Day 4, March’s Open Write with Katrina Morison
Katrina Morison teaches Pre AP English II and English IV in Skiatook, Oklahoma. She has taught in six counties in Oklahoma and in the US Virgin Islands. She seeks to be welcoming and responsive in her professional and personal life. During the pandemic, Katrina has learned that her professional learning community is not limited by the walls of the school in which she teaches.
Inspiration
If you are a teacher or poet, you have heard the perennial cry, “I hate poetry,” which is second only to “I don’t understand poetry.” Poetry is like basketball, the more you work at it, the better you get at it. One sneaky way to get students face to face with poetry is to provide examples of poetry that are intentionally different, unique, and novel.
Miranda Mendez used “Vowels play day” as her entry to a contest challenge on All Poetry approximately three years ago. (https://allpoetry.com/contest/2683601-No-Vowels–) The challenge of the contest was to write a poem without vowels (not including the letter y). There were many clever responses. I like Mendez’s poem best because it creates a playful story around the missing vowels. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any biographical information on Mendez.
Mendez’s poem “Vowels play day” provides a puzzle of sorts for students to figure out. In fact, they get so carried away trying to decipher the words, that they forget they are reading a poem. A further challenge is for students to complete their own poem using Mendez’s poem as a mentor text. A student in one of my classes dubbed this form ‘license plate’ poetry.
Vowels play day
by Miranda Mendez
Gldn snny dys
flld wth Sprng flwrs
‘m tryng t wrt
bt smthng s wrng
Whr r th vwls?
nthng wll rhym
‘m tryng t fnd thm
vwls pls b back!
th pncl strtd t cry
Hlp! othr lttrs r yllng
fnlly, th trth s knwn
thy jst wntd t ply
mschf wsn’t plnnd
wth th chldrn thy r
jmpng ‘n dncng
wtchng th prtty flwrs
pckts flld with vwls
hvng fn ‘n lghng
Sprng brght ‘n jyfll
wlcmng snny dys!
A student’s poem
Wh d w hv t d this?
t cnfss m
_ cn’t fgr ths t.
My poem
Y lk yr pzzls
Wrds r m thng
Bt what f w
Fnd cmmn grnd
S tk p yr pncl
Nd scratch t sm lns.
Y my b srprsd
What y’v fnd.
Process
During the pandemic, I had the wonderful opportunity to view webinars recorded to YouTube by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher (https://youtu.be/nOPEEinfhgs). I subsequently ordered and devoured their book 180 Days published by Heinemann. I follow the daily schedule Kittle and Gallagher outline in the book. One important part of the schedule is the daily notebook writings. For years, I have had students keep a journal. After listening to and reading Kittle and Gallagher, I managed to nab a document viewer. Now I provide a prompt, and I put my notebook on display as I write along with students.
Often I provide students with small copies of poems, which they glue onto a left page of their notebook. On a right page they may respond to the poem or they may use the poem as a mentor text and mimic the form. I do the same at my desk using the document viewer to display my work.
Now for the fun part, try writing a poem without vowels. It can take any form. If you want an extra challenge try for rhyme and rhythm. Play with words. Have fun.
Your Turn to Write & Respond
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. See the image for commenting with care. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming.
_ D__y’s G__ps
7 ’clck
frst cp
tch n cmps
12 ’clck
scnd cp
tch frm hm
8 ’clck
frst glss
scnd glss
bd swt bd
This sounds exhausting. This back and forth, like a yo-yo. I hope you slept well.
In my stubbornness, I couldn’t bring myself to do a full license plate poem, but the prompt reminded me of a novel I read years ago. Thus, this poem. I loved the novel.
Words Without Letters
Years ago I read a novel, Ella Minnow Pea.
In the novel, there was an inscription in the town square:
“The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.”
Unfortunately, as the years passed, the letters began
to
F
A
L
L
And as each letter fell, the people of the town believed
It was a message from their founders–the letter must be lost,
Forgotten and unused. First simple to lose letters fell, like x, z, and j.
But then, harder letters lost their grip, n, d, and y.
As the letters fell, -o l–ger coul- wor-s be rea-.
But the letters kept falling, h, c, o, a-d g.
It be-ame -ar-er a– -ar-er
T- –mmu-i-ate, si–e it was-’t -ust in print.
Eve- speaki– was -e-s-re-.
N-w m-re: a, f, l, — p, t-e-: v, r, m, — t.
Be—use — –is, —–e —l si-e–.
What is the world without words?
Silence indeed.
Missing letter portion:
As the letters fell, no longer could words be read.
But the letters kept falling, h, c, o, and g.
It became harder and harder
To communicate, since it wasn’t just in print.
Even speaking was censored.
Now more: a, f, l and p, then: v, r, m, and t.
Because of this, people fell silent.
Yes, today has been a day to really appreciate letters and those vowels. I love this story and have never heard of it before. Clever. Thanks for passing it on. So glad we can communicate with this alphabet of letters.
Great work! And what a cool concept. I read that book a few years ago! I like the ending because of the broader idea. What is a world without words?
I think a few of us share a collective stubbornness. I love this rebellion.
