April 21, 2006

Poetry Friday: Lines for my children now that the grass is greening up...

and our school moves outdoors:

From
"Lines Written for Gene Kelly to Dance To"
by Carl Sandburg

Spring is when the grass turns green and glad.
Spring is when the new grass comes up and says, "Hey, hey!
Hey, hey!"
Be dizzy now and turn your head upside down and see how
the world looks upside down.
Be dizzy now and turn a cartwheel, and see the good earth
through a cartwheel.

Tell your feet the alphabet.
Tell your feet the multiplication table.
Tell your feet where to go, and, and watch 'em go and come back.

Can you dance a question mark?
Can you dance an exclamation point?
Can you dance a couple of commas?
And bring it to a finish with a period?

Can you dance like the wind is pushing you?
Can you dance like you are pushing the wind?
Can you dance with slow wooden heels
and then change to bright and singing silver heels?
Such nice feet, such good feet.

(from Rainbows Are Made: Poems by Carl Sandburg, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, with wood engravings by Fritz Eichenberg)

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