Thursday, February 1, 2007

Happy Groundhog Day!



Punxsutawney.

Isn't that a great word? That word alone is enough to make Groundhog Day worth celebrating. Although it is one of the most under-appreciated holidays on the calendar, Groundhog Day has a very loyal following. People observe the holiday with creativity and zeal. Did you know there are groundhog songs? games? parties? My sister is a devout observer. She started celebrating it when she was young and has now elevated the observance of it to an art form. Seriously. This year she has invited friends and family to write poetry in honor of the day. I experimented with a few different forms and perhaps I got carried away, but at least it was fun. Here's my contribution.


The Brown Groundhog (with apologies to William Carlos Williams)

so much depends
upon

a brown ground
hog

frightened by
shadow

burrowed in Gobbler’s
Knob

Okay, now for haiku

emerge from burrow
see not the cold grey shadow
and promise us spring

free verse


solitary marmot
whistlepig
woodchuck
finds his shadow
while we tuck
ourselves under the covers
for six more weeks of
winter.
Brrrrr.

Come on, celebrate the groundhog! Be daring and add your poem, song, or game to my comments section.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Groundhog Day! It is good to see articulate people celebrating.

Carrot Jello said...

Groundhog, groundhog
you are brown.
You come slowly
Outta the ground.

That's all I've got. It's like a jump rope rhyme.

Jennifer B. said...

groundhog -- Thanks for the well wishes and the compliment (you know how I love them).

Carrotjello -- You're so kind to visit and your poem rocks.
You deserve an award.

Code Yellow Mom said...

love these poems - Groundhog Day was my favorite holiday when I was in elementary school, although I never actually saw a groundhog until I was a grown-up!

Thanks for stopping by my blog (and adding me to your sidebar list) I'll be back here - you've got a fun blog!

Darlene said...

Be wise, tawny friend
I need spring. If you fail me
rodent is roadkill.

Jennifer B. said...

Thanks Code Yellow Mom! Come back anytime.

Darlene - I think that's the first haiku I've ever read that mentions roadkill. Hillarious!