Robert Scotellaro

Welcome to the Poetry Zone, Robert.
First question. When did you start writing?

My first verses came in the form of songs that I wrote when I was eleven. Soon after, I began writing poems. I recall they were long-winded epics in rhyme. Then, I came across a slim volume of poems by Emily Dickenson, and saw that a great deal of beauty and emotion could be packed into a small space. It was the beginning of many more discoveries that would inspire my own writing and broaden my appreciation as a reader of poems. This included the light verse and great poetic wit of Ogden Nash, where I learned how "playful" a poem could be. It was an eye-opener to realize how many different ways a poem could be written and felt.

Why do you write poetry?

I've written many types of poems over the years: long, brief, serious, silly, in fixed verse and free, rhymed and unrhymed. All were written basically for the same reason: to explore language, ideas, and emotions and to express them in ways entirely my own. The excitement of being a writer/poet is, for me, to realize the limitless possibilities of language. Oh, what those 26 little characters in the English alphabet can yield! I still find it a purest form of magic.

Is there a favorite category of poetry you enjoy writing?

Yes. I'm truly inspired to write humorous, rhymed verse for children. It is, and has been a particular favorite for years. I've published humorous poems in dozens of magazines and anthologies. I guess, in many ways, I'm still a kid at heart, and at times, a silly one at that.

Jimmy Dawson's Hearing by Robert Scotellaro

Now Jimmy Dawson's hearing
Was surely most acute.
He'd hear a lint piece falling
From off his father's suit.

He'd hear the flowers growing,
And two cotton balls collide,
The sound of puddles drying-
It kept him occupied.

When listening to a conch shell,
He heard not just the sea,
But pearls in oysters forming,
As clear as clear could be.

He'd hear a pimple blossom
Upon his sister's face-
And hear a new sun rising,
Light traveling through space.

But then a strange thing happened
When he was called from play,
For Jimmy's perfect hearing
Completely went away.

Have you written anything other than poetry?

Indeed. Picture books, folktales, original fables, and easy readers. One of my folktales is due out early this year from Oxford University Press, India. It is part of an educational anthology to teach Indian children how to read in English.

Do you write for adults?

Not currently. I've published poetry and short fiction in well over a hundred literary journals, anthologies, and chapbooks for adults, and was the editor of a poetry chapbook series for a time. But, writing verse for children remains my truest passion.

What books have you written?

I've written a book called The Joy of Friendship, comprising my thoughts, in the form of aphorisms (little sayings), on the theme of friendship, published by Meadowbrook Press. I've had a picture book, entitled Daddy Fixed the Vacuum Cleaner, published by Willowisp Press (now Scholastic), and a book of silly limericks for children, Dancing With Frankenstein, published by a wonderful press out of Yorkshire, called Hands Up Books. Another volume of my selected humorous verse, Snail Stampede and Other Poems, is due out shortly, also by Hands Up Books.

I'm happy to say that copies of Dancing With Frankenstein have been offered as prizes in a limerick contest presented on this very site. It is much to my great pleasure to see children responding to the challenge of this fun verse form.

Also, I've just completed a collection of very short and silly monster poems entitled Molly Fryes Has Forty Eyes and another verse collection introducing an assortment of madcap pirates, a sea monster's shanty, an un-tickle-able octopus, a shark's TV ad, and many more wacky characters and scenarios for children. It's called All Hands on Deck! (Silly Sea Poems)

Prim and Proper Pirates by Robert Scotellaro

Captain Grisley's playing hopscotch,
And his crew of cutthroat thieves
Bow and curtsy quite politely,
Fluffing out their frilly sleeves.

Slimy Sam has perfect manners,
Gutsy Gus performs ballet-
Pirates pat-a-cake together
In a most respectful way.

Crusty Carl, with grace and vigor,
Shuffleboards upon the deck.
When the disk falls in the ocean,
Crusty whispers: "What the heck".

Things are just a little different;
There's not even one small sword
Ever since the Captain's mother,
For a visit, came aboard.

How long does it take to write a poem?

