“He went to sea in a thimble of poetry.” Poet Warning, Jim Harrison
Wynken, Blyken and Nod
my childhood friends,
lived in the well-turned pages
of mother’s Child Craft book of poetry.
Their neighbors always made me smile,
the Old Lady who lived in the shoe,
Miss Muffet sitting primly on her tuffet
and that merry Old King Cole too.
I often dreamed of that crazy cow
jumping over the moon,
prancing round the stars.
I lived in my imagination
where no one yelled at anyone,
hugging my yellow sort-of-teddy-bear
smeared with mother’s lipstick
so it always smiled at me.
Those dog-eared pages,
oh how I loved them.
When mama read to me,
all was good and calm and fun.
Linda is hosting Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. She introduces us to Jim Harrison (December 11, 1937 – March 26, 2016), an American poet, novelist, and essayist, and provides us with a number of lines from his works. We are to choose one line and use it as an epigraph at the beginning of our poem. An epigraph is a short quotation at the beginning of a book or chapter (in this case, a poem), intended to suggest its theme.
I still have two of the Childcraft volumes published in 1949, including the Childcraft Poems of Early Childhood. I loved these poems as a child and then read them to my children and my grandchildren too. Photo is from the book.
lillian the home poet 
Ah, those childhood memories.
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How lovely… i really love what you did with the quote… I used the same for totally different purposes.
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You have captured the magic of nursery rhymes here, Lillian! Children have an innate sense of poetry, and I love that my kids are now learning the rhymes I learned as a child.
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Lillian, such precious childhood memories! I love that you still have those books.I am sure they are dear.
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how touchingly you touched on these memories – you give a nod to the shadow and then these most beautiful of lines
“smeared with mother’s lipstick
so it always smiled at me.”
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delightful memories, these poems hold strong memories for me also, well done!
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Oh my heart this is so beautiful and tender, Lillian! I especially resonate with; “the Old Lady who lived in the shoe,” and “Miss Muffet sitting primly on her tuffet.” 💝💝
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This is delightful as I recall reading those books and lines too. Always tried to imagined where that cow was, smiles.
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Your poem presses all those memories, gently, and we remember each one, and wonder…where did our imagination go…but where…..quite an emotional ride really, and a lovely reminder…
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I was never read to as a child would you believe!!
Oh but i read to my daughter and my son. to nieces and nephews and so many more children in libraries.
And today, its all good
much love…
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Awesome poem. That is so nice that you have the books still!
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How many imaginations have been cultivated, how many shelters from the storms, have these golden volumes provided children over the years. Very enjoyable read, Lillian.
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Many a child found wonder in those simple rhymes. And many of those have gone on to be poets!
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Lovely memories of poetry readings…what happy moments shared!
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“I lived in my imagination” – it can be a wonderful place…I still visit that magical world, I remember having a giant Mother Goose book filled with nursery rhymes. It was enchanting.
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How incredibly sweet, Lillian 😀
BTW, what’s a “sort-of-teddy-bear”?
❤
David
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I used to love reading those rhymes. Beautifully done! 🙂
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I had a similar collection of childhood poems that was passed down from generation to generation. Your poem makes me want to dig them out and read them to Thea.
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Where dreams are made, riding on the sea in a thimble of poetry! A great poem of nostalgia!
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This is so delightful a poem! I cherish nursery rhymes, even though I have learned since some insidious and hidden agenda. My daughter still has the books I read to her. Love of poetry begins at the cradle.
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What wonderful memories! I remember those rhymes and still have the book I read from to my kids.
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Enchanting how you combined his line with childhood memories (precious memories.)
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Oh, lovely memories – stories are so important when you’re growing up.
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