Sunday, March 7, 2010

Epitaph for John Edwards by J. Patrick Lewis

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.