POOP PATROL « April Halprin Wayland – Children's Book Author & Poet

POOP PATROL
by April Halprin Wayland

Eli is hunching near the fence
on a patch of grass
by the third tree
from the tool shed.

“Against the fence,
patch of grass,
third tree,” I say,
picking up the pooper scooper.

“Patch of grass,
third tree,” I say,
standing against the fence,
looking around.

I squinch my forehead,
turning in one slow circle.
Then I begin walking the area in a grid,
like a search and rescue team.

“Against the fence, patch of grass,
third tree?” I ask myself,
wondering if it was, perhaps,
the second tree.

Or maybe it was further
from the fence?
I open my nose.
Still no luck.

Some call it “Dog Park Cap and Trade,”
Penny calls it a poop exchange.
While Eli is joyously chasing a golden retriever,
I am picking up someone else’s poop.

Poetry Prompt: There is so much humor in our everyday lives. The trick is to recognize it.

It’s your turn. What do you do in your daily life that might strike others as funny? You may need to stand on your head to even see this. Or ask someone who loves you–they’ll know. Now have fun showing it in a poem.