Gail Carson Levine is today’s guest poetry poster and is the author of many award-winning books for children, and, I’m pleased to say, a friend and a couple-of-towns-away neighbor.
Gail’s guest post for poetry month:
For fun and devilment, I wrote a bunch of poems which are collected in my new book, Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It, wickedly illustrated by Matthew Cordell, and in it I tell how you can write your own false apology poem. It’s simple: three short stanzas, no punctuation, a little thought for where to end a line (but don’t sweat it), an offense, and insincere regret. We all have real regrets, which you are free to versify about in this form or any other, but the delight here, in my evil opinion, is in the dastardly deed without remorse!
My poems are riffs on William Carlos Williams’s great poem “This Is Just to Say” which you can read here.
Here are two of mine:
This one comes straight from Pinocchio:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This Is Just to Say
I have shortened
my nose
with your saw
 
because
honestly
telling lies
is so much fun
 
Forgive me
I don’t care
about becoming
a real boy.

 

___

This Is Just to Say
I’m the one
who stuck
the cradle
in the tree
 
which
was probably
a stupid place
to put a baby
 
Forgive me
I thought
that bough would break
sooner or later
 
You can read Gail’s blog here