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#NPRpoetry Moment: What Do Toddlers And Politicians Have In Common?

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

How about some poetry now? All month, because April is National Poetry Month and we like to celebrate, we've been asking you to send us poems via Twitter - that means your original poems of 140 characters or less using the hashtag #NPRpoetry. And they are so good, and they are about everything - nature, relationships, potatoes, male-pattern baldness. That actually was a favorite from last week. This being an election year, how could we not get some poems about politics, like this one from Carlo Toboada from Dallas, Texas.

CARLO TOBOADA: I did not start it - famous words of toddlers and men seeking office.

MARTIN: Now, the poems are short so they go by really fast, so let's hear it again.

TOBOADA: I did not start it - famous words of toddlers and men seeking office.

MARTIN: And what was the inspiration?

TOBOADA: The inspiration comes from the exchange between Donald Trump and Anderson Cooper. I follow closely politics and, like everybody else, has been fascinated with this current presidential nomination race that's been going on. So I decided to write a haiku about it.

MARTIN: Thanks for the poem, Carlo. Another fun one that caught our eye comes from Michael Gowan in Lincoln, Ill..

MICHAEL GOWAN: That one time I wore my V-neck sweater backwards, you could've told me.

MARTIN: We figured there was probably a backstory on this one.

GOWAN: I was attending Christmas party back in December and put on a V-neck sweater that morning. It wasn't until I got home that I realized my sweater was on backwards and had been all day. So I visited with dozens of people at the party, and no one either noticed my sweater was backwards or, if they did notice, no one mentioned it.

MARTIN: We feel your pain, Michael. We feel your pain. So let's relive the humiliation one more time.

GOWAN: That one time I wore my V-neck sweater backwards, you could've told me.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: Well, if you have a poem, embarrassing or otherwise, we'd like to hear it. You can tweet us your original poetry with the hashtag #NPRpoetry throughout the month of April, and maybe we'll call you to read it for us on the program. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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