Welcome. All are welcome to participate in the 5-day Open Write — from one day to all days, depending on your schedule. There are no set rules for the length of a poem, and you are free to modify or reject the prompts as you wish, allowing you to write whatever is on your mind or in your heart. We firmly believe that the best writing instructors are actual writers, and this platform offers a supportive environment for you to nurture your writing journey. Just scroll down to share your poem in the comment section. For more information about the Open Writes click here.
Our Host: Anna J. Small Roseboro
Anna J. Small Roseboro, a wife, mother, and a National Board-Certified Teacher, has over four decades of experience in public, and private schools and colleges, mentoring early career educators, and facilitating leadership institutes, in five states. She has served as director of summer programs and chair of her English department, published eight textbooks based on these experiences, and was awarded Distinguished Service Awards by the California Association of Teachers of English and the National Council of Teachers of English. Her poetry appears in several issues of FINE LINES: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose (2015-2023); was in her own publication EXPERIENCE POEMS AND PICTURES: Poetry that Paints/Pictures that Speak (2019). Her new textbook PLANNING WITH PURPOSE: A Handbook for New College Teachers published by Rowman and Littlefield (2021) and EMPOWERING LEARNERS: Teaching Different Genres to Diverse Student Bodies has just been published (2023). She is also working with a team of OPEN WRITE members to publish a textbook for using poetry writing as an assessment tool in content areas across the curricula.
Inspiration
Consider a minor character in a fiction or non-fiction text you are teaching, plan to teach this school year, or have read recently. What is that person’s full name? What words can be created using letters in that person’s name? See https://www.wordunscrambler.net/scrabble-word-finder.aspx?word=
Process
What is an incident, situation, or event that in the current news? Write that incident in your notes.
NOW, draft a brief poem of up to 16 lines that captures that character’s likely response to that event. Use words in your poem made up of letters from your character’s name. BOLD the words from your character’s name.
Anna’s Poem
JULIET CAPULET and the Gaza Strip Wars
Juliet would hate to see the trouble
Between Israel and Gaza continue to bubble
Folks flying in a jet to harm others in war
Who wants to keep such a score?
Acute harm, with not a day of letup
The danger for others captured on tape
Staying up late to watch the news
Hearing another tale
Wars hurting people, beyond the pale
No need to clap seeing kids on the lap
No food on their plate because of hate
Hearing about more wars is getting stale!
Anna J. Small Roseboro, October 16, 2023 (Image linked)
Your Turn
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. 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. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.
Hi Anna
Somehow I missed this first day .. coming back around to it …
Kevin
Addison, ever,
turns off the tap,
turns off the app,
X is not where he
wants to be, though
his best friend needs
the whole world
to see his antics
on the platform
every single day
— it’s Devin’s dad,
Devin needs to save —
and money follows
followers, and followers
just might save the day
Using characters from The Right Hook Of Devin Velma by Jake Burt
Sofia Butler Scrolls Instagram and reads of Ajike Owens death:
Sofia whispers, “Awww, hell naw…”
As she reads of Ajike Owens,
a single mother of four,
who was shot and killed,
in front of her 9 year old son,
by Susan Lorincz, a neighbor in Ocala, Florida.
Ajike went to confront Lorincz
who had taken her son’s iPad,
hit him with a roller blade,
and called him the N-word.
Sofia shakes her head and asks the Lord,
“Is it ever gone come a change?”
Sofia remembers the hardships of jail and she thinks,
“Maybe this time there will be some justice,”
Until she reads that it took four days
for Susan Lorincz to be arrested
and charged with aggravated assault.
(But not murder.)
To which, Lorincz pled, “Not guilty.”
Sofia knows white women.
She knows the weight of their words.
She knows the sting of their tears.
Sofia knows the choking noose evoked by their fears.
She knows white women to be deadly beings.
Sofia knows.
Sofia searches until she finds more,
Lorincz can’t afford the $156,000 bond and
asks to see the judge for a speedy trial because:
Jail is uncomfortable, the food is bad,
her blood pressure is 200 over 100,
she can’t sleep, she can’t rest…
Sofia says,
“White folks is a miracle of affliction. Still.”
Ajike’s mother stands before the judge
and reads what Sofia is thinking,
as if Sofia herself had written the words,
“Susan Lorincz’s heart beats,
my daughter’s heart does not.
My grandchildren can’t sleep,
they can’t rest without their mother…”
I am late to the party, but thank you Anna for hosting Day 1.
Your last stanza resonated with me,
“Wars hurting people, beyond the pale
No need to clap seeing kids on the lap
No food on their plate because of hate
Hearing about more wars is getting stale!”
but especially the last line because I’m sick of it all. I love your use of rhyme here. You do it so well.
I no longer watch television and get my news from my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Yeah, I know…. So I had to do a little digging to see what was happening. I despise politics, but I chose the 2024 US Primary Elections. I am currently reading The Fault in Our Stars and just finished reading where Hazel Grace asked Gus about his ex, Caroline Mathers. He said she had an “Asshole Tumor” so this is where my inspiration comes from.
Caroline Mathers and the 2024 US Primaries
So what’s with all these “presidential” candidates in this metaphorical jungle?
More like false proclaimers trying to win the souls
of unsuspecting fools with brains.
All these exclamations of exaggerated declarations,
giving people artificial hope under false pretences.
Don’t impress me with your lies and arrogancies,
How about some brain teasers?
Are you really smarter than a 5th grader Trump?
DeSantis, you’re an embarrASSment to Florida.
Names do matter, “Nikki”, but your racist is showing.
Biden…Brandon, recalibrate your brain.
These abhorrences we have for lies, immorality, and injustice.
All these folks are dropping like flies-I don’t hear any complainers!
These call for celebrations for the normalizers (no swinging from chandeliers!)
I believe a cameraperson is more qualified.
Their credentials are legit-just check the credits (laughs maniacally)!
Anna, this is such a cool, multilayered prompt! Thank you for your poem about Gaza. That’s where my head is at, too. I’ve been reading Fences with my classes, so the character that I’m featuring in my poem is Jim Bono, the protagonist Troy Maxson’s best friend. Bono is a straight shooter and a moral compass for Troy.
If Biden had a friend like Bono to tell him the truth about Gaza,
Bono would probably say…
“Hey Joe, lemme pull your coat for a minute–
I know you got a tough job,
and I ain’t saying that you can separate
the bone from the joint, ‘cuz this thing,
it was doomed from the womb, but Gaza…
Well, it’s looking like a tomb.
I don’t know if you heard what folks been sayin’
but out on the streets there’s mobs,
and they callin’ you out.
I ain’t one for politics,
but I know there’s lions
and there’s lambs.
And, Joe, you’re a lion
and yesterday ain’t soon enough–
these crowds booing you for a reason.
There ain’t no book for this,
and you’re in a jam for sure,
but I know you to be a good man,
so I think it might be time for you to roar,
or maybe I’m wrong,
and you ain’t a lion at all.”
Dave, your poem makes a major issue so real by the way you’ve created an informal conversation out of such an intense issue.The introduction really sets the scene, ““Hey Joe, lemme pull your coat for a minute–
I know you got a tough job,”
You show Bono’s traits through the conversation. This makes me want to read Fences.
Dave, loved this so much. ❤️
When I read the prompt and the news, I knew I had to tell the story of good old JOhnny Cade from The Outsiders – my students loved him this year, and I agree. What a creative prompt, it got me thinking in new directions, and I really enjoyed it.
