“There is only one
rule to follow when writing poetry: There are no rules!”
—Douglas Florian, author
+ artist
Springtime. Gotta love it! March 20 is the first day of the vernal
equinox, otherwise known as the first day of spring. I’m pleased to report my
daffodils are sprouting, already glimpsed my first robin, and ran in shorts ‘n
t-shirt last week. April is around the corner and that means it’s almost Poetry
Month, a 30-day celebration and opportunity to promote poetry. April is also a
big month for my beloved Chicago marking opening day for the Cubs at Wrigley
Field (11th) and the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field (8th).
When it comes to sports, poetry has been used to document events
but also to inspire sports teams and encourage athletes. In other words, the
art form of poetry can be used to motivate and bolster confidence. Trying to find a sports poetry book, I was feeling a little flustered
when bam, outta left field I came across the picture book, POEM RUNS by Douglas
Florian. An award-winning children’s book author and artist, Florian works
across different mediums. Initially, what caught my eye was the baseball instead
of the letter “O” in the title and the stunning primary colored illustrations, or
rather, in this case, paintings. I was
immediately drawn to the read aloud, rhythm of the fifteen short poems.
Turning the first few pages I silently whispered, please let
this collection include images of girls who want to see themselves catching a
pop fly or lunging for a line drive. I was not disappointed. I turned to “Our
Slugger” and smiled at this verse, “Our slugger can zing / Each pitch you
may hurl. / And one other thing: / Our slugger’s a girl.”
The artwork includes boys and girls, plus shows diversity. Since
baseball was not (ahem, is not) my best sport I chuckled and could relate to the girl in
“Right Fielder” who might be lazy, “But I know how / To pick a daisy.” Toward the
end, “Poem Run” about the batter who smashes a hit and races home to
write a poem to capture the moment inspired me. For April, in
celebration of Poetry Month, I’ve jotted down a goal for myself: write three
new sports poems.
Do you have a favorite sports poem? We'd like to hear from you, please feel free to share in the comments section below.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
National Poetry Month - www.poets.org
30 Ways to Celebrate Poetry Month - www.poets.org/national-poetry-month
For Teachers
Poetry Month Activities - www.readwritethink.org
Scholastic: Poetry Writing with Jack Prelutsky - teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry
Favorite Poem Project - www.favoritepoem.org/teachers.html
About Douglas Florian
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