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Poetry Place
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Dear
Visitors,
One of my first loves is poetry: reading, reciting,
and writing it! Therefore, poetry had to have its own place on my website. I
plan to share the joy that I find in the power of a poem. I will send you to
other sites on the web for ideas for using poetry in the classroom, provide you
with a bibliography of awesome authors, and give you a glimpse of the children's
poems and songs that I have written over the years. I have a rather large
collection, but my favorites are those about dinosaurs and teddy bears. Watch
for the posting of these tongue-tanglers at this site. However, if you plan to
use any of the poetry from this page, all I ask is that you put my name on it
somewhere. To personalize this page, I have included my motivation to write some
of the poems, which provides children with ideas for sources to write their own.
Enjoy!
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When I first met my husband, he listened willingly to many lyrical lines and
one day he presented me with a very special pen:
You gave to me a golden pen
To write some poems now and then . . .
Some poems filled with words of gold
To share with you as we grow old.
We're definitely growing older and he still listens. He agrees that being a
poet is a gift that should be shared with others and we have published and given
away several volumes of my poetry. I'm excited about using this website to share
with a larger group of people who may enjoy reading poetry as much as I
enjoy writing it!
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Bearfoot Phrases
(Teddy Bear Poems)
My first teddy bear poem was actually the lyrics for a
song from a school musical called "Toyshop Revolt" (See Holiday
Happenings). Bearfoot Phrases come easily since I've never met a
teddy bear I didn't like and Warmhearted Walter is no exception. You'd have to
see him to understand that he looks like he has the soul of a poet. My vast
collection of "Bearfoot Phrases" was generated by the whimsy of
Walter! Hope you enjoy poetry from a teddy's point of view. I hope someday to
add the delightful illustrations that my friend, Carol Peters, did for each of
these poems. If anyone has suggestions, I'm open! I'd love to share them with
the world since she's so talented!
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My Teddy Bear
Sometimes when I'm all
alone and don't know what to do,
I look for my friend who's old, not new.
He's missing an eye and one ear is gone,
And his leg looks like it's been chewed upon.
His tummy's in stitches
and his smile is worn.
His red bow tie is ragged and torn,
But he'll dress for parties and eat mud pie,
And never say a word when I want to cry.
He's always there, even
sleeping with me.
Sharing and caring, he's my company!
Sometimes, at night, when we're ready for bed,
He pulls up the covers to hid his old head.
But I would know him
anywhere.
He's my very best friend, my teddy bear.
Sheet music
for My Teddy Bear.
It's an original, lively tune that my cousin, Mark Williams,
wrote and recorded to go with my lyrics!
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Happy
Bear Day!
Cherry Carl
Who knows when teddy bears are born . . .
Is it afternoon or in the morn?
Is it when they give us two
black eyes,
Or wrap our necks in red bow
ties?
Or just perhaps, do you suppose,
It's when we get our big black nose?
I just don't know when we were born,
But there's no need to look forlorn.
Cuz it doesn't matter, my little friends,
We'll start a brand new birthday trend!
We'll celebrate each teddy bear's worth,
Instead of remembering his moment of birth.
But there's one more thing we must define . . .
Is it your bear day . . . or is it mine?!
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Mama Bear
When I remember Mama Bear
I think of all her loving care,
Of the walks we took on sunny days
To see and smell the wood's bouquets.
Of
giggles and laughs when things were funny,
And when they weren't . . . of sugar and honey
To sweeten the life of a growing bear
With the knowledge that "Mama Bear" was there.
Although
sometimes she'd box my ears,
She soothed my hurts and wiped my tear,
And of all the mothers everywhere
I've loved the best my Mama Bear!
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Unbearable
Woe!
There you lie upon your bed.
You have the twirlies in your head.
Your stomach hurts, your face is hot.
I guess you'd say you're feeling
shot.
You usually like to be well fed,
But just some tea and toasted bread
Is all that you can eat right now.
That's all your stomach will allow.
I'm sorry that you're feeling low.
I've felt that way myself, you know.
But now I'll take good care of you,
And soon you'll feel as good as new!
Yes, I'll bring you tea and toasted bread,
But next time won't you think ahead
And remember that it isn't wise
To eat two hundred berry pies?!
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Hug A Bear!
Do you have a moment please
To give this bear just
one small squeeze?
Cuz teddy bears
need hugs to live . . .
So don't you have
just one to give?
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Grin and Bear It!
When I was just a wee little bear
My owner
dragged me everywhere,
Filled me up
with cold mud pie,
Bit my nose
and lost my tie,
Left me
outside in the rain,
Spilled her
juice and left this stain.
But I didn't
whine or even scold,
Cuz she was
only two years old!
And what's a
faithful bear to do
When his
little girl is only two!?
