Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch!

Where, oh where is dear little Nellie?
Where, oh where is dear little Nellie?

Where, oh where is dear little Nellie?

Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

Pickin' up pawpaws, puttin' 'em in your pocket,

Pickin' up pawpaws, puttin' 'em in your pocket,

Pickin' up pawpaws, puttin' 'em in your pocket,

Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

                                          --American Folk Song

Oh how I loved it when Mr. Green Jeans would sing the pawpaw song on Captain Kangaroo!  I would sing along with him, stuffing imaginary pawpaws in my pockets. I wasn't quite sure what they were exactly, but in my mind they resembled persimmons, since they both started with a "p".  And looking back, that wasn't the only thing I stuffed in my pockets...bits of paper, an extra pretty marble or two, shoelaces and hair ribbons all seemed to make their way into my pockets at one time or another.  

My mother often remarked that when she was growing up she bitterly resented the fact that girls didn't have pockets, which meant it was hard to keep up with the fast growing collections of her brothers.  As you can see from the picture below, she might be right...not a pocket in sight!  (She's the cute, but pocket-less, little girl on the far right, shown here with her two older sisters and one of her younger brothers.)

But fashion design has come a long way in the last few decades, and we now have an elegant sufficiency of pockets on our clothes.  Even wedding dresses have pockets now!  Which would come in handy if you are getting married tomorrow...you will have a place to tuck your poem!

Tuck your poem?  Yes!  It's National Tuck a Poem in Your Pocket Day!  As if Take a Poet to Work Day wasn't enough fun, now we can find a special poem, tuck it in our pocket and carry it with us all day.  I've already printed out several short poems and taped them to my cubicle, in case anyone needs to borrow a poem for the day. Hopefully everyone has their own, but you never know, and I'd hate for someone to be caught short and remain poem-less all day!  If you would like to read more about this special day, you can do so here.

And what poem did I choose for my pocket tomorrow?  My husband raked all the winter debris from our front yard the other day, and it reminded me of this lovely little poem by Robert Frost.  Having visited Frost's farm in New Hampshire, able to roam through his pasture and woods at will, this poem brings back sweet memories of a lovely day.  I hope you find your own special poem that brings you happiness today, and don't forget to tuck it in your pocket!