Johnny Cade Watches the Trial of the Uvalde Cops
If Johnny were watching the firing guns
He would ache to lend his hand
Pulling children out of classrooms
Throwing them out of windows
Do something, anything
You can’t fumble this, you must act
Saving the golden children,
the dancers, soccer-players,candy-lovers.
Never got a chance to have acne,
Enjoy the honey of first love,
The teenage brotherhood and angst
Burning like the church.
Their lives are worth than mine.
Tell them it’s worth it.
Running through his head
So dawn goes down today.
Emily, your poem is a great introduction to The Outsiders, your reader gets the theme of the story. There is an urgency in your poem, these lines are so significant,”Do something/ You can’t fumble this, you must act now.”
Emily,
I am inspired by your approach to the prompt. It’s been many years since I read The Outsiders and often wonder if it’s stale, but you’ve brought a freshness to the novel, and particularly to Johnny Cade. Now I’m wondering how he’d react to other current events, and I’m thinking about how other characters would react to Uvalde. Uvalde has affected me more than any school shooting. I don’t know why.
Some months ago I hosted a day here and offered a prompt about school shootings. I don’t know if you participated that day, but the response was somewhat tepid. I’d hoped to gather enough poems on school shootings for a book and offered that option at NCTE 22 and on social media, but I did not have much of a response. Admittedly, I did not work to recruit poets for the project. Anyway, I recently organized 28 of my school shooting poems into a chapbook and submitted it to the Rattle chapbook contest. As I told Sarah, I have no delusions about winning, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment in having taken this step.
All this is to say I love your poem and connected w/ it in several ways.
Macbeth’s witches meet on January 20, 2024
Trouble, trouble boiling double;
Networks spin in blathering rubble.
Iowa caucus, frigidly cold
gave few angry voices a space to take hold.
Eye of scholar, words of bard,
Wool of effort, wins won hard.
Do not give the cultish few
a path of hate for me and for you.
Allison,
Love this riff on the weird sisters in the Scottish play. I could not watch the talking heads leading up to and after the caucus as they tried to take a normal approach to this very abnormal slate of low ethics politicians, so the line reading “Networks spin in blathering rubble” is my favorite. I thought the cold was a *get out of caucusing*free card.
Allison, this was inspired! Loved it and loved the trochaic meter. Unnatural goings-on, indeed.
Allison, your words speak the grim truth of the Iowa Caucus. I love your last two lines. Blathering rubble is priceless along with cultish few and wool of effort. Your language and rhythm are brilliant throughout! Love this poem!
Thank you, Anna, for starting us off in a New Year with Creative Connections. You always amaze me with your poetry, word choices, rhyming, and messages. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is very close to my heart as the war is still raging in Ukraine. Thank you for sharing your thoughts through Juliet’s eyes/voice.
I came home about an hour ago and read through several poems. For my poem, I chose Nick Caraway, a narrator in The Great Gatsby by S. Fitzgerald.
Looking at the World from the East Egg
As a careful observer,
I can tell you right away—
This world of ours
Is torn in a dangerous way.
The tyrants craving power
Create tensions far deeper
Than any ones existing
Between East and West Egg.
A lethal rain falls over Ukraine,
Spreading death, spilling black ink
On lives shattered and futures crushed
For russia wants to rule this rink.
Hamas and Israel,
Deadlocked in hatred,
Each one claiming their
Right to a Holly land.
There isn’t hope for humanity
Until we realize:
People don’t have to kill people
To satisfy ambitions of barbaric savages.
I can’t help but warn
It will not end well
If we can’t find the way,
End the pain and dry kids’ tears.
We can’t win and repair the broken pieces
If we go with the flow.
Let’s not turn into a wacky Cain
I’d hate seeing Gatsby in the pool again.
Leilya,
The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books to read and teach. The divide between East and West Egg is a fitting symbol for the two conflicting your poem. I so wish funding for Ukraine will find the support necessary to defeat russia. I’m thinking about your words as narrated by Nick, whom we know is an unreliable narrator.
Leilya, it’s been a while since I’ve read The Great Gatsby, but you do a great job of juxtaposing the frivolity of the party life in East Egg with the true horrors happening today. I really enjoyed this dip back in and it wants to make me read Gatsby again to catch your references woven throughout.
This poem is speaking for many of us, thanks for writing such an important and timely message, Leilya. This stanza says it all,”I can’t help but warn
It will not end well
If we can’t find the way,
End the pain and dry kids’ tears.”
Leilya, wow, you had me from the title. I love Gatsby and you’ve captured problems from the book, and I love how you’ve connected the actions to today’s current state of affairs. Your poem’s imagery is frightening, and the “lethal rain” and “shattered futures” is heart breaking. Savage ambitions is lethal and frightening. Brilliant poem!
Anna, thanks for the idea for this one. As soon as I saw it I had a gut feeling where I was going to go with this, but it unfolded as the day went on. I won’t confirm or deny that he was riding with me, but it is good to have his voice there sometimes.
DRIVING TO THE FIRST ROUND
OF GROUP SPEECH COMPETITION WITH
THE OLD-TIMER FROM SULPHUR CREEK
RIDING SHOTGUN
Heading in a predawn cold toward Keota,
subzero and on edge alone in the car,
I hear a clunk, and a voice comes to me,
“That was a chunk of the ice from your wheel well
falling off. Keep your focus on the road.”
Making the turn from US 61 to 218,
the heater starts to catch up with the Camry’s interior,
I hear more noise, popping from behind my seat,
maybe a gremlin with packaging bubbles,
“Calm your nerves, keep your steel,
that‘s the expanding empties
of your Polar Seltzer bottles, greenhorn.”
Dark dark blues and light shades of pink
breaking through a bit nearing Mount Pleasant
I listen to the end of a run of Grateful Dead on my ipod
and think to change to some Peter Tosh for a sunrise,
“Keep your eyes on the prize chechaquo,
you’ll end up in a ditch looking for reggae in the winter.”
I get to the packed snow of the Keota High School parking lot
the sun risen over the front area reserved for judges,
and families and friends walking past my car toward the entrance,
me with about 30 blessed minutes to spare,
to find my daughter and her group….
I pause and say from the heart,
“You were right old hoss,
you were right.”
Rex, I really enjoyed your vivid descriptions here! And thank you for reminding me of “To Build a Fire.” It’s a perfect story (and poem!) for the “arctic” temperatures we’ve had around her the last week.
Rex, this was so enjoyable! I don’t think I’ve read the story, or at least I can’t remember it, but you really make me want to read it! You did a terrific job of building tension on your poem. I hope the competition went well.
Thank you, rex! I enjoyed your poem. While I don’t know the story, it brought me back to my adolescent years when I rode in my brother-in-law. He had an old “Moskvich,” and I could hear “more noise, popping from behind my seat, / maybe a gremlin with packaging bubbles,” as you say. Your poem feels alive with images and sounds.
Sorry, Rex, for a low case in your name. I was too in a hurry to respond ))
Oof! I’m grateful for others picking up on the reference because I reread your brilliant weaving in of the story! I love the details of the music and the packed snow, the natural elements. Well done!
Rex, wow, what a beautiful poem. I could, of course, visualize everything, especially the traveling and the speech contest. I hope they did well since I know the school cancellations have impacted the students’ ability to practice. I love how you incorporated London’s style of voice from “To Build a Fire.” Very clever poem and striking sensory appeal throughout!
Rex, this is a hoot! I love how your old timer (riding shotgun!) reassures you, as opposed to cautioning you.
I especially enjoyed the “greenhorn” and “chechaquo” endearments uses to calm the nervous driver.
But this is my FAVORITE line: “you’ll end up in a ditch looking for reggae in the winter.” Such a fun play of ideas+flow of the words.
