Chunky Monkey's Poetry Corner

Chunky Monkey loves poetry!

If a poem does express
A thought that's wise or clever
It will fly up to the sky
A poem is forever

Mother's Day, by Chunky Monkey

Mother's day, folks often say
Should be really every day
It's plain to see that could never be
Because it would sure interfere
With what makes our moms seem so dear
What she does that makes her great
Is she just won't hesitate
To be your pal, be on your side
To help you get back in your stride
And she does that every single day
No matter what may go astray
It comes but once in the month of May
And that suits moms and children too
Cause being good is hard to do
(Except for mom!!!)

April may be Poetry Appreciation Month, but Chunky Monkey
thinks poetry should be enjoyed every month.

On this page you can read four original poems, WHO, WHO I am, Chunky Monkey's Best Advice, Where do You Live? and the reply from the Purple Cow, as well as two nonsense poems, one by Lewis Carroll and one by Gelett Burgess.

There is serious poetry and nonsense poetry. Nonsense poetry has been written by many famous writers like Ogden Nash and Lewis Carroll, who wrote "Alice in Wonderland," and is taken very seriously by many people. In fact, it was taken seriously recently by a cow, who wrote a poem about a poem written about her. She even sent us a picture.

Send us a poem!

Chunky Monkey's Poetry Picks
Your poetry personally selected by Chunky Monkey!

A poem can be about almost anything. It can be short, just a few lines, or a longer poem that tells a story.

Send a poem to us by e-mail at:
edmaster@chunkymonkey.com

or by snail mail at:
Chunky Monkey
P. O. Box 64,
Absecon, NJ 08201

We would like to post your poetry here at Chunky Monkey's poetry corner for everyone else to enjoy.

WHO, WHO... I am

My momma told me I'm an owl
(not a silly barnyard fowl)
I'm not a nightingale or lark,
I'm an owl and proud to be
I like myself, and that's the key
Otherwise I'd be a sham
For who I am is what I am

"The Purple Cow," is by
Gelett Burgess.

"I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one,
But I can tell you anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one."

The Purple Cow was quite perplexed, and wrote her own poem to the editor

Yes, I am a purple cow
and rather proud to be one
Although Gelett Burgess claims
he'd rather see than be one

The whole thing is a mystery
I state this with regret
How can anyone insult a cow
whom he says he never met!

And so this slur is just a blur
no one should ever quote it
Though I apologize for
Chunky Monkey,
who thought Lewis Carroll wrote it

Chunky Monkey has written a poem that you can sing about doing your best.

Chunky Monkey's best advice

You gotta do your best every day
Or your best won't be best at all
You gotta play fair in every way
Or from grace you may fall

And become a castaway
On a desert isle where you must stay
You gotta do your best every day
Or your best won't be best at all

If you become a castaway
Eating coconuts all day
Even your head may look that way, SO.......
You gotta do your best every day

Or your best won't be best at all

Have you ever wondered where little animals live? Chunky Monkey did, so he interviewed a mouse, a mole, a snake, a goat, a fox and a bird to find out. This little poem is a result of that inquiry.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
Where do you live little mouse?
In a barn or a burrow or maybe a house
"A barn is for hoot owls, a burrow for moles
I live in an old house with splendid mouse holes
Lots of nooks to explore, hidden places to roam,
while nibbling on cheese, I call that my home."
Where do you live little mole?
On a cliff or a beach or perhaps in a hole?
"A hole, that's for mice to hide from the cat
The beach is for pipers, I'm nimble but fat,
I tunnel the ground, which is my domain
It keeps me secure, safe from hawks, wind and rain"
Where do you live little snake?
In a bog or a marsh, a river or lake?

"I live in the grass, where I wriggle and slide
I'm a snake in the grass and I say it with pride
If you should encounter me don't feel alarmed,
I promise a grass snake will do you no harm."
Where do you live little goat?
In a barnyard, a hutch, a cliff or a moat?

"A hutch is for rabbits, dogs live in a yard
I live on the cliffs, where it's craggy and hard
It's hard on my hoofs, climbing all day
But I'm stubborn and willful and like it that way
Where do you live little fox?
In a stable, a pen, or perhaps a sandbox?
"A sandbox is for turtles, pigs live in a pen
Foxes are choosey, and live in a den
Where the climate is right to think up each plan
To outfox our neighbors, especially men."

Where do you live little bird?

In the branches of trees or in chimneys, I've heard.

"Storks may like chimneys, hardly the best
Sometimes we stop there only to rest
If you look up above, high in a tree
A nest with no rooftop, that's home for me."

The Crocodile
by
Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining trail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!