Poetry Friday: Poppies from Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

When poppies first
push themselves
out of the ground
they look like a weed --
hairy, grayish, saw-toothed foliage --
easily a member of the ugly family.

When I push
sounds from my mouth
it's not elegant either.
I wrestle to wrap
my lips
around syllables,
struggle with my tongue
to press the right ponts.

When poppies bloom
the same red
as a Chinese wedding dress --
satiny cups with ruffled edges,
purplish black eyes --
they're a prize for patience,
and if I take all that trouble
to say something,
I promise
to try
to make it worth
the wait too.

-- Poppies from Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

This juvenile verse novel is truly inspiring, and I hope it receives the accolades it deserves. I really want to bring the attention of the kidlitosphere to this title. If you like Rules by Cynthia Lord and/or Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown, you have to check out Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.

Read my interview with Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.

Read my review of Reaching for Sun.