By: Julia Rowe
(The students all got to come up with their own titles for their individual poetry books. I think Julia hit the nail on the head here with her own title.)
Inside the cover, we get to learn a little more about Julia Rowe, poet-in-training:
Okay, first of all: Cortnuy?? Would that be "nuy" as in "buy" or as in the French pronunciation of the name "Guy"? If the latter, then WOW! - Julia is a linguistic genius to come up with that sounding-out of the end of my name! I think she is going to be a FRENCH MASTER!
Secondly, it would have probably been better if Julia had written "Auntie Shannon" because it kind of sounds like Ethan has himself TWO women. I mean, Shannon IS my sister, but not my sister-wife, here, Jules.
And thirdly: yep, when she's not at school you pretty much CAN find Julia galliping around the house. If she's not galliping around the house, she's quietly stewing (or loudly stewing, sometimes) over the fact that I made her stop galliping because our downstairs neighbors are home.
Ooookay. Moving on to the real meat of the book here: the poems. I'll share a few of my favorites.
"The important thing about water is that it is cleir. It is in the sink. It can make bubbels when you use a straw. It can be from a river. It is helthy for you. But the important thing about water is that it is clear."
(Alternatively, one could say that the important thing about water is that without it you would die. But I guess it being clear is important, too, because if it's not clear, uh, well, there's a good chance you'll die of cholera if you drink it.)
Onwards:
"I wish I had 100 cupcakes.
I wish I had 100 names.
I wish I had 100 arms.
But I'd never want 100 sharks."
To the right of this poem, Julia wrote what appears to be a handful of the 100 names she wishes she had. I noticed that at least 4 of them are the names of American Girl dolls.
Also, why does she want 100 arms? I feel like that might be uncomfortable.
Anyway, next up is my FAVORITE of all Julia's poems:
"Happiness is helping others. Happiness is kind and loveing. Happiness is giving something to someone. Happiness is dreming sweat drems. Happiness is haveing all the things you need. Happiness is just being me."
Well, that just sends warm tingles all through my heart, Jules! I'm so glad you're happy just being you! And also, I definitely drem sweat drems at night so I guess I have a lot of happiness too.
And then we have this one:
I can't wait for summer so we can frequent our usual summer haunt, Rosemary Pool, and feel the sand skwishing betchwein our toes!
Next up:
Julia definitely WAS rambunckshis on her real birthday. She didn't do the cha cha, though. Maybe next year.
Another heart-warmer follows:
The first thing I thought when I read this is: I am SO glad that Julia loves her house, because Ethan and I definitely spend too much time noticing our house's inadequacies instead of viewing it as the place where we keep our family warm and safe. Then I realized that Julia colored this house yellow and blue. Our house is red. And the girl in the picture has red hair. So now I think that Julia wasn't ACTUALLY professing love for our house, and was instead writing about her drem house that she concocted in her mind while she was dreming a sweat drem.
Oh well.
And on to one of the more bizarre of Julia's poems:
I don't even know what to say about that one. I'm speechless.
Then there's Julia's "I Come From" poem, which I recently shared on facebook. I am definitely well aware of the irony of her spelling of "ejukashon" at the bottom of the page. Next to a backwards music note.
And finally:
I love this one: how Shel Silverstein-esque! A witty little conclusion to a VERY important book of poems!
Madeleine is not writing poems yet, but she is picking up more turns of phrases by the day. And in typical Madeleine style, she feels free to use these manners of speech without even actually knowing what they mean.
Conversation with Madeleine upon picking her up from the childcare room at the Y:
MADELEINE: Mama! I made an OBSTACLE course!
ME: You did? An obstacle course?
MADELEINE: Yeah! And Mama. I made up my MIND.
ME: Great!
MADELEINE: (silent, reflecting) But Mama? What does "made up my MIND" mean?
I like your courage, Madeleine. Very bold and daring! Talk first, ask questions later!
'Til next time, this is Cortnuy signing off...
I sure was rambunckshis, did the cha cha, and ate my birthday cake yesterday cuse it was my birthday!
ReplyDeleteJulia is my granddaughter’s name
ReplyDeleteAnd, although this poem may be lame
I had to reply with cadence and rhyme
To let her know her poems are sublime.
I think that water should always be cleir
When it’s not, I say “oh dear.”
For what we drink should be clean
Because dirty water is really mean
100 days might be my wish
Even more than my favorite dish
Because when you’re old you start to change
Desserts lose appeal over days, so strange
But maybe I’d wish you 100 arms
No, not so you could wear 100 charms
Not even so you could flick 100 bugs
But to give your Yiayia 100 hugs
On happiness, you are very wise
Since realizing love in its disguise
Most times we think we just want to be happy
Even to the point of being sappy
But all we really need is love
That is all the world needs to be made of
I like to feel the sand in my hands
But in your toes can also be grand
Especially when you combine these two
A beach party and a birthday party too
That sound like it would be a lot of fun
You could even gallop and swim and run
And because it was your special day
You could be rambunckshis
And just play and play.
You could even invite the pillow-eating gout
And put him in a little boat
Let him float and float and float
And put your pillow between to moats
Your house is beautiful, yes it’s true
Inside of it there’s so much to do
You could color or gallop, or pretend play
And you could do this every day.
Your house is special through and through
Because of your family and, certainly, you!
I love you always til the end of time
And am so grateful that you are mine! XOXO, Yiayia
Good job Yiayia!!!!
DeleteJulia's response to your poem: "I like it. No, I LOVE it! It's a rhyming poem. AND it's all the things in my poetry book!"
Delete