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Icicles in the Wind

A little row of icicles

Like spokes on wheels of bicycles

Hang beneath the weathervane.

A sudden rush of winter wind,

The icicles begin to spin

And fall like rows of frozen rain.

©Charles Ghigna

Tomorrow’s My Birthday

Tomorrow’s my birthday and I’ll be four

And I won’t have to stay home anymore.

I’ll take down my bank right off my shelf

And I will go out and about by myself.

I’ll buy me a ticket and I’ll take a train

And I’ll go to Texas to ride on the range.

I’ll buy me some boots and a hat, but no toys,

‘Cause I’ll be as big as all the cowboys.

I’ll rope and I’ll ride and I’ll be the best

Of all the cowboys in the world and the West.

And when it gets dark on the cattle drive--

Well, maybe I’ll wait until I am five.

©Charles Ghigna

Animal Talk

Ducks quack

Doves coo

Dogs bark

Cows moo

Birds sing

Bears growl

Bees buzz

Wolves howl

Geese honk

Gulls cry

Cats mew

Guess why

Mice squeak

Mules bray

Animals all

Have something to say!

©Charles Ghigna

MY LITTLE PLANET: New Series of Eco-Friendly Books

(Click on the title above)

Just released!

Four earth-friendly books for toddlers from the MY LITTLE PLANET series.

Winter Rain

Winter rain

stirs my brain--

poems on my

windowpane.

Morning finds

icy lines--

frozen words

in little rhymes.

©Charles Ghigna

I See Winter

By Charles Ghigna

Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska

I see snowflakes passing by.

I see gray geese in the sky.

I see shadows on the hill.

I see frost upon the sill.

I see boots and hats brand new.

I see mittens red and blue.

I see sleds and pairs of skates.

I see icy figure eights.

I see snowmen in a row.

I see angels in the snow.

I see trees without their leaves.

I see smoke rings ride the breeze.

I see cookies on a plate.

I see Grandma decorate.

I see cocoa in a cup.

I see Grandpa sip it up.

I see people in a choir.

I see stockings by the fire.

I see lights upon the tree.

I see a present wrapped me!

©Charles Ghigna

I See Fall

By Charles Ghigna

Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska

I see trees of red and brown.

I see gold leaves on the ground.

I see apples piled high.

I see buses passing by.

I see geese out on the lake.

I see waves the breezes make.

I see squirrels playing chase.

I see a jack-o’-lantern’s face!

I see friendly ghosts and witches.

I see clowns in funny britches.

I see pumpkins on the street.

I see friends go trick-or-treat!

I see an owl in a tree.

I see a scarecrow wink at me.

I see the sun begin to set.

I see my shadow’s silhouette.

I see a pink and purple sky.

I see a homemade pumpkin pie.

I see turkey on a plate.

I see my family celebrate.

©Charles Ghigna

Halloween Candy Check

Parents say the candy check

Is something they must do.

They have to search for anything

That might be bad for you.

Although they never find a thing

Despite this careful chore,

It’s funny how the bag comes back

Much lighter than before.

from HALLOWEEN NIGHT © Charles Ghigna

Scholastic Book Club

Witch Cats

So many different

Kinds of cats

Prowl the streets

On Halloween

Kitty cats

Pretty cats

Kindly cats

And mean

Black cats

Fat cats

Cool cats

And lean

Furry cats

Purry cats

Prancing

Like a queen

Rich cats

Witch cats

Which cats

Have YOU seen?

©Charles Ghigna

Acrylic painting by Chip Ghigna

The Silky Sax

A flash of brass,

a nightingale,

a songbird free

to tell her tale,

the silky sax,

a backwards S,

softly sings

her sweet caress.

©Charles Ghigna

Acrylic painting by Chip Ghigna

Drum Beats

A blur of hands,

a shock of hair,

a smile flashes

through the air,

time stands still

like a hum

in the heartbeat

of his drum.

* * *

Thunder rolls

in his hands,

lightning dances

in his eyes,

his drum beats

away the night,

leading us

to bluer skies.

