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| Boris Thaser |
I'm not a teacher:
only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way.
– George Bernard Shaw
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
February DMC Wrap-Up + Giveaway
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| Jennifer Wiggins |
“Would you like me to [kill you] now?” asked Snape, his voice heavy with irony. “Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?”
– J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
At the beginning of February, J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
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| Balmung6 on Deviant Art |
Actually, writer's block does not appear to have been a problem this month. With more than fifty poems on the padlet, the only problem was mine—deciding which ones to feature as daily ditties! One might even say it was a matter of... grave concern. I'm never able to showcase as many poems as I'd like, but this month? Seriously. Ridiculous.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to our graveyard fun fest!
At a time when we could all use a good laugh, several of you had me in stitches. Others made me pause and reflect, and that's good too.
Thanks especially to J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen for the macabre inspiration, and to Jane for playing along by adding her own lines to many of the featured verses (in the comments).
Scroll through the poems below, or for best viewing, CLICK HERE.
Interested in adding your own epitaph poem to the collection?
I've reserved your plot, but better act quickly—
TIME'S RUNNING OUT!
Add your epitaph poem to our February 2018 padlet by Wednesday, February 28, 2018 and I will add it to the wrap-up presentation.
Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below. Comments must be also received by Wednesday, February 28th. If you contribute a poem and comment below you will receive two entries in total.
The winner will be determined by Random.org and announced next Friday, March 2nd, when we reveal next month's interview and ditty challenge.
Until then, if anyone needs me I'll be in my office . . .
DMC: "An Epitaph for My Epitaph" by Rebekah Hoeft
AN EPITAPH FOR MY EPITAPH
'Tis gone too soon; you'll never quote it.
The truth, 'tis sad: I never wrote it.
© 2018 Rebekah Hoeft. All rights reserved.
Click HERE
to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen.
They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse
that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration tomorrow, Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration tomorrow, Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for an Axolotl" by Kate O'Neil and Philippa Cook
EPITAPH FOR AN AXOLOTL
Cotopaxi the axolotl
lived a little, was loved a lotl.
Within his bowl he was a king
‘cause Pippa gave him everything:
plants and stones and water clear—
a kingdom for a royal peer.
But even Royals make mistakes
and when they do, them’s the breaks.
When creatures leave their proper sphere,
chances are, their end is near.
Paxi did what he didn’t oughta—
went for air instead of water.
Now in Heaven they see his charm,
where he can come to no more harm.
© Kate O'Neil and Philippa Cook
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for a Mayfly" by Matt Forrest Esenwine
EPITAPH FOR A MAYFLY
Was born for flight (and reproduction),
set off for a swarm seduction.
Lost his mate; could not locate her.
Sadly, died a few hours later.
© 2018 Matt Forrest Esenwine. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Monday, February 19, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for a Slug" by Maria Marshall
EPITAPH FOR A SLUG
Your shiny trail gave you away,
when hungry ducks came out to play.
One look, a peck, and giant slurp,
and you were nothing but a burp.
© 2018 Maria Marshall. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Thursday, February 15, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for a Blue Balloon" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
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| "Lonely Blue Balloon" by Scott Richards |
EPITAPH FOR A BLUE BALLOON
Here lies Blue,
dear departed
pioneer of skies uncharted.
Friend of downy clouds on high,
an easy breezy kind of guy.
Fearless till the day he lost
his helium—then tempest-tossed,
he realized flight was not his calling
at the moment he was falling.
pioneer of skies uncharted.
Friend of downy clouds on high,
an easy breezy kind of guy.
Fearless till the day he lost
his helium—then tempest-tossed,
he realized flight was not his calling
at the moment he was falling.
© 2018 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.
Here are some scenes from Blue's travels . . .
(Best viewed full screen.)Daily ditties this week included poems by Cynthia Cotten, Dianne Moritz, Randi Sonenshine, and Ellen Leventhal. Liz Steinglass is sharing hers today. To be included in next week's wrap-up celebration, post your poem on our February 2018 padlet.
DMC: "Epitaph for a Librarian" by Ellen Leventhal
EPITAPH FOR A LIBRARIAN
Liz the librarian checked out books
until the day she fell.