This poem is “Too All The Poetry I Have Yet to Write”. This prompt made me think about the infinite poems that are inside of me, and, to my surprise, some of them don’t include vowels. Thank you for the prompt!
T ll Th Ptry _ Hve Yt T Wrte:
Thr r mny vrsns f ptry
Hppy, sd, mbrrssng, lvly, & fr
Sme ncld brds tht flw
wy frm th nst & nt th sky, s bl
Hndflls wll b bt sprng
bcs tht’s knd f my thng
_ cn’t wt t mt th pms
sy, “wht’s p” & gt t knw thm
The translation because this is hard!
There are many versions of poetry
Happy, sad, embarrassing, lovely, & free
Some include birds that flew
away from the nest & into the sky, so blue
Handfulls will be about spring
because that’s kind of my thing
I can’t wait to meet the poems
say “what’s up” and get to know them
I respect that you didn’t take the cheater way like I did, and you still have a sweet poem about poems. You even rhymed without vowels!
Buy a Vowel?
cll m stngy.
cll m prsmns.
cll m clsd-fstd, pnny-pnchng.
cll m sknflnt, Scrg.
cll m chp, r vn tght-ssd.
bt ‘ll by n vwls fr ths pm.
What a clever “spin” on the prompt, Allison! Love it!
Allyson- You made me giggle. It’s amazing how your poem so quickly makes sense and gives us a chuckle about a poem without vowels. I think your wheel of fortune is pretty rich! ?. Susie
Haha! Clever girl. Did you tap into “Jenny Kissed Me” for this little did ditty? That’s the poem the cadence reminds me of.
Very clever, Allison. I love that. There were enough hints that helped us read even parsimonious, a vowel-full word!
What a fun challenge! (I took some liberties with punctuation and numerals.)
37TH B-DY
ZZZZZZZZ
BFST + CFF33 T0G0
MSGS FRM FR3NDS + FMLY
B-DY SRRPRZ!!
DNNR WTH R3NTS
FCE TYME WTH BR0S
H0T T33 + P03TRY
ZZZZZZZZ
Happy Birthday! Breakfast and coffee to go, yes, but dinner with parents and FaceTiming with brothers are the way to end the day. I’m looking for the CK to go with the HT T. Because I love a piece of cake! Love the way you zzzzzzzz wake up and zzzzzzzzzz to sleep! Fun circular ending.
Happy Birthday, BTSY JNS!
I always like to see poets “take liberties”! It’s what we do!
I’m about to have a cuppa myself.
Hugs,
Allison
I love the liberties you took with numerals and punctuation. I really think kids would enjoy doing the same. Happy birthday!
Today has been a stressful day. I decided to look through the poetry notebook I used for last year in April. This poem I chose was originally written April 20, 2020
Dtls f th Bch
Th sndy shrs exst fo mls.
Grnls f rth cvr th lndscp.
My ts snk er s dp.
ll f m blnktd by ts dst.
Tdls wvs gv nd tk.
Tdls wvs bb nd flw.
My hrt s swpt p by th wnd.
My sl nvr wnts t lv.
This poem was originally written as I reflected upon the years I spent frequenting Hawaii beaches.
Wouldn’t a few days at a Hawaiian beach be just the thing right now? “My sl nvr wnts t lv.” YES!
I love your last two lines, vowels or not. We need places like this that allow our hearts to be swept by the wind, and that our souls never want to leave. Your poem took me to my favorite getaway, Wolfe Lake, our Canadian vacation soul home.
Donnetta, As I read this, I was reminded of reading Burns’ “To a Mouse” in Scots. Sometimes I feel the words more than I know them, but I can glide across and get the gist!
“My hrt s swpt p by th wnd.” Mine too!
This is truly writing in code! What a way to wake up the brain. I decided to keep mine super simple.
PNDMC
DYS
R
LNG
LV
S
LNGR
Short and to the point. Love it!
Truth! Thanks for writing this, Maureen!
Amen. And crazy daylight saving time makes pandemic days even longer.
I totally agree with this form “waking up the brain.” I almost tried writing a poem from that perspective, but I just didn’t have it in me.
What a perfect day for this poem! I’m so excited I could barely write!
Txt frm m sn
By Mo Daley 3-16-21
Lgn Dnl Dly
ws brn t 11:28 m
7 lbs 6 z
22 14 nchs- h’s tll!
Mm nd bby r grt
Cngrts, grndm!
Ah, new baby love coming your way. Congratulations!
Congrats!
Oh, how sweet! Congrats, grandma!
Congratulations!!
What a perfect poem for today! Congratulations on this precious gift! He IS tall!
Wonderful news, Grammy.
Hot dog! How exciting! Congratulations! Susie
Oh I’m so happy for you! Yes, a perfect day for this poem! <3 Rejoice!
Yay!! So wonderful! This poem of yours made it look so easy to do. Maybe I should’ve just perused some of my text threads for some inspiration. Congrats!!
Ooh! So exciting! Congratulations!
Katrina, do you know how hard it is to misspell on purpose? Can you imagine how “upset” Splck” is today?
Thanks for yet another OPEN WRITE chllnge!
