NPM19 - Day 18 - The Rooster

Continuing with ideas from the book. This time, More Animals  

              I have a giveaway of a new poetry book here. Be sure to enter!

Tabatha Yeatts has created a link to poems teachers and librarians can print for poetry month, titled "Poetry in The Halls". I'm grateful to be one of the poets!

Jama Rattigan has a post HERE with many poets' goals for April.

The Progressive Poem schedule can be found on the right!

not "the" rooster, but one I met long ago on a trip with students

The Rooster

My grandparents lived on a picture book farm.

On it sat a large house, a barn, smaller sheds for storage, 

and one long, low building—for the chickens.

Behind it was the outhouse, the outside bathroom.

Kept spotless by my grandmother, it even had wallpaper! 

My problem lay in its location,

out of the house yard, 

                                  through a gate, 

                                                        across the chicken yard.

If only the rooster would keep busy with the ladies!

I would watch and watch 

‘till he worried a worm instead of me, 

and race through the chicken yard to the outhouse, 

slam the door and latch it.

Whew!

After finishing what I went there for—

I prepared for the race back.

I peeped through a crack,

searched all around,

saw only some hens scratching for a bite.

I opened that creaky door preparing for flight, 

the rooster marched around the corner, 

like a drum major in a band.

I jumped back into the outhouse

and slammed the door

again.

I waited and looked.

I looked and waited.

So did the rooster.

Finally, my grandmother missed me. 

She came to the rescue, rushing at the rooster. 

“Shoo, shoo,” she shouted. He listened to her.

I hugged my grandmother, grabbed onto her hand,

and walked back to the house with her.

But all the time, I watched for that rooster.

Linda Baie ©