Three Poems from J. Patrick Lewis

These three surprises came the other day from poet J. Patrick Lewis. What a lovely unexpected treat! Thanks so much, Pat!

July 10, 2008
For Monica

Road Block

I saw a bookworm in a book.
The bookworm said to me,

“Long have I lived these many years
On page 6, paragraph 3.”

I said, “Why don’t you move along?
There’s so much more ahead.”

“The author mistook its for it’s-
That’s where I stopped,” she said.

* *

Books Discover Children

Yes, children do discover books,
But books find children on their own,
And then can’t wait to get their hooks
In kids who think they’re all alone.

For instance, GOODNIGHT MOON knows why
That girl is thinking to herself,
How can I ever say good-bye….
When Rabbit pulls her to the shelf.

And FROG AND TOAD hops to the child
Who almost lost his closest friend:
The only way pain’s reconciled
Is by the letter that you send.

When CHARLOTTE’S WEB bumps into you-
A girl who’s fastened to a farm-
The simple life you thought you knew
Is spelled out in a spider’s charm.

As children hurry to the page,
The picture page talks back by turns,
Capturing kids of every age
For whom imagination burns.

* *

Library Lady

If you’re looking for good fiction,
Welcome to my jurisdiction!
I’m the Dewey Decimal Guard,
Who can find the perfect story,
Humor (witty), horror (gory),
Novels (great), adventure (glory)….
Let me see your library card.

No, there’s nothing’s more exciting
For a kid who’s reading writing
Than to fricassee a mind,
‘Cause a book is like an oven-
What it’s cookin’ is book lovin’.
Set the temperature then shove in
Every brain cell you can find.

* *