by
Ed DeCaria
My nostrils flare to greet
a subtle drift of something sweet;
Like perfume of a princess,
on my nose it takes a seat.
A savory sensation,
a surprising nasal treat;
One tantalizing trace, I know
my life is now complete.
An odor so omnipotent,
an essence so elite;
A fragrance so phenomenal,
it simply can't be beat.
Impossibly provocative
for something so petite;
There's really nothing else quite like...
the smell
of my own feet.
© Ed DeCaria. All rights reserved.
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| Ed's Home on the Web |
I "met" Ed before Madness began, connected by our shared love of baseball and poetry (and baseball poetry). And what I've learned since is that he's got one of those creative genius minds I love being around - from launching and running an event at his site that must've exhausted himself to writing about baseball stats to creating incredibly clever, inventive poetry to uniting a community, he makes it all seem fun and effortless. I'm a fan, clearly, and I'm exceedingly excited to get a chance to shine a light on Ed DeCaria's poetry today here at 30 Poets/30 Days.
Yesterday, Leslie Bulion gave us The Theory of Everything. Tomorrow, Education/Application from Hope Anita Smith! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.
21 comments:
That's brilliant, Ed. Well done!
Hee hee! Such a lovely buildup for something so stinky! (At least I imagine that Ed's feet are stinky...maybe they really do smell like "the perfume of a princess.") I, too, am a fan of Ed's choice of words...and his fun and open spirit too! a.
I'd only briefly "met" Ed DeCaria through one of his poems before the March Madness thingy, and I thought he was amazing then. Post-Madness, I think he's brilliantly insane - or insanely brilliant, one of the two. His star is definitely rising, and I definitely want to see what he'll do next!
Well done! I loved this. But tell Ed to keep his shoes on.
Really fun and clever Ed. Thanks for sharing your talent!
Hi everyone!
Thank you, Greg, for posting Something Sweet and for your kind introduction.
Anyone who wants to LISTEN to me read this poem aloud can find an audio recording at http://www.thinkkidthink.com/something-sweet-mp3/.
Until the end of April, this mp3 is ONLY available by clicking the link above!
Check it out, tell me what you think about the recording, and vote your opinion on audio recordings of kids' poetry in general.
Thanks!
-Ed
I did not know Ed's feet were such a delight. This is always a good thing to know about a person before inviting them to take off their shoes and relax a bit in your nasal neighborhood. I am wondering if he is a bit prejudiced though, and just decided to write a wonderful ode to his feet regardless of their odorworthiness.
Catherine and Penny -- thanks for the compliments!
AmyLV -- I generally don't put "characters" in my poems so that readers can make them their own. So, these could be YOUR feet!
Tanita -- thank you so much for your enthusiastic support! The Madness was fun, and it's here to stay, but I've got lots more ideas to help us all put poetry front and center for kids in their homes, at schools, and when they're on the go. This is just the beginning!
Kevan -- don't worry, my shoes are usually on in public.
I can just see some kid with his nose in his toes. Love it, Ed.
Good job, Ed! It's not easy to wrap up a poem with a twist like that (and believe I know!)...look forward to seeing what you come up with next!
What good fun, Ed - well done!
Aw-w, I thought it was a love poem, & maybe it is! You make me laugh, which is a great thing (for me, that is). Thanks for the stinky poem!
Okay, I applied the wrong settings to my hidden mp3 back at TKT. Follow THIS LINK (same as above) but you must enter the password "30p30d" and then you will be able to listen to the mp3. Thanks!
Donna -- I'm not suggesting that anyone put anyone else's feet in their "nasal neighborhood" ... just their own feet should suffice.
Doraine -- I see kids smelling their own feet, or putting them in their mouth, all the time. No self-consciousness or sense of oddity. They simply feel like smelling their feet (or worse), and bob downward unabashedly until they are satisfied! Kids are hilarious.
Matt and Renee -- thank you, both.
Linda -- yes, it is a love poem of sorts. Go listen to the audio; I think it's even more convincing!
I think, Ed, you should make the poem in scrath n sniff format, too. As bookmarks. No kid would ever forget you if you left that behind....
See, Greg, now THAT'S what I'm talking about in terms of new forms. Actually that's still a book, but you've inspired me nonetheless: Look out editors and agents -- a query may be coming your way soon for a full scratch 'n sniff poetry book!
I actually have another finished poem about a stinky hat, so let's call it 2 down, maybe 10 to go for a nice, tight poetry book targeted toward 7-9 year olds.
Love Greg's Scratch-n-Sniff idea! Woo hoo! Ed, it's been great "meeting" you this spring through your utterly crazy and wildly successful Madness tournament - thanks again for starting off Poetry Month on the right foot (sorry - couldn't help myself...).
There was I desperate to know just what it was - so many lovely things floating through my own nostrils in anticipation... oh, dear. But funny.
Thanks Robyn, and thanks Liz.
Liz, what's funny to me is that unlike all of you as readers, I worked up from the punchline to the rest of it as I wrote. So, I have never not known what awaited my senses at the end of the poem. Interesting to hear that it really was a surprise. (But, I suppose, how could it not be if reading it for the first time?) What I'm pleased with is that even when it's NOT a surprise -- and after the hundredth or so read it tends not to be -- I still think it's pretty funny every time I read it.
Thank you both again for reading and commenting!
I agree...he is a super talented poet. I love how his voice is so unique and the way he uses space so creatively.
Ew, gross. Laughed aloud, Ed.
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