by Kate Coombs
The famous author hesitates
to pick his pen up.
He is shy. But wait!
He autographs the water
with a single word—
good-bye.
Copyright © 2012 Kate Coombs. From the book Water Sings Blue. Chronicle Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.
I started out by writing a poem comparing an octopus to a magician, but it just didn’t turn out how I wanted it to. Then I wrote about an author, and the poem came together. Writing a poem means experimenting with different ideas.
Write Your Own Poem: Pick a career for a specific bird, tree, plant, animal, or bug. Or for a computer, a car, a desk, a planet, anything you want. The trick is that the career should have something in common with your topic. In this poem, the octopus becomes a writer because of its ink. Try different topics until you find one that works for you. Then write a poem making the comparison, including the action of the work. Your poem doesn’t have to rhyme. It can be long or short. But have fun writing it!
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.