The teens I'd sat next to would sleep that night in locked cells labeled with big blue numbers. As I drove away, I hoped they'd remember Wong's words. I knew I would. Poems, we'd discovered, simply pare an event or emotion down to its richest essence. Sometimes that jolt of intense flavor is exactly what you need.
Today is the last day of National Poetry Month.
As it slips away, remember that there is no bad time to savor a poem or two with the children in your life. The following new books might open up new worlds to you both. Baby has a blast mixing applesauce and ketchup into a satisfying gravy, then dumping it on his head. Tired Mom, however, thinks a nap is a much better idea. Wong's bouncy, playful rhythms perfectly capture the front-line interactions between a frazzled mother and her exasperating but beloved preschooler.