Caapoo 2011
Photo by Amy LV
This poem is no longer
available.
It will soon be a book!
Students - when I was a little girl, I had a blanket named Caapoo. His name was pronounced CAA-poo, not Caa-POO, and I remember my parents telling me how I once corrected my Great Aunt Kay who mispronounced his name as Caa-POO. That would not do!
I loved my blanket and his special smell, and I used to tell him all of my secrets. Several years ago, I had a poem published in LADYBUG MAGAZINE titled "My Bear" about whispering secrets into a teddy bear's ear. This poem was really about stuffed bears, dogs, favorite pillows and blankets...anything that a person sleeps with and whispers to and loves.
I wrote today's poem some time ago, when my old blanket-friend was still living in a drawer in my childhood home. Recently, my dad found Caapoo in a box and gave him back to me. I don't sleep with a blanket anymore, but it's still good to have him around.
What
special objects do you love? Do you remember any particular smells that
you think will stay with you for your whole life? Go ahead...write
about them.
If you love blankets and stories about blankets, don't miss Bob Graham's picture book, THE RED WOOLEN BLANKET. Like every other book Bob has written and illustrated, this one is full of heart, goodness, and giggles too!
Teachers - I am so glad that you stopped by. Please know that I will be posting and sharing poetry and classroom-poem ideas each Friday. The after-poem words in each post are directed straight to students, so you can trust they will be appropriate and safe for SMART board or center use. I also welcome you to share any poem ideas or student work...if you look in the sidebar, you will see "CLASSROOM POETRY PEEKS." These are posts chock-full of stories, photos, and fresh ideas from wonderful teachers, all about sharing poetry in school.
Thinking about things we love has me also thinking about things others have lost in the wake of Hurricane Irene. If you would like to donate a book to the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay, NY or the West Hartford Public Library in West Hartford, Vermont, visit Kate Messner's blog for information on how to do so. If you are an author or artist who might like to donate a book or artwork, please visit Kate's post here.
Thinking about things we love has me also thinking about things others have lost in the wake of Hurricane Irene. If you would like to donate a book to the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay, NY or the West Hartford Public Library in West Hartford, Vermont, visit Kate Messner's blog for information on how to do so. If you are an author or artist who might like to donate a book or artwork, please visit Kate's post here.
Today's Poetry Friday snuggle is over at Tricia's The Miss Rumphius Effect. And if you didn't know, Tricia posts regular Monday Poetry Stretches where anyone can write and share! You can see last week's stretch here - Natural Forces.
(Please click on POST A COMMENT below to share a thought.)
Kind of reminds me of my nine year old daughter's pillow which she resolutely forbids for us to wash in the laundry. Nice. Thanks for sharing this poem.
ReplyDeleteCaapoo looks just like my pink blanket -- loved that satin edging on it. Funny how I remember loving it when I was little, but don't remember how it met its demise. Sneaky mom!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this sweet poem.
Reminds me of my son's blanket, which I just had to mail to him at college! Some things are just too hard to live without...
ReplyDeleteHello, how are you? Will I get to see you at KidLitCon? Two treasures of mine in preschool years were Flugus and Periwinkle, my imaginary friends who lived under the couch. A favor great aunt had listened and observed me over months talk about and "to" my friends F and P...and she had dolls made for me that I recognized immedately! As far as a smell, vinegar and Aqua Net hairspray...vinegar reminds me of my parents around the table as the boiled eggs in the white enamel pan came to the table to be dyed at Easter, what memories! And Aqua Net Hair Spray? Band camp in the dorm in the early 60's, pouffy hair, lots of spray! Thanks for great memories!
ReplyDeleteDreams and dirt--perfect! And thanks for always going that extra mile with a word for the teachers, Amy.
ReplyDeleteCarol and Amy, I just shared some strong smell memories with my Mom last week. We were talking on the phone and she asked what we were going to have for dinner, and it happened to be green beans with ham and little new potatoes, something we had EVERY summer (with beans from the garden) when I was growing up. She cried out -- just me saying those words had made her mouth water -- literally! And I told her about how every time I make that concoction and take the first bite, I can literally smell and taste vinegar, because we always had fresh cucumbers and sliced red onions in vinegar as a side dish to the green beans and ham.
ReplyDeleteFood and smells and favorite blankies. How strong our ties to the past...
Wouldn't it be great to have a book of poems all about smells? It's fun to hear about all of these...blanket on its way to college, soft satin edges, dirty-loved pillows, Aqua Net, vinegar... Such fun! Carol - I will not be at KidLitCon this year - but I will be at NCTE and Literacy for All. I am hoping for KidLitCon next year. Have a wonderful time. (I love your aunt.) A.
ReplyDelete