

A police siren

Summer Writing Prompt #6

Maybe you love dogs, or maybe not so much--but have you ever tried sitting in the back seat of a car with three of them???

Write about just that for our prompt this week:

Summer Writing Prompt #6

Riding in the back seat of a car with three dogs

Summer Writing Prompt #5

If you love to read (like me), you'll probably read anything…even cereal boxes! Doesn't it seem like a waste to toss that colorful cardboard box into the recycling bin?

Imagine if something else happened to the empty box that held your yummy morning cereal. 

Summer Writing Prompt #5

A museum that displays cereal boxes 

Summer Writing Prompt #4

Shoes are one of those things that can bring up a lot of emotion….your favorite beat-up sneakers, the shoes you wore on the first day of kindergarten, or the flip-flops you live in all summer. 

For this week's prompt, we'll write about a traveling pair of shoes:

Summer Writing Prompt #4

A pair of shoes found in an empty suitcase

Summer Writing Prompt #3

This week, our writing prompt has to do with…garbage?

Summer Writing Prompt #3

A garbage bag that holds a treasure

Summer Writing Prompt #2

I hope you had fun with the magical sand pail last week. Did you go on an adventure or capture pirates? 

This week, we're heading to space:

Summer Writing Prompt #2

A space station run by dogs

Summer Writing Prompt #1

During the summer, Yellow Pencils is keeping things simple.

Each week, I'll post a Summer Writing Prompt. Take your notebook and pencil to a comfy spot, and have fun writing! 

Use the prompt below to write a story or poem, however you feel inspired. 

 

Summer Writing Prompt #1

The magical sand pail

5 Ways to Keep Writing This Summer

This Saturday is the official start of summer! 

Maybe you're out of school already. Maybe today is your last day. Congratulations! 

Many of us like to keep writing during the summer. How do we do that? Let me count the ways….at least up to 5. 

1. Carry a notebook and a pencil with you everywhere. A small notebook that fits into your pocket is perfect. Write down  your thoughts, funny lines you overhear, and anything else that strikes you as odd or interesting. Yes, this counts as "real" writing.

2. Summer spelled backwards is Remmus. Write a story with a character with this name. Tie in the name with summer.

3. Have you played the cloud game? What shapes and characters can you see in the clouds? Don't just let them drift by…create a story for them. 

4. Most dogs and cats love summer. Write a story from their point of view. Maybe your dog or cat wins a vacation to the Doggie or Kitty Spa across town. What happens? (Can you say disaster?)

5. Finally, write about your favorite summer foods. There are so many! Popsicles, ice cream, corn on the cob…you make your list. Then turn your list into a yummy, delicious poem.

Have fun. Enjoy the sun. And keep your pocket notebook handy. 

Writing About Dads

Next Sunday is Father's Day. 

It's a time to celebrate our dads, stepdads, grandpas, or other guys in our lives who are like a dad to us.  

How would you describe your dad? What does he look like? Is he bald, or does he wear his long hair in a ponytail? 

How does he like to dress? Does he wear his comfy old T-shirt? Does he have a favorite pair of beat-up sneakers? 

What makes your dad unique? How does he laugh? Have you ever seen him cry? Does he like to cook? Ride a bike? Watch vampire movies? What does he hate to do? 

Do you have a special memory of your dad? Something you did together, or something he told you that you'll never forget?  

How are you like your dad? How are you different? 

Write down in words a "portrait" of your dad, or someone special who's like a dad to you. Remember to include details that make this person like no other.

And don't forget to tell him, "Happy Father's Day!" 

A New Little Free Library

There's a new Little Free Library in my neighborhood!

These libraries let you take a book and leave a book. They're a great way to find new books to read, and to share books you want others to know about.

What if you could leave a book YOU have written in a Little Free Library? 

Even though Little Free Libraries are little, let's think big!

Think of a title for your book. Write it down. 

Now write a blurb. A blurb is the paragraph on the back of the book that acts like a "teaser," making people want to read it. It's like a movie trailer. 

Here's the blurb for Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift--the "gift" of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse--once and for all.

Now it's your turn. What will the blurb for your book say? 

After you've written down the title and blurb for your book, imagine walking to the Free Little Library and placing your book inside it. 

Keep imagining, keep writing, and one day it will happen. Best of all, someone will choose YOUR book, and read YOUR words! 

Humor: Small Character, Big Ambition

Have you ever watched an ant drag a bread crumb across the sidewalk? The bread crumb is three times the ant's body size, but somehow the little ant persists!

That's called Small Character, Big Ambition. The idea of a small creature trying to do something big is funny. And it's fun to write. 

Think of five "pipsqueak" characters:

• An ant
• A worm
• A baby chick
• A pebble
• A newborn baby human 

Now let's exaggerate. Think of five HUGE, pie-in-the-sky ambitions:

• To save Planet Earth from Intergalactic Giants
• To win every gold medal at the Summer Olympics
• To sail to Antarctica 
• To rescue the president's cat from the Feline Space Invaders 
• To build a castle on top of a volcano 

Choose one of your "pipsqueak" characters. Next choose one of your ambitions.

An ant who wants to sail to Antarctica? 
A worm who wants to win every gold medal? 
A pebble who wants to save Planet Earth? 
A baby chick who wants to lead an army? 

Give your small character a name. What will your ant or worm or pebble or baby chick (or the character you make up) do to achieve his or her ambition? 

Small Characters. Big Ambitions. Exaggerate and have fun! 

Write a Goofy Newspaper Article

Identical Twins Find Rare Coin in Sandbox!

Extinct Turtle Appears at Shopping Mall!

Neighborhood Tree Tells Fortunes!

Clown Finds New Career As Bus Driver!

Senator Invites Martians to Alien Lunch! 

