Today’s inspiration comes from Stacey Joy. Stacey is National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, L.A. County and LAUSD Teacher of the Year with 35 years of elementary classroom teaching experience. She currently teaches 4th grade at Baldwin Hills Pilot & Gifted Magnet School. Stacey has served as a partner and guiding teacher for graduate students in the U.C.L.A. Teacher Education Program. Teaching her Joyteam students the power of knowledge, self-advocacy and justice are the core of her practice. Stacey is a poet at heart with one self-published book and several poems published in Savant Poetry Anthologies. Stacey is mom to her grown son, daughter and a Himalayan cat. Follow Stacey on Twitter @joyteamstars.
Inspiration
Today let’s write Women Wonders poems. Although it isn’t yet Women’s History Month, I celebrate “wonder women” every day. My inspiration comes from the realities of the figurative and literal loads women carry.
Process
Think about the women in your life — the ones young and old, near and far, alive or literary. Who are the wonder women in your life? What do they carry — literal and figurative?
Try using only 2 words per line, a refrain, and something to wonder. No limit on the number of lines.
A side note from Sarah: Check out Laurie Halse Anderson’s new graphic novel/comic: Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed available in June, 2020.
Stacey’s Poem
Holes
Women friends
Soul sisters
Ever wonder
Who paves
The path
We cross
Leading us
Various places
Shopping and
Eating and
Walking or
Jogging or
Laughing after
Yoga because
Sometimes we
Can’t bend?
Women friends
Soul sisters
Ever wonder
Why we
Don’t take
Advice and
We defend
Broken men
Who drill
Holes into
Our skin
Ripping apart
smiles that
Never mend?
Women friends
Soul sisters
Ever wonder
How we
Listen with
Our hearts
But the
Holes won’t
Hold truth
So we
Scatter it
Like crumbs?
Women friends
Soul sisters
Keep pouring
Your love
Giving encouragement
Sharing stories
And filling
Our holes
Because somewhere
In between
Us eternal
Life flows.
Write
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.
Wonder Women in This Man’s Life
Wow! Mom!
Seventeen-year-old mother
You worked
You studied
You loved
You endured!
I always
Wonder, how
Did you
Keep it
Together? Keep
Us together?
My wife,
You risked
Everything. Family.
Country. Tradition.
You dared
To start
A family
In another
World! We
Are forever
Grateful, Forever
One family.
I always
Wonder. What
If you
Said no?
Aliza – young
Woman. My
Baby girl.
You are
So strong
So smart
Ever wonder
What your
Future holds?
I do
Everyday, always.
Shaun,
Women who have men in their lives who honor them are very lucky. I love seeing three generations of women in your poem. I do hope you share this tribute to all three. Well done.
I so agree with what Glenda said about men honoring the women in their lives. There is such strength in your words. I am always in awe of our mothers who keep our families together – mine was one of those too! The lines that are sticky with me today, maybe because I just finished the book Other Words for Home,
You risked
Everything. Family.
Country. Tradition.
You dared
To start
A family
In another
World!
Beautifully done!
Shaun, how fortunate are your Wonder Women to have a Wonder Man in their lives like you! I hope they get to experience this special tribute because every girl wishes for something like this. I imagine you do it all the time though (smile). Thank you for sharing this loving tribute and your WW’s with us! Looking forward to reading more from you!
It’s been a while…
I wrote this after sharing a teacher inservice day with our oldest daughter, who is starting her teaching career. Teaching the same subject and level as I teach. I was struck today by how cool that is.
This poem needs work, but I needed to get it “published” here so I could get to sleep. I am filled with emotion this evening…overcome with the pride that i feel over her entering this most noble profession. I don’t think I conveyed the pride, but I focused more on the different roles aspects of teaching our subject area have played over her life.
It’s in Her Blood
Playing school
Visiting school
Attending school
Enjoying school
It’s in her blood.
Learning words
Creating words
Crafting words
Appreciating words
It’s in her blood.
Playing with kids
Hanging out with kids
Connecting with kids
Prioritizing kids
It’s in her blood.
Holding books
Reading books
Dissecting books
Understanding books
It’s in her blood.
Loving school
Remaining words
Valuing kids
Adoring books
It’s in her blood.
Wanting to
Change the world
Became
Wanting to
Changes other’s worlds.
It’s in her blood.
Happy first day of school, Sweet Daughter.
This is wonderful. I remember the same feeling when my daughter started teaching. It is in the blood…
Susan,
Your poem is brimming w/ mama pride, and we share your joy as you watch your daughter fulfill this important role she’s prepared for all her life. No doubt you passed down to her what’s “in her blood.” Now rest.