When I saw this prompt I rolled over in bed and thought, “fvck, noooooo! I ain’t doing that.” But I’m a tenacious old lady, and like the gap left in words absent vowels—or like a recurring rash—I couldn’t shake the sh*t, so here I am. Reading w/out vowels gives me an aneurism, so to expedite translation, I’m providing a vowelfull translation. You’re welcome. I think I NAILED IT. ?
V*w*l M*gr*t**n
*ll th* v*w*ls m*gr*t*d
N*rth *r S**th b***nd r**ch *f
Ant*-v*w*l Q c*nsp*r*t*rs
D*r*ng th* gr**t v*w*l Sh*ft.
Th* f*rc*d r*m*v*l *f *rt*c*l*t*ng
V*br*t**ns w*th*n th* v*c*l tr*ct
Pr*d*c*ng a*d*bl* fr*ct**n
M*zzl*d * * * * * *nd *cc*s**n*ll* *.
L*s*ng *ts n*cl**s l*k* * m*t*t*d
C*ll, s*ll*bl*s w*th*r*d &
R*s*mbl*d *n *n*rt*c*l*t*
*r*ng* cl*wn, h*ms*lf a Q n*t.
—Gl*nd* F*nk
Vowel Migration
All the vowels migrated
North or South beyond reach of
Anti-vowel Q conspirators
During the great vowel Shift.
The forced removal of articulating
Vibrations within the vocal tract
Producing audible friction
Muzzled a e i o u and occasional y.
Losing its nucleus like a mutated
Cell, syllables withered &
Resembled an inarticulate
Orange clown, himself a Q nut.
—Glenda Funk
LOLOLOLOL! Glenda, you are hysterical and so so so honest. I had a similar reaction this morning, but, like you, I thought, “what the heck.” You rolled out a beaut! I loved the Q conspirators in this plot! LOL! The whole idea of migration and conspiracy… that was great. The “orange clown”… omg… you really took this prompt in a direction that I can appreciate… a crazy notion…unbridled goofy… “muzzled” I should say. I love your poem. Susie
Love it! “Q Nut” indeed! “Syllables withered” and “inarticulate orange clown” oh yes, you’ve nailed it. So glad you’re tenacious! Still laughing!
Glenda,
I love this! Katrina has given us quite the adventure today. (Wait ’til you see tomorrow’s!) And you have embraced this with humor and brilliance. How wonderful it would be to see a collection of all of these side-by-side with and without vowels. There is so much in the absence we see in some examples, but there is something so wonderful in how the asterisks hold space for the migrated vowels, for all the sounds that shifted. I can’t help but read into the sociopolitics here, too — layers of interpretation, Glenda.
Peace,
Sarah
T fnny, Glnd! Y md m LL!
So so funny! (And I enjoyed your “intro” almost as much as the poem itself. Lol. You did, indeed, nail it!)
I appreciate that you showed us where /how many vowels there were, but I must admit – I cheated and went right for the translation after one stanza! Such a great poem, Glenda – yes, Q nt as the great divider of all!
Your introduction is every bit as magnificent as your poem! Those asterisks are so much fun, but I do love the vowel friendly version because….my brain. I laughed when you rolled back over. I’m glad you got up and wrote today!
The “the great vowel Shift” !! I love it. There’s something about the use of the asterisks that make your vowel-less poem all the more seditious! ( I do appreciate that you included a vowell-full version, too, because we would have missed out on wonderful lines like “Producing audible friction/Muzzled a e i o u and occasional y.”)
[Katrina — At first, I thought “oh dear, I’m lost on this one…” but then I just started goofing with this. Ha, I just never know what’s going to happen when the marbles start rattling around. Thanks for a prompt that pushed me off another deep end. LOL! Susie]
A GAGGLE OF VOWELS
Without the vowels
we have no oooo in moo
and no eeeeee in eke;
without vowels we miss
the melancholy oooo-ē-æ of lugubrious;
without vowels we scramble the owww
in our vows and
lose the ewww in a view
unveiled by eyes in lies;
we strip the guts
of our heart’s ā-å-æ – from our aorta
and our word vessels run cold, dry,
as our word blood drains away,
r dd t drn wy?
Why?
For wont of a gaggle of vowels.
by Susie Morice, March 16, 2021©
Susie, I loved “and our word vessels run cold, dry, / as our word blood drains away” as well as sounding out the words you highlighted, thinking, is that how I say “lugubrious.” It is rather melancholy. Lol!
Susie,
You’re a rebellious lady, and I’m here for it. I felt the pinch of loss with this prompt and love your celebration of vowels.
Susie, it is clear from this poem that you are a word pundit and a lover of language and of all of its sounds. I love the message of this poem, and am intrigued how visceral this poem feels. The literal ripping away vowels is like a physical pain. Absolutely adored
Brilliant poem!
Loved it. This should be shared with students, too. Could be a “Without You” assignment in which you share this poem as an example. At Christmas, we’d see this as your disrespecting IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. What fun to see each other having fun doing important things like this. 🙂
Susie!
Isn’t it amazing that hours ago your poem did not exist and yet here it is in the world — for us to enjoy! I love the way you held onto the vowels and shared what they carry for us in meaning until the third from the last line when the vowels “as our word blood drains away”. I always hope that my “word vessel” does not run dry!
