JOURNALIST TO CHILDREN'S POET, SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST RICK CALENDAR.

CERTAINLY WAXES POETIC WHEN LAMENTING THE FATES OF OUR OFF UNDERPERFORMING SPORTS FRANCHISES.

BUT NOW HE'S TURNED HIS LITERARY AND WORDSMITH ABILITIES TO POETRY.

A NEW BOOK CALLED SWEET DREAMS, POEMS AND PAINTINGS FOR THE CHILD.

A BED.

AND JOINING US NOW IS THE AUTHOR, RICK, TELL UNDER RICK, ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.

THANKS FOR BEING ALL RIGHT.

SO THE OBVIOUS QUESTION, WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK CHALK FULL POETRY?

WELL, I WAS SICK IN BED.

THIS IS 30 YEARS AGO.

I HAD I WAS REALLY SICK AND I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL.

>> FOR 2 AND A HALF WEEKS, THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND THEY STOP THE PAIN.

IT WAS IN MY STOMACH.

BUT I WAS NAUSEATED SO I COULD WATCH TV COULDN'T READ.

COULDN'T DO ANYTHING.

I MEAN, LITERALLY, I COULD NOT.

IT WOULD MAYBE EVEN SICKER.

AND SO I STARTED WRITING POEMS IN MY HEAD AND I THOUGHT WHO NEEDS HOMES AND SOOTHING MORE THAN LITTLE KIDS WHO ARE MAYBE SECOND CONDITION.

I'M IN OR JUST GOING TO BED GENERALLY.

>> AND IT'S AND YOU'VE GOT I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT DOZENS IN HERE.

SO I SO I TAKE IT.

SO OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS OF KIND OF LIKE ADDED TO YOUR WELL, TELL YOU WHAT 42 REGIONAL PALMS AND 42 ORIGINAL PAINTINGS.

>> SO EACH ARTIST I HAD TO GET IN TOUCH WITH IN COMING UP.

I THINK THERE'S 14 FROM CHICAGO, THE AREA FEDERALIST ARTIST AND GUYS LIKE TONY FITZPATRICK AND MARK MCMAHON AND L BRAND OR WHO IS A DESIGNER TRANS KIDS WANT DO PASSKEY WAS.

SO HE'S KIND A PAINTING IN THERE THAT IS NOT LIKE IT PAST.

GET ALL DOES THOSE KIND OF LIKE THE VOC ALMOST OF WAYS THIS ONE'S OVER TEDDY BEAR FLOATING IN SPACE FOR LITTLE KIDS WHO'S HAVING A FEVER DREAM.

I THINK WE HAVE SOME EXAMPLES OF OF SUMMIT IS SOME BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK.

I MEAN, I'M LOOKING AT THE TITLES OF SOME OF THESE DOWN IN THE VALLEY THE NIGHT BIRD, THE HAMMOCK, THE LAW OF THE TIGER IN THE LAND WHERE THE CITY GAME.

WHAT DID YOU COME UP?

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR ALL THESE DIFFERENT TOPICS?

YOU KNOW, WOULD BE JUST READING SOMETHING OR REMEMBERING A POEM THAT STRUCK ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT ROBERT FROST, THAT GREAT PALMA STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING.

YOU KNOW, HAVE MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP, YOU MENTIONED THE TIGER IN THE LAMB.

I THOUGHT OF THAT BECAUSE OF A STUDY.

WILLIAM BLAKE, THE KIND OF PULL IT FROM 18TH CENTURY 19TH CENTURY.

I'M SORRY AND HE WROTE A POEM CALLED THE TIGER AND IT'S ALL TIGER TIGER BURNING IN THE NIGHT IN THE FORCE OF THE NIGHT.

WHAT IMMORTAL AND AWRY FOR JUST FEARFUL SYMMETRY LIKE, HOW COULD GOD MAKE A LION?

AND HE ALSO WROTE PALM BLAKE DID CALL THE LAMB LIKE LITTLE.

IT'S VERY SWEET.

LITTLE LAMB WHO MADE THE LITTLE LAMB WHO MAYBE GOT THE THERE'S NOT A RELIGIOUS BOOK IN ANY WAY, BUT I THOUGHT I WILL SOLVE THAT.

I'LL HAVE THE LAM AND THE TIGER LINE DOWN TOGETHER, NOT WRITE A POLL SO THAT THEIR WAY TO TRAIN GETTING WILLIAM HOMES HERE.

ALL RIGHT, RICK WANTED TO READ A READ READ.

I WANT TO READ?

EVERYONE'S CALL MY OR ANY UNTIL STATED BY JOHN RUSH.

BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATION.

>> I ALMOST HAVE MEMORIZED ONE NIGHT.

MY FATHER HELD CLOTHES WHEN I WAS TIRED AND LONG TO SLEEP.

HE BUT ME INTO HIS COAT.

AND WALK THE PATHAN LIT AND STEEP.

