What Octopuses Do for Halloween #OctopusMonth

So! It's the last day of #OctopusMonth ... and it's Halloween! Which is kind of perfect, as octopuses are masters of disguise, and this is, of course, a dress-up holiday. Here is our last poem of the month, a zeno by Margaret Simon:

Changing color camouflaging

octopuses

mimic-

ry

boneless bodies

roaming

free

cephalopod

of the

sea

----

Thank you, Margaret! I love that broken "mimic/ry," and I know Agnes does, too. :) In fact, Agnes has a message for those of us who are parents, teachers, or anyone who works with and loves children:

Dear Beautiful Babies, 

Watch out for crabs! And other octopuses. (Some of them think they are SO SMART.) If you find the perfect home, make sure it's empty before you move in. And then? Hunt. Sleep. Swim! Remember, you are the reason for everything. 

Love,

Agnes

------

Kids are the reason for everything.

the real Jack Henry!

And, in case you were wondering: that seal in the spread has a name, as of last Saturday! I was giving a reading at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and a man asked what was the seal's name. I said, "What your name?" He said, "Phillippe." So, voila! Meet Phillippe! :)

Also, there's a little brother in the book, who is never pictured, only named. His name has an interesting origin, too. A local school asked if I would donate to their school auction a "Character Named for You in a Future Book." Of course I said yes, because what fun! The winner was a young fellow named Jack Henry... so that's the little brother in the book.. Isn't the real Jack Henry adorable?!

So many thanks to everyone for sharing your words and art and hearts with me to celebrate LOVE, AGNES this #OctopusMonth. It's been such fun for me! xo