I’m glad I came back this morning (Sunday) and found this!
Thank you for your prompt, Anna. Some of my students chose the novel “We Dream of Space” for their literature circle books. The novel takes place in the 80’s. In anticipation of the Challenger launch, the students simulate the launch in their science class. The protagonist, Bird, dreams of being NASA’s first female flight commander. I didn’t select a specific current event but rather tried to reflect on the general climate of the times.
Bird of possibilities,
of exploring the universe
Bird dreams of space
In the quiet of her room, she speaks to one who has gone before,
She asks Judith questions about life.
Twelve year old Bird, invisible to her peers
invisible to her family,
ponders the words of her peers who value pretty over smart
who tell Bird she is not pretty.
Bird questions herself & her existence
Bird sees herself in Judith.
Bird, observant, empathetic,
seeking to understand those around her
but disappearing.
Bird is disappearing.
Birds’ dreams are big,
Her questions are bigger.
Years later the questions have not changed
Why are we here — in this universe?
What do we value? Who matters? Where is love?
Can empathy prevail?
This is sad. I began reading thinking that Bird would rise to the dreams of exploring the universe but it seems she is kind of stuck with the same issues as an adult. I am sorry that she is disappearing.
Tammi, this is a terrific companion piece to the novel. I hope you share it with your students. I love how you show Bird as such a multifaceted character.
Hi, Tammi! Wow! From “Bird of possibilities, / of exploring the universe / Bird dreams of space” to “Bird is disappearing” sounds sad and desperate to me. I keep thinking why the bird is disappearing. The questions in the final stanza are timeless and will haunt generations long after Bird or our lives, but they seem so relevant and essential. Thank you for making me think.
Tammi, your poem is poignant. I must read this book after reading your poem. I love how you evoke emotions through the repetition of Bird and all she does. Your last questioning line is so provocative. I’d love to hope so, but I question our world’s ability to empathize. Beautiful poem!
…forget it! Too many rules. So I stuck to the five/six syllables per line and kind of ditched the rest of the rules and wrote about one of my favorite people, Christopher Johnson McCandless.
For my article, I chose this one: https://www.yahoo.com/news/four-las-vegas-high-school-211832166.html
And here is my poem:
A lover of words,
knowledge held so tightly:
man’s inhumanity
to man he gleaned rightly –
McCandless would’ve sighed,
atrociousness eyed
with still jaundiced sight,
countermarching to
the beat of his own heart:
Anonymousnesses
of our time’s violence would
elude him, this techno-
logical wonder
of a world that has made
us what we are today:
our crashworthiness, our
conservatorship
abandoned for compli-
catedness – and he would
undoubtedly shoulder
his pack, his burdens,
his deconsecrations,
turning his back on us –
on them —for one last time.
This was really clever, Wendy. I think I would have given up on those rules, too, but I really enjoy what you’ve come up with. And the words you chose to use are just perfect!
Fun fact- a few years ago I went to Alaska in January and stayed down the road from where McCandless’ vehicle was parked. It was a beautiful and lonely area.
Wow! That had to be a powerful experience. ❤️
Hi, Wendy! Thank you for your poem. I, too, would “forget the rules” as they sound intimidating. In your poem, I am struck with your highlighted words. Most of them are compound nouns or have a couple of derivational affixes, they sound “heavy” underlying the “complicatedness” that one wants to leave behind. This is so clever!
Wendy, your poem shows your character’s view well. I’ll haven’t read this book, so I’ll have to check it out. Your poem’s powerful language is compelling, and I can understand abandoning the form you mentioned. I’ve never heard of that before either.
I wonder what Reacher would say
about school closings
about inclement weather
about sheltering in place in OK.
How would he hear notifications
without a cell phone
without a laptop
without a even a rare radio?
Maybe he’d overhear
a storm is coming
from the diner waitress
or the newspaper headline.
Would the thrift store be
open for him to buy a parka
and might there’d be a 50-broad
or would he seek shelter?
A local church might take
him in, unhoused by choice
still in need of a cot and a hot
or would he visit the ATM?
A coded a message from Neagley
maybe a plane ticket to
Miami to seek the remaining
110th for an assignment?
Or might he call his buddies
to shelter-in at the mission,
care and serve meals
tell stories of vet-life, maybe
that time when it snowed in Oklahoma.
__________________________________
We’ve been watching Reacher: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9288030/
Sarah,
We haven’t started the new season of Reacher yet, but we really enjoyed the first one.You’ve really captured Reacher’s character and the feeling of him being off the grid and lying low, waiting out the coming storm. Love this!
Sarah, I don’t know this series, but your poem brought it to life for me with its vivid imagery.
Sarah,
I find myself creating anachronistic scenarios in my mind as I watch shows. It’s an incongruous mind flip I can’t escape, this wondering how a character from one time would behave in our time. We’ve been watching Boardwalk Empire, so you see my problem, I love the possibilities, the “I wonder how” and “if” throughout your poem.
Sarah, I love this! (I’m a big fan of Lee Child’s Reacher novels and the tv show: they’re such fun brain candy!) And I’d like to think that the 110th would help “at the mission, / care and serve meals / [and] tell stories of vet-life.” (That is, of course, unless there was a physical villain to punch in the face, lol.)
Hi, Sarah! I haven’t watched the series, so I looked up the setting, and Google “says” it was set in 1989. This was a year I graduated from college with MA. Your poem made me pause and think about my reaction in response to today’s events. Lots of commonly used things were foreign to me, including the ATM. My first plane ticket to the US was handwritten, can you imagine? Thank you for sending me down the memory lane!
Sarah, you’ve effortlessly captured Reacher’s character perfectly throughout this poem. I love the way you’ve captured particularly behaviors, his lifestyle, and settings such as the diner waitress, local church, and thrift store. Love your last line and poem!
I just finished Grace Lin’s beautiful book CHinese Menu this morning, so I decided to use her name in my poem today.
“China Feels the Country Isn’t Patriotic Enough”
CNN January 6, 2024
By Mo Daley 1/20/24
The “Patriotic Education Law” to realign national unity
was just unfurled in China.
“Unify thoughts!”
“Gather strength for the great cause!”
“Rejuvenate China!”
You can hear the government declaring.
I couldn’t help but wonder what angelic Grace Lin,
aligner of words and author of Chinese Menu, might think.
Might she ask what information the government is replacing?
What kind of youth are they creating?
Is there a better way of caring for the younger generation?
Instead of the anger of their militant messages,
perhaps a more genial, healing approach could be considered.
Does Grace cringe when she watches the news?
Or does she think,
“Let me get back to the nice rice and garlic
recipes that grace the pages of Chinese Menu.”
Mo,
I love the questions you pose in your poem. I would imagine that these are certainly questions that Grace Lin would ask but I would also like to think that she would let the food bring her peace. Very thought provoking poem.
Mo,
So enjoyed learning about Grace Lin through your poem. “aligner of words” is a innovative way of thinking about writing that I love, and I wonder how the exercise with word scrabble pushed your word choice today. did “genial, healing approach” come to you first, or was it a revision later? So cool to think of the writing process today.
Peace,
Sarah
Mo, I loved the ending of this and the internal that it presents us with: do we stick our heads in the sand? concentrate on the here and now? On our loved ones? Live in the moment? Or continue to think big picture? I know they’re not mutually exclusive choices. But sometimes they feel that way.
Mo – love this poem and play on words. I need to read Grace Lin’s new book! And you made me hungry!
Mo, I love Grace Lin, and I love that you decided to feature her in this! I also enjoyed your last stanza, and it quite makes me want to read the book. I like the ideas you highlight here about considering how actual real kids feel as they hear these patriotic messages. Thanks for this!
