Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks to Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading for this week’s

Poetry Friday Roundup.

The poem I want to share this week comes from a delightful collection of poems by James Stevenson called Sweet Corn:

 

Stevenson was, among other things, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, for over 50 years. He penned a whimsical series of “corn” poetry books, including Popcorn, Corn Chowder, Cornflakes, Corn Fed, as well as over 45 books that include his autobiographical, I Meant to Tell You. No classroom library is complete without some of his books!

Weather is on my mind during these miserably hot and humid “dog days” of summer, and I am wishing for a good summer storm to bring some relief. Sadly, the recent forecast indicates I will have to wait for my storm. In the meantime, I can enjoy James Stevenson’s poem:

 

SUMMER STORM

WHEN THE THUNDERSTORM COMES

PUNCHING ITS WAY THROUGH TOWN,

THE DOG STICKS HER NOSE UNDER THE SOFA.

ALL OF US FLINCH AS THE LIGHTENING HITS,

REVEALED AS CRINGING COWARDS IN THE FLASH.

RAIN HURLS ITSELF INTO THE STREET.

THE OLD HOUSE TREMBLES.

BUT EVERYBODY KNOWS

WHEN THIS LETS UP AND THE SKY TURNS BLUE,

WE’LL THROW OUR SNEAKERS OFF AND RACE

TO MUDDY PUDDLES DEEP AND WARM

AND KICK THE WATER BACK INTO THE SKY.

James Stevenson

Sweet Corn Poems

 

This poem is one of my favorites for Shared Reading, and the way the poet uses verbs is a focus that students can grasp and bring into their own writing. More on Shared Reading in upcoming posts!

Happy Friday!

🙂