It's Valentine's weekend, and I've got love on my mind... okay, I pretty much always have love on the mind! Today I want to share one of my most favorite love stories as found in the 1981 Caldecott Award winning book FABLES by Arnold Lobel.... and an ostrich poem. Read on!
On Sunday the Ostrich saw a young lady walking in the park. He fell in love with her at once. He followed behind her at a distance, putting his feet in the very places where she had stepped.
On Monday the Ostrich gathered violets as a gift to his beloved. He was too shy to give them to her. He left them at her door and ran away, but there was a great joy in his heart.
On Tuesday the Ostrich composed a song for his beloved. He sang it over and over. He thought it was the most beautiful music he had ever heard.
On Wednesday the Ostrich watched his beloved dining in a restaurant. He forgot to order supper for himself. He was too happy to be hungry.
On Thursday the Ostrich wrote a poem to his beloved. It was the first poem he had ever written, but he did not have the courage to read it to her.
On Friday the Ostrich bought a new suit of clothes. He fluffed his feathers, feeling fine and handsome. He hoped that his beloved might notice.
On Saturday the Ostrich dreamed that be was waltzing with his beloved in a great ballroom. He held her tightly as they whirled around and around to the music. He awoke feeling wonderfully alive.
On Sunday the Ostrich returned to the park. When he saw the young lady walking there, his heart fluttered wildly, but be said to himself, "Alas, it seems that I am much too shy for love. Perhaps another time will come. Yet, surely, this has been a week well spent."
The Ostrich in Love - A Fable by Arnold Lobel
On Sunday the Ostrich saw a young lady walking in the park. He fell in love with her at once. He followed behind her at a distance, putting his feet in the very places where she had stepped.
On Monday the Ostrich gathered violets as a gift to his beloved. He was too shy to give them to her. He left them at her door and ran away, but there was a great joy in his heart.
On Tuesday the Ostrich composed a song for his beloved. He sang it over and over. He thought it was the most beautiful music he had ever heard.
On Wednesday the Ostrich watched his beloved dining in a restaurant. He forgot to order supper for himself. He was too happy to be hungry.
On Thursday the Ostrich wrote a poem to his beloved. It was the first poem he had ever written, but he did not have the courage to read it to her.
On Friday the Ostrich bought a new suit of clothes. He fluffed his feathers, feeling fine and handsome. He hoped that his beloved might notice.
On Saturday the Ostrich dreamed that be was waltzing with his beloved in a great ballroom. He held her tightly as they whirled around and around to the music. He awoke feeling wonderfully alive.
On Sunday the Ostrich returned to the park. When he saw the young lady walking there, his heart fluttered wildly, but be said to himself, "Alas, it seems that I am much too shy for love. Perhaps another time will come. Yet, surely, this has been a week well spent."
Love can be its own reward
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And now for an original Ostrich poem! Remember how my OLW for 2016 is "delight?" I've been trying to bring that sense of fun and lightness to my writing!
When Ostrich Gets an Itch
by Irene Latham
When Ostrich
gets an itch
his feathers
start to twitch.
He hitches up
his wings
and buries his head
in a ditch.
And that's when
Ostrich gets
bewitched:
his world flips,
itch by itch
by itch.
Sky? Earth?
When Ostrich
gets an itch
he can't tell which
is which.
Lovely post! I hadn't read that fable before, and I like it. And your poor itchy ostrich!
ReplyDeleteOstriches everywhere are delighted with this post! Thanks for the Arnold Lobel story (hadn't read it before) and your charming poem. I'll try not to scratch. . . :D
ReplyDeleteI love that fable book, have used it as a mentor text for my students, and alas, had forgotten about it, Irene. Wonderful tale, and poem too. How interesting those creatures are. Now I want to know if they really do bury their heads? "His world flips,/itch by itch/by itch". Love it!
ReplyDeleteI love the ostric fable and your poem is a delight. That itchy itch. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all this Ostrich-love, and for hanging out at my blog today, too. :0) (I worry about an ostrich's getting an itch where he or she might not be able to reach to scratch!) Happy Valentine's Weekend - XO
ReplyDeleteI love the Ostrich fable and the ostrich with an itch!
ReplyDeleteFun pairing of fable and poem!
ReplyDeleteI love Arnold Lobel's FABLES, but this isn't one I have ever paid much attention to. Fun how you used it as inspiration for a poem. Your opening sentence made me laugh out loud!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! One might say DELIGHTful! And who wouldn't fall in love with an ostrich anyway... those eyelashes!
ReplyDeleteI've never read FABLES, will do so soon. Love these recommendations. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never read FABLES, will do so soon. Love these recommendations. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is fun, Irene! Love your whimsy and wordplay here:>)
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