Time flies when you’re having book launches.
And writing. And trying to be a parent.
So it should come as no surprise that I completely forgot to share this poem – which I wrote in April as part of Michelle H. Barnes’ blog feature on my new book, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books).
As part of Michelle’s “Ditty of the Month Challenge,” my co-author, Deborah Bruss, and I challenged Michelle’s readers to write a poem about something one would not expect (or want) a dinosaur to do.
I figured I would start things off by writing a poem myself and sharing it with Michelle’s readers…and after she posted it, I completely forgot about it!
So here it is, 2 months later, and I’m just now getting around to sharing it here at the ol’ Triple-R. Better late then never, right?
Born to Dance
Young Colette could pirouette,
turn out, and then jeté.
Statuesque at arabesque,
she’d bend to a plié
and twirl adagio – then allegro –
landing a croisé!
I’d never seen a T-Rex
so accomplished at ballet.
– © 2018 Matt F. Esenwine, all rights reserved
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Looking for more poetry? You’re in luck! Kiesha Shepard is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup with Summer’s Song, dancing in the twilight while white caps and tanker ships dance in the sea…be sure to stop by & say hi!
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“DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR” is available everywhere!
Well, what do you know…we have another signing lined up, and this time it’s in New Hampshire’s beautiful Lakes Region! I won’t be able to be there, unfortunately, but Dinosaur‘s co-author, Deb Bruss will be, so I hope you’ll consider stopping by if you’re in the area.
- Sat., June 23, 1-3pm: Innisfree Bookshop, Meredith, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing
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Purchasing personalized signed copies ONLINE? Yes, it’s true!
You can now purchase personalized signed copies of Flashlight Night, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur, and ANY of the books or anthologies I’ve been part of!
Just log onto my website and click the cover of whichever book you want, and the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH will let me know, I’ll stop by and sign it for you, and then they’ll ship it. Try doing that with those big online booksellers! (Plus, you’ll be helping to support local book-selling – and wouldn’t that make you feel good?)
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Thank you so much to all the librarians, bloggers, and parents who are still discovering “Flashlight Night!”
- NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
- KIRKUS Starred review!
- Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017!
- “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
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Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
Delighted to read this encore performance, Matt! I’m particularly glad that you decided that Colette should be accomplished as a dancer rather than clumsy or clown-like. Would love to see an illustration (or even an animated feature!) of Colette the T-Rex doing what she loves best.
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Well, how could she be clumsy when she’d been taking dance classes since the Cretaceous?
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Silly at first glance and yet dinos probably had a varied spectrum of behavior, and some no doubt danced. 🙂
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I’m sure they did! I’ve seen all of the “Ice Age” movies and I know for a fact that early mammals danced – so why not dinos? 😉
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LOL
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Your poem makes me wish I could really draw, Matt! But in my imagination, I can see that twirling, also lumbering, dino at a recital. (My youngest granddaughter just had her recital last week, so the idea of a dinosaur appearing is a fun idea.) Thanks, glad you remembered!
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Thanks, Linda – I hope your granddaughter had fun!
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Such a fun poem. I love picturing that dino’s dance moves!
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Thanks, Jama – I think she really raised the ‘barre’ for all reptiles.
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What a great poem for young dino lovers, Matt, (especially those interested in dance)
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Thank you, Carol!
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I love your twist on and spin on this dino dance, Matt! I’m glad your remembered this little ditty and shared it with us today!
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Thanks, Kiesha…and thanks again for hosting!
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Oh my goodness, dino-obsessed little girl Jane would’ve been thrilled with a dancing T-Rex! 😀
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Deb Bruss & I have talked about doing another dino book at some time, and one the ideas was to do poems about things dinos would do if they were kids…so perhaps this poem might see the light again!
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What a vision!
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Another PB, Matt! Impressive rhyming!
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Thanks so much, Joyce!
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What a lovely dancing dinosaur Colette is and I learned about the dance movement “croisé” too, thanks Matt!
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You learn something new everyday, isn’t that what they say? Thanks, Michelle!
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Very clever, Matt! A t-rex who is “statuesque at arabesque” is quite an image!
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Thanks, Catherine. I almost titled the poem “T-Rex in a Tutu,” but didn’t want to give away the ending.
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Bravo, T-rex! Isn’t amazing how much time gets soaked up by other things when we’d just like to focus on writing?! Enjoy your family and your book launching. It looks like writing is going to stick with you no matter what. I’d like to dance with that dinosaur.
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Thanks, Linda!
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This is so fun! Amazing how you managed to incorporate all the ballet words and still have the poem feel so good and be so fun to read! Well done!
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Thank you so much! I was hoping it would be as fun to speak as it was to write. 😉
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Fun one, Matt–love the dino/dance combo.
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Thanks, Buffy!
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The best part of this poem is that the last line took me by surprise even though I helped design the challenge. I think all readers should have the experience of the poem without an illustration. If I may be so bold as to suggest to the illustrator that the first illustration would only show a small part of the T-Rex, such as a foot in a ballet slipper or a tail wearing a tutu. After a page turn, the entire twirling T-Rex would show.
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Thanks, Deb – and yes, good idea!
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