No matter what is happening in your life today, I prescribe a little Billy Collins. He makes everything better, including being as old as Cheerios.
There is something utterly charming about Billy Collins discovering that he was as old as this humble, reliable cereal. He made me want to go in search of products that are my age. I'm not quite as old as Cheerios, but I did find out I am as old as:
the Etch a Sketch
Chatty Cathy
Bubble Wrap
Starburst candy
Six-pack rings
I am the same age as the Etch a Sketch.
(Indeed, I am a few months older than the Etch a Sketch.)
There may be a poem in this. I'll keep you posted.
Cheerios
by Billy Collins
One bright morning in a restaurant in Chicago
as I waited for my eggs and toast,
I opened the Tribune only to discover
that I was the same age as Cheerios.
Indeed, I was a few months older than Cheerios
(Read the rest here, at The Poetry Foundation.)
~~~~~~~~~~
I'm hosting the round-up!
Leave your link and, if you like, let me know about something that was invented or introduced the year you were born. :)
62 comments:
That's pretty cool, Karen. I always loved my Grandfather's response; 'I'm as old as my tongue, and a little bit older than my teeth.' Oddly enough, so am I! Thank-you for sharing - and hosting today.
Thanks for the Billy Collins fix! I just recently started eating Cheerios every morning after years of oatmeal. Have you been tuning into his daily readings on FB? :)
I'm as old as Super Glue (which means I'm stuck on you.) :D
Thanks for hosting this week!
Hooray! It's time for posting. I love that. Well, I am as old as the hand-held calculator and "I - do-s" between Elvis and Priscilla. That was fun. I love how you added, "indeed, I am" in your intro. Thanks for hosting. I do admire and appreciate how you find so many great poems to think on.
Oh what FUN, Karen! I already knew I was as old as two of my all-time fave books (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and IT'S LIKE THIS, CAT), but I have now just learned I'm also as old as the Lava Lamp, the Easy Bake Oven, and Zip Codes! Thanks for hosting and for this great way to end the week/start the weekend. (Happy to take your prescribed poetic medicine.)
What a delicious post you've served up Karen, and in my hometown too! I'm as old as the Princess 300 Portable Typewriter-and we're both still shining on–She's pretty cool, and I wouldn't mind having one! Thanks for this fun post and for hosting!
What a fun topic - and I agree everybody needs a little Billy Collins right now. And what fun to discover I'm as old as the bean bag. Sometimes I feel like one :)
thanks for hosting and for the smile.
I'm as old as PBS and Earth Day! Thanks for hosting, Karen :-)
Thanks for hosting today, Karen. I love that Billy Collins' poem sent you in search of this information about yourself! I am as old as Capri Sun and glue sticks.
Thanks for hosting, Karen - and for making me feel old, ha! (By the way, did you know that Lucky Charms were originally created by a guy at General Mills who chopped up circus peanuts candy and added them to his Cheerios? True story!)
A dash of Billy Collins is always appreciated Karen. You have also prompted me to explore my origins and how my beginnings align to other worldly events- so thank you for nudging me to be a curious learner. Thank you also for hosting. Cheerio...
Oh, Karen, I'm sharing a birthday poem today, too, but almost chose the Billy Collins poem in my search. His words are always wonderful. I'm reading his new collection now, so good. And, before Christmas, my younger granddaughter said she saw this machine that drew with magnets & that's what she wanted for Christmas. With all the tech, she wanted an Etch-a-Sketch! And she's loving it! Thanks so much for hosting & Happy Birthday!
Thank you for hosting! It looks as though there's a bounty here already, and it's not even 6 AM on Poetry Friday!
I was born the year the lava lamp was introduced. Hooray for essential additions to the culture of the world!
So many exclamation marks so early in the morning!
Thanks for the bowl of Billy Collins Cheer (ios). I did a quick search, and I'm right there with you -- bubble wrap, Etch-a-Sketch and all. It was a good year!
I'm in with a metaphor poem for the Poetry Sisters' challenge, which is a meditation on the joys (I try to focus on those more than the WORK) of online teaching.
Oh, it is a very good thing to consider where we fit in the timeline of stuff and of nonsense--not that Cheerios are mere stuff or nonsense, but an essential and largely unspoiled element of my life. Thanks for this one, Karen, and for hosting. I have discovered that I am just a couple weeks older than JEOPARDY, which debuted on March 30, 1964 and likewise continues an essential and largely unspoiled element of many lives!
Love the bowl of Billy Collins. When you hear him read, he has such a talent for cynicism that I am not often charmed, but this one makes me chuckle and wonder the same as you. There is a poem waiting for you to write.
Dirt.
What would I do without Cheerios, my comfort dinner/snack? (I think there's a poem hidden in being as old as an Etch-a-Sketch, too, btw.)
Thanks so much for hosting...I was delighted to see your name as today's gracious mediator of poetry.
I love Billy Collins and have heard him talk about and read this poem live. So funny! And another great prompt--to write about something invented in the same year you were. The Poetry Princesses may have to give that a shot! :>) THanks so much for hosting!