©Charles Ghigna

Autumn's Way

In their yellow-most goings,

leaves of maple

ride breezes to the ground.

You can hear their sound

each autumn afternoon

as the crisp air cuts

through the trees

and hurries us along

the golden sidewalks

home.

Reprinted by permission of Highlights for Children/Boyds Mills Press.

"Autumn’s Way" from A Fury of Motion. Copyright © Charles Ghigna.

Sarah Vaughan

An infant speaks,

a young girl sighs,

an old man laughs

to hide his cries.

When Sarah sang

her sultry song,

clear blue skies

from now on.

How gentle is the rain

that falls softly on the meadow.

Birds high up in the trees

serenade the flowers with their melodies.

See there beyond the hills

the bright colors of the rainbow,

some magic from above

made this day for us just to fall in love.

©Charles Ghigna

Stella Saw a Star

Stella saw a star,

The brightest of the night.

Stella closed her eyes

And wished with all her might.

Stella saw a dancer

Swaying like a swan,

Spinning in the moonlight,

Dancing in the dawn.

Stella saw a mirror

Beside the ballet barre.

Stella closed her eyes--

Stella saw a star.

©Charles Ghigna

Billie Holiday (1915-1959)

Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 7, 1915.

Her real name was Eleanora Harris.

She taught herself to sing during her early teens

and began performing as a featured soloist with many jazz bands.

She is regarded as one of the greatest jazz singers of all time.

In 1941 she wrote the song "God Bless the Child."

Her nickname was "Lady Day."

Lady Day

Sighing, crying,

soft as rain,

filled with promise,

filled with pain,

Billie's voice,

raw, self-styled

tamed the night

and blessed the child.

Them that's got shall get.

Them that's not shall lose.

So the Bible said

and it still is news.

Mama may have,

Papa may have,

but God bless the child that's got his own,

that's got his own.

©Charles Ghigna

Cozy Morning Cats

Cozy Morning Cats

Daddy Cat sits in the windowsill

Watching the sun rise over the hill.

Momma Cat sits on the window box

Cleaning her furry snow white socks.

Kitty Cat sits on the braided rug

Watching a baby ladybug.

Granny Cat sits in the rocking chair

Watching them all in the golden air.

©Charles Ghigna

What I Learn from Picture Books

What I learn from picture books

Is always lots of fun,

My numbers and the alphabet,

The planets and the sun.

I learn about the Wild Things

Beneath a Goodnight Moon

And what to see on Mulberry Street

Where silly things can bloom.

I learn about Curious George

Who rides a bike like me

And Corduroy who roams around

To see what he can see.

I learn about a Bunny

Who likes to runaway,

But just like me he soon decides

He’d much prefer to stay.

I learn about the land and sea

And where the rivers lead,

But most of all I like to learn

What fun it is to read.

©Charles Ghigna

Mesmer Eyes

Ink Drawing by Chip Ghigna

He stares into the glare

of the blinding bright

white light

again tonight

He does not know

there is no

letting go

of the glow

Caught in its frame

like a moth to a flame

with no one to blame

but an X boxed game

©Charles Ghigna

A Poem is a Little Path

A poem is a little path

That leads you through the trees.

It takes you to the cliffs and shores,

To anywhere you please.

Follow it and trust your way

With mind and heart as one,

And when the journey’s over,

You’ll find you’ve just begun.

from The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury ©Charles Ghigna

photo of my grandson, Christopher Pierce ©Scott Pierce

Dance of the Dragonflies

I love to see the summer skies

Fill with flocks of dragonflies

Who dance their daily exercise

Right before our summer eyes.

They practice their sleek pirouettes

In sunny little minuets

Then cast their fading silhouettes

Across a field of open nets.

©Charles Ghigna

A Gift of Flowers

Christopher

Charlotte Rose

* * *

Wild Flowers

I want to give you flowers,

not in baskets and bouquets,

not cut and dried in vases,

not wrapped in green wax papers

or pinned into corsage;

I want to give you flowers,

a hillside full of flowers

where all our someday babies

can run and laugh and play

among the wild flowers

I give to you today.

from Love Poems

©Charles Ghigna