She banged her head; did not wake up.
Then she checked out, as well.
© 2018 Ellen Leventhal. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
DMC: "Fly's Time" by Randi Sonenshine
FLY'S TIME
Here lies Fly, who wasn’t clever.
He made the worst decision ever.
Lunch with Spider sounded swell.
He left this world an empty shell.
© 2018 Randi Sonenshine. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
DMC: "A Book's Demise" by Dianne Moritz
A BOOK'S DEMISE
Poor sales,
No TLC.
Book fails,
Soon O.O.P.*
© 2018 Dianne Moritz. All rights reserved.
* In publishing, O.O.P. means "out of print."
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Monday, February 12, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for a Skunk" by Cynthia Cotten
EPITAPH FOR A SKUNK
You crossed the road, and now you're gone,
no more to waddle 'cross my lawn.
O, little one with noxious stink—
you won't be coming back, I think.
© 2018 Cynthia Cotten. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Poetry in Action: Graveyard Ditties
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| Photo by Ben Churchill |
“Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”
– George Bernard Shaw, from The Doctor's Dilemma: a Tragedy
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| Photo by A.J. |
Thanks to J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, we're writing epitaph poems this month. After only one week, you can peruse more than twenty of them on the padlet! Whoa. You guys really like writing about death. You know what they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
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| "THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD." Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor |
Soooooo . . .
In keeping with that momentum, I thought it might be fun to share some "real-life" epitaphs that have been spotted out and about in the world. Can I confirm the authenticity in every case? No, but if one or two phony ones sneak in and make you giggle, what's the harm? The following graveyard ditties (along with many others) were found at Brief Poems: An irregular anthology of tweet-size poems. It nearly killed me not to share more, but organization fanatic that I am, at least the ones I chose fell neatly into four categories.
The epitaphs in the first group play on the deceased's names.
Reader if cash thou art
In want of any
Dig 4 feet deep
And thou wilt find a Penny.
John Penny's epitaph in the Wimborne, England cemetery.
Owen Moore
Gone away
Owin' more
Than he could pay.
The tombstone of Owen Moore in Battersea, London
Here lies Ann Mann,
Who lived an old maid
But died an old Mann.
The tombstone of Ann Mann in London, England
On the 22nd of June
Jonathan Fiddle
Went out of tune.
On a tombstone in a cemetery in Hartscombe, England
The next group pays tribute to how they lived their lives.
Here, reader, turn your weeping eyes,
My fate a useful moral teaches;
The hole in which my body lies
Would not contain one half my speeches.
The tombstone of Lord Brougham, an orator
Beneath this stone, a lump of clay,
Lies stingy Jimmy Wyatt.
And saved a dinner by it.
A tombstone in Falkirk, England
Here lays Butch,
We planted him raw.
He was quick on the trigger,
But slow on the draw.
A tombstone in a Silver City, Nevada cemetery
Tom Smith is dead, and here he lies,
Nobody laughs and nobody cries;
Where his soul's gone, or how it fares,
Nobody knows and nobody cares.
On a tombstone dated 1742 in Newbury, England
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| Photo by Brian Donnelly (click to enlarge) |
Here lies the body of our Anna
Done to death by a banana
It wasn't the fruit that laid her low
But the skin of the thing that made her go.
The tombstone of Anna Hopewell in Enosburg Falls, Vermont
His foot is slipt
and he did fall.
"Help; Help" he cried
and that was all.
The tombstone of Joseph Crapp in Mylor Churchyard, Cornwall, England
First a Cough
Carried Me Off
Then a Coffin
They Carried Me Off In
On a tombstone in Boston, Massachusetts
Here lies the body
of Jonathan Blake
Stepped on the gas
Instead of the brake.
On a tombstone in a Uniontown, Pennsylvania cemetery
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| A fond "Good-bye" to Elijah Jefferson Bond, inventor of the Ouija Board. Photo by Something Original |
I think of this last group as the "happily ever after" epitaphs.
Here lies the body
Of Margaret Bent
She kicked up her heels
And away she went.
Margaret Bent's epitaph in Winterborn Steepleton Cemetery, Dorsetshire
Here I at length repose,
My spirit now at aise is;
With the tips of my toes
And the point of my nose
Turned up to the roots of the daisies.
