Poetry Is Hard. I Like Bacon.

Recently I noticed that a student had a book cover with pictures of bacon all over it.  It reminded me of this poem that I had seen.

                                                  Roses are red                                                       

                                                   Bacon is too

                                                  Poetry is hard

                                                   Mmm Bacon

I put the poem on the door of my classroom, because I thought that it was funny. (Well, it is.)  It elicited  some interesting responses from both older and younger students.  A common reply was, "I don't get it."  A fourth grader said, " It doesn't make sense--it doesn't rhyme."  A few actually just got the humor of it.
As I pondered their  responses I realized that this was a rather absurdist poem (think Kafka's Metamorphosis), and that they were looking at it from young minds, seeking logic and order.  I know, I know, logic and order from a bad poem celebrating the glories of bacon. . . . well, I actually find their musings fascinating.

Anyway, it is funny.  And poetry is kind of hard.  And bacon is good.

-Jeff