Sylvester

This one's a bit nonsensical, and it came to me last night when I should have been studying for finals...

Sylvester the Salamander

K.K. Spence

Sylvester the Salamander slipped below

The silky surface of the sylvan stream

Unfortunately unaware of the undertow

He uttered an unheard, unfinished scream

And was sucked under the ultramarine

Sylvester’s sisters sought their sibling

Scouring the stream’s surrounding slope

In terror their talk turned to quibbling

Till from a treetop one touted true hope

A sighting of a tail of taupe

Sylvester’s sharp sense for scheming

A skill which set his sisters to sigh and frown

Led him to leave lashing and gleaming

His lithe latter end as he was lured down

A stroke of luck for the little clown

Sylvia, the sister who signaled the sight

Scurried straight to the slope, so steep

Dauntless and determined she drove away her fright

And in she dove with a daring leap

And up again with Sylvester, saved from the deep

Some Songs... :)

I just found these two songs I wrote a few years ago.  The first was a marching song (set to the tune of We Will Rock You) for a summer camp, and the second was a way to help my sister study for her test on Romeo and Juliet (set to Hey There, Delilah). 

Camp War Chant

(We Will Rock You)

Flying through the dark sky, black and white

Ruby shoes and a plan, welcome to munchkin land

This is Kansas no more

Yellow brick floor

Need a brain, need a heart, Need a lion’s roar

We will, we will melt you

We will, we will melt you

A Crash Course in Romeo and Juliet 

(Hey There Delilah)

Verse 1:

Romeo loved Juliet

But he wasn’t a Capulet

And Mercutio was killed a brawl

By Tybalt, after the masquerade ball, 
the fateful ball 

Romeo got his revenge 

And was sentenced to banishment  

But the loss of his love hurt most of all 

Juliet, she wept for them all 

For them all

Chorus: 

Oh, a soliloquy; Oh, is a monologue to me 

Oh, an aside you see; Oh, is heard by nobody 

The audience only, oh...

Verse 2:

Plot complications spoil 

Everything, and a foil 

Is someone who provides a contrast 

To the main character, such as 

Such as 

Paris, Tybalt, and Mercutio 

Who are foils for Romeo 

The story ends in tragedy at last 

Not a comedy or history, alas 

Alack, alas

Chorus:

Oh, She’s dead but not really; Oh, Paris’s bride-to-be  

Oh, The apothecary; Oh, there’s so much Irony

So much Irony, oh...

Moving

I've moved 13 times in my 22 years, which prompted me to write a poem about the moving process :) 

What Does Moving Mean?

K.K. Spence

I am thirteen houses old

How many houses old are you?

That means I’ve had thirteen homes

But most people have one or two

It all begins with a sit down talk

You hear you’re moving somewhere new

Moving can be a confusing thing

Is it good or is it bad?

It’s great if you feel excited

But it’s ok if you feel mad

Moving is a lot of things

It’s happy and it’s sad

Moving is about saying goodbye

Though it also means hello

Goodbye is not just what you say

Right before you go

Goodbyes can take a long, long time

And they’re for everything you know

You can say goodbye to your room

And to places where you play

To your neighbors and your friends

To your street and the driveway

Sometimes writing letters helps

When you’ve got a lot to say

Friends can keep your letters forever

So that when they miss you most

They can read your letter and feel

That though you’re gone, you’re close

You can keep on thinking of them

And it’s not the same, but almost

Once your goodbyes have begun

To your treehouse and Molly and Jack

It’s time to start to say short goodbyes

To the things that you’ll get back

And you can help with the boxes

As your special things get packed

They disappear for just a short time

And it’s so much fun in your new house

When the boxes open up again

And all your things come out

Because they were in the old house too

You’ll love them more, no doubt

Then the hellos start to be said

As neighbors come to call

And there’s a new street, a new park

A new doctor and new mall

A new town, a new address

And you get to explore it all!

Whether you’re moving an hour away

Or to a far away shore

There’s a new house, a new room

Maybe a new friend next door

It doesn’t mean your old friends are lost

It just means that you have more

And suddenly you’ve grown up some

Counting houses, you’ve turned two

You have memories from your old house

And you’ll make more in the new

And no matter how many times you move

Your memories move with you

Silly Band Anthem

I wrote this poem at the peak of the silly band craze for a class assignment. 

Silly Band Anthem

K.K. Spence

Our teacher is ruthless,

She’ll take what you bring,

Saying silly bands are useless,

silly little things.

“But how can you say that?”

We protest as one,

"When they’re small and flat

And just so much fun.

Before you confiscate

Let an argument be made,

Let us demonstrate,

We’re sure to persuade.

You can hold them,

unfold them,

Curl them, twirl them.

They’re to trade with,

And To be played with.

They’ll bring you a smile,

They’re everyone’s style,

Simple but varied,

Easily carried,

Colorful, with flair,

Wonderful to wear,

And educational too,

Like this Kangaroo

To teach zoology,

There’s a fantasy set

When we reach mythology,

A question mark

When punctuation’s a mystery, 

The Lincoln Memorial

When we learn US history,

For geography:

A map of the State;

Wait......

Dare we celebrate?

Hip hip hooray for silly bands!

Our favorite

Shaped bracelets

Are no longer banned!"

Big Sister Boot Camp

This poem came during recess after discussing big-sisterhood with a third grader.

Big Sister Boot Camp

K.K. Spence

Dear little sister,

I think you should know:

I love you like a blister

on the bottom of my toe.

I’m not trying to be mean,

but it seems only fair,

because mom says you’re beautiful

and you don’t even have hair.

Dad says you’re perfect

but all you do is cry. 

Grandma calls you, “little miracle.”

Frankly, I don’t see why.

But don’t be fooled by their words

They said that about me too.

The world is full of long division and verbs

And it’s my job to warn you.

Evenings bring broccoli and bath time,

When you’re five they’ll send you to school.

Though to you the world may seem kind,

The wrath of “eat your spinach” is cruel.

So baby, boot camp starts today.

And however mean it may seem,

Disregard the tough things I say,

Because, as sisters, we’re a team.

The Night's Lullaby

For my first post it seems appropriate to share one of my first poems, written in 2002.

The 

Night’s Lullaby

K.K. Spence

As the dark quiet night draws near

Listen for the soft sounds you may hear

Mother robin hushing her young

Wishing them dreams of songs unsung

Old bullfrog croaks without a care

Deeply inhaling cool night air

Little raccoon escaping his tree

Wise owl hooting, eyes opened to see

Fish jumping one last time

Brown squirrel on a late night climb

A cow lulling her calf to sleep

Gentle good nights baaed by sheep

Horse settling down in his stall

Small mouse, quietest of all

Tom barn cat’s wide mouthed yawn

Sweet mother doe calling her fawn

Lights out, all is still

Spider asleep on the windowsill

It is high time you were in bed

Close your eyes rest your head

Listen to the night’s lullaby 

Dream sweet dreams, good night, Good-bye