Teague O'Brian penned his own final words as a limerick, in
a Ballyporeen, Ireland churchyard
Under the sod and under the trees
Lies the body of Jonathan Pease.
He is not here, there's only the pod:
Pease shelled out and went to God.
On a grave from the 1880's in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Sacred to the memory of Miss Martha Gwynn,
Who was so very pure within.
She burst the outer shell of sin.
And hatched herself a cherubim.
The tombstone of Martha Gwynn at St. Alban's cemetery
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| Photo by Wildhartlivie |
At the end of February, one lucky participant will win a copy of Last Laughs: Prehistoric Epitaphs by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins (Charlesbridge, 2017).
DMC: "Last Move" by Jane Yolen
LAST MOVE
I paid my dues,
No more to lose.
This show will be
A six-foot snooze.
© 2018 Jane Yolen. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph to a Bird that Failed to Take Off" by Kathryn Apel
EPITAPH TO A BIRD THAT FAILED TO TAKE OFF
No go dodo.
© 2018 Kathryn Apel. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
DMC: "Epitaffy" by Robyn Hood Black
EPITAFFY
Pulled and stretched
in twists and turns -
picky permutation.
A chomp. A chew.
The End. Of You.
(Sticky situation….)
© 2018 Robyn Hood Black. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Monday, February 5, 2018
DMC: "Epitaph for a Reader" by Molly Hogan
EPITAPH FOR A READER
She piled books beside her bed
some to read, some already read
Throughout the years her bookstack grew
classics, mysteries, novels, too
The content of these tomes fulfilled her
sadly a massive bookslide killed her
© 2018 Molly Hogan. All rights reserved.
Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.
Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:
Thursday, February 1, 2018
The NewlyRead Game with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen + DMC Challenge
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| "Cupid" by Cole Henley |
Ah, February . . .
the month of cold snow and warm hearts!
The TLD cupid (bet you didn't even know we had one on staff) has loaded up his quiver and is taking aim at book lovers everywhere.
To that end, I'm excited to introduce a new series on Today's Little Ditty inspired by our book-loving cherub. It's called The NewlyRead Game.
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| The Newlywed Game, originally hosted by Bob Eubanks, aired, on and off, from 1966 to 2013. |
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| Find out all you ever wanted to know about The Newlywed Game at the U.S. Game Shows Wiki. |
As a bonus, maybe we can have a bit of fun finding out how well our co-authors know each other after the experience of writing a book together!
So let's get started, shall we?
MEET TODAY'S CONTESTANTS . . .
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| J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen |
J. Patrick Lewis is the author of more than one hundred picture/poetry books for children, including two forthcoming books in 2018—Phrases of the Moon (Creative Editions) and The Poetry of US (National Geographic). He received the NCTE Excellence in Children's Poetry Award and served as the Poetry Foundation's third Children's Poet Laureate. Read his October 2014 Spotlight on Today's Little Ditty HERE and visit him at his website: JPatrickLewis.com.
Jane Yolen is the award-winning author of over 365 books. They include poetry collections, story anthologies, picture books, board books, novels for middle grade and young adults, graphic novels, nonfiction, cookbooks, music books, adult books, and pedagogical books. Six colleges and universities have given her honorary doctorates for her body of work. Read her September 2016 Spotlight on Today's Little Ditty HERE and visit her at her website: JaneYolen.com.
MEET THEIR BOOK . . .
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| LAST LAUGHS: Prehistoric Epitaphs J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Yolen, and Jeffrey Stewart Timmins Charlesbridge (October 2017) ISBN: 978-1580897068 Find at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or via Indiebound.org. |
Poems framed as epitaphs for extinct prehistoric animals hit the proverbial (coffin) nail on the head in this darkly humorous collection from expert poets Jane Yolen and J. Patrick Lewis.
A companion to the team's Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs (Charlesbridge, 2012), the macabre, ironic, and witty epitaphs included in Last Laughs: Prehistoric Epitaphs share how prehistoric creatures like the terror bird, the woolly mammoth, and the T-Rex met their demise. The ever-entertaining J. Patrick Lewis and the inimitable Jane Yolen offer a collection organized by era, with posthumous poems paired with short secondary text providing additional, factual information about each creature.