Landslide in the Phillipines – Jan. 20, 2024
Character: Philipose from The Covenant of Water
The land slid
after many days of rain
He helps to uncover a pile of dirt
over a house of holies
where peope were praying.
Some survived.
He wrote the story to give polish
to his own prayer for the people
needing food and supplies.
Carrying poles on his hip
he used them to raise a tarp
over a shoppe
preparing a plop of poi for the displaced.
So much to lose on an isle
with so little.
Susan,
I like the compassion that this character, Philipose, exudes. Despite tragedy, the strength of this character brings hope. Every small act of kindness helps.
Susan, this painted such a vivid and sad picture. Those last two lines and the irony of them. I also loved your onomatopoeia in the second last stanza. Loved this!
Awwww, this is heartbreaking. I hate when tragedy hits where people are already suffering. No one should ever have to suffer but it’s awful when we know recovery is long in coming.
Hearing about more wars getting stale is the perfect end to your poem, Anna. Thank you for hosting today. I tried to do my best to incorporate your suggestions.
Soles Sold
she’s denied children
free summer food
will end AEA services,
gifted education, too
she wants more than ruby slippers
to pay for her
private school ventures
Be Careful!
she’s riding her broom
across Iowa skies
freezing our souls
curling our toes
stealing our little dogs, too
Barb Edler
20 January 2024
Excellent title, Barb! I have been so frustrated by the negative response of so many of our nation’s governors in response to federal funds for impoverished children. Your poem and is a healing balm to read, in its advocacy and argument. That first stanza lays out the cost to our children. Something is truly “freezing our souls.” Oh, if only we could put a spell on some of these hard souls.
There are so many subtle ideas here. I love your character description, the reference to the ending of benefits to our needing children, and our broken educational system that have many turning to expensive private schools. It is starting to really freeze our souls in Iowa.
Barb,
You had me at the title!
And then, I like how my brain worked to connect the title and “she’s riding her broom” and “freezing our souls.”
Peace,
Sarah
Barb,
The state of education across our country is devastating and so demoralizing for educators. Your last stanza with the allusion to the Wicked Witch, is perfect. Sad but truthful!
Barb,
Loved this! Especially the last stanza with its imagery and allusion. That last line really rang.
Oh Barbara! You caught my attention. Love the wicked wizardly images you created!
Barb,
I love, love, love your villains—Kim Reynolds and the witch from The Wizard of Oz (east? west?). You’ve packed so much into your poem. I had a gross thought: If Kim Reynolds and Tate Reeves had a baby, would it look like Dr. Evil? I remember how special the Area Education Associations were during my Iowa teaching days.
Gosh, the levels are clever here! I pictured Toto being snatched along with all the children losing out! This poem packs a punch!
Let go get ‘em! We won’t back down, stupid governors and so called leaders.
Hi, Barb! I am captivated by the title, as the other commenters. I read your poem which reveals deep systematic issues in our society and can’t help thinking: “What do these governors know more or better that we, commoners, can’t comprehend?” Why do they undertake actions that harm people. I always thought that the don’t-do-harm principle is universal. Thank you for your poem! I completely share your frustration.
Barb, what a perfect title and fitting character choice to weave into your poem. I cannot understand how these “leaders” make the choices they do. That last stanza works so beautifully!
Barb,
Thanks for the comical look at someone that I have easily painted as a nemesis to the goodness of our state. It takes a bit of the edge off my nervousness, and makes me wonder where our Dorothy is. You could add another stanza with the flying monkeys returning to Des Moines to do her bidding.
Love that idea, Rex. Thanks!
Oh, Barb, it’s heartbreaking to see what’s happening to education in your state. Waaah. I have so many good memories when I became a teacher in Iowa. They were leaders. My favorite line is “stealing our little dogs, too” Because, yes, of course she would.
OH, BARB! “stealing our little dogs, too” is such a wrap at the end! What a nightmare our state is in right now.
I’m glad I came a’hunting for your poem this morning. It’s good to have a kindred across cold Iowa.
Horatio Starts a Podcast
You see, at first, it was pretty simple:
he had two jobs: one, Live, and two,
Tell The Tale Of What Happened.
It turns out, though, it was already
written down (in iambic pentameter,
no less) and they had even made a
film version of it using lions. Lions!
So Horatio found himself wandering,
listless, unsure of what to do, so
he tried working as a Paranormal
Investigator, but that didn’t pan out.
He tried door dashing but found that
customers, when faced with the quandary
of “to tip or not to tip” they, invariably, would
choose the latter, for a while there, he
found himself TikTok famous, but that
was not sustainable, there were new
challenges and outrageous dances every
week, so, one day after catching an episode
of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, he thought
he’d give that a go.
It wasn’t easy, at first, because
he wasn’t familiar with the logistics
of the business or what equipment
to get (to be fair, he was still getting
used to electricity) everyone said
that the sound was the most important,
you have to have great sound, they
would say, so he picked up a Shure SM7B
Dynamic Vocal Microphone – top
of the line stuff – and started to record,
but ultimately, he found that
it wasn’t the sound quality of
the podcast that made it a hit,
made it surpass This American
Life or My Favorite Murder or
even SmartLess, you see, his strength
was not in what he said, but what he heard,
what he allowed others to say,
even Hamlet had It wrong, yes,
he needed to say what happened,
needed to set the record straight,
but that wasn’t Horatio’s superpower,
his superpower was and is his ability to listen,
to bear witness and allow others space
to say what they needed to say, so, in the end,
it turned out to be a bit of a Field of Dreams affair,
“if you build it, [they] will come” (although, of course,
Horatio didn’t get that reference – he didn’t quite
grasp the mechanics of baseball yet) he knew he
was a part of something special, and after having
Neil deGrasse Tyson on as a guest, he finally
realized that there were indeed “more things
in heaven and Earth than [were] dreamt of in [his]
philosophy.”
____________________________________________________
Thank you Anna for today’s prompt! It was a challenge! I found that I didn’t have the skill (or time to craft [and revise]) for what it would take to provide Horatio with some “hot take” from today’s news, so I ran with the idea of what he could “do” in today’s world. The idea of him starting a podcast – as if we needed another one of those – struck me as funny (but even this idea complicated this draft a bit when the idea turned more serious when I realized that Horatio would, indeed, be a good listener. He would make a great podcast host! I mean, if you think about it, he spends the whole of the play listening [without judgment or censure] to Hamlet’s various rants and whatnot. He provides a sounding board when Hamlet needs it most. Now, if he could only figure out how to monetize “being a good friend,” get a sponsorship deal with GrubHub or HelloFresh, he’d be well on his way! And voilà a podcast was born.)
This is so awesome, Scott! I enjoyed the build up of the poem very much, and its culminating –
This made me smile so! Yes! Love the lesson – being a good listener. Oh, if only this was understood by all.
Scott, your comments about deciding what or what not to do with this prompt and the reasons for both are just the purposes of this prompt for our students: to get them to THINK about what they are reading/viewing AND about what is going on in the world around them – near and far.
So, going your own way with this poem and then reflecting on the process demonstrates to us here several issues to consider when we decide to adopt or adapt this prompt. What do students know already? What do they need to know and be able to do to accomplish the steps of this assignment, and what will I learn about my teaching when I read/listen to what they have written, and, equally importantly, what will they learn from one another as they listen/read or view what their peers have produced.
So, no worries, Scott. Your poem shows what you think about the challenges of being a loyal and honest friend – listening and speaking up when the time is right. as shown in your lines:
his superpower was and is his ability to listen,
to bear witness and allow others space
to say what they needed to say, so,
Thanks for participating in both ways today: Trying the prompt and writing about the process for you.
