Tucked Twinkie and Writing Endings

Snack Time!

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I think the idea for poem came from this week's Chevy's Super Bowl commercial. Funny how one little thing sticks in one's mind, isn't it? In the first couple of drafts of "Tucked Twinkie," the ending lines rhymed right along with the rest. But when I asked my children to read the poem aloud, each looked at me and said, "I don't get it." If someone says "I don't get it," after reading your writing, it's a sign that you need to revise.

So I did.

I went back to the Twinkie-writing-drawing-board, and I played around a bit more until I came up with this abrupt ending. And it made my daughter Georgia crack up. So I kept it. Sometimes keeping a rhyme pattern going, lulling the reader along, and then dropping her on the floor makes for a good surprise ending. Please let me know if you give this a try as I would love to read your work.

Speaking of Twinkies, Hostess has filed for Chapter 11, and so soon the Twinkies will disappear. Here are a few ways you can enjoy the last boxes that may ever exist. For the truly strange among you, consider making a Twinkie Weiner Sandwich. If you would like to make your own Twinkies, check out this recipe at Top Secret Recipes. Or if you would like to make an organic, vegan version of Twinkies, visit instructables. If you just want to deep fry some Twinkies, check out food.com to learn how. We may actually do this on Saturday, and I'll keep you posted if we do.

Perhaps you are not very interested in EATING Twinkies. In that case, you might wish to check out some science experiments involving Twinkies from npr. Or maybe you'd just like to hear opera singer Hai-Ting Chinn doing her part to help Hostess by singing all of the ingredients in a Twinkie.

Would you call this a found poem?

Teachers and grown up friends - it is time to register for Spark 15, a wonderful opportunity for artists, musicians, and writers to swap work and inspire. This will be my fourth year participating, and I encourage you to consider joining the free artistic fun! Later this year, I plan to help Amy Souza and Jamie Palmer begin a small version of Spark for Kids.

And in case you, too, thought that Twinkies will last forever...you find out their real shelf life here at Snopes.

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