Dirty Clothes Do-Si-Do [Poetry Friday]

Middle of the Night: Poems from a Wide-Awake House

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)

My newest poetry collection, In the Middle of the Night: Poems from a Wide-Awake House! (click the title to see my post last week introducing the book) is here! Thank you to all of the fabulous bloggers and educators and kidlit lovers who have hosted the blog tour this week! Here’s the blog tour schedule, and some of the post feature giveaways. I also tried to share different information as much as possible in the different interviews. I hope you’ll check some out! Today’s blog tour stop is with Matt Forrest Esenwine, who interviewed my desk, chair, etc. And, boy, did they have some drama to spill!

And I thought I’d share here a poem that DIDN’T make it into the book. This is from my first draft, I think:

Dirty Clothes Do-Si-Do

I swing my partner–

Wrinkled, smelly–

Do-si-do

That stain is jelly!

I bow to blue jeans

Muddy, prancing

We’re dirty clothes

We love square dancing!

–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

I know it needed work, but I do still love that image of clothes jumping out of the hamper and having a hoe-down while I snooze:>)
And for lots of wonderful poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with the amazing poet and educator Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe!

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15 Responses

  1. I love the visual of dirty clothes dancing…lord knows some days they look like they could get up and do a jig! I’m looking forward to reading your book!

  2. Being a dancer who tends to use dancing metaphors often, I loved this do-si-do of the laundry. How do you decide which poems make it into a manuscript?

    1. Good question, Margaret. I’m trying to figure out where best to post something to answer this question. Are you a member of the Writing for Children Facebook group I have?

  3. Laura, I thought I commented last night but I don’t see it. YEAH for the book tour of your latest book! I just love it and can’t wait to share it on the blog tour. As for the poem that did not make the cut-it is funny. Dirty laundry we all have it but watching it dance the do-si-do, that’s a cute image.

  4. Oh, yeah! I can TOTALLY see the laundry getting down in the middle of the night while we sleep!

  5. I really like this “lost” poem, Laura! Looking forward to delving into The MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT very soon…and the challenge of showing it in a new light! Congrats on your book birthday!

  6. Fun! I have a few loads that are probably having a secret hamper hoedown as I write this. 🙂
    Really enjoyed Matt’s interview too. It sounds like you have a rather lively household, Laura. LOL

  7. Congrats on the new book–It looks like so much fun. Your Dirty Clothes poem sounds like it came from my daughter’s bedroom floor. Thanks for sharing.

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