I'm trying something new, taking a risk this month - participating in#VerseLove with Sarah Donovan,
hoping to write poetry every day this April.
Today's challenge is, for a second day, inspired by the poetry of Frank O'Hara; here, we are using his poem "Lines for the Fortune Cookies." I decided to write fortunes with a preschool lens - seventeen fortunes for the 17th of April.
Preschool Fortunes
1. If you have cardboard, you have the world.
2. An hour playing with blocks is a minute, a minute in tantrum is an hour.
3. Small hops can take you far, unless you are in a box.
4. One who floats teacups in the toilet shows great imagination.
5. To eat with fork is divine, to eat while holding fork in toes is sublime.
6. Routines are made to be broken.
7. To use the bathroom, the only time better than now is five minutes ago.
8. It is always a good time to take one’s shoes off.
9. If someone has what you want, grab it and run.
10. That puddle on the far side of the road wants you to jump in and stomp.
11. You have been told that before.
12. To be curious is to have the bead up your nose.
13. Monsters cannot talk but they are everywhere.
14. If you are wearing your finest, it is time to paint.
15. There is a time to talk and a time to be quiet; you will talk at all times.
16. To wipe the spill from a small cup of water requires 1000 paper towels.
17. If at first you don’t succeed, ask again, ask again, ask again.
Denise Krebs, from Sarah Donovan's poetry website:
ReplyDeleteOh, Maureen, this is just too much love and fun and sweetness rolled into a lot of fortunes for preschoolers. Some favorites: “To use the bathroom, the only time better than now is five minutes ago.” and “If someone has what you want, grab it and run” made me guffaw!
The last three just made me long to be in a room full of preschoolers enjoying this chaotic scene–the talking, the spilling and the ask-ask-asking. Well done!
Betsy Jones, from Sarah Donovan's poetry website:
ReplyDeleteMaureen, this poem was such a joy! I giggled at each line. Such wisdom (and chaos) from the lives of preschoolers. Your poem reminds me of the Tao of Pooh …how we can learn so much about life and ourselves from the microcosm of our classroom. Thank you for sharing your piece with us!
Jennifer Jowett, from Sarah Donovan's poetry website:
ReplyDeleteI am loving every line of this, every word of it. I most especially love the first one – it is truly everything And #9 made me laugh aloud. My son stuck a small green bead the size of a pea up his nose and now I know why!
kimjohnson66, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of Poetry website:
ReplyDeleteMaureen, I am in love with these fortunes! Reminiscent of Robert Fulghum – – I love 4, 7, 9, and 12 the very best. It would be SO nice if the monsters in OUR world didn’t talk! These are priceless pearls of wisdom gleaned from astute observations! This would be a perfect Open House poster :). Thank you for putting a smile in my heart today.
Margaret G Simon, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of Poetry website:
ReplyDeleteOh, my, I love these! The voice of the pre-k teacher with all of her fine patience comes through. Ask again, ask again, ask again…
Susie Morice, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of Poetry website:
ReplyDeleteMaureen — This is absolutely wonderful! It screams little kids! SOOOOO FUN! The voice that conveys that adult amusement in all the screwy things that little kids do and think about is priceless here. I loved every one of these — seriously, you should send this somewhere for publication… I have no idea where, but a children’s/parents’ magazine or NCTE’s journal, Language Arts … get this baby out there! My favorites: To be curious is to have the bead up your nose. If you are wearing your finest, it is time to paint. One who floats teacups in the toilet shows great imagination. — but I loved every single one. Thanks, Susie
glenda funk, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of Poetry website:
ReplyDeleteMaureen,
OMG this is amazing, amazing, amazing. I laughed at the philosophical tone that underpins the humor. I have so many favorites:
“An hour playing with blocks is a minute, a minute in tantrum is an hour.” Time both crawls and flies, yes?
“ One who floats teacups in the toilet shows great imagination.” 😂 Thought I might have an accident reading that one.
#5 reminded me of a student I taught years ago. She was in a wheelchair and held a pen in her left foot to write. She’s the only student I ever let kick me. I had her in English and in debate. A couple months into the school year she died in a car accident. That broke my heart. I loved her so much.
#7 surely must be informed by a need to always have spare clothing at school. LOL! Students’ needs change over the years. I kept tampons and deodorant on hand for students.
Love the personification of the puddle in #10
#12 “To be curious is to have the bead up your nose.“ Ouch! 😂
Thank you!
—Glenda
Shaun, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of Poetry website:
ReplyDeleteThis is great! So many great images most of us are familiar with, and still relate to as adults! I’ve seen #9 a few times during this little recess we’ve been having.
gayle sands, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of Poetry website:
ReplyDeleteOK, Maureen. We both live in Maryland. When this madness is over, we must have lunch, or a legal beverage, or something. I feel a kindred spirit in you! These fortunes made my heart sing—so lighthearted, so true, and…numbers 7, 11, and 9. Thank you!