Peace,
Sarah
I am thinking how cute the collective name for vowels is — a gaggle – – like they are a nifty flock of flight birds. Such a witty and fun way to write to this prompt. Living in rural Georgia around so many cows, I now, thanks to you, envision all of these livestock walking around their meadows with one consonant sound……cows saying mmmmmmmmm, sheep saying bbbbbbbbbbbbb, dogs saying rrrrrrrr, but the ones that are the most challenged are the ducks. Poor things.
Lv ths! Why w nd vwls!
I love this! I’m such a word nerd that I talk about sounds and connotations and denotations all the time. This was a fun poem to read. Thank you.
p pping c l rs
nsd nd
t
w p ng s nds
st nd ng b
Chloe,
We are so glad to have you hear and to learn of your connection to Mrs. Simon, but you need not declare yourself a student if you do not wish. We are all writers here, just doing what we can in this space! Welcome. I am loving this poem as art in the symbols and white space sprinkled so intentionally. And that last line has me “standing by” waiting for the sounds to appear. Cool.
Peace,
Sarah
Let’s see how close I can get……
So neat to see a student give it a whrl…..
popping colors
notwithstanding
the
weeping sounds
standing by
I thnk I bngld t p sm
🙂
Katrina, there is so much about your post that I love. First of all, I love Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher and have books written by both. Reading professional books and journals is a way I keep myself motivated and self-reflecting as an instructor. I also revisited the link you shared. It made me think about this day last year, and I’m terribly depressed after the Iowa skies decided to dish out several gray days in a row….ugh! So, although I wanted to write something fun and light, I just couldn’t get there. I did think of how this poetry assignment might be fun for kids to write important lines from literature. After sharing their lines and deciphering them, they could discuss why the line was particularly important in the text. I thought it would be a great way to review a number of texts prior to an AP test or final exam on a particular novel. Anyway, I added one important literary line in my poem based on that idea brewing in my head. Finally, I wanted to share a text you might enjoy that shares a variety of ways for students to get engaged with a text called Text and Lessons for Teaching Literature with 65 Fresh Mentor Texts by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steinkeke. Thanks for putting up with this long post and your time today! Barb
Nnvrsry—Schl Clsd
Lst yr
Mt wth stff n lbrry
Prncpl nnncmnt “Schl Clsd”
Dnt cm hr ny mr
Sn mrrd
Mssd lst Frdy
Prsnl dy
Th lst dy b4 schl prmntly clsd
Nvr gt 2 sy gdby
N fnl prty, hgs, gdbys
Prtng sch swt srrw
Mss thm stll
Barb Edler
March 16, 2021
Barb — I’m amazed how clearly this reads…and how heartfelt the disruption of losing your kids comes across. In something as zany as no vowels, this particularly takes the guts out of your last days with the kids you loved. More a perfect parallel than I would have expected. You nailed this sw t s rr w. Hugs, Susie
As Susie says, this is clear. I feel your loss. It has been heartbreaking for many.
Barb,
I am in awe of what the absence of vowels does for the content of this poem and all that has been lost and not forgotten since the schools closed. In some ways, the letters are “rubbed out” the text faded for me as a sign of all the trauma and how I have aged in this year. And then it also allows the speaker to express the grief but not have to necessarily utter it completely – -maybe some bit is reserved or not over. There is so much to think about with this. Thank you.
Sarah
I, too, was thinking how the missing vowels echo the holes, the loss. Thank you, Barb.
This one threw me, but I really appreciate the playful invitation today. When I sat at my kitchen island this morning and considered what I might say today, I looked up and felt like all of my unused cookbooks were taunting me a bit. We’re in a bit of a rut at my house, and even though I have a huge collection of cookbooks from which to derive inspiration, I kind of feel like going to a cookbook without being inspired is kind of like missing something essential…kind of like a poem without vowels. It can work, but if you have that essential ingredient, it just works better!
Stck
Shlvs flld t th brm
Ckbks srrnd m
Frnds
ld nd nw
Hpng fr tme tgthr
Fnts f nfrmtn
Nw ml ds
Jst wtng t b plckd
ff th pg
rmtc flshs
n th pn
Lrkng ndr cvrs
’m prtndng rn’t thr
Wtht nsprtn
’m stck
t dsn’t sm rght
T tnt ths frnds
T ccpt th hg
f thr cvrs
wth n pln
T s wht thy ffr
ckbk nt mt
Wth nsprtn
Flls flt
Smthng ssntl
Mssng
Lk pm
Vd f vwls
Here’s the original…
Stuck…
Shelves filled to the brim
Cookbooks surround me
Friends
Old and new
Hoping for time together
Founts of information
New meal ideas
Just waiting to be plucked
Off the page
Aromatic flashes
In a pan
Lurking under covers
I’m pretending aren’t there
Without inspiration
I’m stuck
It doesn’t seem right
To taunt these friends
To accept the hug
of their covers
with no plan
To use what they offer
A cookbook not met
With inspiration
Falls flat
Something essential
Missing
Like a poem
Void of vowels
I did not see your translation until after I thought I had most of your poem deciphered, but I’m glad you shared the translation because I misinterpreted a few lines. I love how you connected cooking and the missing vowels. You’ve definitely developed a sense of loss through your poem. We do need to connect with others to feel inspired. That’s what I love about the 5 day write! You’ve captured the missing ingredient so well in your final lines! Loved: “Like a poem/Void of vowels”!