Jeffrey Stewart Timmins's macabre illustrations are satisfyingly spine-tingling and wickedly humorous.
For easier reading/viewing, click on the following images to enlarge.
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| Text © J. Patrick Lewis, Illustration © Jeffrey Stewart Timmins from LAST LAUGHS:PREHISTORIC EPITAPHS (Charlesbridge, 2017) |
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| Text © Jane Yolen, Illustration © Jeffrey Stewart Timmins from LAST LAUGHS:PREHISTORIC EPITAPHS (Charlesbridge, 2017) |
ROUND 1:
The story of your collaboration . . .
Our guests answered this first round of questions together.
"COURTSHIP"
... getting to know your collaborative partner
When and how did you first meet, and how long was it before you decided to write a book together?
JPL: No idea when Jane and I first met but it was many years ago. Since then we have collaborated on five, or is it six, books?
JY: We met after we’d done several books together, at some conference or other, rode on a bus acting like silly best friends, giggling and plotting two more books, neither of which ever sold! But we knew about one another through the poems long before we met, admired one another’s ouvre (a show-off word meaning body of work). I loved Pat’s stuff long before he became Poet Laureate of all children, or whatever it’s called!
"ENGAGEMENT"
... say, you want to write a book together?
Who proposed collaboration and how?
JPL: Nor can I recall which one of us asked the other to the dance, though if I did the asking, I was honored when Jane said yes.
JY: Ditto. I know we aren’t being any help here, but I’m older than dirt and he’s dirt. Our memories work better forward than backwards. Besides, all writers are liars, especially poets. You’d better believe that!
"WEDDING"
... the big day—your book's publication!
How have you celebrated the occasion?
JPL: Speaking for myself, I celebrate in my own quiet way . . . with a glass of Chardonnay (or two).
JY: I do a happy dance when the package arrives, hug the book, smell it (nothing like new book smell) but don’t read it for fear of finding fault until at least six weeks later. By then I am on to a new book or a new publication date.
"MARRIAGE"
... your commitment to the collaborative process.
What was one of the most enjoyable aspects of your collaboration?
What about the most challenging?
JPL: The back and forth of it. Choosing the dinosaurs, deciding on the forms to use, accepting Jane’s advice on a line/word, and vice-versa.
JY: Trying to keep up with Pat’s pace was trying. Everything else a delight. The man is a monster.
What advice can you give to those with pre-collaboration jitters?
JPL: Get over yourself. Trust the process. And remember that if it isn’t fun, you should go bowling or prune your pachysandra.
JY: Or pack your prunes for a long trip to a spa. Really, if it’s brutal, the loneliness of a long-distance runner is preferable. I believe writing should be a joy. Though I do know some authors who swear they bleed on the page which to my mind is a very messy process. And to do it with someone else????? Euuuuuuew. A red tsunami. Pat and I actually laughed a lot during the writing of these books. Who laughed last—is anybody’s guess.
"THE FUTURE"
... what comes next?
Are there future writing collaborations in the works?
JPL: Shame on me. I was the one who turned down Jane’s offer to collaborate once again. Perhaps it was the particular project, but more likely the dread feeling of the gloaming coming on.
JY: Jewish motto: Good things don’t last. Enjoy them while you can. OK—Jewish because I am, not because it’s anyone else’s motto. Honestly, Pat and I are both so busy individually with projects that consume us, it’s amazing we managed to write two Last Laugh books, a book of twin poems, a book about Chagall’s life in rhymes, and we have been in many, many, many anthologies together. Whether we try another anthology depends on if we can find a subject matter we both want to work on. And of course there are two or three unsold ones we have hanging around (hint! hint!). Remember—we are both dynamite rewriters. No word so important it cannot be changed—another motto.
What is your definition of “happily ever after”?
JPL: Land office sales (in my dream state).
JY: The Big N in one year: Newbery, Nebula, National Book Award. I already have two Nebs (for short stories) and was a National Book Award nominee, not in the same year at all. The Newbery is still running away from me with great speed.
ROUND 2:
How well do you know your co-author?
