On National Book Lover’s Day, pause. Read. Reflect. Let the words and meaning seep into your life and change your world. Today’s word in Dictionary for a Better World, pause, does not come naturally to me. I make daily lists of what all I need to accomplish, and I hyper-focus on the next checklist item rather than enjoying each moment along the way. I need to be more intentional about taking the time to pause, to breathe, and to laugh.
The poetic form featured on page 70 is a limerick, a humorous poem which has five lines with an aabba rhyme scheme.
Pauseth
to pauseth and readeth a book
is to calmeth a world that once shook
when we crawleth in bed
stories filleth our head –
we dreameth, awaketh: look! look!
*During the months of August and September on days when I’m not participating in the Open Write at www.ethicalela.com, I will be writing in response to the pages of Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. The poems, poetic forms, narratives, quotes, and calls to action to make one small difference might be just the medicine my world – or the whole world – needs. I’ll be inviting insights in the form of an immersion into a 10-minute-a-day book study (just long enough to read the page, reflect, and connect). If you don’t have a copy of the book, you can order one here on Amazon. I invite you to join me in making August and September a time of deep personal book friendship. A few teachers will be following the blog and engaging in classroom readings and responses to the text. So come along! Let’s turn the pages into intentionally crafting beautiful change together.
Common Threads 
I am loving this challenge and writing every day! I love how multifaceted your approach is.I am always reading the pages, sometimes trying the poem type, other times the word or the celebration!
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Love this, Kim! I want to post your limerick on my office wall. So great! Still need to go get that book! Waiting to savor it. But I think I’ll just dash and get it without pause!
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I loveth your fun limerick, and this Plan that you are doing for August and September. Thank you so much!
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Pause is a good concept, and I enjoyed your reflection paired with a light-hearted limerick. doesn’t the limerick form invite humor?! I like how it ends- Look, look!
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What a fun limerick! A great celebration of Book Lover’s Day!
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I love the contrast between the words hyper, make, all, shook, and accomplish and those like calm, creep, seep, moment, and — of course — pause. It punctuates the message of your poem with such intentionality!
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“I hyper-focus on the next checklist item.” I can relate, Kim! Cute limerick and great inspiration today. I too want “to pause, to breathe, and to laugh.” Peace to you today.
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I have adored books AND limericks since childhood, Kim – love yours so much here! It perfectly captures the whimsy, excitement, and beckoning adventure that is the “call” of books. You and your poem are so much fun. Love this invitation to craft also!
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