Today is Poetry Friday! Jone has the round up today where she gives us two wonderful interviews. Part 1 is with Carol Labuzetta where we get a peek at her new book, Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry for Children. Part 2 is with Liz Garton Scanlon and her new book, Everyone Starts Small, illustrated by Dominique Ramsey.
This was a busy week, but I was able to keep up with my Call and Response: Picture Books and Poetry April Poetry Project. One of the books I read this week was City Feet written and illustrated by Aixa Pérez-Prado (2023 Reycraft). The rhyming text, multicultural word choice, and colorful illustrations engage from the very beginning and demonstrate diversity for our youngest readers.
Aixa’s book made me think about the variety of tracks that spring up from time to time in my backyard and the diversity of animals they represent.
tracks
morning’s frosted grass
tells of friend or foe who passed
through the yard last night
two feet, four feet up and back
busy with a pre-dawn task
along the well-worn path
raccoons, foxes, hungry deer
looking for a tasty meal
to keep them satisfied
Draft, 2024RoseCappelli
Thanks for reading!
Imagine the Possibilities 
oh Rose, I can see this poem as part of a collection!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Patricia.
LikeLike
Rose, I love your tracks poem, and it conjures up thoughts in my yard too. Who went through this area, I wonder? Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to see the rerun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have one of those cameras attached to a bird feeder. It’s activated by motion so sometimes it records something at night wandering by. I only see shadows which I suspect are deer, but there could be others.
LikeLike
I love the rhythm you achieved, Rose. It seems like something is walking along in your backyard!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have conifdently ‘stepped out’ with your Tracks poem, Rose. It so clearly captures the essence of the title. Each stanza is gently sprinkled with imagery -clues!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is delightful! I love finding tracks and thinking of the animals as friends passing through.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s such a lovely rhythm to your poem, Rose. My husband and I walked around a small suburban pond–looked more like a giant puddle, actually. And we saw two muskrats, many malllards, some Canada geese, and a bald eagle soaring that swooped down and snagged a fish right in front of us! And that eagle was right after us talking about, “Do you think there are even any fish in this lake?” We were agreeing that perhaps there weren’t, when, Swoosh! Anyway, there’s so much wildlife if we are still enough for long enough, or if we read the notes they leave behind. xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this, Rose! Reminded me of Walt Whitman. Sounds like you have a variety of wildlife leaving marks for you to study. : )
LikeLiked by 1 person
My cat would know what went through your yard — he’d be at the window watching…and seeing what your eyes can’t see in the dark!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rose, This is such a relatable poem. I love it. Thank you for sharing it with us!
LikeLike
I love the contrast of city feet and how you focused on nature. Such a great response!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Marcie!
LikeLike
I’m struck by how often you used the same “a” sound in the words at the ends of the lines. it created an interesting assonance! Thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the tip about this book and for your tracks poem–where I live, “Downtown Silver Spring,” we could see all those animals right around the corner (although not in our yard itself, as we used to in our more suburban neighborhood)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the interesting post, Rose. Tracks are not visible in my part of the community. There are outside cameras on some properties so the owner see the animal in progress or on the video. We have deer, bunnies, birds, and a beart that walk through from the forest to homes searching for food. These lines resonate with me:
busy with a pre-dawn task
along the well-worn path
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rose, I really was caught up in the kind of tracks that were left. Such great images.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rose, I love and relate to your musings on what friends and foes have passed through in the night. ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person