by Kate Coombs

Rolling your belly like a tide,

sweeping the little fish aside,

billow and swell of midnight blue,

you’re as grand as a planet

passing through.

Copyright © 2012 Kate Coombs. From the book Water Sings Blue. Chronicle Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

About this Poem

I think it’s kind of funny that I used such a little poem to describe something so big, but you’ll find big images inside the lines. You will also find lots of L’s in the first three lines and three short A sounds in the last two lines. Poets don’t just use end rhymes; they use letters and sounds within words, too.

Write Your Own Poem: Did you notice that this descriptive poem is addressed to a blue whale? Pick a specific animal, plant, rock, or manmade object you’d like to describe and address it with “you are.” You can write 4 lines or 10 lines, whatever works. And you don’t have to rhyme. But you should brainstorm to come up with a bunch of metaphors for your topic. Some of them can be nouns, but also include some verbs (actions). Then pick the very best ones for your poem. Try wording your lines in different ways till you can get the sounds to roll or plod or scamper—whichever fits your topic.

About The Author

Kate Coombs writes picture books, middle grade fiction, and poetry. She grew up in California near the ocean, where she used to boogie board with her brothers and sisters. She likes to step on dry autumn leaves and thinks frogs are really funny. Her first poetry book, Water Sings Blue, won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for 2012.

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