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And when an owl
“Whooo! Whooo! Whooot!”s
We nearly jump out of our boots.
Grandpa
Stick Together
Octave
Stick together on the trail.
Sam—you bring up the rear.
Lucy, hold my hand.
If we’re a train, I’m engineer.
The air feels gummy—like Super Glue.
Could be a change of weather.
Here’s the washroom. Clean up quickly, team.
And stick together.
Grandpa
Bedtime Blessing
Blessing Poem
Here’s a gumdrop before bed tonight—
You’ll taste too good for boogeyman’s bite.
See you when the sun shines bright.
Good night.
Sweet dreams.
Sleep tight.
Lucy
To Noises in the Night
Poem of Address
Spookiness, Shadows, Strange Noises: Beware.
I’m not so little or easy to scare.
Spookiness, Shadows, Strange Noises: Behave.
I am ferocious: I’m Lucy the Brave.
My shield is this pillow—my sword, this flashlight.
Spookiness, Shadows, Strange Noises: GOOD NIGHT.
Lucy
Opposite of Creepy
Opposite Poem
What is the opposite of creepy?
Tummy full,
snuggled in,
and
feeling
very
sleepy.
Sam
Tent Mates
Quatrain
My grandpa said, “Go to sleep quickly.”
My grandpa said, “Have a sweet dream.”
My grandpa neglected to mention:
He snores like a train full of steam.
Lucy and Sam
Beware
Alarm Poem
Lucy
Sam
Grandpa!
Sam!
Beware—
A BEAR!
He’s in our tent!
Hear him ROAR?
The door is over here—Come quick!
Lucy,
That’s nothing more
Than Grandpa’s snore.
Lucy
Woodland Midnight Band
Serenade
Knee-Deep
Knee-Deep
Tick-a
Tick-a
Tink
Creek-a
Creek-a
Chip
Chip
Wish
Wash
Wink.
Knee-Deep Knee-Deep—
I know that sound.
That’s a frog by the lake
Squatted low to the ground.
Tick-a tick-a tink—
That’s branches in a tree.
Creek-a creek-a chip—
That’s a cricket family.
Wish wash wink—
That’s water at the shore.
I know these sounds.
I’ve heard them all before.
Knee-deep
Knee-deep
Tick-a
Tick-a
Tink
Creek-a
Creek-a
Chip
Chip
Wish
Wash
Wink.
Lucy
Bedtime in the Forest
Fill-in-the-Blank Poem
Bullfrog’s song has faded,
Not one cricket makes a cheep.
Maybe all the forest families
finally
fell
_____________.
Lucy
Goodbye, Last Night
Aubade
Little light, a little lighter.
Bit of bright, now burning brighter.
Dark is shifting—drifting away.
Goodbye, last night. Hello, today.
Did it rain? The forest is glimmering.
Leaves and pine needles are shimmering.
How lucky to see the sun’s first ray.
Goodbye, last night. Hello, today.
Lucy
Shadows Can’t Grab
Epiphany
I stayed very still and I listened last night—
The woods clatter-chattered and rattled, all right.
It can be spooky outside with no light,
But shadows can’t grab and strange noises don’t bite.
Lucy and Grandpa
Wake-Up Call
Dramatic Poem for Two
Lucy
Grandpa
Grandpa? Sam? You’re missing daybreak.
Sleepyheads—are you awake?
It’s so early, Lucy, dear.
The fish are up—they’re jumping, hear?
We’ll catch a bunch, I bet.
Okay.
I’ll grab the net.
Lucy, Sam and Grandpa
Fishing Frenzy!
Tongue Twister
Lucy
Sam
Grandpa
It’s a frenzy—
fishing frenzy!
Fish are everywhere
we look.
It’s a frenzy—
It’s a frenzy—
fishing frenzy!
fishing frenzy!
Fish are fighting
for my hook.
It’s a frenzy—
It’s a frenzy—
It’s a frenzy—
fishing frenzy!
fishing frenzy!
fishing frenzy!
Caught our limit—
we are through!
What a frenzy—
fishing frenzy!
