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Chocolate Chips & Rocket Ships

99 1/2 Poems in 100 days
All poems by John OMarra
All contents copyright 2012 Ponkonio Press LLC
Illustrations by 100 illustrators, from the genres of comic books, rock posters, childrens books, fine art, and more. One new poem a day on both Kickstarter.com and ChocolateChipsAndRocketShips.com, from now until September 10, 2012. Deluxe hardcover 8 x 11 book, 220+ pages coming this November. PLEASE visit Kickstarter and preorder the book! It will be $35 retail, special Kickstarter price is $25, shipping included. We cant make this happen unless we hit our goal on Kickstarter. We have until July 4, 2012. So please visit, preorder the book, and help spread the word! CCRS on Kickstarter.com johnomarra@gmail.com

Sneak Peek
contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Shoes, illustrated by David Wenzel Paper Tiger, illustrated by Wylie Elise Beckert A Pirates Job Interview, illustrated by Shawn McManus Nightwalk, illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani Banana Dans, illustrated by Kristin Abbott Blocks, illustrated by Tim Probert Baddie Bags, illustrated by Mizna Wada The Princes Lament, illustrated by Adam Hunter Peck T, illustrated by Nicole Allin Whats in the Bag? illustrated by Matthew Meyer Bugs, illustrated by Catlin Haimerl Stay, illustrated by Courtney Martin Melee, illustrated by Kai Carpenter Princesses, illustrated by Lia Marcoux The Pugnacious Crustacean, illustrated by Ole Tillman Poetic License, illustrated by Tom Brown Words, illustrated by Nicole Gustafsson A Toast, illustrated by Mike Maihack Nada, illustrated by Darrin Brenner Switcheroo Tattoos, illustrated by Wes Freed Oklahoma, illustrated by Starr Hardridge Best Left Unsolved, illustrated by Michael Lauritano

Shoes
Im a traveling shoe salesman, Done it for a long, long time. I sold boots to Bigfoot, And his size is hard to find. Green felt slippers for leprechauns, Fairies love em with bells. Trolls buy dirty, stinky clogs, The worst you ever smelled. Elves and gnomes and wizards, too, You know Ive sold my share. But my biggest regret, So many mermaids Ive met, Yet Ive never sold any a pair.

Paper Tiger
A paperboy, And a paper doll, Were shufflin down Paper Lane, When out pounced a paper tiger, Faster than a paper plane. So that began a paper chase, Tiger hot on their paper trail, Til the girl spun round With a paper shredder, And paper-cut Tigers tail. The cat fought back but the pair held steady, And soon that Tiger was confetti. So whats the moral of this caper? Just that scissors always beats paper.

A Pirate's Job Interview

Date of birth? Thats a stumper, I never knew my kin. Education? Thats an easy one, Ten years prentice with Capn Quinn. Hobbies? I like fightin, And drinkin and fightin, too. Special skills? I do speak Spanish, But only to say Gimmee yer jewels. Retail experience? I know a thing or two about sails. International Travel? In seven countries, Ive seen the jails. Social Security Number? Its tattooed on me somewhere... Oh, and what about lunch breaks? Is there grog or rum to share? Applying for a job away from the sea, What a very sad occurrence. But with my peg leg, Scurvy, And sailors knee, I need the Health Insurance.

Nightwalk
I love to stroll the neighborhood, But this heat sure makes me balk, So wait til its late, And come with me, Lets go for a nighttime walk. Summer seems softer when the sun goes down, Under a Moonshadow glow Luna moths dance neath streetlamps, Fireflies flash Hello! Winds blow strange past midnight, (Missed by all the sleepers), Listen to the coyotes, Singin with the peepers. This night is ripe for mischief, No one is on guard, Lets rearrange the leprechauns On the Limericks front yard. Weve got the streets all to ourselves, So lovely I could clap. Lets walk all night, Til the sun comes up, Then take a daytime nap.

Banana Dans
When you visit sunny Havana, Make a plan to buy a bandana, At Banana Dans Bandana Cabana, Right next door to the Copacabana, The best in the lanna, give em a hanna! But when youre in Savannah, And crave a banana, Go to Bandana Sams Banana Stanna. Loved by every woman and manna, A favorite of Anna and Vanna and Granna, The best banana, But no bandana. For a bandana, your best bet is still Banana Dans Bandana Cabana.

Blocks
Im building the worlds biggest block tower It soars high into the sky, Cant remember the last time I took a shower, Im such a stackin guy! Its super-duper-super tall, And listen up, heres the kicker Im goin fifteen miles high, Ive got Daddys cherry picker! Block on block on block on block, Until its a record, I wont stop. The all-time champ is a million blocks, Built by Boston Bobby Clover. But I can beat that, Just a few blocks more BABY BROTHER, YOU KNOCKED EM ALL OVER!!

Baddie Bags
Mom made goodie bags for the party, But my friends had me seein red, So I got rid of all the goodies, And made baddie bags instead. Cat poop stead of Tootsie Rolls, Crunchy scabs and green tadpoles, Greasy hair from Daddys back, All stuffed into a diaper sack! My friends are gonna be so mad, Theyre gonna scream and curse, So Ill make sure they get their baddie bags last, And I get my presents first.