Our guests also responded privately to questions about each other. This is the first time they are reading each other's answers—let's see how well they did!
What is Jane's favorite time of day to write?
JPL: Around the clock
JY: As long as there is light
What is Pat's favorite time of day to write?
JY: All day long
JPL: 12:27
What is Jane's favorite activity to take a break from writing?
JPL: Winning awards
JY: Watching a cooking show
What is Pat's favorite activity to take a break from writing?
JY: Phoning editors
JPL: Reading
Which of you is more organized?JY: Pat
JPL: Jane, indubitably
Which of you is more likely to take risks?
JPL: Indubitably, Jane
JY: Me
Which of you is more likely to get their way?
JPL: Jane
JY: Me
If Jane was a dinosaur (one from your book, please), what would she be?
JPL: Saber-toothed cat
JY: One with feathers. Minimi?
If Pat was a dinosaur, what would he be?
JY: T-Rex
JPL: T-Rex, of course
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| Hello...? Editor? (via GIPHY) |
If Jane could time travel for a day, would she visit the past or the future?
JPL: The future
JY: The past
If Pat could time travel for a day, would he visit the past or the future?
JY: The future
JPL: The dinosaur past (with an invisibility cloak)
ROUND 3 (THE BONUS ROUND):
A few more secret questions, just for fun . . .
What trait do you most admire in Jane?
JPL: Indefatigability
What trait do you most admire in Pat?
JY: His ability to find a perfect idea for a book of poems and then go ahead and write it. Damn the man!
What adjective would Jane use to describe you?
JPL: Irresistibly handsome, or maybe, bald.
via GIPHY
What adjective would Pat use to describe you?
JY: Persistent. Or perhaps feral. Or perhaps anarchic in the small.
What book title best describes your relationship with Pat?
JY: The Bobbsey Twins, The House of Mirth, or Where Angles Fear to Tread.
What book title best describes your relationship with Jane?
JPL: Last Laughs
Write an epitaph poem, of course! — a short poem to appear on your chosen subject's tombstone. You can round out our collection of prehistoric poems or write about something entirely different, just try to make it clever or funny in some way. Here are two more examples of epitaph poems to spur your imagination.
EPITAPH FOR A SCHOOL TEACHER
Knives can harm you, heaven forbid!
Axes may disarm you, kid.
Guillotines are painful, but. . .
There’s nothing like a paper cut.
© J. Patrick Lewis, all rights reserved.
WHEN PLANETS GO NOVA
They were in a great big hurry.
Now there’s no one left to bury.
© Jane Yolen, all rights reserved.
Oh boy! This is going to be fun!
By the way, if you would like more guidance on how to write a funny epitaph poem, have a look at Kenn Nesbitt's instructions.
Now I know you're all dying to get started . . .
(oh come on, you knew that was coming!)
but before you go, please help me thank J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen for being such good sports today! I couldn't ask for two more fun-loving contestants and collaborators to introduce our NewlyRead series.
Thanks, also, to Charlesbridge for providing me with a copy of Last Laughs: Prehistoric Epitaphs, which I will send to one lucky DMC participant! (Winner to be selected randomly at the end of the month.)
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Post your epitaph poem on our February 2018 padlet. Stop by any time during the month to add your work or to check out what others are contributing.
By posting on the padlet, you are granting me permission to share your poem on Today's Little Ditty. Some poems will be featured as daily ditties, though authors may not be given advanced notice. Subscribe to the blog if you'd like to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email." As always, all of the poems will be included in a wrap-up celebration on the last Friday of the month—February 23rd for our current challenge.
TEACHERS, it's great when students get involved! Ditty of the Month Club challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn about working poets and authors while having fun with poetry prompts. Thank you for spreading the word! For children under 13, please read my COPPA compliance statement in the sidebar to the right.
FIRST-TIMERS (those who have never contributed to a ditty challenge before), in addition to posting your work on the padlet, please send your name and email address to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. That way I'll be able to contact you for possible inclusion in future Best of Today's Little Ditty anthologies.
BLOGGERS, thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that! Please let me know about it, so I can share your post! Also remember to include your poem (or a direct link to your post) on the padlet in order to be included in the wrap-up celebration and end-of-month giveaway.