These are some goofy headlines you can have fun with. Try writing a story like a short newspaper article. The more outlandish and exaggerated, the better!

Newspaper writers report the facts: Who, What, When, Where, Why. In our case, we get to make up the "facts."

Here's my "article." How about yours? 

Identical Twins Find Rare Coin in Sandbox!

Ben and Billy Smith, of 1674 Sycamore Drive, discovered a rare coin in their backyard sandbox. According to experts, the coin dates from the Roman Empire, approximately 250 A.D.

The seven-year-old identical twins, who are in second grade at Park Hill Elementary School, were playing in their sandbox Saturday morning when they made the discovery.

"We thought it was something the cat buried," Billy said. "He's always bringing junk home."

"But now we think the coin was buried by a Roman explorer," Ben added.

The rare coin is believed to be worth $1,483, 295. The twins will sell the coin to the National Museum of Rare Stuff in Orlando, Florida.

"I can't wait to get the money," Ben said. "Of course I have to split it with my brother."

"I'm two minutes older," Billy pointed out.

In the past, the twins have found a discarded dog collar, a banana peel, and a broken truck in their sandbox.

"This is our most exciting discovery," Ben said. "With my money I'm going to Disneyland."

"Me, too," Billy added. "But Mom and Dad said something about a college fund."

The Smith family has lived on Sycamore Drive for five years. The sandbox was discovered under an old, moldy tarp when they moved in. 

A Character Box

A couple of years ago I wrote about the Idea Box. 

I think the Idea Box is a great way to get ideas for stories. Place objects into any kind of box you want. When you need an idea to write about, randomly pull out two or three objects to place in your story.

For example: a marble, a seashell, and an old bookmark. What kind of story can you create with those three objects? 

The Idea Box works for characters, too. Instead of placing objects into your box, you can put characters into it. No, not real human people. Cut photos of people from old magazines (make sure you ask if everyone is finished with them).

Find all kinds of people--of different ages, from different countries, and boys and girls. Try to find photos of people doing interesting things--washing a dog, singing on a street corner, or playing with balloons.  

When you need a character for your story, randomly pull one from your Character Box. For example, what is the boy on this page doing with the balloons? Is he giving them to someone? Or is he trying to sell them? Will someone steal his balloons? How will he get them back? 

Create a Character Box and dip into it for great character ideas. 

Writing about Friends

Jennifer K. Mann's debut picture book, Two Speckled Eggs, is one she both wrote and illustrated. This lovely, quirky book shows that friendship can come from unexpected places. And speaking of friendship, I'm lucky that Jennifer is my friend and critique partner. 

Ginger wants to invite all the girls in her class to her birthday party—except Lyla Browning. "Lyla Browning was weird: she smelled like old leaves, she didn't talk much, and she even brought a tarantula in a pickle jar for Show-and-Tell." 

But Mom says Ginger has to invite all the girls, or none of them. Lyla arrives at the party early and brings a plain, brown box. The other girls show up, and the party begins! But it’s not the fun party Ginger expected. 

The other girls create chaos, wreck the party games, and don’t like Ginger's silver-and-gold birthday cake. 

Meanwhile, Lyla is exploring the house with her magnifying glass. When a ladybug lands on Ginger’s nose, she laughs. Lyla does, too. And when Ginger opens Lyla’s gift in the plain, brown box, it’s something special that none of the other girls would have thought of. 

Have you found a friend in an unexpected way? Or do you have a special friend? Write about him or her. How and where did you meet? What does your friend like to do? What do you share? 

Remember to include details. Did your friend bring a tarantula to Show-and-Tell? Or was there something else that made you think, I like this person! 

Two Speckled Eggs shows how being a little bit different can lead to wonderful things. It also celebrates friendship. 

Which special friend will you write about? 

Write a Poem About Your Place

Where do you live? 

Is it a big city or a tiny town? Do you live on a farm or in a high-rise building? Do you live on a busy corner or high up a hill? 

To continue celebrating National Poetry Month, let's write about our place. 

Think about where you live. What do you like about it? What don't you like? What makes it different from any other place? How do you get there? By train, car, boat, bus, or elevator? 

First write down some images that come to mind. Use all your 5 senses: what do you see, hear, smell, taste, touch in your mind when you think about the place where you live?

Include details that make your place unique. 

Now take those details and images and put them into your poem, telling the reader--as only you can--about the place where you live.

I live on an island. Here's my poem.

An Island in the Morning

The ferry honks three times:
I'm coming in!

The heron lifts its wings:
I'm hungry!

The salt air stings the nose:
I smell like fish! 

The dock stretches into the harbor:
Tie your boats up here! 

The mountain shows off: 
I'm a giant ice-cream cone! 

The rocky beach makes walking hard:
I'm slippery and wet! 

The grocery store opens its doors:
I hear the morning gossip!

A bus rumbles down the main street:
I take commuters to the ferry!

The ferry honks one time: 
I'm going out! 

What do you want to say about your place? 

A Silly Poem for Earth Day

Tomorrow is Earth Day!

And we're still celebrating National Poetry Month.

Have you noticed, a lot of poems about nature or Earth are serious? 

They don't have to be. 

I'm mixing my love of nature with my love of silliness. Here's my silly poem about Earth (with thanks to the poet Joyce Kilmer, author of "Trees"--who was a guy, by the way). 

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.

I think that I shall never view
A poem as lovely as a gnu.

I think that I shall never spy
A poem as lovely as a fly.

I think that I shall never glimpse
A poem as lovely as two chimps.

I think I'll never scrutinize
A poem as lovely as the skies.

But now I'll end this poem, you see
Cause nothing's better than a tree! 


How about your Earth Day poem?

Be silly, fun, and full of mirth
To celebrate our Planet Earth!