HE HELD ME TOO, WITH AN ARM.

THE COLD WIND TORE THE SKY APART.

HE WAS PROOF AGAINST THE STORM AND I BECAME HIS BEATING HEART.

SO TELL ME THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THAT ONE.

JUST A CHILD.

ONE OF THE TRIALS, BIGGEST FEARS BEING ABANDONED NOT BEING LOVED, NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF, ESPECIALLY WONDERS FORCES, FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN HE OR SHE.

AND HERE'S IS EPIC AND SEE FROM BEHIND AND HE'S GREAT COACH CARRYING THIS LITTLE KID HE'S A LITTLE KID'S FACE AND HE'S WRAPPED INSIDE MAN'S COAT.

THE WIND IS BLOWING THE SKY IS SNOW IS BLOWING AND THE WORLD APART AND THIS KID IS SAFE AND SLEEPING IN HIS FATHER'S ARMS.

YOU KNOW, YOUR HALL OF FAME, A SPORTSWRITER YOU PLAYED 4 YEARS OF FOOTBALL AT NORTHWESTERN, BUT YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE THIS INCREDIBLE LITERARY TALENT AND POETIC TALENT AND INTEREST.

WAS THAT COMMON AMONG FOOTBALL BACK IN YOUR DAY OR DID YOU KIND OF STAND OUT A LITTLE YOU KNOW, I WAS ENGLISH LITERATURE MAJOR NIGHT AS A TONY AND A LOT OF POETRY KIND OF MY SENIOR YEAR INDEPENDENT CLASSES.

I WAS DIFFERENT IN A WAY.

BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF GUYS ON THE TEAM THAT DID A LOT OF THINGS I ACTUALLY PLAYED WITH NUMEROUS PLAYERS BECAME LAWYERS AND DOCTORS.

IT MEANS JUST NORTHWESTERN.

THAT WAS DIFFERENT.

WE HAVE A GOOD TEAM MY SENIOR YEAR.

WANT POINT THAT OUT, I WAS ALWAYS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

I WAS THINKING OF DIFFERENT REMEMBER MY HIGH SCHOOL COACH AS A QUARTERBACK, MY TEAM AND WE'RE HALFTIME HOMECOMING AND HE'S TELLING US ALL THE STUFF THAT I'M LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW IN THE CLASSROOM INSIDE AT THE AT THE FESTIVITIES.

BUT HE GOT SO MAD THE HOME OF ICE.

JUST SAY, AND HE TOLD ME BEFORE YOU TYSON, YOU RECEIVE, REPEATED IT PERFECTLY.

HAHA.

I JUST YOU KNOW, MY BRAIN WAS GOING IN A COUPLE DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT I'D ONLY FASCINATED BY POETRY.

DID DID PLAY A ROLE IN IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FAMILY, RAISING YOUR KIDS READ TO THEM AT NIGHT.

>> YEAH BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY.

THIS TOOK SO LONG AS OUR DESCENT AND MYSELF, DON'T WANT TO START MY KIDS WERE LITTLE AND AS IT DEVELOPED BY THE TIME I ACTUALLY HAVE THIS IN PROCESS.

THEY'RE OLDER.

THEY COULD READ THEMSELVES SO THEY HAVE READ IT.

NOW THE READING IT TO GRANDKIDS.

WOW, THAT'S RICK, BEFORE WE GO, I HAVE TO ASK YOU, SUPER BOWL'S.

COMING KANSAS CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO.

HE LIKE.

>> HOW CAN YOU BET AGAINST PATRICK MAHOMES HIS 4TH SUPER BOWL CAN'T USE ONE TOO.

IS COULD BE 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS.

HE'S ONLY 28.

>> AMAZING.

AMAZING.

AMAZING RUN.

AMAZING YOUNG CAREER.

ALRIGHT, AND THE BEARS A DRAFT.

CALEB KEEP JUST FEELS ME IT THIS WAY.

EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THAT.

I WROTE A COLUMN ABOUT THAT EXACT TOPIC DATE.

>> I MY PERSONAL FEELING IS I DON'T KNOW.

KAYLA WILLIAMS IS THE ANSWER.

I DON'T KNOW IF THIS GUY, DRAKE MAYE WHO'S GOING TO GO SECOND FROM NORTH CAROLINA IS THE ANSWER.

BUT I DON'T JUSTIN FIELDS I GUESS THAT'S HOW IT SAID.

I THINK EITHER WAY YOU GO, IT'S NOT A SURE THING.

IT'S JUST GOING TO ROLL THE DICE.

>> NO, AND JUST LIKE THE BEARS COULD HAVE HAD PATRICK MAHOMES II COULD SET THE FUTURE FOR MANY, MANY MINUS RICK CALENDAR, YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.

CONGRATULATIONS.

IT'S FINALLY OUT.

SWEET DREAMS, POEMS AND PAINTINGS FOR THE CHILD A REALLY, REALLY BEAUTIFUL BOOK.