August #PoetryFriday

For the last few weeks, my husband and I have been having fun reading each night’s entry in A Poem For Every Night of the Year (edited by Allie Asiri). As some of you know, getting a copy of this book involved a bit of a journey, which you may read about here. Well it paid off, because we are loving this book. And I do mean WE. My husband insists on reading the poem to me every night. I don’t stand a chance, and that’s OK. He’s a writer and reader of history, so I love that I’ve broadened his horizons with a bit of poetry, too.

One particular favorite thus far has been John Updike’s “August.” Up until now, I had not read any Updike poetry. What a playful nature his children’s poetry has, and he really nails the month of August, don’t you think?

August

The sprinkler twirls.
The summer wanes.
The pavement wears
Popsicle stains.

The playground grass
Is worn to dust.
The weary swings
Creak, creak with rust.

The trees are bored
With being green.
Some people leave
The local scene

And go to seaside
Bungalows
And take off nearly
All their clothes.

Our host for Poetry Friday this week, Jone, threw out an acrostic challenge. I wrote my first one just a couple of weeks ago about July shifting to August (you can read my post here), so there’s a nice connection with Updike’s “August.” Here’s what I had come up with:

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Jone over at Check It Out is graciously hosting this week’s Poetry Friday. Why not join us there and spread some poetry love!