Poetry Friday--Egg Challenge

I took the Miss Rumphius Effect Monday Poetry Stretch challenge this week which was to write a poem about eggs.

My entry was a tanka:

from the window
the jay's yolk-covered beak
all too visible
I've picked up shells before
...without knowing
                        © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

A tanka, like a haiku, is untitled, but, if I were to title it, it would be, "Pleading Innocent."



My favorite egg poem is from Russell Hoban's Bread and Jam for Frances (it's also found in Egg Thoughts and Other Frances Songs):

I do not like the way you slide,
I do not like your soft inside,
I do not like you lots of ways,
And I could do for many days
Without eggs.

If you're unfamiliar with Bread and Jam for Frances and the other Frances the badger books, then rush right down to the library and look for them. Do it now! They are delightful.

Another egg poem I'm fond of is "Boy and Egg" by Naomi Shihab Nye, which you can read here.

I'll close with the entry for "E" in Hilaire Belloc's "A Moral Alphabet":

E stands for Egg.

MORAL
The Moral of this verse
Is applicable to the Young. Be terse.

Great advice Mr. Belloc--it is my goal in life, at least as far as poetry is concerned, to be terse!

Have a great weekend, but before you do, indulge in more poetry at the Poetry Friday Round-Up hosted by Great Kid Books.