ripe bananas: poems about food

Hi everyone,

This hub is about food poems that rhyme (and those that don't).

I challenged Ms. O'Donnell's first graders to come up with a poem about food:

1. At least 4 lines long

2. With an AA or AB rhyming pattern, if you can.

3. Give us some good imagery

How about you. Can you write and share with us a poem about food, using the guidelines above?

Here is an old poem, I'm sure it is in public domain, but don't know the author. I sing it with my preschool children.

I eat my peas with honey

I've done so all my life.

You may think that it's funny.

But, It keeps them on my knife.

Hahaha. It is a funny poem because of the surprising last line. It also rhymes and it is about food, the image of peas sitting on a knife full of honey is a good one.

Here are some questions to consider as you think of what food to write about.

What kinds of food do you eat?

What foods do you like? Which ones do you hate?

What memories do you have of special times where food was amain part of the event?

One of the most famous poems about food is by William Carlos Williams, entitled:

This is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

This poem doesn't rhyme, but provides a strong image about food. It makes me want to go out and buy some plums. How about you?

I remember when I was a child, we would visit my Uncle Ray and Aunt Grace during July. Uncle Ray would often purchase a lug of peaches. They were wrapped individually in tissue paper and each of us kids would get to pick our own. We would carefully unwrap one, and then another after carefully re-wrapping the first. Finally, when we had decided which of the firm, round, fuzzy peaches would be ours, we would take it into the kitchen for Aunt Grace to wash and cut up.

Then, Uncle Ray would bring out the pitcher of cream and we would sit down to a bowl of peaches and cream. The smell of that freshly cut peach and the taste of the flesh with the creaminess of the cream was heaven. Hmmm. I can taste it today.

The result of this memory, is my poem titled, "Peaches".

peaches

hiding there

within the tissue

of desire

scenting the air

with your sweet perfume

luring me

your soft fuzzy skin

releases the flesh

of sweetest peach

and the nut

hiding inside

promises more

Notice the imagery provides a slightly seductive tone and the last thought is for future peaches.

Here is one of my first poems about food. It rhymes, but I am not all that excited about it. I think it is a good fit for first graders, though, as it demonstrates end-word rhymes.

An Apple A Day

_{by. A. Gagliardi}

An apple a day

keeps the doctor away

or so they say

believe? I may.

An apple or two

gives me and you

a chance to woo

within the loo.

An apple or three

is right for me;

I share with thee

for all to see.

An apple or four

is so much more,

no need to store -

eat down to the core.

An apple or five

so much is alive,

we fly and dive

like a big beehive.

An apple or six

mingle and mix

patting and pricks

gives us full tummy of pie.

Now, I challenge you with this last verse. Can you give me a last line that rhymes?

_{by A. Gagliardi}

You are the avocado of my dreams,

Your soft pear of green;

Your leathery gown

conceals your delicate interior.

I don’t let your heart of stone

deceive me.

I’ve known you are exquisite to the

last nibble.

This poem is an example of internal rhyme; it uses the same or similar sounds within the lines. For our assignment, we want to try to rhyme the end words of each line.

This section will include Student work, as it comes in.

_{by A. Gagliardi}

the used-to-be-butter color

now turned to brown

makes me want another

fruit since this one’s grown

too mushy and old

i don’t want to hold

it or eat it at all

i’d rather fall

down a well

than have you tell

me to eat it

i think i’ll beat it

into a mash

make a little hash

of sweetbread

instead