Yep, poems void of vowel miss an essential ingredient. There’s a hardness to them that’s far less satisfying. I appreciate your into. I would have given up w/out it. Love the metaphor.
More and more I wake feeling unrested. I am always dreaming about teaching, so I thought the vowel-less poem can show what it feels like to try to sleep amidst intrusion of my day creeping into my dreams. And this is how I feel when I wake up! Still, I don’t think you can make out the poem this way, so I posted the one with vowels below. I am loving all the ways people are using this form and bringing attention to letters and signs.
A Teacher’s Unrest
thr s n rst
fr th tchr
wh drms
n th crcdn frng
flw frgmnts
cnvrstns ct
rsd f thghts
thrds lst
mrgns ctch
cnscisnss
hld slp hstg
nd th tchr
dls n nrst
__________________________
there is no rest
for the teacher
who dreams
in the circadian fringe
flow fragments
conversations cut
residue of thoughts
threads lost
margins catch
consciousness
hold sleep hostage
and the teacher
idles in unrest
Your vowel-less poem reminds me of what my brain feels like the moment I get overwhelmed. Nothing makes sense, nothing connects. I like the way these poems give me a little cognitive discomfort and act like a puzzle that needs solving.
Oh, Sarah, I can so relate to this feeling of unrest. I loved how you opened and closed this poem. You captured the feelings of unrest so well. I especially enjoyed the lines “consciousness/ hold sleep hostage”. I can whole-heartedly relate to “residue of thoughts” and “threads lost”. Perhaps this sleeplessness is shared by many. Thanks for artfully capturing this perplexing “after effect” of being a teacher!
Sarah — I picked up almost all of this, and that totally surprised me. The sense of what is lost when sleep is cut and the loss of students… a life truncated… there is a definite melancholy and dis-ease. I like the whole idea of using this absence of the guts of our language…our very words… is a reflection of this miserable, damned pandemic and what it has done to our sleep, our lives, our connections. Well done! Susie
Sarah,
I thought I had an original thought when I added my voweled up version, but here you and Erin are w/ vowels, too. Maybe others beat me to this “chest” too. I shall see. Anywho, I still dress as m of teaching, so I understand these restless nights. I love the image of sleep as a hostage.
I am struck by the last two lines: “and the teacher/idles in unrest.” Trying to read your poem–and trying to teach this past year–has been like an engine that won’t turn over…I kept getting the consonants caught in my throat, but I knew the language, I knew what you were trying to say (like I know what I’m trying to teach or re-teach in my “teacher dreams”). Just a year ago, when my school system shut down, and we were all caught in the pandemic purgatory, I started having vivid teaching dreams of lessons un-taught, PD un-presented, field trips canceled, school life halted. You nailed it in the first stanza:
Sarah, I have much compassion for you and all the educators out there who still struggle with getting a good night’s sleep. I’ve gotten better, but every now and then, 3 a.m. says “Let’s think of better ways to teach math in a digital world!” It’s such madness.
I appreciate your transcription because some of what I thought I knew was all wrong. Haha. Blame it on tired brains.
My favorite lines:
?hp rst cms 2nyte!
Just finished up planning for school and parent teacher conferences and sat down to write. It’s 10:30 pm.
This poem hits. Thank you for sharing!
Smn mssd
wth th pn tdy
Cm rnd
whn w wr gn
nd rsed ll
r vwls wy
Nw w’r lft wth
pms w’v fnd;
slw rdng n
dlrbt snds
This was a fun read. I really like how you put the blame on someone else, a villain, who took (erased, I think?!) our vowels away! As much fun as this invitation to write has been, I am more grateful for vowels than I ever knew was possible!
Kevin — I like the sense of someone looking at all our poems today and seeing that mischief had erased our vowels, leaving us with a whole new bit of poetry…like ideas washed away in the sand—dang…you made something so poetic out of this.. Dang, you’re good! Dang! Susie
Haha! I heard Katrina stole all the vowels. Just saying!
See what happens when you run late? A leprechaun comes pillaging our alphabet.
This was so much fun! I am most certainly going to pass this on to my ELA teacher friends. What a great back to IRL school activity1
Lst Vwls
Wht?
? lst m vwls?
Hw?
? sd thm jst ystrdy.
Whr dd ? st thm?
Wth m phn? Wth m glsss?
?lwys frgt thm.
Hy Sr—Cn y fnd m vwls?
Png thm fr m, pls.
“Srry. ?d nt ndrstnd
sch rqusts s ths.”
f Sr cn’t hlp m,
?mght s wll qt.
Wtht ll m vwls,
M lf s jst ?
Gle Snds
3-16-21
Um, how did you get emojis into the poem! This is fantastic and give me an idea for a poem only made from emoji! That would make for some interesting interpretations. Fabulous.
I didn’t think it would work—I just copied and pasted from my google doc!
