The Funniest Poet in the School!!! Hello and welcome - Darren Sardelli When did you start writing? Before the age of 20, I wasn't a big fan of poetry. In fact, I wasn't a big fan of reading and writing either. English was always one of my worst subjects and I hated doing homework. When I was a junior in college, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. For some strange reason, Children's Books popped into my head. I got excited about this idea and truly thought it would be a fun and exciting career for me. That night, I had a dream that inspired me to become a writer. Since that day, I have written over 250 poems and have visited more than 100 schools. I guess I'm living proof that dreams do come true! Why do you write poetry? I'm going to answer this question by asking a question. Have you ever tried to write a humorous rhyming poem without forced rhymes? I'll tell you one thing, it's not the easiest thing to do, however, it is a challenge. I enjoy the challenge of writing this type of poetry. I also enjoy seeing the expressions on people's faces when they read my poems. Whenever people smile, giggle, or laugh after reading or hearing my poetry, I feel like I am making a positive difference in the world. To make a long story short, that's why I write poetry! Do you write anything other than poetry? Absolutely! I think it's extremely important for all writers to explore other areas of writing. Besides poetry, I write short stories, song lyrics, screen plays, young adult fiction, children's stories (rhyming and non-rhyming), and TV commercials. Although poetry is one way to express yourself, I encourage every writer to step out of their comfort zone and try new things! Has anyone ever inspired you to write a poem? There have been many people who have inspired my poetry, but one person definitely stands out from the rest. My classmates and I called her "Mrs. Silly". Last year, I was thinking about all of the goofy things she used to do and decided to write a poem about her. To my surprise, it has become one of my most popular poems! The Silliest Teacher in School Our teacher gave detention to the fountains in the hall. She handed extra homework to the artwork on the wall. We saw her point a finger at a banner and a sign. She said their bad behavior was completely out of line. The principal approached her and said, "What is all this fuss? I heard you tried to punish all the tires on a bus. You've made the teachers angry by disrupting all their classes, So if you want to keep this job, you have to wear your glasses!" What was your most embarrassing moment at the school's you've visited? Luckily, I have never had an embarrassing moment during a school visit, but I have seen embarrassing things happen to teachers and principals! A few months ago, I was doing a one hour assembly program for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in the gym. The students were seated on the gym floor and the teachers were sitting on folding chairs (side by side - lined up around the students). In the middle of my assembly, I read one of my poems and watched the crowd break out into immediate laughter. One of the teachers laughed so hard - She lost her balance, fell off her chair, and spilled coffee all over the assistant principal. The assistant principal wasn't amused by this embarrassing moment, but the students had a field day with it! Of all the poems you've written, which is your favourite? It's hard to choose one, but here are two that I really, really like: I Blow a Tissue with My Nose I blow a tissue with my nose and pencil with a write. I always chair down in a sit and bed to go at night. My favorite cake is chocolate food with side cream on the whip. When I board off a diving jump, I double do a flip. I brush a toothbrush with my teeth and wash my soap with face. I like to shower in the sing and crayon with a trace. It's nice to sky the sunny watch and bay beside the lay. I wonder laugh most people why when what they hear I say! A Colorful Character My left leg is silver. My right leg is blue. My shoulders are yellow and lavender too. My right arm is violet. My left arm is red. I have specks of purple and pink on my head. My ankles are golden. My belly is black. My fingers are green like my nose and my back. My elbows are orange. My forehead is tan. I shouldn't have thrown all this paint at my fan. Are you writing anything at the moment? I'm working on 2 books that I'm really excited about! One book consists of 55 funny poems relating to school. You won't believe some of the stuff that goes on in these poems. The teachers, students, bus drivers, lunch ladies, class pets, bullies, and principals do some outrageous things that will totally blow your mind. The other book, Zinker the King and the Island of Bink, is a story about a king named Zinker who writes all the laws for the citizens of Bink. Some of his laws may seem a bit strange, but the people who visit this magical island think his laws are fantastic, wonderful, and fun. In fact, some of them wish they had laws like this in their town! Here is one the school poems that will be appearing in my upcoming book: The Fastest Kid in School I am the fastest kid in school. I have the fastest feet. There's no one who can match my speed. I simply can't be beat. There's nothing you can say or do to beat me in a race. I'll always be victorious! I'll always win first place! Before I use my super speed, there's something you should know; I'll beat you skating on the ice and running through the snow! I'll beat you on a ten speed bike! I'll beat you in the pool! I'll beat you sprinting up the stairs and down the halls in school! Prepare to feel embarrassed when I beat you on this track! I'll beat you running backwards with my hands behind my back! I let you get ahead of me, but now you're going down! I plan to show these people I'm the fastest kid in town! I'm gonna - OUCH! I'm cramping up! My ankles are in pain! My belly hurts! My back is out! My shoes are filled with rain! If you keep jumping up and down, I'll sell you to the zoo! I can't believe I'm losing to a baby kangaroo! Do you have a webpage? Here's my webpage: www.laughalotpoetry.com My email address is: Dribs68@aol.com Thanks Darren. All poems in this interview are Copyright © 2005 Darren Sardelli and all rights are reserved. Go back to top of page