J. Patrick Lewis is a master of writing light verse for both children and adults. I am always happy to post a "political" verse he sends along to me. Here's one he sent the other day:
Epitaph for John Edwards
(when the time comes)
But everyone kept telling me
to get Rielle!
If you like that verse--you're sure to enjoy J. Patrick Lewis's book Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses (Candlewick, 2006). The large-format book includes "delightfully deadpan" color illustrations by Simon Bartram--which complement the sly humor in Lewis's text.
The "gravely humorous verses" tell about the demise of a number of individuals who earned their living in different lines of work/professions--including beautician, philosopher, soccer player, gravedigger, movie star, tattoo artist, and poet.
One of my favorite poems in the book is School Teacher:
Knives can harm you, heaven forbid!
Axes may disarm you kid.
Guillotines are painful, but
There's nothing like a paper cut.
Click here to view a double-page spread in Once Upon a Tomb.
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