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I taught myself to read
because of Thing One
and Thing Two, and what
Dr. Seuss had them getting
into; because of pictures
of locomotives and roosters
and kittens dappling pages
of Seven Little Postmen.
How could I wait a whole
five seasons more for
Mrs. Cleck's chalkboard
at Dewey Elementary
once my mother, shoulders
golden in sundress straps,
put me on her lap, showed
me the book she clasped
containing words like
scuppernong fleece
brethren corral
and
supine ginger brash
limousine
All those letters arranged
in exotic combinations
I had never heard before -
pronounced aloud right there
on our living room sofa
This poem was first published by the Wisconsin Humanities Council.
Used here with the author's permission.
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Shoshauna Shy began writing at the age of eight, was recruited by a muse in her early 40s and, since then, has since published five poetry collections and a wealth of award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Her poetry has been studied in classrooms, recited in church sermons, translated into Chinese, discussed by book clubs, made into videos, and produced inside taxi cabs and on the backside of city buses. Not a monogamous writer, Shoshauna works on as many as 7-11 projects at a time. The founder of Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf, she lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
    
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rhonasheridan:
This poem is sheer delight. I loved it
Posted 10/08/2015 04:35 AM
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Lori Levy:
Love the "shoulders/golden in sundress straps" and the exotic words.
Posted 10/07/2015 11:32 AM
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Sherry:
Yes! One of my fascination words when I was little was "heathens," spoken by my grandmother in reference to people who lived a less-than life of gambling, drinking, etc. Poets LOVE words!!
Posted 10/07/2015 08:23 AM
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jeanie:
love this poem, shoshauna!
Posted 10/07/2015 06:50 AM
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fuddygail:
that was delicious!
Posted 10/07/2015 03:05 AM
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