Sarah, yes, you must try it! In the beginning of the year, I do an activity called MeMoji Poems! I’ll have to send you a sample. The class always loves it.
Gayle, your ending is incredibly funny. The emojis work so well to add to the reader’s understanding and to amplify the emotions. Loved how you even used this technique with your name. Very clever and fun poem!
Gayle, I am so in love with your emojis. I had the same idea this morning but clearly yours developed into significance, whereas mine could only become a 3 line Zappai. LOL. I love this so much. Hilarious:
f Sr cn’t hlp m,
I am such an overuser of emojis so you know ??YOU!
I’m ROTFAL! This is too cute. Siri is useless anyway. Girl can’t understand my Missouri twang at all.
That last line has me laughing out loud. This is just fabulous, Gayle! Creative and colorful and emotical.
This is fantastic! Last stanza had me bursting out in laughter, just what I needed today! I love the extra touch of your name without vowels. My goodness – this whole exercise has taught me how essential vowels r!
So.much.fun! I love the story arch! I love the emojis! It reminded me of a book my mom used to have when I was a kid… C D B.
Katrina, what a puzzling poem, but I can see why your students would love this activity! We are having fun with it, as well. I cheated and found some vowel lookalikes from the Arabic alphabet. (But I couldn’t seem to get spaces between my words here on this comment, so I had to make it a skinny poem!)
Shࢽkr٨n,
٨ع ٲ ە ࢽ
٨r٨bٲc?
Y ࢽ ە
c٨n
wr ٲt ع?
N ە,
bࢽt
th ع
ع ngl ٲsh
So٨rs
t ە
n عw
h ٲعghts–
Qu ٲt ع
٨
s ٲght
w ٲth
Th ع
M٨shr ٲq
l ٲght
Denise! I am in awe of the artful use of letter and the blending of language and script here. How did you do it? I am stunned at the beauty of the poem from a visible aesthetic sense and then feel welcomed into meaning by how tenderly you crafted the words to be accessible to us.
Peace,
Sarah
I love the vowel look-alikes! What a fun workaround. Reading the poem is still a brain workout, but because of your thinking, I’m now thinking about how we can redesign our writing and still send our messages!
Denise, We are all soaring to new heights w/ your clever and visually beautiful poem.
Denise, I’m in total agreement with everyone else: this is very cool and quite lovely!
Denise, this is beautiful! I love the alphabet font from another language. It really is a study in the blending of culture and the beauty – and peace.
Love the Arabic touches, truly beautiful – yes, you took us to new heights!
Vwls mst lv—Cnt Brth
By Nancy White
Ths s dfntly crzy mkng!
Fls lk m trppd n cnt brth
Wht n th wrld wld hppn f thr ws vwl cnclng?
N vwls hd t lv?
Hlp!! Cnt brth!
Perfect! or should I say Prfct!
Nancy, I loved your end, the feeling of being trapped, etc. How I appreciate vowels so much more after today’s writing and reading everyone’s responses. Well said!
I am trying so hard to read these poems. Writing one and reading these is taking my breath away.
I totally agree, “Ths s dfntly crzy mkng!” This is so fun, decoding!
“Fn Bfr Rnng”
Wht tm
T Mk rhm?
Wht jy
Wth Tht by!
“Jst ply tdy.”
Thts ll hl sy.
“Jst ply.”
“Bt hw?”
“Wth Wrds.”
Hly cw!
Gt t rn
Thts bn fn.
Bt nw
Gt t rn.
Fun poem, Anna!
Indeed, Anna! Sometimes — perhaps more of the time than we allow– we just need to play! I love this.
Anna, your rhyming is incredible. Loved the joy and especially “Hly cw!” Great poem!
What on earth, you can even rhyme without vowels! I am truly impressed. Such a gift you have! I love the last stanza! I can feel the energy in
??????
Vwls mst lv—Cnt Brth
By Nancy White
Ths s dfntly crzy mkng!
Fls lk m trppd n cnt brth
Wht n th wrld wld hppn f thr ws vwl cnclng?
N vwls hd t lv?
Hlp!! Cnt brth!
WTF!!!?
Sry t pst 2x!!
Ys! Crzy-mkng, ndd! lv cnt brth!
Nancy, at first I thought you were writing about anti-abortion “brth” meaning “birth”. Your poem demonstrates the value of context! Another time…before Grge Flyd…we would not have been able to understand this poem in this way.
Nancy, whew, you had me confused until I realized it was Can’t Breathe! Good one!
Literary Vanity Plates
2BRN2B
STRxLVR
MBYDCK
FNGS
DRKTWR
BGBRTHR
_______________
As Hamlet would say, my attempt at this prompt is perhaps “a little more than kin, and less than kind.” For your entertainment, though, here are some that didn’t quite make the cut: (Grendel’s) IH8BWLF, (Socrates’s) TSTFNNY, (Montag’s) LV2BRN, (Eeyore’s) WHYBTHR, (Thanos’s) OH SNAP, and then, of course, there’s one from Oedipus Rex that’s NSFW.
Scott, bravo! I love the literary license plates. There is one that I can’t figure out, so I’m going back to puzzle it out. I do like Grendel’s vanity plate.
