Sparkle's Poem

Those poetry teatimes and nature walks are starting to pay off.

We were at the gardens Monday. Since we looked at leaf shape last week, my plan was to look at leaf edges (smooth, toothed, etc.) this week. The girls had other plans. Glitter wanted to measure the grass, and Sparkle just wanted to enjoy the sunshine. We ended up by the fish as usual. Out of habit we started looking for the white fish. Then I heard Sparkle saying this rhyme.

Under the lilypad,
Throughout the pond,
Nice and pretty,
Nice and blond.

The rhyme was reminiscent of a poem from "When We Were Very Young" but it wasn't quite right. Then I asked Sparkle if she was quoting something or if she made it up herself. Turns out, she had made it up herself. The word "blond" clued me in that she was talking about the white fish, but just to be sure, I asked her what the poem was about. Yup, it was the fish.


Now, I admit that this poem isn't great literature, and "nice" and "pretty" are bland words. However, the use of the word "blond" is unique, it rhymes, and the first two lines have a nice flow. I think that it's a wonderful piecing of words for a five year old. Even more wonderful is how it came to her mind with no visible effort. The rhyme was the result of filling her mind with nature walks, repeated observation of the fish, and poetry, and then letting it all simmer until this piece bubbled out.

At teatime on Tuesday, Sparkle asked if she could recited her poem, and of course, I agreed.