County Fair by Charles Simic If you didn’t see the six-legged dog, It doesn’t matter. We did, and he mostly lay in the corner. As for the extra legs, One got used to them quickly And thought of other things. Like, what a cold, dark night To be out at […]
MoreFor those interested in helping me celebrate 10 years of blogging at Poem Elf (read about the collaborative project here), a few thoughts on process. A reader asked for suggestions on choosing a venue for a poem. That’s something I haven’t thought much about because often there’s not a lot of thought […]
MoreMy tenth anniversary of blogging at Poem Elf arrives this May, and I need some help to mark the occasion. Not good wishes, thank you very much. I’m looking for elf assistants and elfettes—or if those terms are gag-inducing, how about—Poem Posters. Here’s what I’m asking: put a copy of a poem in a […]
MoreRomantic Sonnet by Charles Simic Evenings of sovereign clarity— Wine and bread on the table, Mother praying, Father naked in bed. Was I that skinny boy stretched out In the field behind the house, His heart cut out with a toy knife? Was I the crow hovering over him? Happiness, you […]
MoreMargot Zemach’s It Could Always Be Worse is one of my favorite children’s books. Funny, wise, and illustrated with Zemach’s signature zest. It’s been nearly twenty years since I last read it out loud to my youngest, but the title’s been running through my head ever since. Most especially lately. It Could Always Be Worse is […]
MoreCameo Appearance by Charles Simic I had a small, nonspeaking part In a bloody epic. I was one of the Bombed and fleeing humanity. In the distance our great leader Crowed like a rooster from a balcony, Or was it a great actor Impersonating our great leader? That’s me there, I said […]
MoreLike the shopworn self-satisfied serial killer of detective shows, I return to the scene of the crime any time I post a poem. Usually the poems have disappeared from where I left them. Once in a while they hang around for a few weeks, and sometimes they find new hiding spots, as if they are […]
MoreOne last haiku entry. My sister Ceci, an ESL teacher in Chicago, assigned her students the Poem Elf quarantine haiku challenge, and they came through with flying colors. I’m impressed with anyone able to write creatively in a second language! These are wonderful—thanks to Ceci’s students. * Ellen from Taiwan wrote two haikus: […]
MoreWhen Giving Is All We Have by Alberto Ríos One river gives Its journey to the next. We give because someone gave to us. We give because nobody gave to us. We give because giving has changed us. We give because giving could have changed us. We have […]
MoreTo start off European Haiku Day here at Poem Elf, here’s a picture my daughter in Prague created. She took advantage of over-developed film to fiddle around with the image (that’s the technical explanation). She calls it “Pause.” (FYI that’s what those two yellow bars mean. I didn’t know this, dinosaur that I am.) […]
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