by
Eileen Spinelli
Praying mantis
near my door
I wonder what
you're praying for.
A meal, perhaps,
a gentle wife,
a simple
well-blessed
mantis life?
And should the day
bring rain
and thunder,
a sturdy leaf
to shelter under.
© 2010 Eileen Spinelli. All rights reserved.
Truth is, of course, I don't think anyone can write like her. It's not just that I love her point of view and wonderful words. Beyond that... well... when I used to do a lot of read-alouds in my volunteer librarian gig, I knew that if I was rushing in at the last minute, I could just grab one of Eileen Spinelli's picture books and be set. The books, like her poems, always read perfectly - you can't mess 'em up! That is incredible to me and something I admire greatly... just part of why I'm so glad to have Eileen Spinelli here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
Yesterday we had These rules are here for your protection from Arthur A. Levine. Tomorrow... Lesson from Bobbi Katz! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.
9 comments:
Ooh! She makes it look easy - but I know it isn't!
Thanks for this one,
Namaste,
Lee
Beautiful! I see what you mean, Greg -- the rhythms are so graceful that they make the reader sound good.
Perfectly simple and simply perfect.
Love the "gentle wife"--ha! And the sturdy leaf...beautiful. Thanks for sharing this.
And Eileen's Polar Bear, Arctic Hare (or maybe I have that backwards?) is one of my favorite collections!
I love this one
Nice!
A new, fresh look at this beautiful bug. Thanks!
Hah! The mantis had better keep praying about that "gentle" wife.
This poem feels so well shaped - a perfectly cadenced march from beginning to end.
Ditto what Tanita said in her comment!
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