Ayuh to Z Challenge - R

My theme: Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and a poem for that title each day for the month of April.
The poem is not about the book, but is written with the title as inspiration! 
 
Welcome to R!

R is for:

Rules
by Cynthia Lord

Rules

Don’t wipe your feet;
It’s not a big deal,
When you are eating
Let out a big squeal!

Stomp when you’re angry!
Hiss when you’re mad!
Stare when you’re hungry!
Groan when you’re bad!

Don’t say your sorry
For jumping on things;
If you couldn't jump
I think you’d have wings.

Kersplash in the water!


Climb a tall tree!

Wallow in mud!


Sting someone’s knee!

Dig up the garden -
Go right for the roots!
Chomp on the newest,
Most tasty-est boots!

Scratch on the corners,
Put hairs all around,
Put paws in the fishtank -
Oh, look, the fish drowned!

"Wait...
This isn’t about
How you’d act at a zoo,
This is supposed to be
Rules made for you..."

Don’t pick the flowers!
Don’t jump on the bed!
Don’t burp at the table!
Don’t scratch your head!

Don’t talk when you chew,
Nor chew when you talk;
Don’t run in the house,
Just keep to a walk.

Don’t hit your brother!
Don’t write on the wall!
Don’t slouch and don’t grouch!
Don’t climb or you’ll fall!

Don’t ask your mom
 If you’ve just asked your dad;
And don’t scream and yell
When you’re feeling bad.

Put on your seatbelt,
Put on your shoes,
Play the game right -
Don’t pout when you lose!

Be nice to your friend.
Sit in your seat.
Hold your hands still.
Don’t wiggle your feet.

"Wait...
It seemed to be easier
To live in the zoo
There weren’t so many things
That you couldn’t do!

Maybe you’d rather
Just be a small mouse
And go where you want to
All over this house.

But watch out for cheese;
It could be a trap!
I forgot about that rule -
Stay away from the..."
Snap!

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

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Cynthia Lord's Website

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Rosebud & Red Flannel

by Ethel Pochocki
illustrated by Mary Beth Owen

I tried to try a Rondelet for "Rosebud & Red Flannel, but I forgot about the rhyming scheme (that's why it is down here at the bottom now.  My "Rules" poem I came up with to replace this one.)  I played with it some more and just made it worse, so here's what a Rondelet is -  a French poetry form with a septet (7 lines) with two rhymes and one refrain: AbAabbA. The capital letters are the refrains, or repeats. The refrain is written in "tetra-syllabic or dimeter" and the other lines are twice as long - "octasyllabic or tetrameter".  Now, to be honest, I don't have a clue what anything between those two quotes means.  I know what "Tetris" is and "octopus" and "diameter"...  I'm going to go do some research and see what I can understand.  I vaguely remember not being able to understand it in high school.
I do understand rhyming pattern and number of syllables though, so there's no excuse there.
Here goes, the right and the wrong of a Rondelet today (I am posting it as I wrote it, without the rhyming pattern...I won't show you the garbage that spewed forth in my attempts to make it all come out right!)  It's not bad if you don't call it a Rondelet...maybe I could call it a wRongdelet:

Rosebud & Red Flannel
 

Cozy and warm!
Red flannel gown billowed around -
Cozy and warm!
A rosebud buttoned at my neck
and puffy sleeves to fingertips,
My sleep will be so heavenly,
Cozy and warm!

©Donna JT Smith

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Ethel Pochocki has written many books for children, including The Attic Mice, Rosebud and Red Flannel, and Maine Marmalade. She lived in Brooks, Maine.  The illustrator, Mary Beth Owens, is from Walpole, Maine.

In this book, a nightgown, Rosebud, and a pair of long johns, Red Flannel, are blown off the clothesline in a snowstorm.

They would usually hang side by side on the clothesline.  Red Flannel loved Rosebud, but Rosebud was a little too refined to give Red Flannel the time of day.

When a snowstorm comes up, Rosebud and red Flannel are blown away and to on an adventure together.  This book has beautiful watercolor illustrations, and was a Lupine Award winner.

 

Amazon link to book

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When I was doing another search for books, I discovered (remembered really) that a teacher at my high school was also a published writer, as was his wife.

One of the books he wrote, Reasons and Raisins, a children's book, was published in 1976.

How could I leave it out of a Maine authors list?  Couldn't.  So here it is.

R is also for:

Reasons and Raisins
by Richard Aldridge

Richard Aldridge lived in Sebasco Estates, Maine. He was a 1952 graduate of Amherst College, and published his first poems in New Poems by American Poets in1953.
He was granted a Fullbright Scholarship at Worcester College, Oxford. He worked for the publisher Doubleday and Company, and later moved to Maine.
In 1958, he married Josephine Haskell, having met her at camp in the Sebasco Estates area, where they then resided.  He taught in Bath at Morse High School and at Hyde School, retiring in 1985 to devote his time to writing poetry.  He died in 1994.
I, unfortunately was a teenager in high school when I knew him, so was pretty much unaware (as is the custom of most teens) of the resource and knowledge available at my fingertips.
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My poem is a bit "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"-ish and unrhymy.

Reasons and Raisins

or
"If You Give a Reason for a Raisin, He'll be Raisin' Questions to Get a Reason"

"Why are there grapes?"

"Because we need raisins."

"Why are there raisins?"

"Because we need cookies."

"Why are there cookies?"

"Because we have milk."

"Why is there milk?"

"Because there are cows."

"Why are there cows?"

"Because of the hay."

"Why is there hay?" 

"Because there are farms."

"Why are there farms?"

"Because we need grapes."

"Why do we need grapes?"

"I already told you, 

The reason is

Raisins.

Don't be raisin' any more questions; 

I'm plum out of reasons." 

"Um,

Why do we have plums?"

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

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This post was brought to you by the letter R!

Ridiculously Remarkable and Rambling!

Ssssso.... what'sssssssss next?