Poetry For Beginners (1967)

[Music] a boy named Bill lives around here he lives on this street in this house if Bill were going to tell you about his house he might say our house is brown it has Windows and Doors and other stuff my room is upstairs or Bill can tell you about his house in another way with a poem our house has lots of doors and Floors and walls and other stuff all put together to last forever it's big and strong and tough inside we've got some stairs and chairs and rugs and lamps and all and Mom and Dad will sure get mad if I play here with my ball I like our house okay today I'll play outside a while when I come back I will not track mud on the kitchen tile Bill's poem doesn't just tell us what he sees when he looks at his house it lets us know how he feels about what he sees here's bill now he seems to be just playing but at the same time he's thinking and feeling poems can help him to tell us his thoughts and feelings now looking at Mr Williams The Postman Bill remembers a poem he's heard about a postman watch Mr Williams while we listen to Bill's poem The whistling Postman swings along his bag is deep and wide and messages from all the world are bundled up inside perhaps you notice that the poem moves along in the same way that Mr Williams does this movement or beat is the rhythm of the poem there are other things beside Rhythm that we might notice in poems Bill knows for instance listen to part of another poem that he knows a poem about his shadow I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me and what can be the use of him is more than I can see now that we've heard some lines from the poem let's read them I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me and what can be the use of him is more than I can see think about the words me and C these words sound alike and it's fun to say them together me see me see me see but let's go on with the poem about the shadow he hasn't any notion of how children ought to play and can only make a fool of me in every sort of way now that we've heard more lines from the poem let's read them he hasn't any notion of how children ought to play and can only make a fool of me in every sort of way think about the words play and we like me and C they're fun to say together the way the words match is called rhyme so poems may have rhythm and rhyme do all poems have rhyme listen to this one bang bang d D Click Click Boom I almost have to hold my ears when it starts the noise of the digging building moving machines Bill's poem doesn't rhyme but it has Rhythm making it up Bill used words to make a kind of picture for us a word picture often when we think of the words of poems pick pictures come into our minds everyone's word pictures are different so it might be fun to see some things that bill has seen and to hear some poems about them let's listen to some poems about things he did one day with his father there's a building in town that goes up to the clouds how many stories count 20 30 40 50 74 I don't know I can't see [Music] anymore the drum major leading the band in his hand is a stick a baton that he spins as they all March along hear the song The Drummer Boy taps with his stick makes a click on his drum rat aat and a bang as he plays with the band [Music] understand but the one I like most plays the flute toodle toot she's the one that sounds best as the band plays its song Am I [Music] Wrong a ship sailed into town today from way across the sea it picked up things in far off lands and brought them here to me I wish I were a polar bear all white and soft with furry hair I dive and swim Splash in my pool and never have to go to [Music] school it looks like fun to hold the gun that they use to put grease in a car but when they grease a car you have to stand far away cuz from a closer view they may get goo on you bill has seen many things today and thought of many poems too and now in bed he thinks of another I lie in bed and wonder after Daddy's tucked me in about the things I saw today and places I have been the sound of Daddy's radio comes tinkling up the stairs and enters softly through the door and mixes with the cares I've had today oh yes I do recall it's just that that I am all wor out good night sweet dreams I think the night will fly now that you've seen and heard some poems Bill enjoys maybe you'll want to hear and read more poems or even make up some of your own bill made up a poem about his house and maybe you'll want to make up one about your own house whatever kind of home it may [Music] be bill made up poems about things his father showed him you've probably seen different kinds of places and people and things and you can make up poems about them what in this whole world would you like to make up a poem [Music] about