Creeker
wins Seussical poetry contest
by
Jim Crawford
CAVE
CREEK – Dr. Seuss has been a par of children’s literary
landscape for 50 years.
School
kids grew up listening to his lyrical poetry and laughing
at the outrageous characters featured in 44 children’s
books he published before his death in 1991.
Everyone
is familiar with such titles as “The Cat in the Hat,”
“Green Eggs and Ham,” “Horton Hears a Who”and the ever
popular, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” All have become
American classics.
Some
titles have been made into movies such as “The Grinch”
and “The Cat in the Hat,” and “Seussical” is a musical
adaption of all of Dr. Seuss’s books.
To
celebrate the 50 years of Dr. Seuss’s classics, Childsplay
sponsored a “Seussical Poetry Slam” for poets of all ages.
Each
contestant was given a list of words to incorporate into
their poem. The poems were required to mimic the style
of the original Dr. Seuss stories.
A
Cave Creek mother and daughter were named finalists in
their respective divisions in the contest.
Carol
Persley Powell entered in the 16 and older group, and
her daughter, Sarah, competed in the 8‑10 category.
Jon
Gentry, who plays the Cat in the Hat in “Seussical,” was
the master of ceremonies and read all the finalists’
poems in the lobby of the Tempe Center for the Arts on
Dec. 1. Prizes were to be awarded to all finalists and
a grand prize winner was announced after the reading.
When
all the finalists’ poems had been read, Sarah was named
the big winner and her prize was 2 tickets to Seussical
(as it was for all finalists), a Borders gift card and
a large Cat in the Hat beanie plush toy.
“She
was thrilled,” her mother said. “I homeschool all three
of my kids and I encourage them to write every chance
they get, and to enter writing contests. I think it’s
good for them to see me enter a contest like this. I’ve
always liked Dr. Seuss’s style. It took me about four
days to write my poem. I wish I could have spent more
time on it. I like to write and leave it, and come back
a couple of days later, sometimes with a new perspective.
“I’m
trying to break into the children’s market with my books,”
Carol said. “It’s a hard market to get into.”
Carol
asked all three of her children to enter the contest
and Sarah was the only one to submit an entry.
“I
told them when you write, you’re communicating,” she said.
“There all pretty receptive to writing. Sarah really likes
to write. My oldest daughter is in high school and didn’t
have time to write a poem because of all of her other
school work.”
Sarah
is a veteran at writing and entering her work for judging.
“I’ve
won several essay and poetry contests,” Sarah said. “I
really like writing. Writing poetry is my favorite because
it’s much easier. I had no trouble incorporating the words
(from the list) into the poem. It took me about a day
and a half to write mine. I also love reading. I read
just about anything. My favorite books are The Hardy Boys
and Nancy Drew mysteries.”
Childsplay,
Inc. is a nonprofit theatre company of professional, adult
artists who perform for and teach young audiences and
their families.
The
mission of Childsplay is “to create theatre so strikingly
original in form, content or both, that it instills in
young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the
medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, the hallmarks
of childhood which are keys to the future.”
For
information on Childsplay performances, classes or educational
presentations please call 480‑350‑8101 or
visit childsplay.org.
A
Trip to the Fair
by
Sarah Persely Powell
On
a fine summer’s day,
In
my very own town,
We
went to the fair,
Each
without frown.
And
the very first thing
That
we saw was a clown,
A
man, dressed up
In
a pink satin gown.
One
man played
A
mahogany fiddle,
Another
called out
A
very quick riddle.
My
mom, dad, and I
Were
stuck right in the middle,
You
must know already
Our
thumbs did not twiddle.
We
passed a great big,
Fiery
fire,
A
man near by
Played
an old fashioned lyre,
A
fierce lion’s jaws made
Going
near dire.
A
man threw burning torches
Up
higher and higher.
Two
men fought with swords
Of
fresh, hard bamboo,
I
said, “Did you know
Bamboo
is grass, too?”
One
gave me his lance,
And
I learned what to do,
My
prize was a box
Of
expensive shampoo.
For
a dollar a try
We
fished for trout,
But
were disappointed
When
we found out
That
the fish was not real,
Though
I had had my doubt.
So
we wouldn’t use THAT
At
our next cookout!
There
was spice in the air
When
we reached the rides,
And
food was everywhere,
On
all four sides:
Hot
dogs and hamburgers,
On
sale near the slides,
And
deep‑fried pizza
Sold
by the slice.
There
were gypsies,
Dancing
to a quick beat,
Wearing
purples and reds,
As
they twirled on fast feet.
We
went by the contests,
And
the fireworks, fast,
I
think it’s remarkable,
How
time can pass.
We
walked by the hawkers
Selling
their wares,
We
each got a something,
To
remind us of fairs.
Mom
got a silk scarf,
Dad
got a cold beer,
And
I got a book
For
a souvenir.
