The Toadstool Wood by James Reeves
The toadstool wood is dark and mouldy,
and has a ferny smell.
About the trees hang something quiet
and queer - like a spell.
Beneath the arching sprays of bramble
Small creatures make their holes;
Over the moss's close green velvet
The stilted spider strolls.
The stalks of toadstools pale and slender
That grow form the old log,
Bars they might be to imprison
A prince turned to a frog.
There lives no mumblin witch nor wizard
In this uncanny place,
Yet you might think you saw at twilight
A little, crafty face.
*the study here - was how the poem makes you feel? Is the wood mysterious or really unpleasant?
*Senses - words that appeal to the senses have been used such as dark, ferny, mouldy. Identify the sense and then change the word to make the poem lighter and more pleasant.
About the Poet
James Reeves was born John Morris Reeves in 1909, in the London
He was a teacher at various schools and colleges from 1933 to 1952 and became a full-time author and editor in 1952.
His 1st book of poems for children -THE WANDERING MOON, appeared in 1950.
Altogether he published nearly 30 books of poetry, stories and anthologies for both adults and children. He was also well known as a literary critic and broadcaster prior to his death in 1978.
Source: www.bookrags.com/James_Reeves , http://www.lauracecil.co.uk/pages/Clients/Clients_Fiction/Reeves/Reeves_home.html,
You can also read about him here: http://firstknownwhenlost.blogspot.com/2010/07/neglected-poets-james-reeves.html
Another of his poems is:
THE SEA
The sea is a hungry dog,
Giant and grey.
He rolls on the beach all day.
With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws
Hour upon hour he gnaws
The rumbling, tumbling stones,
And 'Bones, bones, bones, bones! '
The giant sea-dog moans,
Licking his greasy paws.
And when the night wind roars
And the moon rocks in the stormy cloud,
He bounds to his feet and snuffs and sniffs,
Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs,
And howls and hollos long and loud.
But on quiet days in May or June,
When even the grasses on the dune
Play no more their reedy tune,
With his head between his paws
He lies on the sandy shores,
Giant and grey.
He rolls on the beach all day.
With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws
Hour upon hour he gnaws
The rumbling, tumbling stones,
And 'Bones, bones, bones, bones! '
The giant sea-dog moans,
Licking his greasy paws.
And when the night wind roars
And the moon rocks in the stormy cloud,
He bounds to his feet and snuffs and sniffs,
Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs,
And howls and hollos long and loud.
But on quiet days in May or June,
When even the grasses on the dune
Play no more their reedy tune,
With his head between his paws
He lies on the sandy shores,
So quiet, so quiet, he scarcely snores.
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Other links:
Lists of sensory words per sense (hear, see, taste etc.) - really useful for writing http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/662095-Sensory-Words