Your introduction to your post is just what I needed today. Humor goes a long way to brighten the spirits. Thanks for Billy Collins' poem to open my day. I am working on my poem as I unpack some moved items before returning to Long Island for the final stretch in my 38 years of residence in my home.
Now I'm curious. I'm not quite as old as Cheerios, but what nifty products share my birth year? I do think there is poem potential here. Thanks for sharing the Billy Collins poem (he always makes things better) and thanks for hosting today.
Cheerios and Etch-a-Sketch -- I'm feeling nostalgic.
My year was a lot of space technology and the first ever heart transplant but also, apparently, Pringles. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, and thanks for hosting!
Love all of this! Thanks for hosting and sharing Billy Collins' poem and your own invention connections! You've motivated me to research my own product origin parallels!
Karen, I look forward to your Etch a Sketch poem. :) :) I always tell students I was born the same year as Walt Disney World opened in Orlando... and I invite them to go look it up. Thank you so much for hosting! xo
Thanks for the poem, and the invitation to discover that I'm as old as CD players, Glow Worms, GI Joe and the Apple Dot Matrix Printer. Which, in today's world, makes me bordering on obsolete, but I'm ok with it...
Karen,
Thanks so much for hosting and this fun idea! I will be looking into what is old as I am later today. I'm seeing a lot of familiar things in both your post and the comments, so I can only guess some of us have reached a similar age!
LOL - reminds me of our Time Travel poems from last month. I'm older than quite a few words, anyway...
Yes! I agree with all the others who have commented that this is a perfect poetry prompt. I can't wait to find out what came into being the year I was born.
Thanks for hosting!
I went to see what was the same age as me - then realised we are the same vintage! Etch a Sketch is good. I see we can also claim To Kill a Mockingbird and Green Eggs and Ham.
Karen, thank you for hosting this week, and thank you for a bit of Billy Collins! On the subject of cereal, it seems that Lucky Charms were introduced the same year I was. I have to confess, without your prompt, I wouldn't have known that, so thank you for that as well!
Jonathan Swift! :) How fun, Kat.
His daily readings on FB?? How did I miss this, Jama? Thank you, thank you. (And I'm stuck on you, too.) :)
Thanks, Linda, and thanks for playing along with the "as old as" game. Elvis/Priscilla was a good year.:)
Oh, the Easy Bake Oven! How I loved mine. :) Happy to provide you with a weekend RX, too.
Michelle, I'd take a Princess 300, too! I *love* old typewriters. :)
Sally, you and bean bags are youngsters. :)
What excellent company, Tabatha!
Laura, I think there's a poem in Capri Sun and glue sticks, too. :)
Matt, the whole circus peanut candy vibe is exactly why I could never eat Lucky Charms. :)
My pleasure, Alan! Enjoy your explorations. :)
I wouldn't have been surprised at all if we'd chosen the same poem, Linda. :)
I still have an Etch-a-Sketch. Early in our marriage, I found out my husband had never had one so I bought him one.
Oh, I couldn't wait to get a lava lamp when I was in junior high. :) Lava lamps are worth all the exclamation points! :)
Can't wait to head over and read your latest, Etch-a-Sketch sister! :)
Heidi, your birthday approacheth! Will you celebrate with Cheerios and Jeopardy? :)
Yes, Margaret, I'll be pondering that poem. :)
I knew that, honey. :)
Thanks, Sara, and I'm delighted to see your name, too, as always. I agree — Cheerios are the perfect comfort dinner. :)
I'm jealous, Laura. :) I've never seen Billy Collins in person.
The Poetry Princesses should definitely tackle this!
Oh, Carol, moving is such a huge undertaking! Wishing you the best and happy I could provide a smile today. :)
Kay, your next Google search awaits you. :)
My pleasure, Liz! Pringles, space, and heart transplants — you might have a poem brewing too. :)
Have fun searching, Sylvia!
I look forward to writing it, Irene. I wish I were talented enough with an Etch a Sketch to write it ON the Etch a Sketch. :)
What a fun way to invite students to do a little research! :)
Abby, you're a mere child! :) I'm obsolete enough to remember when the *original* GI Joe was around in the 60s and 70s. (My brother had one.) :)
Have fun, Carol! :)
Ha, love your take on it, Tanita. I think you're timeless.
Enjoy the search, Tricia! :)
Kathryn, we are the same vintage! I think I knew that but I always think you're younger. :)
I will totally take To Kill a Mockingbird too. :)
My pleasure, Tim. How did we all exist for so many years without knowing these vital factoids? :)
I am as old as the BLACK BOX, the color television,Sugar Smacks cereal, and TV dinners. Great poem from Billy Collins. Thanks for hosting
Karen, sorry that I am offering my Poetry Friday post so late but once I ended the day of unpacking the first load of boxes for my new house, I fell asleep while writing. I will add it to the roundup.
Came back to tell you I'm as old as Sweet Tarts, Lava Lamps, Push Button Telephones, Computer Mouses, and Bubble Wrap! Fun!
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