Father Goose Books

Give Me a Poem

Give me a book to read by the river,
Give me a song to sing to the stars;
Give me a poem to say to the child
Who captures the night in little glass jars.

©Charles Ghigna

1952

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Thu, 15 May 2014 17:33:00 +0000

1952

I was six

when they stuck me

inside a scrapbook

with a puppy in my lap.

Reopening it all now,

my hand touches

the truth of my father

who made me sit still

in that soft moment

when everything became

so neatly black and white.

©Charles Ghigna

from Speaking in Tongues: New & Selected Poems

April Haiku

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 02:25:00 +0000

April Haiku

Ivory butterflies

perch on the new arms of spring,

the dogwood blossoms.

©Charles Ghigna

Ladybug, Ladybug

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 02:13:00 +0000

from Ladybug Magazine

©Charles Ghigna

from Children's Playmate Magazine

©Charles Ghigna

Lady Banks

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 17:16:00 +0000

Lady Banks

Southern trail

Roadside roses

Yellow grows

In fragrant poses

©Charles Ghigna

Wisteria

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 20:48:00 +0000

Wisteria

Looks like grapes
And smells like roses;
Springtime's gift
To eyes and noses.

©Charles Ghigna

from Highlights High Five

Racing the Wind

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:50:00 +0000

from Scholastic Storyworks magazine

Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 03:36:00 +0000

from Ladybug Magazine

What Will Mother Nature Wear?

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 10:59:00 +0000

from Ladybug Magazine

Watch Out for the Kangaphant!

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:53:00 +0000

from Ranger Rick Magazine

Sunrise Serenade

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 18:53:00 +0000

"Sunrise" by Chip Ghigna

Oil on wood, 12" x 32"

Sunrise Serenade

Come sit and watch the sunrise,

Come close and hear her song;

She’s singing in the treetops,

Rejoicing in the dawn.

She finds a nest of songbirds,

She spotlights where they are;

Come see them shining in the trees,

Each one a morning star.

©Charles Ghigna

Where Do All the People Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 02:20:00 +0000

from Spider Magazine ©Charles Ghigna

Winter in the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 22:18:00 +0000

from Cricket Magazine ©Charles Ghigna

If I Were a Lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:13:00 +0000

from Ladybug Magazine ©Charles Ghigna

Mother of the Night

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 22:11:00 +0000

from Humpty Dumpty Magazine ©Charles Ghigna

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 23:53:00 +0000

What's A Poem?

©Charles Ghigna

Graphics by Sylvia Vardell

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Life is a snowflake,

A free-falling star,

A fragile reminder

Of all that we are.

Born of a raindrop,

Laced by the breeze,

Spinning through space,

Dancing through trees.

A diamond of light,

A gem in the sun,

A journey of hope,

A new life begun.

©Charles Ghigna

Picking Out a Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 19:31:00 +0000

from Christmas Is Coming! by Charles Ghigna and Debra Ghigna

Illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young

A Holly Day

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:53:00 +0000

illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young

Winter Calls

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 05:04:00 +0000

Winter Calls

At the window

Snowflakes falling,

In the treetops

Cardinals calling.

On the mountain

Skiers skiing,

In the blue sky

Snow Geese fleeing.

On the hillside

Children sledding,

In the valley

Winter wedding.

In the country

Church bells ringing,

In the choir

Singers singing.

In the village

Full of sounds

Winter makes

Her snowy rounds.

THE CATERPILLAR, Cavan, Ireland

November

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 19:38:00 +0000

November

Late November

Time stands still,

Echoes from

A whippoorwill;

Winter sky,

Silver blue,

Maple leaves,

A golden hue;

A hint of snow

Fills the air.

A whispered sigh,

“Is someone there?”

A stranger waves

Upon the hill.

November from

My windowsill.

The Ubiquitous Barking Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 01:54:00 +0000

The Ubiquitous Barking Dogs

The neighborhood is full of them,

One, or two, or six;

Thoroughbred, pedigree,

Random stray or mix.

Late at night when the moon is bright

From shadows in the dark,

Their distant cries fill the skies

In one long lonely bark.

Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Ghigna) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:24:00 +0000

"The Day of the Dead 1924"

Oil on Canvas by Diego Rivera

Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos

Oct. 31 - Nov. 2

Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world.
The holiday focuses on gatherings in remembrance of family and friends who have died.
The Day of the Dead is not a sad or depressing time, but a time of happiness and celebration!

Let us live this day with laughter,

Let us fill our hearts with song;

Let us pray for all who held us--

Life is short, but love is long.