Wolverine poems and other gifts from the Internet

Picture CC from DuneChaser

Four people got to this blog today searching for “wolverine poems.” I hate to leave people disappointed.
I’m not sure which wolverine they’re looking for so I’m covering my bases.

Wolverine: The Haiku
Wolverine is the
man with adamantium
bones and sharp claws.

Wolverine: The Animal
Carcajou, skunk bear,
you glutton! I call you out
as a big weasel.

This did inspire me but it also got me thinking about how many fun sources for poetry/writing prompts that are out there just begging to be used.

I’d love to do things with Google Trends. Take today’s (at around 9-10 PM Eastern) trending topics- No. 1 with a bullet is “applebees menu¹.” I would also be forced to use #44 “goonies 2” Then it’s on to #64 “agent cody banks” and finish it off with #47 “19 pound indonesian baby” and #48 “sycophants definition.”

I consulted the Applebee’s menu yet again. It had answers, but not the ones I wanted. I was hungry . . . for knowledge.

“Is Goonies 2 an actual possibility? Am I getting my hopes up for an inevitable disappointment?” I wondered again. My mind tends to drift when I am stressed.

I tried to relax. I knew Agent Cody Banks was on the case. I had no way of knowing that a 19 pound Indonesian baby had already changed that plan.

A man approached and sat down. He stared right at me.

“Do you have the sycophant’s definition?” he asked in an accent I couldn’t quite place.

“What is the animal with the highest blood pressure?²” I wondered. “FOCUS!” I screamed internally.

I had no idea what I was in for.

Just good, clean³, chaotic fun.

The fun thing about stuff like this to me is it’s low cost for you time-wise and has a lot of flexibility.

• roll dice to see which numbers you’ll use
• pass on the story with each subsequent writer picking from the list for their sentence or have them go in order
• mix this with your vocabulary word to create some challenge and interest

Another random thing I’d love to do with English. On Twitter, Peter Sokolowski⁴, posts popular searches from Merriam-Webster’s site. He also explains why the search is popular based on what’s going on in the news. I’d love to have the kids trying to figure out why the word has suddenly become of such interest. It will also, likely, give your kids an ego boost when they know words that the English speaking world apparently does not.

Presto, change-o, you’ve got context, current events and all sorts of other interesting possibilities with absolutely no work on your part.