I couldn't answer that in "actual time"- it varies so much. It'd be a bit like asking how long it takes to eat a sandwich. In the case of the sandwich, it depends on how hungry you are. In the case of a poem: how inspired. When I'm "in the mood" I can write a poem in a relative "blink". Other times, I find myself doing an awful lot of chewing.

Do you have a special time to write? How do you go about it?

Writing for me often comes in two stages. The first is the idea portion of the creative process. That may be triggered in any number of ways-something I've heard or seen, a silly image that comes to mind, a new slant on something I've read… This part of the process is ongoing at any time, day or night. I am forever jotting things down that percolate in my brain, slowly developing.

When I feel "ready" (extremely inspired to dig in), I usually go to my office, not long after waking, and settle in with a hot cup of tea. Then, I look at my notes and brainstorm and the poems begin to reveal themselves, one after another, as I explore what it is I/they want to say. It is the most satisfying aspect of writing for me, and I can be quite prolific during these periods, and never happier.

What did you do before becoming a poet?

Rode around in a baby carriage, followed by a short stint of writing on walls with a crayon… Actually I've written as a child and throughout all of my adult life. I've worked as a printer, a mail clerk, a draftsman, a warehouse worker, a store clerk, a movie concessionaire, an art salesman, a shipping clerk, a bookseller, a gag writer for cartoonists, a medical records clerk, a personnel screener, a paper-die cutter, a medic, a house painter, and a coin weigher for the San Francisco Mint. I've always managed to find those moments to put pen to paper and get the work into the hands of editors. For the last five years I've been writing fulltime, and now have a literary agent to represent my efforts.

Computer Softwear by Robert Scotellaro

Nell was told that she'd have to get software
For her brand new computer, so she
Shot off to the store in a hurry
And went on a big buying spree.

She purchased a blouse and a bonnet
And the softest silk bra she liked best.
Now although her computer is useless-
She is pleased that it's very well dressed.

What was your most memorable day?

Actually, two occasions spring to mind: landing on American soil after a year as a combat medic in the Vietnam War, and the birth of my daughter Katie.

Have you any plans for the future?

My wife (who is a college professor of art history) and I have written a ten-chapter proposal for a history of world art/art projects book for children, called Cave Walls to Computers. It's now making the rounds at the New York publishing houses. We're very excited about it. Also, I have loads of ideas for poems and thematic poetry collections I'm eager to press on with.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have a pet oyster which is really quite economical in its upkeep. Only kidding. I have a dog (Addie) and an old reclusive cat named Frannie, and a rather rotund fellow (also feline) named Misha. We did have a guinea pig (Spotty) which we, each summer, placed out on the back lawn, under a large overturned laundry basket (to protect him from the cats). We'd move the basket from time to time to a new leafy location, and little by little he'd enthusiastically mow the grass. He has since moved on to greener pastures.

My Pet Oyster by Robert Scotellaro

I've got the greatest kind of pet,
It never seems to get upset,
Or bark or scratch or jump and fret.
It's always waiting for me.

It doesn't get the rug all wet,
It doesn't eat me into debt,
Or make me take it to the vet,
It really does adore me.

It never blocks the TV set,
It has the finest etiquette.
And so, I say this with regret,
The darn thing sure does bore me!

How do you spend your spare time?

I love to walk a great deal. A special place for me is a spacious park nearby. I do some of my best thinking there, as Addie (my pooch) enjoys her daily sniff-a-thon. Many ideas have been born, or in some measure developed during those jaunts. Also, I am an avid
reader, and love to scour secondhand bookstores. The balance of my time is spent writing, corresponding, and sharing simple pleasures (I find them very often the most satisfying) with my family.

What advice would you give young poets?

First, I'd recommend they read a lot of different types of poetry. That they notice and appreciate the many ways a poem can "communicate" and be felt. As far as the rest of it, the writing part, I'd advise them to just hop on board. Poetry is a great sea-worthy vessel to go exploring in - grab the wheel. And happy sailing!

All the above poems are © Robert Scotellaro and will be found in Robert's new collection Snail Stampede and Other Poems (Hands Up Books)

Back to the top, me hearties.