National Poetry Month: Skating Advice 5 of 30
April is National Poetry Month. Again this year, inspired by Mary Lee Hahn, I'm going to join other poetry bloggers (view links in sidebar) taking the challenge to share poetry each day during the month of April. For thirty days my hope is to write a new poem each day. The first two years I took this challenge I wrote any poem that found me. This year, however, I've decided to try to write a poem about an object each day. If you've read Billy Collins' poem, The Lanyard, you may have noticed the way he took an object to tell a much more meaningful story of his relationship with his mother. My hope is to find the deeper significance in the things around me.
Today's poem was inspired by a conversation about rollerblading….and the day I wiped my dad out skating because I couldn't stop. Sorry, Dad. My friends are trying to get me to put my skates back on, but there are some things I should remember first.
Skating Advice
Before you put your blades on,
before you tie the shoe,
and start to skate away,
there are things that you should do.
Tie your laces tightly.
Don't forget your pads.
You must protect yourself
in case things do go bad.
While skating you will glide.
While skating you will soar.
back and forth on curves,
the breeze you will adore.
Right foot over left,
and left foot over right.
You know that you can do it
so try with all your might.
But most of all remember,
before you start to skate.
Make sure you practice stopping
before it is too late!
Today's poem was inspired by a conversation about rollerblading….and the day I wiped my dad out skating because I couldn't stop. Sorry, Dad. My friends are trying to get me to put my skates back on, but there are some things I should remember first.
Before you put your blades on,
before you tie the shoe,
and start to skate away,
there are things that you should do.
Tie your laces tightly.
Don't forget your pads.
You must protect yourself
in case things do go bad.
While skating you will glide.
While skating you will soar.
back and forth on curves,
the breeze you will adore.
Right foot over left,
and left foot over right.
You know that you can do it
so try with all your might.
But most of all remember,
before you start to skate.
Make sure you practice stopping
before it is too late!
Putting a smile on both my face and The Man's today! Love the poem. ..do NOT love skating! The older I get, the less falling appeals to me!
ReplyDeleteMemory moment: me, with my arms zipped inside my coat to stay warm, skating down the slight slope of our front sidewalk, unable to stop, doing a face plant in the street! Sometimes we learn safety the hard way!
ReplyDeleteThis brings back memories for me too. I would roller skate all over our neighborhood. One summer they paved one of the roads - skating bliss! Our could never get the hang of roller blading though!
ReplyDeleteSeems like this evokes memories for a lot of us! A good friend of mine gave her middle school son rollerblades for his birthday five or six years ago. He wanted her to try them on. She did. Stood up and immediately fell down. Compound fracture of her wrist. Surgery, plates, pins, etc! I sent this poem to her this morning! She didn't thin it was nearly as funny as I did!
ReplyDelete