It's almost here! April! National Poetry Month! So here is a poem for you to think about:
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then she whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.
Who came up with that? It's a nursery rhyme—which, I assume, means that you read (or recite) this little piece of poetry to your sweet, cherub-faced tots, either for amusement or as a thought to fall asleep on. But this . . . this thing must strike fear into the hearts of little children!
I can see that this harried woman might live in a shoe—or a house as small as a shoe (or maybe as smelly as a shoe); I can relate to that. And "so many children, she didn't know what to do. . ." I can relate to that, too. But feeding them broth without even a crust to sop, and then beating them before she sends them to bed . . . ? Well, OK. Sometimes I can relate to that, too.
But these days she could go to prison for that kind of thing! Really—it's not cute or funny!
So this year's Poetry Challenge is to rescue this very large family, and keep DCFS from breathing down their necks. You may choose from either of these two challenges:
Challenge 1. Change only the third and fourth lines to make her into a better mother. The meter (rhythm of the words) must remain the same, and lines three and four must rhyme with each other.
(I've already come up with the easy answer, so be creative!)
Or:
Challenge 2. Re-write the entire rhyme to make it happier—but it still must be a woman who lives in a shoe (or some kind of very small home) with lots of children. Lines one and two must rhyme with each other, lines three and four must rhyme with each other, and the meter must remain the same as the original poem. (Tricky!)
* The contest will end on Friday, April 10, 2012 at 12 p.m. (noon)
* Post your entries as comments on my blog at any time between now (March 26) and then (April 10).
* You may enter as many poems as you can think of. Just remember, this is a family-friendly blog (except for this nursery rhyme) and my children will read your poems, too.
* There will be one winner in each of two categories: Children (up to 12 years old), and Everyone Else (older than 12)
* All entries must be in by Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at noon.
* Winners will be announced by 10 p.m. on April 10. (Indulge me—April 10 is my birthday! Your poems can be an easy, inexpensive birthday gift. :-) )
The winner of the Children's Division will receive a Loralee's Fancy Poetry Contest certificate and they will receive their choice of a big bag of Skittles or M&M's.
The winner of the Everyone Else division of this year's Poetry Challenge will receive a Loralee's Fancy Poetry Contest certificate, and a plate of my Amazing Mint Brownies —rich, moist, chewy brownies, slathered with mint buttercream frosting, and topped with rich chocolate ganache. (If the winner lives more than 30 miles from me, or doesn't like brownies—???—we can make different arrangements later ☺).
And both of the winning poems will be posted on my blog as the "poem of however long it takes Loralee to change it for a new one."
So put on your poet caps! I can't wait to read your creative ideas!
18 comments:
So, here's my first entry. It's probably your easy fix, but that's okay. :)
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth with all of her bread,
Then she tucked them in soundly when they were in bed.
Here's another one.
There was an old woman who lived in a box.
She had lots of children, and one was a fox!
She loved them all dearly, or so it was told,
So she kept having children, although she was old.
Maybe this rhyme was made so that children would think they didn't have it so bad. They could go to bed at night and think "I'm so grateful that my mom doesn't beat me before sending me to bed, and not only that but I got bread with dinner too!"
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave each one a purse with a bag full of money,
Then she told them all proudly, 'now you can buy honey!'
Maybe so, Michael! :)
Here is one of my entrys:
There was an old women who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them a cow (except for the head).
Then she hugged them all nicely and sent them to bed. ;)
Here is another one;
There was a young women who lived in a pipe.
She sent all her children to look for a snipe.
They all came right back with faces quite sad.
She kissed them all sweetly and told them "Be Glad!"
and one more for me;
There was a small woman who lived in a tree.
She had a few children all counting to three.
She gave them some soup and a loaf of bread each.
and they all went right out and played on the beach.
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She said it was time to go on vacation,
So they went to the beach without a play-station.
So, I decided to wait until the very last day. Here it goes:
There was an old woman who lived in a jug.
She had so many children, she couldn’t feel snug.
She informed her spouse a new home was past due,
So they packed up their bags and moved into a shoe.
There was an old woman who lived in a fiddle.
She had many children, and gave each a riddle.
To get them all going she offered a prize;
A red rubber squid, with ninety-nine eyes.
There was an old woman who lived in a knoll.
She had more children than even a mole.
When they were young, she taught them a game,
and now they are old, and play it the same.
There was an old lady who lived on a penny
She had a small son whos name was Benny
Whenever he cried she rushed to his side
She called him a sweet boy
Then she gave him a toy
There was a young lady who was a vet
She gave her children any pet
They asked,"May we have a rabbit?"
"Don't give it a bad habbit."
"What about a bird?"
She thought,"Well, that's not absurd."
It was when they asked for a snake
That she began to shake
There was a young women who lived in a peach
She gave her children $100 each
She told them to spend it on bikes and candy
And their lives were all fine and dandy
There was an old lady who lived in a shoe
She loved her grandchildren, and they loved her, too
On Tuuesday morning, they all went biking
On Saturday morning, they all went hiking
There was a young lady who lived in a school house
It had a pool complete with a pool house
She had a girl whose name was Limming
And every day they both went swimming
This (I think) is my last poem:
There was an old woman who lived in the butter,
She had many children who made her heart flutter,
She gave them some toast and some rasberry jam,
Then she kissed them all dearly and gave them a ham.
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