BRILLIANT.
Scott, I must share this with my AP students when we finish Hamlet! You have layered wit and allusions masterfully (mechanics of baseball!). Your commentary at the end is its own treat: how to monetize being a good friend. <3
This was a mental exercise, for sure! I chose Robin Swift from Babel–such a gorgeous examination of language and who holds the power of language.
Language Is Power: How Robin Swift Would Respond to U.S. Students Not Studying Foreign Languages
Don’t they understand?
He who knows the language
holds the power–
words are the taut bowstring,
poised to fling meaning
out into the divided world.
Without such knowledge,
one is at the mercy of
grifters, seeking to foist
their own translations
onto unsuspecting listeners,
their aim evil profit
and suspicious fruitions.
Can they not see
that without the origin story
of meaning, they will
wander, blind in the dark,
unable to even ask for help.
Julie, the imagery in your poem is vivid and compelling. I can clearly feel the tension created by those who seek to “foist” and “profit.” Love your ending. I often feel blinded and at a loss to even know where to find help. Reminded me a bit of Oedipus, too. Powerful poem!
There are far too many who “wander, blind in the dark”. There are so many gifts from learning foreign languages.
Julie, your insightful poems captures the core reason for learning other World Languages:
Without such knowledge,
one is at the mercy of
grifters, seeking to foist
their own translations
onto unsuspecting listeners,
Thanks for the poem and for the truth of the issues we see in our news daily!
Wow! You nailed it – the power of learning the language. It is very frightening to know what this lack of power can do to the unsuspecting. A foreign language can open the world.
Next month I will begin to tutor adults trying to learn basic English. They are motivated because they know the power this will give them.
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Reflects on Taylor Swift
A rainmaker, fireballer
her femaleness on display
her likableness undeniable,
a salesman for self-actualization,
part ballerina, part poet,
her life a newsreel,
she offers us merriness,
a break from the world’s malarkies,
pausing our mislabeled malaises a moment.
While I, wrinklier, more sensible,
Known more for my reliableness than my remarkableness,
Relearn, reawaken,
Imagine my own spotlight,
Blink into a new life.
Oh wow! I love Mrs. Basil! I love “a break from the world’s malarkies”…such a fun, Mrs. Basil-ish word!
And your ending…while we can’t all be Taylor Swift, there’s always time and chances for us to shine!
Katrien, wow, you were able to create so many powerful words from your character’s name. I am in awe with your final stanza! Loved “Blink into a new life.” Amazing poem!
Katrien,
This was terrific!
Anne, thank you for this thought-provoking prompt! Such a joy to be back here in this space.
“Sebastian Duke” in Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake
we are losing our kids
it used to be that addicts had to
search for their fix
look how rapidly things have changed
unregulated unknown
mood altering drugs
sold over the internet
liquids pills powders
opioids sold as “dietary supplements”
no doctor needed
addictive and destructive
dare to mix with a little fentanyl or
plain old depression
deadly
how’s a brother supposed to keep
a loved one safe?
Amen, a strong message for our world today!
awesome
I LOVED Tom Lake, What a delight to see Sebastian appear here! Thank you!
Oh, Maureen, I feel every sentiment of your poem. I adore your final question which resonates for me. How can we keep a loved one safe when there is so many drugs corrupting our children. It’s truly insidious. Thank you for sharing your amazing poem with us today!
Maureen, thank you! Such a sad and serious problem plaguing the masses. My son celebrates 1,252 days of sobriety today and I am beyond grateful. I had NO CLUE he was suffering and slowly dying from a drug addiction. It’s even more frightening today because so many young children are falling victim to drugs. Your opening lines hit the nail on the head! Every drug is accessible to anyone!
Maureen,
I haven’t read Tom Lake yet. It’s on my nightstand. I get so angry when I think about the opioid crisis and the role the Sacklers played in creating it, as well as the role the medical community writ large played in creating it. Powerful poem. I’m going to try to get to the book in February.
Maureen, wow. So many important points Sebastian makes here. Those last two lines are so poignant.
Whew, this was a nice challenge for a first poem in 2024 with you! I never would’ve thought to use the scrambler to find words in a name for a poem. Thank you, Anna.
I chose the character Coach Otis Brody from Jason Reynolds’ book, Ghost. The topic is the data that tells us in Los Angeles County there are over 75,000 people unhoused and in the city of Los Angeles there are over 46,000 unhoused. It is downright deplorable.
Street Life
As a consequence for Ghost’s actions
I made him clean out my cab’s trashy trunk
When he opened it,
He wanted to cry
I chuckled, “I know, it’s bad.”
Ghost tossed old fast-food bags
Whistles and papers
To a box on the sidewalk
But insisted on donating
My thread-bare shirt
And my jackets with hoods
To StandUp For Kids,
An outreach program for those who are unhoused.
“Coach, have you seen the cars with windows made of boards?”
“Boys and girls in our school live like that! In cars!”
Ghost shared a story about a man on his block
Who built a shelter out of old doors
With a tarp tied to bicycle bars for a ceiling
It would never absorb the rain.
The scarcity of basic resources
Caused one of his friends to hoard
apples and oranges from school lunches each day
and another girl stole deodorant
from the local store
because housed kids teased her
about her hair and body odors.
Now I understood why Ghost stole those shoes
to run with our team
His mother had little money to spare
And street life was sad and unfair.
©Stacey L. Joy, 1/20/24
Stacey,
So appreciate seeing Ghost in the conversation of LA unhoused.
The dialogue with the bold and italics add such textual layers for me in the reading about a shelter of old doors and “tarp tied to bicycle bars.” This is such a vivid image of human innovation alongside the the metaphor of a city/country that “would never absorb the rain.”
Peace,
Sarah
Stacey, with teary eyes, I thank you for bringing to our attention that what we read often is what is experienced in real life. And, that there are ways we can help relieve the anxiety of unhoused persons by contributing regularly to programs in our own communities that serve those currently with no home, who may just be our students. Oh my!
I love Jason Reynolds. He gets kids (and adults) to think about difficult topics through his novels.
I like how you mentioned Stand Up For Kids and donating the thread-bare shirt–Ghost’s way of helping and making sense of reality.
I also liked your last line
“And street life was sad and unfair.”
Like so many things in society today…..
Stacey,
I love Ghost and your poem. Street life is sad and unfair. There is so much to learn about those whose lives are so different from mine and my students. Thank you for reminding me of how lucky I am and how I should be doing more to bring the plight of the unhoused to light for my students. There is so much more we could be doing.
Stacey, my heart aches after reading your poem. I haven’t read Ghost yet, but I’m sure to do so soon. Love how you show so many levels of “street life” despair along with Ghost’s narrative. Your last line is like a thunderous, heavy death knell. Brilliant poem!
Stacey,
The narrative that you weave in the poem is so organic. The dialogue is beautiful and natural and then the last three stanzas are devastating. The detail about the girl stealing the deodorant really got me.
Stacey, thank you for shining a spotlight on the many homeless in Los Angeles (and all around for that matter). The words that came from Coach’s name are all perfect in your poem and highlight the pain, sadness and insecurity.
I am currently reading Refugee by Alan Gratz with my 7th-grade students. Josef Landau is one of three refugees whose stories are told in this wonderful book. “Do More” is a reference to a fabulous book in verse The Do More Club by my writing project colleague, Dana Kramaroff (2023). I highly recommend both of these books.
Josef Landau and Antisemitism in America
What did I die for in 1940?