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Teddy Bear Picnic
I
went for a walk in the woods one day
And I met
some nice folks on my way.
They were
having a picnic that bears adore,
With berries
and buns and goodies galore,
Jams and
jellies and strawberry pies,
And a
chocolate cake that was just the right size.
When I went for a walk in the woods that day,
I asked those
folks if I could stay,
To taste
those things that looked so yummy
And help to
fill my empty tummy.
But when I
spoke, to my dismay,
I scared
those friendly folks away!
And even though I didn't ask it . . .
They left
behind their picnic basket!
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The following song was written in honor of one of
childhood's favorite bears, Corduroy. Don Freeman has written a delightful story
that captures the imagination of young readers and now they can sing about him,
too! Enjoy!
A
Song for Corduroy
Cherry Carl
(To the Tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")
Corduroy
sings:
I'm a bear named Corduroy,
Just a fluffy, funny toy.
Walking through this great big store,
Looking all around the floor,
Lost my button; now it's gone,
Someone come and sew it on.
Lisa
sings:
I'm a girl who wants to share
Everyday with such a bear.
Yes, I know your button's gone.
I shall sew a new one on.
If you come and live with me,
Best of friends we'll always be!
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Dinosaur
Ditties
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Silly Saurus
Music and Lyrics by Cherry Carl
Oh, I’m glad I’m not a dinosaur,
‘Cause all they do is growl and roar.
They wave their tails and fume and fight
And now and then they take a bite . . .
Of other beastly, brainless guys
And I don’t think that’s very wise,
So let’s pretend that we can be
Dinosaurs, just you and me.
Silly, silly, saurus,
Mr. (student name) saurus,
Though you growl and roarus,
Be a dinosaurus!
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It's a Bird! It's a Plane!
It's Super Dino!
(Tune: The Daring Young Men on the Flying Trapeze)
They fly through the
air with the greatest of ease,
These daring young dinos can go where they please,
Sailing and soaring on a soft summer breeze
That takes them way up to the tops of the trees.
They take
off and land with their powerful wings,
Gliding and riding like magical things,
Flying so high they make circles and rings,
Ruling the sky like aerokings!
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A Walking Tank
Some dinosaurs are built like tanks.
They'll charge a trachodon point blank.
They wear a helmet on their heads,
Their thorny tail is one to dread!
If they
give a mighty whack,
I guarantee he won't come back!
'Cause if he does, those thorny spikes
Will make him holler, "Yow!" and "Yikes!"
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The King of All the
Dinosaurs
Watch out for Tyrannosaurus Rex
'Cause he bites others on their necks!
His teeth are as sharp as sharp can be
To nibble on neck and nose and knee.
His hind legs make him very tall
But his tiny front legs are just too small
To help him when he wants to eat.
But there's nobody else who dares compete
With the king of all the dinosaurs . . .
He'll bite them all with a deadly roar!
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Vicious
Vegetarians
Vegetarians are mighty vicious!
Unless they always get their wishes
For carrots, corn and cucumbers, too,
These herbivores will growl at you!
Peas, parsley, and baked potatoes,
Turnips and tender green tomatoes
Should follow a great big cabbage pie,
But even that won't satisfy
The need for food that grows up green.
I hope you know just what I mean.
'Cause if you forget to fill their dishes
With vegetables . . . look out, they're vicious!
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Henry!
I had a little dinosaur and Henry was
his name,
Until I found that he was she,
And now it's not the same!
With
all those baby dinosaurs a-running here and there,
Don't you really think I'd better
Call her Henrietta?!
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Allosaurus Afternoon!
Let's ask someone to come and play,
Someone who'll change a boring day.
Why don't we ask an Allosaurus?
I'm very sure he wouldn't bore us!
He has strong legs with heavy claws,
And have you seen his wicked jaws?
He's such a fierce, ferocious beast,
Let's hope he's had his daily feast.
And if we play with Allosaurus,
We'd better hope he'll just ignore us!
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The following poem was inspired by a
group of boys who were really into watching wrestling on T.V. They walked and
talked wrestling and challenged me to write a wrestling poem for dinosaurs!
Dinomania!
I've seen a wrestling match before,
But not between two dinosaurs!
I wonder who will win the fight . . .
The one who roars with every bite?
Or maybe the one who waves his tail
Will make the other whine and wail.
Who'll be the winner to stand before us?
Big Johnodon or Hulkasaurus?
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Fanciful
Food
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Carrots
We love to eat carrots.
They're crunchy and sweet.
We love to eat carrots . . .
Our favorite treat!
Munchy Carrots
Munchy carrots in the summer,
Munchy carrots, orange and sweet,
Munchy carrots for my lunch,
Munchy carrots . . . crunch, crunch, crunch!