? I was thinking Hamlet, Romeo (or Juliet), Captain Ahab, Dracula (or maybe Edward from Twilight), Roland (from Stephen King’s magnum opus), and Winston.
So cool! I love it. Wish I had thought of literary vanity plates. Brilliant.
Scott, this would be a great icebreaker or activator in an high school English class! What fun!
I love the literary connections–kids would love to create these. Fun!
This one was fun but a bit tricky. Had to learn my keyboard and out trick the autocorrect. Thanks for the puzzle today.
Mnstr Ct!
‘m nt hpp
tht ct fllws m ft
whrvr ⍨ g
Wtch t! Cld fll nd gt @ hrd blw!
whn t trps m
Thn ⍋ n th chr sh jmps
hvg @ hnch
wht ⍨ dng mst b bttr
bt ‘m jst trg 2 wrt @ lttr
Ftr @ rb n hr hd
thn vmts n m bd
2 hv @ ct sch s ths
whs dgs r qt mss
Ts hr sft prrrrng
tht kp m ♡ strrrrng
knwng w wll nvr prt.
Here’s the translation and I see I made a few errors in the code. Oh well. A brain teaser it was.
Monster Cat!
I’m not happy
that cat follows my feet
wherever I go
Watch it! Could fall and get a hard blow!
When it trips me
Then up i the chair she jumps
having a hunch
what i’m doing must be better
but I’m just trying to write a letter
After a rub on her head
then vomits on my bed
to have a catch as this
who’s doings are quite messy
It’s her soft purring
that keeps my heart stirring
knowing we will never part.
Thanks for the transcription! I’m not familiar with all the symbols. This highlights for me the challenge it is for English language learners whose other language(s) may be written in different script, like those learners who read and write in Arabic, Chinese, or even Polish or Danish, languages that use different shapes or symbols to indicate sounds, tenses, and or gender.
Great point, Anna!
Man, I wish I could’ve persevered through without reading the transcription, but I failed. I heard my mother in my conscience saying, “Don’t you dare look at the answers!” I resisted for a bit then looked. I love cats with my whole heart so I absolutely adore Mnstr Ct!
?
I love the vowel friendly version – I had a lot of it figured out, but a lot was still nebulous without the vowels. I have a whole new appreciation for code readers. I love the subject being the cat – – that title! That monster cat! What a sweetheart of a monster.
Susan,
I confess: I cheated and read the vowel-welcoming poem first. My brain hurts reading the other way. I’m glad you still love kitty despite her shenanigans, especially what she drops on your bed. ?
n3w w1ng$
4n 4ng3l f3ll fr0m 4b0ve
1n 0p3n sp4ce
w1th no m3mor13s 2 sh4r3
n0r j0k3s 2 sp4r3
w1th g3n3$ fr0m g0ld1l0cks
w1th g0ld3n fl4k3d h41r
wh3n the b3ll r1ngs
h3 g41ns h1s w1ngs
c0mpl3t1ng h1s t4sk
w1th wh1t3sp4c3
N0 M0R3.
student of mrs. simon
Oh, how beautiful! I love this angel and the clever way the vowels were used here.
I wasn’t going to do this. My right brain resisted, but then I saw a message from Caroline Starr Rose that was an image from Irene Latham about white space. It made me think of how white space is the sound of silence. Anyway then I used code for each vowel. A cool idea for kids, too!
4 v1s10n
s0ftly cr33p1ng
1nt0 my sp4c3
wh1t3 sp4c3
0p3n 41r—S1l3nc3
White space! So important in painting and drawing as well. This prompt makes me appreciate it even more. 4v1s10n yes!
This took me a minute to decipher, but once I did it made me happy. Needed the wh1t3 sp4c3!
Margaret, I love…
S1l3nc3
❤️
I have Simon and Garfunkel going full blast in my head. Yes, friend! In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone….. Love the musical beginning that you gave these lines!
I forced myself to at least write a Zappai (5-7-5 like Haiku minus a nature theme). I wish I could spend more time working on this because it has my undivided attention.
✍ng WthØ Vwlz
0hhh, ?r 0f wrds
My dpndnc 0n S0mthn
Sml yt ⏻fl
©Stacey L. Joy, March 16, 2021
Stacey,
Your haiku is visually stunning. I’m dependent, too. I’ll be forever thinking about these small, squiggly wonders.
Stacey! This is art! I love the mixing of symbols here — strokes on the keyboard that I did not know existed. And you are so clever to use the zero instead of the “o”!
Sarah
Katrina!!!! This was fun but I am spending too much time thinking and starting over and will end up late for work. I love this challenge. Thank you! I love your opening lines because I love puzzles and words!
I’m going to put vowels in the title — but only so I can make this pun. As soon as I started playing with this, it wasn’t license plates I thought of, but scrabble tiles and Wheel of Fortune. Would you like to solve the puzzle?
Voweluable Points
C[ ]n’t b[ ]y v[ ]w[ ]ls
[ ]f y[ ][ ] [ ]re br[ ]k[ ].
Th[ ]s Scr[ ]bbl[ ] G[ ]m[ ]
[ ]s n[ ]t th[ ] s[ ]m[ ]
[ ]th [ ]ll th[ ] v[ ]w[ ]l
t[ ]l[ ]s m[ ]ss[ ]ng.