Fishing frenzy!
Fishing frenzy!
Finest
Fishing
Frenzy
WHEW!
WHEW!
WHEW!
Lucy
Fishing Skills
Quatrain
Wait till we tell Mom and Dad how many fish we caught.
Wait till Dad hears all about our fishing frenzy spot.
Wait till I show Mom my mighty fighting arm.
Wait till we tell Dad that Gramp’s our lucky fishing charm.
Sam
Shore Breakfast
Sestet
Fish grilled over wood
Smells smoky good.
Best breakfast by the shore.
Mm. Mm. Yum.
Fish in my tum.
Eat up—there’s plenty more.
Lucy
Race to the Lake
Pun Poem
How can we leave?
Camping’s so much fun.
We have to swim
Before we’re done.
Race you, Grandpa.
Three,
Two,
RUN!
Lucy, Sam, and Grandpa
Cannon Ball!
Concrete Poem
TAKE OFF
CURL SMALL
FLY HIGH
F
A
S
T
F
A
L
L
SPLASH DOWN
CANNON BALL!
Lucy
Tear Down
Reprise poem
Midday.
Can’t stay.
Tear-down time at camp today.
Duffels: Stacked.
Tent: Slacked.
All our gear is tightly packed.
Lakeshore.
Encore.
One last look, then shut the door.
Map out.
Reverse route.
Sam says this time I’ll be scout.
> Lucy
My Favorite Parts of Camping
Letter Poem
Dear Mom and Dad—
We pitched our tent, explored the trail, captured bait in jars.
I cooked our beanie-weenies and was first to notice Mars.
I thought I heard a bear, but it was only Grandpa’s snore.
Sleeping in the tent at night won’t scare me anymore.
We filled our stringers, cannonballed when I said, “Three, Two, Run.”
We stuck together always—one for three and three for one.
Can we go back next weekend? I really love to camp.
And this time can we all go? Mom and me, Dad, Sam, and Gramp?
Love, Lucy
Provisioning for Poetry
Just as Lucy and Sam used provisions on their camping trip, poets have provisions for writing poetry. The poet’s provisions include rhythm, rhyme, poetry techniques, stanzas, and poetic forms.
In this section, you’ll find poetry provision details that I hope will help you with your poetry writing.
In camping and in writing, I wish you well.
—Tamera
RHYME
Rhyme is two or more words with endings that sound exactly alike. Here are some rhyming basics:
Pairing words with one syllable each, like GAMP and GRAMP, is probably the simplest way to rhyme.
When words have two syllables that rhyme with each other, that’s called a double rhyme. DRIZZLE and SIZZLE is a double rhyme, because the first syllables—DRIZ and SIZ—rhyme, and so do the second syllables. Double rhymes can also be made using combinations of one and two syllable words, like SKIP GO and TIPTOE.
Rhymes are usually found at the ends of sentences and are called end rhyme. Sometimes, though, poets use rhyming words in the middle of the lines. That’s called internal rhyme.
Words don’t have to be spelled the same way to work as a rhyme. BITE and BRIGHT rhyme just as well as NIGHT and BRIGHT.
Sometimes words that are spelled alike, like DO and SO, look like they should rhyme, but they don’t. That’s called eye rhyme.
Some poetic forms call for specific rhyming patterns. Other forms don’t have to include any rhyming words at all.
RHYTHM
Rhythm is the tempo or the beat of a poem. Poets create rhythm by choosing each word carefully. They notice syllables and where the emphasis within words and phrases naturally falls. They consider how words sound alone and when they are combined on the page with other words. How long or short lines are is another rhythm choice poets make. Creating strong rhythm is an important job—it helps give your poems energy and gives your readers clues about how to read your poems.
Rhythm Patterns Come from Syllable Combinations
There are four common rhythm patterns. Two patterns are based on pairs of syllables, and two are based on groupings of three syllables.
In the poem “Tent Pitching,” the two-syllable trochaic rhythm begins with a strong beat and is followed by an unstressed one: “CHOOSE a / SITE that’s / FLAT and / HIGH.” Hear the extra stressed syllable at the end of the line? That’s common with trochaic rhythm.
