A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media: Spring Lyric Contest

Poem: "A Sonnet for Spring" by Bob McKenty of Matawan, NJ
(Bob's Bio)

Ah! Spring is here. The rabbits quit their dens,
The dormant grass begins once more to grow.
The trees release their airborne allergens.
It's time to tune the Toro and to mow,
To fertilize and lime and thatch and seed
As-groveling on dirty, servile knees—
You pluck the dreaded dandelion weed
And rub your itching eyes and start to sneeze.
Wherever grass encroaches, you must edge,
And don't forget to stir the compost heap
And trim the junipers' unruly hedge,
While forfeiting a needed hour of sleep.
Those poets penning praise to spring and tillage
Are domiciled in lofts in Greenwich Village.

About the author:

Bob McKenty has been writing humorous verse since he was seven years old, when rhyme was still fashionable. His poems have appeared in numerous periodicals, including The New York Times, Reader's Digest, and Light, the Quarterly of Light Verse, and in a number of anthologies (most recently The Poets of New Jersey) and a few text books. His book of baseball verses, Fair Game: Open Season on Baseball, was published in 2005 by Doggerel Daze (ddaze.com). Bob has had many speaking engagements as well.

Read about all the Spring Lyric finalists...