Not long ago I discovered a wonderful blog called The Miss Rumphius Effect. In case you couldn't tell from the title, the blogger loves children's literature. She blogs from my old hometown of Richmond, Virginia. And she also loves poetry. What a great trio of things to learn about a blog!
About once a week, she posts a new "poetry stretch." The one for this last Monday, which I didn't happen to see until yesterday, suggested trying a "rhyming chant." Here was the wording of the original stretch, which she posted from another blog:
"How's this for a poetry stretch -- could you take the names of a group of, say, 10-20 rodents, or mammals (or even poets, authors or bloggers) and make them into a rhyming chant? I'm heading over to Miss Rumphius right now to suggest it!"
I've had Harry Potter on the brain again lately, probably because I've been spending time listening to the last two beautiful film scores (Goblet of Fire composed by the marvelous Patrick Doyle, and the surprisingly moving and energetic score for Order of the Phoenix composed by Nicholas Hooper). So when I considered this challenge, what popped into my head almost right away was the beginning of a Harry Potter rhyming chant.
My rhythmic inspiration comes from Tonio K's old song/chant "Impressed."
Hermione and red haired Ron,
Harry James, the orphaned son,
James and Lily, Sirius, Remus,
Neville, Dean and their friend Seamus.
Arthur, Molly, George and Fred,
Severus whose class we dread,
Hagrid and his huge dog Fang,
Ginny Weasley and Cho Chang!
Hogwarts...we love Hogwarts!
Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs and Moony,
Luna Lovegood (sometimes "Loony"),
Pushy Peeves and Ghostly Nick,
Filch who doesn't miss a trick.
Feline Crookshanks, Mrs. Norris,
Centaur herds out in the forest,
McGonagall and Dumbledore,
Victor Krum, Fleur Delacour!
Hogwarts...we love Hogwarts!
This was great fun...even if it did keep waking my brain up in the middle of the night!
5 comments:
Hi Beth,
I'm so glad you stopped by and decided to write with us! I love your poem. The rhythm works beautifully
I do hope you'll come back and visit again.
Best,
Tricia
Thanks, Tricia! I couldn't quite resist this "stretch." Once the words started coming, I was having far too much fun working out the rhyme. I'm sure I'll definitely be paying your blog a visit again!
Beth
Poems that nag away at you in the middle of the night are the best kind! I'm not familiar with the song you referenced, but it's certainly appropriate because I am impressed with your chant! :) Now I have Hogwarts on the brain too...
Oh good! More Harry poetry coming from you, by any chance? Actually, I wrote a poem from the perspective of George Weasley the other day. I'm not sure it's great poetry (in terms of rhyme/meter) but I was really pleased with the emotional resonance. D. really liked it. I've been thinking of posting it here...
Ah, the Tonio K song/chant I'm referencing is one from the 80s, probably not terribly well known (he was kind of "alternative" CCM, and D. was really into him). It's a great song...I'll have to email you the lyrics if I can find them. Basically a list of great "couples" down through history, with a refrain that said "Impressed/I am not impressed/I love you the best." D. played it for me on Valentine's Day on our college radio station, oh so many years ago...! :-)
Aww, what a romantic gesture! :)
I definitely want to read your poem! And to give George a big bear hug... I have a couple half-finished Potter poems floating around; actually, I think all of them involve the Weasleys. I'll have to see if I can do anything with them. I've barely written any poetry since August, and I miss it!
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