The two-syllable iambic rhythm in “Grandpa—Pros and Cons” has this pattern: “i DON’T / think GRAND / pa’s EV / er FISHED, / caNOED, / or CAMPED / beFORE.” This time, the strong beat is on the second syllable in each pair, and the first is unstressed.
To Noises in the Night” has a good example of a strong three-syllable rhythm with one stressed beat followed by two unstressed ones—this is called dactylic rhythm: “SPOOKiness / SHADows, strange / NOISes: be / WARE.” There is an extra syllable at the end of this line, too. That extra stressed beat bridges each line so that it sounds natural.
Here is the three-syllable anapestic rhythm in “Tent Mates”: “My GRAND / pa said, ‘GO / to sleep QUICK / ly.’” With two unstressed beats followed by one stressed beat, this rhythm is the opposite of dactylic rhythm. Notice how there is only one unstressed beat at the beginning and another at the end? Little variations like that are not unusual with anapestic rhythm and help the poem flow smoothly.
Line Lengths Come from Rhythm Pattern Combinations
In rhythm, line length is the partner to syllables. Once you know which syllables are stressed in each line, you can count those.
One set of stressed and unstressed syllables is called a foot or meter.
The examples from “Tent Pitching” and “To Noises in the Night” have four accented syllables, so four feet. Even when there is only a partial foot, it counts if the syllable is stressed.
“Grandpa—Pros and Cons” has seven feet per line. The line from “Tent Mates” has three feet.
Lines in poetry can be any length you choose unless you are following a poetic form—and even then, you can make exceptions.
Poetry Techniques
Poetry techniques are special word or phrase choices. Using them well can help make poems interesting and exciting to readers.
ALLITERATION
Alliteration happens when the poet uses two or more words close together that begin with the same sound. In the poem “Bedtime in the Forest,” “forest families finally fell” is an example of alliteration. Alliterative words can also be found in “Dousing the Fire,” “Goodbye, Last Night,” and “Fishing Frenzy.”
ANAPHORA
Anaphora is when the poet starts several lines of a poem with the same word or phrase. It’s useful for drawing attention to something or emphasizing an emotion. The phrase What if starts most of the lines in “If a Critter Creeps In.” It shows Lucy’s worry about woodland creatures sneaking into the tent. “To Noises in the Night” and “Fishing Skills” also have anaphora phrases.
APOSTROPHE
Apostrophe lets the speaker in a poem talk to a person, an animal, or a thing that can’t reply. In the poem “To Noises in the Night,” when Lucy says, “Spookiness, Shadows, Strange Noises: Beware,” that is apostrophe. “Sleeping Bag Charm,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Mighty Mars,” and “Goodbye, Last Night” also use apostrophe.
ASSONANCE
With assonance, the poet repeats a vowel sound within some words in a poem. This is sometimes called vowel rhyme, although it might be used in words that do or don’t rhyme. The short i sound in the words trickles, dribbles, and drizzles are a few of the examples of assonance in the poem “Dousing the Fire.”
HYPERBOLE
Hyperbole lets the poet exaggerate the truth to help draw attention to a situation. In “Fishing Frenzy,” hyperbole is in the line “Fish are everywhere we look.” Fish really aren’t everywhere, but that overstatement helps make the point that there are many fish in the lake. “By Lantern Light” also has a line of hyperbole.
IMAGERY
Imagery is a way for the poet to use touch, taste, sight, sound, or smell to help the reader imagine what’s happening. In the poem “Goodbye, Last Night,” there are examples of imagery in the lines “The forest is glimmering./Leaves and pine needles are shimmering.” “Camp Ahoy,” “Stick Together,” “How to Build a Bonfire,” “Dousing the Fire,” and “Shore Breakfast” also include strong imagery.
INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word or phrase that shows a burst of emotion. It can be used to display a speaker’s mood—good or bad. In “Going Camping,” Lucy and Sam shout, “Hooray!” That one word shows how excited they are about their trip. “Camp Ahoy” also includes an interjection.