wow i've looked at all of the litblogs and they were all very interesting. there was such a variety of posts from the romantics to humour to childrens to haiku. obviously justin's litblog (with the animations) was really well done. for jennifer's and monica's, i had some trouble as to where i can post but they were both great blogs. several people wrote quite interesting poems, some were humourous while others had lots of meaning. there were also some great reviews of books and movies and links to other blogs. way to go people!

Alligator Pie

alligator
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

Alligator pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die.
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away my alligator pie.

Alligator stew, alligator stew,
If I don't get some I don't know what I'll do.
Give away my furry hat, give away my shoe,
But don't give away my alligator stew.

Alligator soup, alligator soup,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna droop.
Give away my hockey stick, give away my hoop,
But don't give away my alligator soup.

This children's poem is written by Dennis Lee. For me, the reason why I love children's poetry is that they can be so overly exaggerated and extremely hilarious. This is obviously not as good as others by Dr. Seuss or Louis Carroll but I still like it. It reminds me of when I asked for outrageous things when I was much younger.

Up Ahead

drinking & driving
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

Up ahead…..the traffic has slowed to a halt,
but it’s not rush-hour,
it’s the middle of the day.

Up ahead…..lights flash, sirens wail,
as one person stands by the side of the road
in shock and covered in blood,
while another paces,
paces,
paces.

Up ahead….. drivers stretch their necks to get a good look,
showing no concern, no emotion,
trying to catch a glimpse,
a sick ‘blood sport’,
just entertainment.

Up ahead…..a mother cries,
her son dying in her arms,
one driver with too much to drink,
the other with a family destroyed,
and the traffic passes by slowly,
uncaring, just looking for a good show.

Up ahead…..it could have been you,
or a loved one,
a friend or companion,
someone dear.

Up ahead…..they would look you over
to see what had happened,
enjoying the spectacle.

Up ahead…..please keep driving,
and let the emergency crews do their work,
instead of trying to catch a glance.

Just pray for the victims as you pass by.

This is another poem by David Ronald Bruce Pekrul. I liked how he repeated the two words "Up ahead" at the beginning of each stanza. I also like how the topic of this poem is so realistic and I can imagine all the reactions mentioned. So remember people, don't drink and drive!

Frozen With Fear

garfield
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

I sit in this chair, frozen with fear,
as my tormentor stands before me,
an evil grin upon his face,
tools of torture in his grasp.

Waves of nausea envelope me
and I am numb.
I try to move and resist,
but his accomplice steps in
and thwarts my efforts.

I am helpless,
and at the mercy of this madman.

Resistance is futile.

I see him approach with out-stretched arms,
and feel the pain and the agony.
I hear the sound of bone
being ripped from my flesh,

.......as the dentist pulls another tooth.

This poem is also by David Ronald Bruce Pekrul. When I first read this poem, I had no idea what he was talking about until the last line. It was a surprise to me. However when I read it again, it really reminded me of my own experiences.

alien

alien
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

Alien Beings (ABC)

Alien
Beings
Controlled
Destructive
Energy,
Frequently
Granting
Horrible
Injuries.
Jealously
Killing
Lesser
Men.

Notoriously
Obliterating
Politicians,
Quickly,
Relentlessly.

Seductively
Tempting
Unwitting
Voluptuous
Women.

X-raying
Young
Zombies.

This poem by David Ronald Bruce Pekrul is unique in that for each word of each new line starts with the next letter of the alphabet. In this short simple poem, there are some nice use of adjectives and adverbs. I also find it quite funny.

Canadian eh?

canadian eh?
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

Here is a simple site to some Canadian poets and poetry:

http://www.youngpoets.ca/history/history.php

In the Notes from the Underground section, there is a short excerpt of a poem by Miriam Waddington called "What is Canadian".

What is a Canadian

anyway? A mountain, a maple

leaf, a prairie, a Niagara Fall,

a trail beside the Atlantic, a

bilingualism, a scarred mosaic

a yes-no somehow-or-other maybe-

might-be should-be could-be

glacial shield, grain elevator,

empire daughter imperial order of

man woman child or what?

This excerpt raises the often asked question of what is Canadian? I find it amusing how most of the things Miriam Waddington wrote about relates to our geography and environment, but is Canada really just that? I don't think so. However, like I said before, this is just an excerpt and I wish I had the rest of it but I've looked around and found nothing. If anyone can find more that will be great.

The Songs My Paddle Sings

Emily Pauline Johnson
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

Here is probably one the most famous poems written by Emily Pauline Johnson. She was the daughter of a Mohawk Native-Canadian father and an English mother. Interestingly, she was the first native to have her poems published in Canada. This poem appeals to many senses especially the sense of hearing with the sounds of the wind and the water. It gives me a picture of the Canadian wilderness like the mountains towards the west and the water rushing down the river.

http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~pjohnson/paddle.html

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


I'm sure everyone has heard of this famous war poem writen by John McCrae about World War I. I mean, how can anyone live in Canada and have not heard of it. For me, I remember that I had to memorize this poem in Grade 4 for a Rememberance Day school assembly. I must admit that at that time I didn't truly understand the importance of this poem. But I realized later that this poem symbolizes all the sacrifices made by all those who fought in the First World War. In particular, the poppy symbolizes the deaths that occured in Flanders field during the war. Surprisingly this poem was written in just a few minutes but its meaning is well expressed in the 15 lines. However, I think in recent years this poem has become over used in all parts of the world especially Canada.

John McCrae
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

Poppies
Originally uploaded by ctbookspoems.

What I'm going to do with my litblog

So since Nick assigned us this poetry/book project I've decided to base my blog on various Canadian poems that may or may not be well known to all of us. It may include any poems from early Canadian history to any poems of today. I'll mainly focus on English-Canadian poetry but I will also try to find some translated versions of French-Canadian poetry.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.