GAP FAMILY BLOG

"Heart of Gold" By Bill Kirk

"Dad, I need to do some shopping,
Now, before it gets too late.
Time’s a wastin’; let’s get hopping!
Hurry, Dad! I just can’t wait!"

Clipped the picture of the locket,
From the paper yesterday.
Better keep it in my pocket
For our shopping trip today.

Where’s that ten from Uncle Freddy,
I’ve been saving since last June?
"Got my money. Are you ready?
Let’s go, Dad! It’s almost noon!"

At the store, I knew I’d find it,
Next to lotions, soaps and stuff.
Those things smell, but I don’t mind it.
"Will ten dollars be enough?"

“Just enough,” the store clerk told us,
“For the gift you want to buy.”
In the bag, with what she sold us,
She put ribbons I could tie.

Back at home, I wrapped it neatly,
Taping every corner fold.
Inside, filled with love so sweetly,
Mom will find my heart of gold.

In honor of National Poetry Month, we will be sharing some poetry by Bill Kirk. Bill is the author of Circulation Celebration: The Sum of Our Part Series, No Bones About It!: The Sum of Our Part Series, My Grandma's Kitchen Rules, There's A Beetle In My Bed, and There's a Spider in my Sink. All these titles are available through Guardian Angel Publishing.

Bill is celebrating National Poetry Month by participating in the Poem A Day Challenge. Here is the prompt from April 12th that resulted in the poem below:

April 12: “For today's prompt, pick a city, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem. Your poem can praise or belittle the city. Your poem could be about the city or about the people of the city. Your poem could even have seemingly nothing to do with the city. But the simple act of picking a city will set the mood (to a certain degree), so choose wisely.”



La Paz
By Bill Kirk

We once had a house
On Calle Nueve, across the street
From the President of Bolivia.

It’s not every day a kid
Gets to have tea with the First Lady
Or ride on a motorcycle,
Holding on for dear life,
Behind the Captain
Of the Presidential Guard.

Or watch a hundred native dancers in full costume
March through your front gate
To set up a brief rest stop
In the backyard of your house.
My sister and I heard the drums
And horns and flutes
Way down at the end of our street,
Even before we could see the parade.

When the procession turned the corner,
I just knew they would come to our house.
Yet I still couldn’t quite believe it when they did.
Even dad was surprised when he got home.
Mom said they were on their way
To a three-day fiesta in Las Yungas.
Why anyone would want to have
A party in the jungle, I’ll never know.
But they seemed to be having fun.

Then there was the time someone
Gave us a honey bear for a pet.
Of course, we couldn’t keep it.
After all, a honey bear needs to be free.

The river at the end of our street
Raged one year during the rainy season
And washed away the little mud brick shack
Where Mamasita and Papasito lived—
It was the year I was home schooled
To get me ready for fourth grade in the States.
My mom even gave me recess
So I could watch the flood happen.
Two little sheep fell into the water that day
And it took them away,
Never to be seen again.
That was a sad day on our street.
Even the President noticed.

The air is rather thin at 12,000 feet
Which is why fire departments
Hardly ever get any business that high up.
And there’s no such thing
As a two-minute boiled egg—that is,
Unless you like it raw.

Maybe the thin air is why
My memories seem so clear
From once upon a time in La Paz.

You can visit Bill Kirk online at http://billkirkwrites.blogspot.com/.

I'm pleased to announce the title of the next book for a drawing from names on the Facebook Fan Page. On October 21st, I'll draw a winner who'll receive My Grandma's Kitchen Rules by Bill Kirk.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Local author Bill Kirk’s children’s picture book, “There’s A Spider In My Sink!”, has just been released nationally. The book was published by Guardian Angel Publishing in Saint Louis, MO under their ACADEMIC WINGS imprint, which is ideally suited for children in “read to” ages 4-6 and “read alone” ages 7-12.

THERE’S A SPIDER IN MY SINK! will be released simultaneously in e-book and hardcopy print form. The e-books will be distributed by Follett, the largest distributor of ebooks to schools and libraries, as well as through the Guardian Angel Publishing web site.. The print version will be available for sale from most online retailers, such as Amazon, Google, Target.com, Border Books and Barnes and Noble. It can also be ordered through your local brick and mortar bookstores, including Barnes and Noble and Borders Books.

Book's Blurb: “There’s A Spider In My Sink!” describes a young boy’s discovery that a spider has moved into the bathroom sink without even asking. The little spider seems likable enough. But after all, a boy has hands to wash and teeth to brush and this spider is right in the way. Read on to find out what happens.

Author's Bio: Kirk's writing has been influenced by his travels on five continents and the more recent inspiration from his grandchildren. In addition to stories written in rhyme, Kirk writes fiction and satire for local and national publications. His work has appeared in Boys' Quest, Fun For Kidz, Grandparents, Wee Ones and Saplings magazines. His poems have also been published by North Dakota Horizons, Absolute Write and The Baseball Almanac. Kirk also wrote news and features for two Sacramento newspapers in the mid-1990s, The Suttertown News and The Old City Guardian.

Kirk says his goal for his children’s stories is to challenge the imagination of his readers, young and old, by exploring everyday life, simply and profoundly, and having fun in the process. Bill and his wife, Rita (a clinical psychologist) have been married for 39 years and have made Sacramento their home since 1985.

To request review copies of “There’s A Spider In My Sink!” or to request interviews with the author, please contact the publisher, Lynda Burch, at publisher@guardianangelpublishing.com or (314) 276-8482.

Title: There’s A Spider In My Sink! Author: Bill Kirk (www.billkirkwrites.com)
Illustrator: Suzy Brown (www.suzybrown.net)

Format: E-book and Print

ISBN (e-Book): 13: 978-1-935137-39-9
ISBN (print): 13: 978-1-935137-25-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008944188

Publication Date: January 2009

Pages: 18

Price: Ebook $5.00, CD-Rom $9.95 (+$5.95 s&h), Print: $9.95 (+$6.95 s&h)

Available at most online booksellers or from: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. (http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/spider-sink.htm)