Inspired to Rhyme?

Cheryl Fassett ♦ May 1, 2014 ♦ 2 Comments

I wanted to wind down this little poetry series with one of my favorite dreamy little children’s poems. It was written in 1889 by American poet, Eugene Field.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe —
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, and what do you wish?”
The old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!”
Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea —
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish —
Never afeard are we”;
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam —
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
‘Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought ’twas a dream they’d dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea —
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

***

As National Poetry Month draws to a close, I hope that you have found some inspiration through my posts to check out some new poets, read a bit of it – maybe for the first time since school, and maybe even write some. I am not a poet, but I have found that writing poetry can be a wonderful way to find inspiration for stories, or just make sense out of your life. 

I am including a list of some great books to help get you started:

 The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Poetry
Writing Down the Bones
Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words
The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry
Writing Poetry from the Inside Out
Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within
A Poetry Handbook

I also recommend checking out some anthologies or other poets to find inspiration. You never know what you will find that resonates with you and inspires you to pick up a pen.

Ogden Nash (Be sure to check out The Tale of Custard the Dragon — makes me giggle!)
Jack Prelutsky
Mary Oliver
Rumi
Hafiz
Pablo Neruda
William Carlos Williams

The Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry
Oxford Book of American Poetry
Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry
180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day
Poetry in Motion from Coast to Coast: 120 Poems from the Subway and Buses

Happy Rhyming! 🙂