Poetry Friday: Empty Water by W.S. Merwin + The Mortimer Minute
Today, we'll begin with a poem and close with a question...or three. (And answers!)
I miss the toad
who came all summer
to the limestone
water basin
under the Christmasberry tree
imported in 1912
from Brazil for decoration
then a weed on a mule track
on a losing
pineapple plantation
now an old tree in a line
of old trees
the toad came at night
first and sat in the water
all night and all day
then sometimes at night
left for an outing
but was back in the morning
under the branches among
the ferns the green sword leaf
of the lily
sitting in the water
all the dry months
gazing at the sky
through those eyes
fashioned of the most
precious of metals
come back
believer in shade
believer in silence and elegance
believer in ferns
believer in patience
believer in the rain
- Empty Water by W.S. Merwin
In addition to today's poem and today's toad, we've also got a blog tour and a cute bunny:
Last week, Bridget tagged me. Thanks, Bridget! Hope you're having a lovely day.
Here’s how to hop, “Mortimer Minute” style! (Copying and pasting the directions from various previous stops.)
Ready? Here we go!
The question I chose to answer from Bridget's Hop is:
What is one funny poem you can recite that you use for children?
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?
My entire life, I knew this simply as a nursery rhyme...until a few minutes ago, when I discovered this song recorded by Rosemary and Betty Clooney. No, really.
Now to create and answer two more questions. Hmm.
Have you read any amazing books recently?
Yes: SNOWBLIND by Christopher Golden, which will be published in January. The story is set in a small New England town that, twelve years ago, was plagued by a snowstorm like no other. Now another storm is approaching - and it has brought the ghosts of yesteryear along for the ride. As I said in a recent post: With edge-of-your-seat tension and jaw-dropping twists, Christopher Golden's Snowblind blizzard is going to blow you away! (And if you want to help the book get a fantastic trailer, check this out.)
What was the topic of your most recent play?
A secret. No, really. :) I'm a writer - of songs, of screenplays, of stories of various topics and genres and lengths - and last weekend, I wrote a short play which revolved around a secret. It was really fun to write. Now let's hope readers, producers, and actors enjoy it, too!
Now I'm tagging Kim Baccellia. Check out her blog next Friday for her Q&A. In the meantime, learn more about Kim at her website!
View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.
View the roundup schedule at A Year of Reading.
Learn more about Poetry Friday.
I miss the toad
who came all summer
to the limestone
water basin
under the Christmasberry tree
imported in 1912
from Brazil for decoration
then a weed on a mule track
on a losing
pineapple plantation
now an old tree in a line
of old trees
the toad came at night
first and sat in the water
all night and all day
then sometimes at night
left for an outing
but was back in the morning
under the branches among
the ferns the green sword leaf
of the lily
sitting in the water
all the dry months
gazing at the sky
through those eyes
fashioned of the most
precious of metals
come back
believer in shade
believer in silence and elegance
believer in ferns
believer in patience
believer in the rain
- Empty Water by W.S. Merwin
In addition to today's poem and today's toad, we've also got a blog tour and a cute bunny:
Last week, Bridget tagged me. Thanks, Bridget! Hope you're having a lovely day.
Here’s how to hop, “Mortimer Minute” style! (Copying and pasting the directions from various previous stops.)
- Answer 3 questions. Pick one question from the previous Hopper. Add two of your own. Keep it short, please! This is a Blog Hop, not a Blog Long Jump. This is The Mortimer Minute-not The Mortimer Millennium!
- Invite friends. Invite 1-2 bloggers who love children's poetry to follow you. They can be writers, teachers, librarians, or just-plain-old-poetry-lovers.
- Say thank you. In your own post, link to The Previous Hopper. Then keep The Mortimer Minute going: let us know who your Hoppers are and when they plan to post their own Mortimer Minute.
Ready? Here we go!
The question I chose to answer from Bridget's Hop is:
What is one funny poem you can recite that you use for children?
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?
My entire life, I knew this simply as a nursery rhyme...until a few minutes ago, when I discovered this song recorded by Rosemary and Betty Clooney. No, really.
Now to create and answer two more questions. Hmm.
Have you read any amazing books recently?
Yes: SNOWBLIND by Christopher Golden, which will be published in January. The story is set in a small New England town that, twelve years ago, was plagued by a snowstorm like no other. Now another storm is approaching - and it has brought the ghosts of yesteryear along for the ride. As I said in a recent post: With edge-of-your-seat tension and jaw-dropping twists, Christopher Golden's Snowblind blizzard is going to blow you away! (And if you want to help the book get a fantastic trailer, check this out.)
What was the topic of your most recent play?
A secret. No, really. :) I'm a writer - of songs, of screenplays, of stories of various topics and genres and lengths - and last weekend, I wrote a short play which revolved around a secret. It was really fun to write. Now let's hope readers, producers, and actors enjoy it, too!
Now I'm tagging Kim Baccellia. Check out her blog next Friday for her Q&A. In the meantime, learn more about Kim at her website!
View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.
View the roundup schedule at A Year of Reading.
Learn more about Poetry Friday.