A is for…Apples Eating Zebras (#AtoZ)

Here is my first post for the #AtoZChallenge for April 2022, my first time participating as I’m relatively new to the blogging world. I’m looking forward to engaging with more of this wonderful community through this challenge. For those that don’t know me, I’m a writer/illustrator/blogger based in Shanghai, China. You can learn more about me here.

My title and theme for this challenge is “Seriously Silly Poetry” in recognition of April being poetry month and also wanting to do something fun and playful to celebrate spring. Seriously Silly Poetry will include poems from A to Z that are inspired by the child in me and other creatives that celebrate childhood (such as Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, etc.). All of the poetry and illustrations will be creations from me. Most will be original creations for this series, but from time to time I will pull from one of my illustrated books or earlier posts if it fits with the theme.

I hope you enjoy this series. Welcome to Monty’s Blahg!

This post is a repost of a fairly recent poem and I hesitated to use this as the first post, but it’s so perfect for the theme I couldn’t help myself. My original thought was to use this poem and illustration for a new picture book for children, but my son pointed out that the language might be a bit to advanced for that purpose. However, its still fun and playful and most importantly I love it! So here it is.

Apples Eating Zebras

by Monty Vern

a Golden Shovel from “Ars Poetica” by Archibald MacLeish

Apples eating zebras and z’s to a

I cobble together words in a poem

Making nonsense I should not but should

Gobble up wobbles and play vocab tricks to be

Escaping tricky corners with palpable

Tight and twisty turns and

Flamboyant gestures of an eloquent mute

Breaking forms with made-up rhymes as

A wanna-be poet throwing a

Bucket of colorful words upon a globed

Canvas and calling it a bowl of fruit.

Be well,

Monty

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