I saved my sister, but the threat continues.
Has the world learned nothing?
Why does anti-semitism still exist
So many years later? How?
Jews in the United States
Face obvious discrimination.
Rising at an unprecedented rate –
Staggering – but these United States
Remain divided
Never Again
Auschwitz, Treblinka, Dachau
Never Again is Now
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago
We all need to “Do More.”
Rita,
Seeing the words bolded here is part of the prompt but also emphasized for me, the reader, a found poem within the poem you’ve crafted so powerfully. Indeed never again and staggering. The question marks also work visually to emphasize the ongoing questions that seem to fall on deaf ears and willful evil.
Thank you for this reflection and call to Do More.
Peace,
Sarah
The question you begin with is a good one….I’d bet he would ask that….
I like the Jewish concentration camps followed by today’s cities….sad yet powerful.
Great topic!
Rita, while your poem reminds us that we, unfortunately repeat the history that we know, we also learn that we can alleviate pain when we have the courage to act, sometimes just be telling the stories, but also by giving time, resources and prayers as we see the need.
Rita, I love how you illustrate the problem with antisemitism and how you connect your message by stating “Never Again”. It is mindboggling to think these words are barely remembered, how the evil of genocide literally seems to be forgotten. I will definitely check out your book recommendations. Thank you for your powerful poem and reading suggestion!
Rita,
Gut punch to America! Bold truths that must be shouted!
I have never read Refugee but I always hear about how good it is. I believe I have one in my classroom library. Thank you!
Anna thank you for the prompt. Yours was a mentor that dared me to write.
Fofo Kpee, a character in a short story, set in Benin and Nigeria, by Uwem Akpan.
On all media platforms here in Ghana the political campaign trail has begun.
Campaign Season
It’s that time again
Swamped with paraphernalia
Proof that the political air
evokes a sense of connection
Every media platform
Offers a life
that seems fake
free from suffering
They shout
for us to elope
‘Leave the others
and join us’
‘The rope seems long,
peek at our offers,
you will not weep but
enjoy a life of glee’.
Juliette, wow. I can relate to your poem in our campaign season here in the U.S. too. Such strong words you found in Fofo Kpee to make your poem–rope, weep, fake, free…and more. Very convincing and powerful.
Juliette, I am particularly moved by your final stanza and especially the first line of that stanza, “The rope seems long,” Will we hang ourselves because we have too many people believing in these politicians promises? Compelling poem!
Juliette,
This is such a compelling poem. The progression through the stanzas creates a solid line of reasoning. That phrase—“sense of connection”—really establishes a feeling of folk’s being sold “fool’s gold” in campaign season.
This prompt really stretched me. I had no idea what to do with it, but eventually settled on my book and character. I followed my own thinking and deviated a bit from the prompt, but was glad I persevered and tried something different. Thank you for the invitation!
Book: Prince Harry’s Spare
Incident: Princess Kate hospitalized / abdominal surgery
I Have A Voice
When we first met you made me laugh
I loved that about you,
Bringing joy to a family full of tragedy
Sincerely regretting how laughter has turned to anger,
Sadness, misrepresentation, separation
Loss of time and relationships
Though I know not what led to this hospitalization
I pray fervently that you recover fully,
Return to your children who undoubtedly miss you
Perhaps one day our children will play together,
Unscathed by the rifts between their families,
Innocent and deserving of all our love
Is it too late to wish for this?
Ah, Heidi, how poignant. You speak with the heart of someone who knows the value of family. “Perhaps one day our children will play together” is a great hope for a very difficult and painful situation. Lovely poem.
Heidi, your poem shows that it is not “too late” to do something beyond wish! Sometimes telling what’s going on raises in readers desire to help. Maybe not with the problem described in the poem, but in a problem one becomes aware because you’ve raised our sensitivity to what’s going on around us.
Heidi, wow, what a haunting poem. Your final question resonates, and I love how you illustrate the emotions and events so clearly. Powerful!
Anna, thank you for Juliet’s voice speaking out against the hate and war in Gaza. It is so heartbreaking. Seeing children without food and so many dead…
Thank you for this prompt; it was a great exercise. I am in the middle of reading Renegade by Adam Kinsinger, so I used his name, which came up with a lot of words, so I didn’t need any others.
Adam Kinsinger imagines
Renaming misread airs
Mending insnared ideas
Disarming, damning, marinading
Reminding, daring, draining
Arising, asking, aiding
Maga rages
Denise,
I just finished Liz Cheney’s book. I suspect there are parallels. I love all the verbs beginning each line. We must call MAGA what it is, an evil blight on democracy.
Denise, wow! All your words are so powerful, and each hits in such a uniquely fitting way. Just amazing, your creativity and ability to piece the letters for such impact.
Holy cow, Denise. I love how you were able to get all of these words from your author. Incredibly moving poem with strident action verbs. Your ending line speaks volumes! I hear a madness raging!
I’m deeply moved! And to think you didn’t need to use any additional words makes it all the more powerful.
Oh, how I pray we don’t go farther into the insanity in the new election.
Thank you, Denise.
Denise, this is awesome. Your economy of words – and each one both potent and starting from one of the letters of his name – is wildly impressive; you must be great at puzzles! The lines filled cascading ‘ing’ verbs is so percussive, a drumbeat toward that last line, sending chills down me.
Denise, I’m impressed that you wrote with only the scrabbled words! The simple subject/verb arrangement for the first and last lines with the many actions in between and the placement of the two at opposite ends of the poem is especially fitting.
Denise, There’s a lot of dynamic action with the letters Adam gave you. I like the idea of disarming, then damning, then marinading….justice through a good barbeque prep.
Oh, my, as I got further in the book, I realized his name is Adam Kinzinger, So all those S-words aren’t part of his name!
damn zinger!
Napoleon – “Animal Farm”
demosocranny
The flag whips the pole,
as I nap in the rustle.
Ol’ setting orange,
Relieve my hustle.
Peace reigns after death,
Purple hearts surround homes.
The Boar has fallen,
Na, democracy roams.
All voices pedal the eagle,
The wheel continues to spin,
Armless bears comply,
complacency begins, to grin.
No fences to offend
Arise Orange on blue and red,
Lambs preoccupied,
The Boar rears his ugly head.
Boxer, wow. So much metaphor to unpack here, Each time I read through it, I think of more possibilities. Napoleon is such a timely character to use to craft this beauty.
Every time I read one of your poems, I have to go back several times to read again and again and again for the pathways of meaning it takes in my mind. Your metaphors invite so much thinking – – I know this is your favorite book, so I’m especially drawn to all the hidden meanings in here today. Well done!
Clayton,
This is a brilliant poem. I’ve read Animal Farm and taught it often. You’ve honed in on the approach teachers need to take w/ the book. Have you read Louise Erdrich’s “The Sentence”? She refers to that guy as Orangey. Several lines drive home the threat to democracy:
“All voices pedal the eagle,”
”Arise Orange on blue and red,”
”The Boar rears his ugly head.”
I keep thinking about how we arrived at this place.
I haven’t read “ The Sentence” thank you for telling me. I’ll check it out. Thank you
Anna, I love this prompt. This has certainly been a week fitting for it. Yes, Juliet would be heartbroken over the tragic events in the Midgle East.
MAGA Love Contest
I cannot heave heavenly heart into my mouth. —Cordelia to Lear in The Tragedy of King Lear
he calls her Nimbra not
Nimrada, her given name
at birth, now she’s Nikki.
they call it birther 2.0—
sans racist dogwhistle—
their cultural conservatism
she says this isn’t a racist
place, has never been one. she
leers & leans into her constituents’
folly & finds the founding best
intentions original constitutional
enslavers enshrined to whyte men.
