POEM IN MY SON'S POCKET!

--this post is dedicated to Dan Waber for enabling me to discuss *paper sculptures* with my son

Okay. How cool is this story I'm about to share -- so, as we're in the waning days of Nat'l Poultry Month, Michael's school instructed all students to go to school tomorrow with a "Poem in the Pocket"!!!

So he asks this evening, before I learned about the P in P, for a poem. With much enthusiasm (and clearly showing myself to be a bad parent for not caring about the impact on his already heavy backpack), Moi offers him his choice of the BRICK, SON OF A BRICK, or the BRICKHOUSE. I hear a sigh. I turn around towards sigh. The hubby is rolling his eyes as he says, "Eileen, I think a page would do..."

"Why?" Moi (the) Ego asks. "He can bring in one of my books and read from it!"

I suddenly notice wind. I turn towards said wind. Michael is shaking his head back and forth furiously. I suddenly become furious towards the hubby -- is the hubby being a bad model as regards instilling a love for my poetry, I mean, a love generally for poetry...?!

"No," the hijo explains. "I need a poem that fits in my pocket."

And so that's how I learned that his school is doing a "Poem in the Pocket" project.

"Oh. That's all fine and good!" I reply, avoiding the face of the hubby which I feel to be smirking.

Anyway, here's the very cool part of the story! So guess what Michael will be flattening against his butt tomorrow? That's right, my "Hay(na)ku for Haiti" booklet which, I remind Toi, fits against the palm of a hand!

Moi being Moi, I also gave him some extras to give to his friends who will forget -- what do you bet some of those tweens will forget to bring in a poem. Who's going to remind them? Their parents....?! But let Moi not be bitter. Anyway -- isn't that a delightful use for an H for H booklet?!

After giving him several copies, I read my poem out loud to him. He looked back at me blankly.

"I'm a famous po-..." I begin, then give up.

Okay. But then he unfolded the single sheet of paper, before figuring out how to put it back again into booklet form -- a lovely design decision by Dan Waber over at chapbookpublishing.com. Then he nodded up and down and said -- about the chap design, not my poem --"Wow. That's really cool."

I thought so.

***

Speaking of Michael, he recently participated in a "Run for Funds" fundraiser for his school. Various friends pledged a sum per each segment run. I think I've mentioned before that I have Michael do Thank You Drawings whenever he needs to express gratitude -- it teaches him manners while allowing him to exercise his huge artistic talent. So here's his latest Thank You to a lovely New York City art dealer who sponsored his run:



This time, I'm not actually going to exude enthusiasm over the drawing's brilliance. I suspect he copied much of the imagery from some cartoons. I'm finding, in his drawings, that he frequently lapses to imitation (especially when he's tired). Oh, pardon Moi. Moi am enlightened nowadays -- so I should renege the early part of this paragraph to say that Michael is not actually imitating others' images -- he's just practicing Kapwa! (Belay that smirk, Toi!)

Anyway, since my refrigerator has a wooden door, I can't put up my son's drawings up there....and must post them here. Aren't you all lucky!!!!

I thought so!