In this YouTube video, author Lois Letchford, known for her memoir Reversed: A Memoir, introduces herself and presents a series of brief, whimsical poems taken from John Foster's Excuses, Excuses. She frames each poem with a playful classroom scenario—such as being asked to write about wind, chickens, or bees—then recites the poems, which include titles like "Blow the Wind," "Stuff the Chickens," "Buzz Off," "Hoppit," "The Grasshopper," "Get Lost," "Out in the Rain," "The School Doctor," "Do Me a Favour," "The Visiting Juggler," and "The Sea Waves." Throughout, her tone is light, conversational, and enthusiastic, aiming to entertain and showcase the humor of the poems. The video concludes with a typical YouTube call to action, urging viewers to like, subscribe, and share the content.
Chapters
Hello, I'm Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed: A Memoir, and reading from Excuses, Excuses by John Foster. Do we have to write a poem about it, Miss? There was a freezing storm outside, so our teacher decides to send us into the playground to feel it. We felt it, and when we got back inside, she said, write a poem about the wind. So here it is. Blow the Wind. We hatched some eggs in our classroom, but it wasn't enough for her just to let us watch the chicks, to enjoy them and talk about them. Oh no! Now write a poem about chickens. So here it is. Stuff the Chickens. I like short poems. Here's one about our visit to the man who keeps bees. Buzz Off. Not much cop. Tadpoles turning into frogs. Hoppit. The grasshopper. It's not cricket. Going on a journey. Get lost. Out in the rain. I've wet myself. The school doctor. She makes me sick. Helping each other. Do me a favour. The visiting juggler. Makes me want to throw up. At the seaside. The sea waves. So I wave back. Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this writing lark. Enjoy. Hit like, hit subscribe, and share.