The be best policies of two tragic GOP caricatures in the MAGA love contest.
—Glenda Funk
1-20-24
Glenda, wow. Your blistering word choice doesn’t let up…she finds the “best / intentions original constitutional / enslavers enshrined to whyte men.” And that concluding line of commentary is the best. Funny, but sad.
Glenda, your wit and clever way bring such light to the issues. I still find so much universal theme extension from Shakespeare’s writing that connects to what is happening today. King Lear was a favorite of mine, right down to the family structure with Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia and their Kingly dad. Bravo!
Glenda, your title opens your poem perfectly. I can clearly hear and see the political caricatures of your poem. I was particularly impressed with the third stanza and the line “leers & leans into her constituents’”. I also love how you introduce Nikki into the poem. Brilliant poem! Thank you!
I created a Canva for my poem. A nod to Stacey, the Canva queen.
Glenda, this is awesome! I love that you interwove The Tragedy of King Lear with this; it is indeed quite tragic. Love your spelling of ‘whyte’ – adds old English flavor.
Glenda, that last line is a killer and made me laugh. Every time I try to write the best part of it, there’s another part that surpasses the last. This is a nice spearing (or harpooning, as the case may be).
Glenda,
Nice start with the subtlety of the title, I don’t here some of those words together very often. I like the way she brings up the country not being racist, her taking a high road, but creating a talking point for others to pursue.
Rex,
I don’t think Nikki Haley took the high road. She took the lost cause road. She knows the systemic racism on which this country was founded, and she refused to acknowledge it. Haley has made a Faustian deal to gain votes from the lunatic fringe that follows Orangey around. I have no respect for her or any in the GOP clown car.
Anna, your prompts always stretch me. I missed the part about taking the character’s perspective, but you are right about Juliet and the war. I love the rhymes you seamlessly use. I looked at the daily New York Times newsletter. I don’t subscribe so I’m not able to read the articles, but the free one today was titled “Cold Comfort” by Melissa Kirsch. I took a quote for my first line. The character’s name is Percy Jackson. It was fun to try to get the words into the poem. It felt like a puzzle. And I’m really not sure if it makes any sense at all.
Cold Comfort
Everyone just wants to feel better.
It’s winter’s conspiracy,
cancerous cold cracks
puddles, holds us hostage
in our houses. Workspace
piles are cleared.
In the cold, no one knowingly conspires
to hurt you–pain is on the skin you live in.
Winter jeopardizes good health,
compares itself to peacock feathers
open wide announcing its protean promise.
Winter dares to see frozen glass as beauty.
Margaret, I love the way you used a first line as a borrowed line and set it apart in italics. The Percy Jackson character is such an amazing choice for all ages. My grandson asked for the full series, and together we watched the movie – – that scene of the stones coming alive was reminiscent of Narnia, too, and really brought me to the last line with a memory of a text over this past week where I mentioned that someone’s deep, deep snow looked like a winter wonderland. Since she lives her whole winter in snow, she replied, “That’s one way to think about it.” I chuckled at this – – two completely different perspectives, but your personification of winter seeing frozen glass as beauty is just lovely imagery. Your words are splendid, too!
I didn’t worry about making the words fit. But, look at you! Love those “c” words at the start and how they are insinuous. Then, by the end, Winter daring…spectacular.
I love it, Margaret – for the truths in it (everyone just wants to feel better, winter’s conspiracy, winter jeopardizes good health – I am writing this while recovering from a virus) not to mention the sheer beauty of the imagery. The peacock feathers, so unexpected and striking agains the idea of “winter”; and “winter dares to see frozen glass as beauty” – so fittingly stark. I love this line best, about the cold and no one knowingly conspiring to hurt you: “Pain is on the skin you live in.” That just resonates, so deeply.
Margaret, yes and no is my response to your poem. Certainly, I feel the biting cold, but this morning I read two NYT articles in praise of winter. I’ll likely long for the cold come July heat. For now, I feel “winter’s conspiracy / cancerous cold cracks.”
Ah, you are experiencing cold. I heard more about it from my brother and sister-in-law, who left today for a visit to New Orleans. But there is so much truth in winter “open[ing] wide announcing its protean promise” Beautiful!
Love this, Margaret! You captured winter perfectly!
Margaret, the evilness of winter and all the hardships it can create really strikes a chord for me. Loved “cancerous cold cracks” and the language you’ve chosen throughout is compelling. Your last line echoes with brilliance. Stunning poem!
Margaret,
The takeaway for me is the beautiful imagery in this poem. The 2nd stanza and the last stanza are so pretty and the verbs—conspire and dare are so descriptive.
Margaret, you crafted a beautiful poem today! These lines are my faves: ‘pain is on the skin you live in’ as it fully captures the cold experience and ‘Winter dares to see frozen glass as beauty’ not only because the wording is just lovely but also because of the attitude winter takes.
Anna, what an intriguing challenge to start the day! I enjoyed each step the process took us through and know this would test students in an interesting way too. You worked your name words so carefully throughout your poem – it’s fun to see how our writers are doing that today. It felt almost sacrilegious to place Macbeth (a beloved character) into the same poem as this other and even more so to have him rooting for his fellow corrupter but he would find that other’s corruption of interest.
Macbeth Reacts to the News of the Day
These “headlines” appear
much like a batch,
or a trio, rather,
of hags upon the heath
(where was that tache again?)
foretelling futures
entwined with fate.
Someone needs to advise him
on how to properly abet thugs.
My dearest partner of greatness
could teach them a thing or two;
though I can’t quite figure out
who his Lady M is
(there are so many possibilities).
In order to remain in power
One must murder… er, cheat the system
and he is well on his way.
When will this hurly-burly be done?
For now, we must await the verdict,
albeit with bated breath
(Go team Hecate… ahem, Habba!)
Jennifer, now this is just pure fun. The vocabulary that this form teaches is spectacular – – tache. I had to look it up. I’m thinking about the way you created broken line, used plot, knew your character, made new words, used obscure words, and kept the meaning all streamlined to your purpose. I think Anna gave us an amazing new activity today, and I think you rocked it like an award-winning poet. There are so many possibilities here, and I’m seeing more and more as I read through the writing today. Happy Weekend, friend!
You had me at: “Someone needs to advise him/
on how to properly abet thugs.” What an unexpected line. Awesome blend this morning.
A work of art, Jennifer! I am reminded of fractured fairy tales, especially with the hilarious wonderings about “who his lady M is” (masterful allusion) followed by the parenthetical “there are so many possibilities” to the final line connecting Hecate and Habba. You sustain the voice beautifully throughout, enhanced even more by the insertions of “er” and “ahem”. -Oh, and tache! another incredible, subtle allusion to the guilt experienced by Lady Macbeth, washing her hands…
I feel like I should read this aloud with a British accent. “Hags upon the heath!” Ha! And then the hurly-burly (what a great word). I love how what you are not saying lies thinly below the surface. Brilliantly played, my friend.
Jennifer,
I loved teaching the Scottish play, the one that shall not be named, and found it and Lear so fitting for the times. Fantastic phrasing here: “hags upon the heath” and perfect tone throughout. I chuckled at that last line.
Wow, Jennifer, you took this challenge to the heights! I love the title, and the perspective of MacBeth. I’m guessing with your good leading and super model, your students will love this challenge. “One must murder…er, cheat the system…” is so great.