Munchy carrots, munchy carrots,
That is all I want to eat.
Munchy carrots, munchy carrots,
Munchy carrots can't be beat!
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Crunch! Crunch!
Crunch!
Let’s have some tacos!
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Crunchy, munchy tacos
For our lunch!
Fill it up with cooked meat.
Tomatoes, if you please.
Sprinkle in some lettuce.
And toss on the cheese.
Now, when you eat your tacos,
You’ll crunch, crunch, crunch.
But if you are not careful,
You will spill your lunch!
www.countryclipart.com
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Fun With Family
and Friends
Sometimes what starts out to be a serious, thoughtful poem
becomes humorous, evoking giggles and glee from parents and children. A teacher
once asked me to write a poem for her students to recite at a school Mother's
Day tea. I fully intended to write something that would get satisfied sighs from
doting mothers, but what came out got laughs instead!
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My Mother, My
Friend
She wants me to be especially good,
And sometimes I am, but
not when I should.
She wants me to grow to be
healthy and strong.
But I can eat junk food all day
long!
She wants me to learn to be
friendly and sweet.
So sometimes I smile at
the people I meet.
She wants me to be so clean and
so tidy,
So I make up my bed every
Tuesday and Friday!
She wants my respect and says
to be kind,
But it's not always easy to
keep that in mind.
This person is special. She's
not like another.
She always loves me . .
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She's my friend and my mother! |
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Friends
You Are My Good
Friends
(Tune: You Are My
Sunshine)
Cherry Carl
You are my
good friends,
My new and
fun friends.
You make me
happy when I’m with you.
We work
together and help each other
‘Cause that’s
what every good friend should do.
We learn to
share stuff,
But we don’t
play rough.
The teacher
says we’re doing fine!
We play
together and help each other
You’re my
good friends, come rain or come shine!
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Fancy Feet!
Cherry Carl
Fancy feet, oh,
fancy feet,
I hear you running
down the street!
But now and then
you stop to greet
All the other feet
you meet.
Some are big and
some are small,
But, fancy feet,
we hear them all!
Some come tapping,
some tiptoe,
Jumping, leaping
high and low!
Others skip and
twirl around,
And hardly ever
touch the ground!
Some are young and
some are new,
But, fancy feet,
we hear each shoe!
Kick a ball, climb
a wall,
Fancy feet can do
it all!
Run the bases,
swim with fins,
Play hopscotch and
twirl and spin!
Fancy feet, oh,
fancy feet,
From heel to toe,
you can’t be beat!
Tenderfoot
Cherry Carl
Corny toes, and
ingrown nails
Make a person
whine and wail!
Bulbous bunions
and wicked warts
Can put a person
out of sorts!
Stub that toe!
There you go!
Hop on one foot,
to and fro!
Blazing blisters,
athletes foot,
Call that person
“tenderfoot!”
Mixed up muscles,
tender toes,
What a whopping
tale of woes!
Stub that toe!
There you go!
Hop on one foot,
to and fro!
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Puppies are family,
too, even though they drive us nuts sometimes! I tried to use visual imagery in
this one about our rose eating rottweilers.
The Puppies Are Tearing
Up the Garden
Cherry Carl
One by one,
Those lovely ladies fall prey
To the frisky frolics of Fritz and Gretchen.
Powerful paws gut the
earth,
Flinging thorny skirted beauties
To the ground.
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Scratch
My grandma always had a knack for working wonders
with a
little bit of this
and little bit of that . . . something she called "scratch."
Empty flour sacks, transformed into tiny tea towels.
Worn out dresses,
Carefully coaxed into comfy quilts.
A spool of thread, a duo of delicate doilies.
Yes, my grandma could work miracles with a little bit of
nothing,
but her most amazing creation was a batch of freshly baked baking soda
biscuits. Mmm . . .
If I close my eyes, I can still smell Grandma’s kitchen and biscuits
from "scratch."
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Poetry can be used to communicate feelings for friends and the
pleasure we derive from shared interests. "Julee's Gems" is an example
of a tribute to a good friend.
Julee's Gems
Bake up a batch of pleasure filled days.
Start with your warmth and wonderful
ways.
Blend in your sweetness as well as
your spice,
And add all the caring that makes
them so nice.
Fill them with newness and wonder and
light,
And stir in the patience until they
feel right.
Throw in a book or a new lovely song,
And sprinkle with love so they never
taste wrong.
Bake them at once at home or afar,
And share them with loved ones
wherever you are.
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Do you have a teenager who is driving you nuts? When one of
your adolescents gets too mouthy and hurts your feelings, try leaving the following poem
on their pillow, or in their lunch. Sometimes one of my teenage girls and I
found it easier to communicate via the pen.
Why?
Cherry Carl
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