April 29 is Poem in Your Pocket Day (2022). If you’re a parent or teacher looking for poems to share with kids, haiku is the perfect pocket poem –tiny, quick to read, and easy to jot down on a small scrap piece of paper. Last Train Home is a collection of train-inspired haiku from around the world (edited by me and available through Amazon). The book is aimed at adults, but includes many examples of poems that will inspire kids and teens. A sampling:
bullet train for Tokyo
too fast to finish
my box lunch
– Emiko Miyashita, Japan
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thinning crowds
the station mouse obeys
the Keep Left sign
– David Jacobs, United Kingdom
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on the Jacobite
twenty-one arches near Glenfinnan
crossing worlds
– susan spooner, Canada
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[Note: in the Harry Potter movies, the train to Hogwarts crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct in north-west Scotland]
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evening star
a child echoes every call
of the train vendors
– Ramesh Anand, India
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night train
an open boxcar
filled with stars
– Ron C. Moss, Australia
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wild ink 