Across the Miles: Poems of Fantasy, Faith, and Fun
by Annie Douglass Lima
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| cover photography by Lisa Douglass |
These poems touch on themes such as travel, friendship, nature, God, music, fantasy, music, animal encounters, and school. Some whimsical, some serious, they include specific, lesser-known varieties of poetry such as pantoum, rondeau, triolet, roundel, and villanelle.
Read on to sample two of the poems in Across the Miles!
Monopoly (a Pantoum)
A pantoum consists of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of one stanza become the first and third lines of the next stanza. It works well to describe noisy places or repetitive thoughts or conversations.
“Monopoly’s such a fun game.”
“So now how much more do I owe you?”
“Did you pay as much as you claim?”
“The rules are right here, let me show you.”
“So now how much more do I owe you?”
“You’re not getting Boardwalk from me!”
“The rules are right here, let me show you.”
“It’s ‘Get out of Jail for Free’.”
“You’re not getting Boardwalk from me!”
“Will all you guys please be more quiet?”
“It’s ‘Get out of Jail for Free’.”
“You landed on mine, don’t deny it.”
“Will all you guys please be more quiet?”
“I can’t hear a word that you say.”
“You landed on mine, don’t deny it.”
“Just pass me the dice, then I’ll play.”
“I can’t hear a word that you say.”
“Are Reading and Short Line for sale?”
“Just pass me the dice, then I’ll play.”
“So how do I get out of jail?”
“Are Reading and Short Line for sale?”
“She owes you nine hundred for rent.”
“So how do I get out of jail?”
“You know how much money I’ve spent?”
“She owes you nine hundred for rent.”
“Aha, he’s advancing my way now!”
“You know how much money I’ve spent?”
“You landed on Baltic, so pay now.”
“Aha, he’s advancing my way now.”
“Did she roll a three or a four?”
“You landed on Baltic, so pay now.”
“I don’t want to play anymore.”
“Did she roll a three or a four?”
“You owe me two hundred and twenty.”
“I don’t want to play anymore.”
“Don’t buy more hotels – you’ve got plenty!”
“You owe me two hundred and twenty.”
“Did you pay as much as you claim?”
“Don’t buy more hotels – you’ve got plenty!”
“Monopoly’s such a fun game.”
Flu
For best effect, read this poem aloud with a stuffy nose and hoarse voice.
I’ve decided I hate the flu – I really do!
The soreness and aching,
the temp’rature taking
which tries to make me a believer that I’ve only got a fever
of 99.2
but I’m pretty sure that thermometer’s a liar
’cause it feels way higher
and I think I may slowly be going insane
’cause my cough’s such a pain
with its racking and its hacking
while all of the drugs that I take are in vain
and my head and my chest
are both tight and congest-
ed, and I’m faced with issues
like running out of tissues
(’cause my drippy nose never stops)
and having to bring cough drops
everywhere I go
and my eyes getting runny
– and NO! It’s not funny!
’cause I don’t like being in pain and congested and woozy
And inconvenienced and fevered and fluzy.
Want to enjoy nearly a hundred more poems like this? Click here to download your copy of Across the Miles for just $2.99 (that's only about three cents per poem!). Or gift a paperback copy to a poetry-loving friend or family member for Christmas!
About the Poet:
Annie Douglass Lima considers herself fortunate to have traveled in twenty different countries and lived in four of them. A fifth-grade teacher in her “other” life, she loves reading to her students and sparking their imaginations. Her books include science fiction, fantasy, YA action and adventure novels, a puppet script, poetry, Bible verse coloring and activity books, and a fantasy-themed cookbook. When she isn’t teaching or writing, Annie can often be found sipping spiced chai or pomegranate green tea in exotic locations, some of which exist in this world.
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