It’s Poetry Friday!
Join us for a weekend of poetry joy
hosted by Carol at The Apples in My Orchard.
SPINE POEMS!
Thank you, Alice Nine for the inspiration to try spine poems! Alice suggested the process:
i.
pull together some books from your shelf
let the titles inspire you
order them
take a snapshot
ii.
remove some
add a new one
create a new poem
Here are a few of my library borrows.
Maybe you can tell…I’m playing with a nonfiction picture book WIP.
Inspired by Alice, here are two variations:
If I could choose a best day…
Fireworks
make meatballs sing!
A hundred billion trillion stars–
enormous smallness–
as Edward imagined.
(remove some, add a new one)
Every Monday Mabel,
a hundred billion trillion stars
make meatballs sing.
Enormous smallness!
It’s All in the Titles!
Combing picture books, catching
the creative spark of others
who cup awe and wonder in their hands
and share it with children…
Isn’t this why we write?
photos and poems ©2026 Patricia J. Franz
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
This! “who cup awe and wonder in their hands
and share it with children…
Isn’t this why we write?”
It is absolutely why I write! Awe inspires me as much as it does children. Love the spine poems. I should have done this with the stack of NF picture books I had a couple of weeks ago while working on my WIP. We are of like minds and thoroughness! Best of luck with your WIP.
What fun. I love spine poems!! Happy to see two of Matthew Burgess’s books in the stack as I reviewed his debut poetry collection this week. 🙂
I love that first one, imagining how fireworks can make meatballs sing. What fun!
Patricia, love the playfulness of your poems and the technique of spine poetry! Delightful lines… If I could choose a best day…Fireworks, make meatballs sing! Happy Poetry Friday, your poems definitely made me smile:)
Spine Poems are a delightful indulgence, allowing us to play around with possibilities. A work out for the mind. Patricia, you had some wonderful titles with which to work your magic. I can imagine the delight you exxperienced as you pondered the possibilities. I’m off to the library…
Patricia, I do love spine poems. You give me the incentive to continue the process while a read my stack of new books to read. “It’s All in the Titles” does provide an true thought on why we write. It is the way you shared your thoughts that caught my eye.:who cup awe and wonder in their hands/and share it with children…I’ve been thinking of you. Grief has been tugging at my heart again.
What fun! I love making book spine poems with early English speakers. The way they love to put words together inspires me. Your poems look like you’re also working on something. Can’t wait to see and read and enjoy!
OK, so I am running down to my PB bookshelf now to see what I can find! Thanks for the great inspiration- something I can do with my grandchildren!
Patricia, LOVE your spine poems, especially adore “Fireworks/make meatballs sing” and your lovely homage to spine poetry: …”catching/the creative spark of others/who cup awe and wonder in their hands..” Just gorgeous, Patricia, and it also expresses how lucky I feel to be part of Poetry Friday and catching the creative sparks from your and other weekly blog posts! I think of you every time I try and write a poem from the divination bird deck, too! xo
I *love* spine poems, and the fun you had here leaps off the page.
I’m struck by some of these fabulous titles too, which make me so curious: Monday Mabel, As Edward Imagined. Love those!
Good luck on the WIP!
Spine poems are such fun and a wonderful excuse for my book hoarding! I mean poetry is lurking right there on the shelves, right!? It’s all about taking the time to notice…thanks for sharing both versions of your poem today and for the nudge to revisit spine poetry.
Wonderful way to get those creative juices flowing. Thanks, Patricia!
Love these lines/titles,
“A hundred billion trillion stars–
enormous smallness–
as Edward imagined.”
Very vision filled!
All the best with your nonfiction picture book, thanks Patricia!
I want to know what makes meatballs sing! 😀 This is so much fun.
In my local library, they leave stacks of books by the self checkout and I swear there are times when the staff has had fun creating a spine poem!