Basho's poem was meant for the enlightened mind. And yet, almost any child can appreciate it.

There's a little Japanese man who lives inside of me who wants to bow to the sun, walk in bamboo gardens, and sit beside quiet pools. Whenever I hear him calling, I take out a book of Japanese poems and celebrate the simple.

Poets try to be attentive to the most delicate details and capture them in the most concise expression. It's not as easy as you think. In fact, you might just need the help of a child.

The challenge this month is to take your child and find something so simple and ordinary that the unenlightened heart would miss it altogether. And then together compose a short, simple, zen-like poem.

Find an everyday object or activity. Spend a couple of minutes just looking at it. It might be your dog sleeping. It can be the way the sunlight changes in the window. It can be the sound of dishes being washed in the sink. Then make a list of words and phrases associated with that activity.

Here's an example. Your washing dishes at the sink. Write down the words associated with dish washing.

Now try to write a poem in three simple lines. Try to put the words together in the shortest and most concise way possible.

Maybe like this.

Once you're done writing your poem, click here to submit it to the poetry contest. As you know, each month we sponsor a poetry drawing where we select someone's poem and send them a poetic gift. So, what are you waiting for?

Speaking of our poetry drawing, click here to see who won prizes last month.

Our poetry drawing is open to both children and adults. I'm happy to say we had our first adult entry last month. Keep on writing and sending in your poems!

Speaking of frogs and ponds and splashing, summer will be here before you know it. During the school year I'm booked every day, but I have some openings for this summer. I love performing in my shorts, so if you know of a local park & recreation event, festival, or a pool party, give me a call.

You can contact me directly at 847-797-0625 or by simply filling out my Contact Form.

I'd like to leave you with a few poetic recommendations.

I haven't seen the movie, but Jack Johnson and his friends made a wonderful soundtrack to the Curious George movie. Just the very first song, Upside Down, is worth the price of the CD. It's a wonderful celebration of exuberance, curiosity, and belief. You can check it out at Amazon by clicking here.

It's hard to be attentive in life. I urge you to check out a book called Enlightened Heart. It's an anthology of sacred poetry by Stephen Mitchell. These poems are designed to make us attentive to the sacredness of every moment. Check it out by clicking here.

I hope you enjoyed the monthly update. Encourage your friends to visit our website.

Until next time...Kiss The Fish,

Bill Buczinsky
A Child's Voice

Visit us at www.childs-voice-poetry.com