Sunday, July 29, 2012

Homage to Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s Green

Seeger’s beautiful picture book is a poem, did you notice? But her greens inspired me to write some poems of my own, occasionally rhymed tercets that describe each spread. I figure that will speak to you more greenly than an ordinary review would.


forest green

Trees’ knees
lead eyes high
to a hushed green sky. 


sea green

Sea turtle flows
by with fish
like a briny wish.


lime green
 
Bright lime
yells on tongue:
“Summer time!”


pea green

They line up
like green soldiers,
then fall out.


jungle green

Leaves and vines
everywhere but
shade-striped eyes.


khaki green

Lizard storms
desert, hides where
rock spot warms.


fern green

Forest curls unfurl
to sway
in green array.


wacky green

Green stripes
like a spearmint cane—
zebra’s refrain.


slow green

This green inches
over petals to measure
the lengths of leaves.


faded green
 
Like an old t-shirt,
soft washed,
never lost.


glow green

Darkness falls,
but mini nightlights
call hellos.


shaded green

Pages turn
in the cool breeze
under shade trees.


all green

From a single pea
to a sweeping sea—
everywhere green!


never green

Opposite green
is stop. Don’t go.
Not even slow.


no green

Winter white
and green’s asleep,
hidden deep.


forever green

We plant seeds.
Spring comes,
hopeful with green.

5 comments:

bookkm said...

Oh my, so much gorgeous green. Thanks!

Becky said...

Love the poems!!!

KateCoombs said...

Thank you, Bookkm and Becky!

Anonymous said...

Oh, beautiful (book and poems). The last poem gave me a lump in my throat. Thank you!

KateCoombs said...

Thanks, Louise! I'm hoping to see some Caldecott love for this one, at least an honor award. :)