GOING BUGGY!: Original Insect Poems

Here is my second themed post for National Poetry Month. This time I’m highlighting many of my original poems about insects. Tricia’s Monday Poetry Stretch at The Miss Rumphius Effect this week is Going Buggy!

Here’s a link to my first themed poetry post—A Passel of Space Poems.

Note: You may also want to check out MINNOW MUSIC: An Original Mask Poem. The post includes two more animal mask poem—as well as links to several others.

MASK POEMS

Inchworm

I’m a little inchworm

Making my way
Along this forsythia
Branch today.

I arch…then stretch

And forward ho!
That’s how I get to
Where I go.

My mode of travel’s

Odd, I’d say.
I’m such a slowpoke.
That’s okay.

When I get bigger,

By and by,
Why, I’ll grow wings
And then I’ll fly!

Honeybee

I’m buzzing here; I’m buzzing there.

I’m visiting the flowers where
I sip the syrup, thick and sweet,
And powder my six little feet.

I’m fuzzy here; I’m fuzzy there.

I like the fuzzy suit I wear.
It’s yellow, black, and trimmed to fit.
It has flight wings attached to it!

A stinger’s fixed on my rear end—

A weapon so I can defend
Against intruders who would take
The sunny honey that I make

And seal inside a waxy comb

And store for winter in my home.
I’m busy…busy every day
In spring and summer. I don’t play…

Just do the duties that I must:

Collecting nectar, pollen dust,
And guarding my sweet food and hive.
But, still, it’s great to be alive!

Worker Bees

We’re sweet syrup sippers.
We’re nectar collectors.
We’re reapers of pollen
And beehive protectors.
We tend to the babies.
We keep our home clean.
We make royal jelly
For drones and our queen.
In summer we fan our hot hive
With our wings…
Make honey and wax.
We do SO many things.
We’re buzzing and busy
With chores through the day.
A worker bee’s life
Is ALL WORK and NO play.

Monarch Caterpillar

I’m a monarch caterpillar

Nibbling away
On a tasty milkweed leaf today.

I’m munchin’

Crunchin’
Crunchin’
Munchin’
Enjoying this luscious leafy luncheon.

I’m growing bigger bite by bite.

My skin is feeling really tight.
I bet I’ll split my stripes tonight!

Crickets

When quiet fills an August night

And fireflies dot the dark with light
And birds are nestled in the trees
And leaves are whispering in the breeze
And moonlight shimmers in the sky,
We strum a summer lullaby…
A dreamy sleepy cheepy songT
o serenade you all night long.

Silkworm Pupa

This silken nest

Is where I’ll rest
And sleep and change
And rearrange
Myself into another me.

In this small space,

This creamy case,
Six legs I’ll grow,
Four wings—and oh…
Can’t wait to see the me I’ll be.

Dragonfly

Long, long ago

before dinosaurs
roamed the land
I flew through prehistoric skies,
my glassy wings glistening in sunlight.

Long, long ago

I printed my image
in mud,
then melted into Earth’s memory.

Now

you can see me
stenciled on the stony pages
of time.

ACROSTICS

Chirping in the dark, their song

Resonates

In still air. A

Chorus of summer night strummers in concert with

Katydids

Entertaining warm evenings with

Their

Symphony of wings.

Case spun

Of creamy silken threads,

Cozy cottage for

One, changing room

Of a sleeping pupa who will awaken to a

New self.

CINQUAIN

Cocoon

Creamy silken
Sack—sleeping bag for one
Young dreamer whose wish for wings will
Come true

HAIKU

Swaddled in white silk

Spinning dreams of a future
that will end too soon

Easy & Inexpensive DIY Easter Bags Tutorial

See these personalized Easter bags?

They cost less than $5 each and took about 15 minutes to make.  Want to know more?  Then head on over to one of my favorite blogs, 30 Handmade Days, where I'm guest posting, for the full how to.  You can tweak this project to make so many different things - shirts, onesies, tote bags, hats.... you name it, you can personalize it easily and inexpensively.  How fun is that?

And while you're there, be sure to check out all of the fun projects that Mique shares. Some of my recent faves?  The Hoppy Easter Cupcake Printables:

Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats:

And this fun "I'm Sew Lucky" Printable idea that makes me want to throw a crafting party just so I can give these out as favors:

And there's so much more where those came from!  So head on over and check out my DIY Easter Bag tutorial and all of the other projects at 30 Handmade Days.

AND THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations LORI A!  You've won a copy of Sarah Pekkanen's new book Skipping a Beat!

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Friday, April 8th to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen. 

Big thanks to Sarah Pekkanen for generously offering this wonderful giveaway!  If you haven't already, be sure to check out Shipping a Beat and her other novel, The Opposite of Me.  You can read my reviews of both here - I promise, you won't be disappointed!

The Global Poem for Change

I received an email from Ruby Veridiano of LitWorld (a global literacy organization) yesterday. Ruby asked if I’d help spread word about LitWorld’s special 2011 National Poetry Month campaign to create an expansive poem written by contributors from all over the world. It’s called the Global Poem for Change. Poet Naomi Shihab Nye provided the poem’s beginning line:

I send my words out into the air, listening from yours from everywhere.

You can find out more about the project in the following video:

Here are two more lines that other contributors have added to the poem:

I hear your heart with ancient beat. Your soaring mind your sprinting feet.

Come with me to dreams uncharted. End your sadness Hope has started.

Would you like to celebrate National Poetry Month by contributing a line to the Global Poem for Change?

What words would you like to send out into the air?

Submit a line of your own at litworld.org/poem and watch the Poem GROW at litworld.org/poemblog.

Ruby says: “We need Your Words to Change Worlds.”

Show Me the Bling! {GIVEAWAY}

I've posted about lilsteinstyles featuring sam-n-i several times before, but I love their adorable and wallet-friendly clothing so much that I just had to share their latest design with you.  Behold the Gold Chain Initial tee:

I mean really!  Can you stand it?  This bad boy comes in sizes ranging from 0-3 months for lil' ballers:

To 12-14 for teens who want a little bling.  And here's my favorite part - they're just $9 each!  I think they're technically meant for boys, but I don't care - Gabrielle and Alaina are going to ROCK these big time.  Now I just need to get them some Adidas....

And two of you are going to be blinging big time, too, because lilsteinstyles featuring sam-n-i has generously offered to give away TWO Gold Chain Initial Tees to TWO different AFOMFT readers!  That's right - we'll be picking two winners who will get two shirts each.  To enter, visit lilsteinstyles and post a comment here telling me what your favorite item in the store is besides the Gold Initial Tees (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Publicly follow the lilsteinstyles blog Then There Was Five
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook 
• "Like" lilsteinstyles on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Follow lilsteinstyles & AFOMFT on Twitter (@lilsteinstyles & @AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  #Win two blinged out Gold Chain Initial tees for your kiddos from @lilsteinstyles at @AFOMFT- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here - - to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did. You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends April 12th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on April 13th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: lilsteinstyles