Poetry Friday: Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle . . . And Other Modern Verse

Head over to Mainly Write 

 for this week's roundup of poetry love.

Thanks for hosting, Donna!

I shared a favorite poetry book when I was here two weeks ago, and decided to share another one today.  I discovered this book in the 70s (first printed in 1966), and it's still in print and available at Amazon.  I have three copies, a paperback and two hardbacks.  It's important to have multiple copies of a favorite book (just in case one disappears).  One of my hard back copies is falling apart and the binding is held together by just one thread.    

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle . . .  And Other Modern Verse was introduced to me during college.  I used it as a resource for the poetry unit I designed to use during student teaching with my 9th graders.  I know I'm dating myself here, but this was in the days of purple dye mimeographs that had to be typed on a typewriter! 

The book opens with a favorite poem, "How to Eat a Poem," by Eve Merriam and closes with "Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity" by John Tobias.  Sandwiched between those pages are many other delightful poems.  Two of my favorites are "Summons" by Robert Francis and "Crossing" by Philip Booth.  

If you've somehow missed this book, check it out.  It's an anthology I often recommended to my sixth graders.  I loved it when they returned, book in hand, ready to share a favorite poem with me!