Today is the last day of National Poetry Month. Can you believe you nearly missed the whole thing?

Fear not.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, listen to “One Boy Told Me,” by Naomi Shihab Nye, a collection of true words spoken by her toddler son. I’ll bet you a nickel you’ll (1) wish you’d written down more of your kids’ keen observations, and (2) start writing new ones down today.

I wish I’d written more down. I know someone who keeps a big blank book in her living room and writes down gems that come out of her kids’ mouths. Her kids can re-read their own wisdom long after they’ve outgrown cool observations like, “My favorite dead animals are dinosaurs.” (Credit to Emmett.)

For you high-achievers, in honor of Poem inYour Pocket Day, the writers’ website SheWrites.com suggests you “print out a poem (or, gasp, write one down on a piece of paper using a pen), put it in your pocket, and unfold it somewhere lovely, like in the hands of a friend, on a  park bench, in a grocery store aisle, in a cafe.”

But where will you find a poem? There used to be a thing called bookstores, now you can just Google them. Or maybe you have an old English Lit book you liked. Or a Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky book on your kids’ shelves. A lucky few may have saved a love note?

I may just write my own:

“There once was a Mom from Wasilla

Who thought she should see a flotilla

In the cold Bering Strait

But she flunked her debate

So she now is a Fox News guerilla.” 

Submit your kids’ great words (and your bad limericks) to me at lauradiamond.wordpress.com and I’ll post them next time!

Have a great day.