"I Am" Poem

In an "I Am" poem, we write about a thing as if we are that thing. (Isn't it fun to pretend?)

Here's the form we use for an "I Am" poem:

I am a __________, __________ing ___________________.

I am a __________, __________ing ___________________.

I am a __________, __________ing ___________________.

I am a ____________________________________________.

In the first blank, write down an object. In the second blank after the comma, use a verb ending in "ing." Try to think of fun and unusual verbs, something you don't usually connect with that object. Instead of "I am a pine cone, falling to the ground," how about "I am a pine cone, diving to the ground?"

In the third blank, finish the sentence as you'd like. So: "I am a garbage can, opening my mouth to eat leftovers." (Who says you can't write a poem about a garbage can?)

For the next two lines, write about two other objects. For the last line, finish the poem however you'd like with an "I am" statement.

Since we just celebrated Earth Day, I wrote an "I Am" poem about something from nature.

Leaf

I am a leaf

swallowing rain.

I am a blade of grass

listening to skateboarders.

I am a daffodil

hiding from flower pickers.

I am the big, fat, yellow sun winking at Earth.

A How-To Poem

For the rest of National Poetry Month, I want to focus on writing poems.

How about a "How-To Poem?"

We all know how to do things. Some of us know how to bake chocolate chip cookies. Others know how to put on a pair of skis (I don't). Still others know how to take the subway. If someone asks us, we can explain how to do those things.

That's what a "How-To Poem" does. It explains how to do something, only we use our imaginations instead of explaining how to do something from real life.

For example: How to give a giraffe a bath. Or how to find buried treasure. Or how to put a bathing suit on a four-ton hippo. (Don't try that at home.)

What would you like to explain in your "how-to poem?" Use your imagination: the sillier the better. Here's my "how-to-poem" about putting a cat to bed.

HOW TO PUT A CAT TO BED

First, find a cat.

He may not cooperate.

Tuck him in with blankets.

Sing lullabies until he purrs.

Then turn away and wait

for the sound of

little

cat

paws.

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and that means it's time to write poems! Not that we ever need an excuse to write a poem, but April is a good time to remember how much fun it is to play with words.

So go ahead! Write a poem!

How, you ask?

Start with an acrostic poem. That's one where you use the letters of the person, animal, place, or thing you're writing about to start each line. Like this:

Always running

Moving quickly with her

Yellow braids flying.

Baby seagulls cry while

Early morning swimmers

Arrive with their

Chairs and towels

Hoping for a scorcher.

Use your own name, your street, your favorite ice cream, the best month of the year (in your opinion), or even the word "poem" to write an acrostic poem.

Practically no one writes

Ordinary poems.

Except me.

Maybe it's because I'm extraordinary.

A Bookmobile Story

When I was in Seattle last weekend, I saw this amazing, colorful bookmobile.

I love bookmobiles, even though I've always lived near a library and never got to actually use one.

To me, libraries are one of the best things about being alive. 

Think about it. In a library, you get to look at books, pick out movies, read magazines, listen to stories, and get your questions answered. They even let you take books home!

Now imagine all that in a bus painted with colorful characters...a library on wheels.

What if a bookmobile could talk? I bet it would have a lot of stories to tell. Think about all the people who have walked up the steps of this bookmobile and discovered magical worlds inside the pages of a book.

For fun, write a story set inside this bookmobile. Maybe it's a story about a boy who's looking for that perfect book on how to make cupcakes. Maybe it's about a girl who wants to find out how to care for her pet tarantula. Maybe it's about an anteater that wants to learn how to read. Maybe the story is about the people who painted the bookmobile.

Enjoy your bookmobile ride!