The Princes Lament

Dad says no allowance, Until I do my chores, But its an awfully long list, And all of them a bore. I start with a sweep of the dungeon, Then feed a pair of pigs to the dragon. Polish all the armor, Then repair the Wizards wagon. Groom the Unicorn, Dredge the moat, Light torches in the halls, Hone the blades, Dust the throne, And find the jesters balls. Im tired of kegs and turkey legs, Its all such a terrible hassle. I wish we lived in a regular house, Instead of this old cold castle.

T
I thought I was invited to a tea party, I knew it would be a bore. But I had a totally terrific time, Let me tell you more! There were toads on turtles on trampolines, And tons of tiramisu. Trains and trucks and other toys, And even a T-Rex or two. So clearly it was a T party, And certainly a dandy, I hope next Im invited to a C party, cuz I sure love cotton candy.

Whats in the Bag?

Old lady Garrity Was walking her dog one night, When a bad guy ran up and stole her bag, And dashed right out of sight. Thats okay, Mrs. Garrity said, Live and let live. That bag was filled with my doggies poop, And I wish I had more to give!

Bugs
I felt so weird at lunch today I started craving bugs! Thats not like me, Normally, Its PB&J or Chicken Nugs. I started off with a couple of ants Best thing I ever tasted! So next I ate a ladybug, Some grasshoppers And an aphid. I gobbled fleas and beetles, And possibly a tick. Even a furry, fuzzy one, Crawlin up a stick. Why do I keep eating bugs? Its really quite absurd. But it all made sense, When I looked in the mirror I had turned into a bird!

Stay
My dog is oh-so-well behaved, Hell stay for a long, long while. He never bites, He never snarls, He always has a smile. He doesnt tear up papers, He doesnt jump and crush, Guaranteed, My favorite breed, Is a doggy who is plush.

Melee
Theres Robots in the castle, They must have swam the moat. Howd they get past the pirates, On their U.S. Navy boat? Vikings ride lobsters, Romans fight mobsters, And King Tut parachutes. Historical accuracy at playtime? Not my strongest suit.

Princesses
Pennys dressed like a princess. Sophie and Ella too. Madeline and Gwendolyn, Each in dresses of blue. Katrina and Tina, Also Georgina, Marina, Ruthie and Jane. Princess Molly And Princess Polly And Princess whats her name? They all want to be a princess, But to me its kind of a joke. How can everyone be royalty, When there aint no common folk?

The Pugnacious Crustacean

Ya picked the wrong lobster to mess with, Ill tear ya limb from limb! Ill mangle your mouth, Pinch your neck, And bite ya in the chin! Im gonna wipe out the whole lotta ya, Ill crush ya like a clam But first, Cmere a minute, And cut off these rubber bands!

Poetic License
I went to get my poetic license, The counter guy said Can you rhyme? I said Does it have to be a good one? He said No. I said Fine. So he made me a legitimate poet, And Ill tell ya, I was stoked. So let me stop right there, With a rock-solid rhyme, Before my poetic license gets revoked.

Words
I tried to read to my sister, But I didnt know the words, So I just showed her the pictures, And made up what occurred. Hello, Mr. Happy Squirrel! (Hes the secret King of the World.) A sailor with a salty oyster Beware the poison pearl! A puppy and a kitty, playin by a tree Listen, sis, theyre robots, You just take it from me. My sister smiled and cooed and laughed At the tales I created. I guess if you make up your own stories, Then readings over-rated.

A Toast
I would like to propose a toast! To all the bread we love the most! Whole Wheat, Cant be beat! Go Go, Sourdough! Plain White, Awright! Caraway, Ya make my day! Rye, Rye, Aye, aye! Challah, Sprouted, Hollah, Touted! My yeasty friends, Our visit ends, Hope Ive been a good hoster. Now climb right up and hop on in Welcome to my toaster!

Nada
My friend Suzie got nothin, So of course I wanted none too. I said Suzie can I have none please? She said I aint got nothin for you! Thank you Suzie, thank you, For bein kind-hearted and fair. When a whole lotta nothin is all ya got, It takes a lot to share.

Switcheroo Tattoos
Ya know I love to fool my friends, And prank em right outta their shoes, Well, the prankiest prank that I ever did prank Was Switcheroo Tattoos. Hey, Sophie, heres a butterfly, Lets stick it on your arm, A heart for Hailey, A pirate for Pete, What could be the harm? So they lick em and stick em and peel em, And then comes the bad surprise On their arm, the unexpected; Rats and Turds and Flies! Some kids yell and some kids cry And they all try to wipe em away, Sorry, kids, those tats will last For six months to the day. So whatchya see aint whatchya get, With Switcheroo Tattoo Thats why, to wit, Both fig. and lit., The jokes on you!

Oklahoma
Look at me on my surfboard, Zippin through the air. My legs are bent, My arms are spread, Wind blowin through my hair. Im the master of motion, A surfin superstar. But Im five hundred miles from the ocean, On a board on the roof of Moms car.

Best Left Unsolved

The greatest mystery, In the history of mysteries? The Mystery of the Missing Mystery. Who took it? Heaven knows. Howd they do it? One can only suppose. As for why, As well to ask, Why the river flows. When did it happen? In the long agos. Where, oh where? So far beyond the snows. What did they do, exactly? That too, We still must pose. So its true we dont know Who, Or What, Or Where, Or Why, Or How, Or even When, But keep your eyes wide open, friend, In case they try to do it again!