Skip to main content

Food News Poem

'Ideas exist in things.' 

I heard that somewhere a long time ago and have never forgotten it. So, when I'm looking for ideas, I find it extremely useful to sit perfectly still and take a careful look around me. Today, as  I sat watching people eat in a favourite cafe of mine, I began to think about food. I must admit I like thinking about food. I love both eating and cooking. 

 I began to think more particularly about food back when I was a kid. Food I liked and food I avoided. I thought about some of the things people used to say about certain foods. Not all of which was true. A bit like 'fake news' we hear so much about these days.

Eventually my thinking lead to wanting to write something down- It often does. Well, a poem began to develop in my head, so I took out my notebook and started writing. When I got home, I just had to continue preparing my poem. Here it is for you to digest.


Food News

Green jelly's made from cow's hooves
Spaghetti's made from worms
Bread is made from gluggy paste,fly dirt, grass
and germs
Beans are made from pond scum
Beetroot's monkey brains
And pumpkin's made from slimy stuff they fossick from the drains
Potato chips are just dried wax
They scrape from camel's ears
And peas are balls of hard green snot
That's been dried out for two years






Comments

  1. Thanks! Your poem started my day off with a laugh and taught me a delightful new word, "fossick". I also enjoyed reading about your thought and writing process. I'll definitely keep in mind your strategy of looking at things to generate ideas during next months Slice of Life challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Molly. Glad you found something you might be able to use in your own writing process.

      Delete
  2. Hee-hee! I'm not sure I can ever eat a potato chip again without thinking about camel's ear wax. Thanks for the smiles today, Alan, something we need more of everyday. =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bridget. Glad it made you smile. I was probably channeling the small boy inside me with this poem. Appealing to the gross side a little.

      Delete
  3. Intrigued by your quote "Ideas exist in things" ... and liked how you walked us through your thinking. But I'm not sure I want to "digest" your poem. Thanks for the laugh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alice. Our process is important to share, particularly with our probationary poets. We must all find our way in the end though.

      Delete
  4. Yuck! I don't know if I can ever look at a potato chip the same way again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leigh Ann, all writers wish to evoke a response from their readers. Sorry about that.

      Delete
  5. Blergh! Thanks for tha laugh, Alan, and for sharing your process.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As you know Sally, process is important to each of us. Unique as well. Our young poets need to understand how the thinking and rehearsal goes. It is an investment in the words we hope will emerge.

      Delete
  6. Well...I'm a bit put off food at the moment by your all too easy to imagine delicacies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Tara, that's no good. Visualizing is clearly a double edged sword.

      Delete
  7. EW! I think you just put me off potato chips...which might actually be a good thing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. A poet has to tell it like it is sometimes Mary. It serves to raise the awareness of consumers. Poets also like to have fun with words, which on this occasion is closer to the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think I just lost my appetite. There's a couple foods here that I eat and I'm glad I'm not having them today!
    I did enjoy learning about the definition of fossick!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh how fun? Might I use with my Poetry Rocks students?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life Cycle -A football poem by Bruce Dawe

This poem by Australian poet Bruce Dawe epitomises the unique connection sporting tragics have to their preferred football teams, -an almost tribal allegiance. Each season supporters stare down the twin imposters- victory and defeat. They remain both loyal and hopeful of eventual triumph. This poem refers specifically to Australian Rules Football, but it's themes are universal. I share this poem on the eve of the 2017 Grand Final to decide the Premiership for this football season. My team, the Richmond Tigers have reached the play off to decide the ultimate victor. They have not contested the Grand Final match for 35 years. My hopes fly with them. This poem links two of my great loves -football and poetry... Life Cycle When children are born in Victoria they are wrapped in club-colours, laid in beribboned cots, having already begun a lifetime’s barracking. Carn, they cry, Carn … feebly at first while parents playfully tussle with them for possession of a rusk: Ah, he

Poetry Friday: The Safety Pin Poem

Poets not only write poetry, they also read poetry. In order to be able to write poetry, one must read it. Lots of poetry in fact...  I want to share a short little poem by Valerie Worth. I bought Valerie's book, 'All The Small Poems And Fourteen More,' while living and working in New York, some time back. It remains a personal favourite.  I love the way the poet shines a special light on everyday objects, transforming them into something unique and worthy of attention. Her close observations elevate her poems into the special category.  Each poem in the collection celebrates earthly wonders. From eggs to garbage, from potatoes to pockets, each object is given special attention in the form of short poems employing keen observations.  Valerie Worth demonstrates through her poems she totally understands the saying-'ideas exist in things.'  The poem I have chosen to share with you (one of my personal favourites) is titled, 'Safety Pin'. S af

Opposite Poems

O pp o s ite P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not e