Laura Purdie Salas

Writing the World for Kids

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Poetry Friday: Day of the Pigweed (by Doug Cushman)

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I got a review copy of Pigmares: Porcine Poems of the Silver Screen (Charlesbridge, 2012) by Doug Cushman’recently. Warning: Scary creatures and hoggy puns coming your way!?The clever premise is that a young pig watches monster movies before bed and then has terrible nightmares, all seen through a piggy prism. There’s Frankenswine (and his Bride, of course), The Werehog, Pigzilla, and more. The poems have varying degrees of pigginess, and upper elementary and middle school students will have fun picking them out (and the small trim size will attract those older students, too). Back matter helps readers unfamiliar with these classics (and not-so classics) get a little grounded.

Here’s one of my favorites:

Day of the Pigweed

We’re alien seeds from deep outer space;
we arrived on a comet’s bright tail.
Your warm, cozy Earth feels good to our roots–
our foul purpose it’s time to unveil.
We’ve come here to plant our alient race
and spread our vines far and wide.
We’re pig-eating plants from Galaxy X.
There’s nowhere to run to or hide.
We’re Creepers of Fear, cosmic Pigweed from Space.
Through our stalks runs green chlorophyll.
Wrapping our tendrils ’round helpless fat pigs,
we’ll gobble you all and your swill.
We’ll conquer your Earth with green creeping vines
and indulge our taste for fine pork.

What is that strange, hungry gleam in your eyes?
Is that dressing? And a large salad fork?

–Doug Cushman, from Pigmares

Honestly, I’m craving salad with fresh bacon now!

Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference has the delicious?Poetry Friday Roundup today! Hope none of the poems give you nightmares tonight:>)

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Comments

  3. I love the sound of that book. Pigs are so fun. Is it okay if I post my favorite poem from Bookspeak on my blog next week?

  4. I love the sound of that book. Pigs are so fun. Is it okay if I post my favorite poem from Bookspeak on my blog next week?

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