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A Frog in a Well

Explains the World

The world is round

and deep

and cool.

The bottom of the world’s

a pool

with just enough room

for a frog alone.

The walls of the world

are of stone on stone.

At the top of the world,

when I look up high,

I can see a star

in a little round sky.

by Alice Schertle

Alice Schertle was born April 4, 1941 in California, where she lived for most of her life. She is an award-winning author of many children’s books, and her book Advice for a Frog is full of interesting poems about animals. She now lives in New Salem, Massachusetts.

Poetry Idea

I like to call this kind of poem a “Point of View” poem. It requires the writer to imagine what the world would look like to a completely different sort of person (or animal) than yourself..

1. Choose an animal that you are intrigued with, or that you know a lot about—where it lives, how it behaves, what it eats, etc.

2. In your poem, you will try to explain what the world looks like from your animal’s point of view, for instance: A Sloth in a Tree Explains the World. If you want, start your poem this way: “The world is . . .” (The world is a swirl of chattering noises / that move too fast.).

3. Think about what your creature sees and hears—and what’s important to him, and put that in your poem. Also, think about his limitations. (The sky is green and made of leaves. When the wind blows, the world sways back and forth.)

4. End your poem with something special in your animal’s world—like the star in the poem above. (Once in while, a treasure appears . . . mmm, ripe figs!)

Every once in a while, I come across a poem that I want to share. Read this one and see if you like it, too. Then, for a writing challenge, look at the "Poetry Idea." I'll change this poem every few months. If you want more writing challenges, go to the Poem Starters page.

(Poetry Now! Archives)