Wh[ ] kn[ ]w th[ ]t 1 pt
42 [ ]
w[ ]s s[ ] v[ ]l[ ][ ]bl[ ].
Erica, what fun. I like the way it looks. It is fun to solve these puzzles today, but my head is hurting already! I didn’t quite get it all, but I’m glad for the voweluable lesson! They are important. I love the comment about being broke and not able to buy any of our little friends.
Looking at it now — I think I might have messed up one of the words — making it even more of a challenge hah! I’m glad you enjoyed it though.
FYI line five should probably be “w[ ]th [ ]ll th[ ] v[ ]w[ ]l”
Nope, it’s not the same. I will never take vowels for granted again. My brain hurts!
This was a brain teaser for sure!
Mkng sns
Wh nvntd lngg?
Wh ws th frst prsn
t dcd hw w spk?
hw w wrt?
hw w cmmnct
wth ch thr?
Wht r vwls nywy?
Jst tny pcs f mnng–
sprnkl thm lke slt
rnd n th pg.
Julie, with all the debate around language and what’s considered “standard” or not, your poem speaks to me. i love this:
Brilliant! Thanks for this poem and inspiration.
I like this! “Jst try pcs f mnng- sprnkl thm lke slt.” Wonder what would happen if we wrote a poem with just vowels sprinkled on the page like salt? Gee! My computer can figure out these words without vowels better than I can.
Oh, my gosh! This was hard but so fun! I took the challenge of trying to figure out the words by finding some song lyrics to practice with…and thankfully, saw Kim’s poem that incorporates special characters to help me. This is a great thinking exercise. I’d LOVE to use this with students. Thanks for this prompt!
Can you figure out the song? You might if you have a hippie <3
Whr hv ll th vwls gn?
Lng tym pssng
Whr hv ll th vwls gn?
Lng tym -g0
Whr hv ll th vwls gn?
Th grls hv pckd thm 3vry-1
0 whn wll y00 evr lrn?
0 whn wll y00 evr lrn?
??♀️ Hippie here, and loving the tune in my head. This is fun, Linda! What a great idea to change words to a tune because that also helps figure out the words when you can hear the rhythm and beat in your head!
Earworm. Yes! I am a hippie. Child of the 70’s. Clever poem.
Good morning Linda, I love this! I think my students would get a kick out of this one. Thanks for sharing. I’m reading for inspiration today because I’m stuck. ?
I love how you started using numbers to serve as vowels. This was fun to read and I loved the idea of someone packing up all the vowels to take away.
Linda, thanks for the tune to help me through it! I think it shows how important scaffolding is, actually. We didn’t have to work so hard for this one. Beautifully done and clever switch in the song to vowels.
Whew, Katrina! This new form
Is fun and rather addictive! I can see students totally engaged in this in the classroom. I can also see new codes being formed! This is fun, and it clicks with me. It’s interesting – I was noticing someone stopped at our only town traffic light the other day using a 5 as an s because apparently his personalized tag already belonged to someone else bearing the s. Thank you for investing in us as writers today! Another new form to add to our repertoire!
Th!s n€w f*rm d*€s n*t
l!k€ sp€ll ch€ck
Wt th hck!?
H@rd€r th@n !t l%ks
B¥t cl€@rly h@s !ts h%ks
F¥n w!th w*rds @nd phr@s€s
*f @ll th€ f@ds @nd cr@z€s
!’d r@th€r st@y @t h*m€ t*d@y
C@pt!V@t€d w!th th!s n€w w*rd pl@y
LOL. What fun to figure out this poem. I know kids will like this. I can’t wait to try it out!
This form has be a bit discouraged but when I read yours, Kim, I am encouraged by the creative use of other symbols. Thanks for helping me get started on this today.
Hi Kim, this is magical! I am so impressed. I had to read some posts today before I begin because I am stuck. LOL. I also noticed that you posted BEFORE KEVIN! OMG that is surprising! Your poem is so fun. I love the unique choices to replace vowels but I love the overall message too!
?
🙂 Thank you, Stacey! BEFORE KEVIN……a new slant on the BC or AD…..now it’s 5:00 a.m. BK. Oh, the benefits of insomnia! You made me laugh, and I hope Kevin got a few extra zzzzzzs this morning, which is perfectly legal since those are all consonants and nobody stole those.
I was so impressed that you managed to make it rhyme and all of your symbols did well to replace the vowel. I think my favorite was the % to represent double o’s! So clever. This line in particular caught my eye:
“F¥n w!th w*rds @nd phr@s€s
*f @ll th€ f@ds @nd cr@z€s”
Yes, it is impressive that you have managed to write a sweet little poem with rhythm and rhyme. I agree some days it would be fun to just play with words all day! It’s amazing this came out so early!
Kim — You had a good time with this! The addiction surprised me too. Fun with words is always a good time at home…or anywhere you can grab a moment. Hugs, Susie
I love the use of the @ and other symbols! Thank you for sharing this bouncy and bubbly poem. Definitely fun to write to today’s prompt – so glad I was able to come to write today!