Twenty Ways of Looking at a Child
Welcome to our 7th Annual Díapalooza! Let me begin by thanking my wonderful Web team, Bobbie Combs and Laurina Cashin, for their loyalty and creativity. They are treasures! Thanks also to REFORMA, my first organizational partner, to ALSC for its creative energy through the years, to First Book who is coordinating the 2016 Mora Award, and to the other partners mentioned here.
I wrote the following poem as a way to celebrate Día’s 20th. Enjoy!
1
The child climbs into laps
that bounce or rock, rock—
hum, hum, humming
like the m o o o o o o n.
2
The child’s soft stuffed animals,
all silently munch
bushels of hay.
3
A little person,
the child,
opening
doors, drawers,
dangling—
from a star.
4
Ten tiny child’s toes
tasting
the first spring rain.
5
Lured by sleep,
the child—unable to resist—
curls into the yellow sunpool,
floats away—like mariposas.
6
Scoop after scoop of cold
cream and chocolate melting
goop in the child’s mouth—
sweet ooze.
7
“Ma-ma,” and then slowly
more syllables strung together,
verbal beads casting their spell.
8
Two child hands full
of breathing fur—
warm and breathing—
two tiny blue eyes
blink.
9
Page after page,
the child relaxes,
friendly predictability.
10
Lying on grass,
clouds above,
wind whispers
to the child’s skin.
11
Swinging high,
the child s t r e t c h e s
toes to skim
all the blue.
12
Morning yellow,
green, brown, then
purple and pink petals
bloom in the child’s hair.
13
The child pops
another purple grape
from the cluster,
chews pale, sweet light.
14
Singing, the child pounds
piano keys,
innocent musician.
15
Seeing her mother’s childhood
photo, the child says,
“That’s me.”
16
The child chooses colors purposefully
to create a world
on paper.
17
“Sh, sh, sh,”
whispers the child,
“Hear the trees talking?”
18
“Sour, sweet, crunchy,”
the child says
tasting the words.
19
“Come on!” says the child
rushing into surprises,
alive with celebration.
20
Pointing at pictures,
the child confidently tells
her grandmother the story.
Bookjoy! ¡Alegría en los libros!
The child climbs into laps
that bounce or rock, rock—
hum, hum, humming
like the m o o o o o o n.
2
The child’s soft stuffed animals,
all silently munch
bushels of hay.
3
A little person,
the child,
opening
doors, drawers,
dangling—
from a star.
4
Ten tiny child’s toes
tasting
the first spring rain.
5
Lured by sleep,
the child—unable to resist—
curls into the yellow sunpool,
floats away—like mariposas.
6
Scoop after scoop of cold
cream and chocolate melting
goop in the child’s mouth—
sweet ooze.
7
“Ma-ma,” and then slowly
more syllables strung together,
verbal beads casting their spell.
8
Two child hands full
of breathing fur—
warm and breathing—
two tiny blue eyes
blink.
9
Page after page,
the child relaxes,
friendly predictability.
10
Lying on grass,
clouds above,
wind whispers
to the child’s skin.
11
Swinging high,
the child s t r e t c h e s
toes to skim
all the blue.
12
Morning yellow,
green, brown, then
purple and pink petals
bloom in the child’s hair.
13
The child pops
another purple grape
from the cluster,
chews pale, sweet light.
14
Singing, the child pounds
piano keys,
innocent musician.
15
Seeing her mother’s childhood
photo, the child says,
“That’s me.”
16
The child chooses colors purposefully
to create a world
on paper.
17
“Sh, sh, sh,”
whispers the child,
“Hear the trees talking?”
18
“Sour, sweet, crunchy,”
the child says
tasting the words.
19
“Come on!” says the child
rushing into surprises,
alive with celebration.
20
Pointing at pictures,
the child confidently tells
her grandmother the story.
Bookjoy! ¡Alegría en los libros!
© Pat Mora
In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Children’s Day, Book Day/
El día de los niños, El día de los libros. The form was inspired by Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.”