Jennifer, I love your title and I’m so fond of the play. Brilliant line “of hags upon the heath” Delicious! Your second to last stanza reveals so many truths, and I feel this belief is widely shared across the global, power-hungry arena we currently face. Your final play with sounds and words from Macbeth are particularly brilliant. It definitely evokes a type of drumroll sound for me as a reader! Very clever and powerful poem!
Jennifer,
That last line. Lol! I’m dead. The Macbeth allegory is so apt. And, again, that last stanza is brilliant.
Anna, what a fun poetry prompt that builds higher thinking and amps up the depth of knowledge for readers and poets! I absolutely loved this writing – I think it awakened my brain from the cold house and brought on some new learning wrinkles in there. I’ve been reading An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor for its charm and comfort, so I chose some news out of Ireland for this poem. Thank you for investing in us as writers today!
DR. BARRY LAVERTY Laments Chancellor Departing NUI
Dr. Barry Laverty
of Ballybucklebo
would find it quite
A TEARY DAY
to see that chancellor go
He himself from Belfast
a young BRAVE new M.D.
found a job
in lush, green hills
in Irish country, see?
As Dr. Manning
hangs his gown
this YEAR at NUI
his more than DREARY
stepping down
grieves those lamenting
his good-bye
Kim, not only are we seeing how our fellow poets met the challenge, but we are discovering news in the process, with the added bonus of book recs (and yes, I’m now googling). Could Irish places be more fun – Ballybucklebo – I feel like my students who couldn’t stop saying hurly-burly in various voices and accents just for the fun of it when we read Macbeth.
Ballybucklebo is the best name for a setting, ever! I expected to this to go funny with that name…and then the ending surprised me. Now, I’m joining Jennifer GJ at the google!
Kim, I love the lilting rhymes, which themselves invoke a sense of Ireland and the rolling countryside. The poem is a pure delight to read – I can only imagine the charm of this book about the life of an Irish country doctor. Makes me think of James Herriot and the Yorkshire Dales – I loved reading his “All Creatures Great and Small” books years ago.
This poem is so surprising and unexpected I feel that Anna is stretching us all to spread our poet-wings a bit today. You fly with this one, and I love how you formed it with a bit of rhyme. Ballybucklebo? Really?
Kim,
You’ve captured the spirit of Ireland and have me longing to return. However, I found Belfast, Northern Ireland a little scary! Love the play on DREARY.
Ah, what a sweet poem of news in Ireland. This is such a great prompt, and you and Jennifer have really taken it to new heights! (I actually started my poem before I read to take something from the news today and write in the character’s perspective! But it is amazing how prompts can be interpreted in so many ways! Brava, Anna.)
I love that name “Ballybucklebo” — I want to be from there! Well done, Kim. You inspired me to learn new things today.
Kim, your poem’s rhythm is flawless. I love how you create a sort of limerick beat to this while creating an Irish countryside landscape. I feel the sadness of losing someone so dedicated and true! Beautifully written poem!
Kim, l love the lush Irish poem you created. I can see the green hills and hear wheels on cobblestone!
Kim,
I like the limerickish tone, and the lilt that seems to be inherent in yourt effort. It put me in a bit of a mood for Yeats “Innisfree”, and rewatching The Quiet Man movie with John Wayne. It is hard not to like lamenting as a start and an end as well.
Wow, Anna, this was a unique, multi-faceted challenge! I believe that the loyal, loving, courageous Juliet WOULD hate to see the hate and suffering in the current wars – relating so to the families torn apart.
While your work brings the words of E.B. White to mind, “Fern was up at daylight, trying to rid the world in injustice,” I was feeling a need for stronger magic today…
Harry Potter and Gilgo Beach
When The Boy Who Lived
became a man taking oath
to eradicate
crimes of the Dark Arts
(remember, he understands
persons turned raptor
feeding on their prey)
—surely, by special request,
he would be willing
to face a monster
who scattered female bodies
beachside, tied with rope
—is it the truth? One
drop of Veritaserum,
that would do the trick
for there is no spell
to bring them back, whole again
no Reparo! for
the deep brokenness
that led each girl to answer
the call of the beast
The Boy Who Lived would
surely repay the slayer
for The Girls Who Died
each, some mother’s child
fallen victim to evil
and a mind gone wild
while our blood-stained Earth
cries for sovereign remedy
which you, Boy, portray
well in your own way:
manifest hope and prayer
destroying dark hearts.
Brilliant–fan fiction in verse. I’ll bet your students will love this as much as I do.
Fran, this is interesting in so many ways. I read and reread, paying attention to different aspects each time and went looking to find out about Gilgo Beach as I was completely unaware. However, you threaded enough details into the poem that the horror was completely clear and would be the exact He Who Must Not Be Named type of criminal that Harry would seek to rout out. I especially love the last line (destroying dark hearts) and how it nods back to Dark Arts and the wordplay there.
Fran, your magical pen-turned-wand left us spellbound! What a charming way to begin the day – – (I love your choice of character). Your words you made are magic unto themselves. My favorite: No repairo! You really knocked it out of Hogwarts on this one. It brings back the weekend in November when we had a Harry Potter Marathon on a rainy, cold spell where we moved the coffee table and brought in a mattress and pillows everywhere and had a movie fest, starting Friday night watching all the movies in order, and not finishing until Sunday night. It was spectacular. I love what this form does. Your students will love it, too, I know!
I am dumbfounded, not finding words worthy of your brilliant play in this poem, arranging, rearranging, and stabbing us in the heart. Wow!
Fran,
WOWZA! The Gilgo Beach story is so tragic, and your poem immortalizes the victims. So many dark hearts live among us. As others have said (see Kim’s first sentence.) this poem is brilliant.
Fran, wow, you really spoke from Harry Potter’s perspective. Stronger magic was needed, and you have brought in the “hope and prayer” needed. You have chosen a difficult story, and Harry has not disappointed.
Fran, I was wondering how you were going to connect two such disparate things. But you did so eloquently! Your ending is so strong. Well done!
Anna! I love this prompt. How fun.
It just so happens I’ve been reading picture books to 7th & 8th graders as a way of finding theme in fiction….’Duck for President’ by Doreen Cronin is fresh in my brain. Mixed with this headline from Morning Brew: ‘Ford cut production of its electric truck’ could only lead to silliness. I’m having a giggle at my kitchen table.
Farmer Brown
Didn’t give
the lightning truck keys
to Duck.
Duck didn’t
need them.
He knew how
to hotwire anything.
And Duck
wanted donuts.
The chickens
asked for popcorn
and the mice…
the mice always
asked for peanuts
Zoom, zoom,
The 7-11 was only five minutes away.
So cute and so fun, Linda! I needed this dose of lightheartedness so very much!
Linda, oh, that duck! I could envision this from the words “Duck for President.” You need to join up with Doreen for these shenanigans!
Linda, this is just pure fun, and you show how this can be used with any grade level. I love that you are using picture books in middle school to teach theme. There is absolutely nothing not to love about a hotwiring donut-loving duck. The world needs more characters just like him, and more poets just like you.
This delights my grandmother heart. Beginnings of your own idea for a picture book, perhaps? I would love to read more.
Linda,
This is such a fun poem. I see it as a picture book.
Linda, so funny! I can see you sitting at your kitchen table giggling. Doreen Cronin’s Duck is well presented here, and tying it into the headline about the electric truck made me smile. I can see your 7th and 8th graders having fun with this prompt!
Linda,
I too read picture books to my 7th-graders. Your poem made me smile and think about what I would ask Duck to bring me back from 7-11…probably a Chai Latte on this cold winter Saturday.
Linda, this was a lot of fun! I really loved the lines, “He knew how / to hotwire anything. / And Duck / wanted donuts.” Thanks for writing and sharing this!