I love the repetition of action words that almost bring you both together in the same image, if that makes any sense…
I always hoped that my daughter would also follow in my footsteps. Too soon to tell, but the signs are there…
Great poem!
My daughter is also a teacher, so I can relate to your pride in this poem. Yes, it’s in her blood. I truly believe those words.
Leigh Anne Eck!!!! Imagine meeting you on here. It’s Susan HUTCHISON Ahlbrand!
What a small, small yet very big world.
Oh my gosh!!! I cannot believe this! Now that I know this is you…YES it is in the blood!
Susan, how sweet and special is this!! What a blessing to watch your daughter take this calling and respond the way her mom (you) did. I loved this poem for the repetition and the refrain but mostly for the love it pours out for her. I hope you’ll find a way to let us know how it goes on her first day. Blessings!
Wonder Woman
Her spine
Is steel
Her teeth
Sharp spikes
Her wit
A whip
That cracks
And strikes
Her eyes
See through
The lies
You speak
Her hair
is snakes
Against
Her cheek
Her heft
Her might
Her meat
And bone
Are heat
And ice
Hot rocks
Cold stone
Don’t mess
With her
Don’t mess
With me
For we
Are one
And we
Are She
Allison, this is a song, a rap, something musical and magical! I love it. The flow, the rhymes, the power words and they only have ONE SYLLABLE! Incredibly powerful poem. “Don’t mess/with her/don’t mess/with me… I almost want to dance to it!
Today’s poems have convinced me (but who needs convincing) that we are AMAZING!! Thank you for your poem, your power, and your inspiration to continue to write and be FIERCE!
Wow. I do not want to meet this woman unless she is on my side! The voice in this poem is loud, harsh, and STRONG!!! The imagery here is intense! I love “her hair is snakes against her cheek”. Again, wow.
Allison – Masterful! The punching rhythm of each two-word line and the rhyming and assonance delivers a music that made me want to hop back and forth from foot to foot. Your poem is kinetic in its energy. The “whip…cracks…strikes” and “meat…bone…heat…ice” have such strength! But the ending lines really drove this Cadillac right in the driveway! I LOVED “we are one and we are She!” That capital “S” was perfect! Love that solidarity! LOVE IT AND YOU! What a poet! Wowza! You are a real gift in this community. I’m are we are all feeling that. Thank you, Susie
Allison,
I love the snappy cadence of your poem. The early imagery of the Wonder Woman we see on the screen is a fabulous juxtaposition to the final revelation “For we / Are one / And we / Are she.”
I love the harsh impacting diction. Alliteration softens the blow.
Great job!
Holy cow!! The sound of this–the rhythm–is such a driving force for the meaning. This is simply dynamite.
I didn’t make it back for yesterday although I still want to work on that one! Today’s poem is about my seven childhood friends. The eight of us have been friends for over 40 years. A few years ago, we had a scare because one of us was having some health issues. We never spoke of the fear, but it was there. We call ourselves the Eight Jelly Donuts (think high school pranks) or the EJDs, and these seven women are my best friends and some of the strongest women I am blessed to have known.
My Eight Jelly Donuts
As teenagers
we shared
first loves
and heartbreaks
coming of age
and becoming.
As adults
we shared
marriage, divorce,
childbirth, infertility,
and living
and dying.
We gather
we laugh
we cry
we remember
we embrace
cherished moments
when our
time together
stands still.
Tears slip
as we
say goodbye.
We hug
tight, afraid
to release.
We send
strength
to one
and hope
our circle
endures what
may come
before we
see each
other again.
We know
our friendship
is strong
and yes,
with hope
our story
continues.
Lovely Leigh Anne! You picked perfect words to share your dearest Wonder Women friends with us. I have only a handful of friends I’ve been fortunate to have for 40 years. I couldn’t imagine life without them. One day I should write a poem for them as you did. It’s beautiful.
I love how you left “strength” alone on a line by itself. It needs no partner.
This made me remember why I hug my sisterfriend so tightly when I see her:
“and hope
our circle
endures what
may come
before we
see each
other again.”
Tomorrow is a hope and friendships are stories we hope will continue in every tomorrow.
I love your poem and the EJDs!
Since there is no emoji to react – LOVE this comment…
Leigh, the title speaks even louder as we read the poem of your friends. Donuts, a circle filled with sweetness, what a tribute to your years of friendship.
What a great poem! The introduction is important. The second I started reading, I was already thinking about ANY humans I have known for forty years, let alone FRIENDS…I love the sincerity and and reality of your poem. All 8 of these women live and breath in this poem. Great job!
Well, if this isn’t just neat! What a treasure for me to randomly run across a poem by someone I very much looked up to in high school and then recognize the reference of EJDs! It was a wild moment as I had not thought of EJDs for over 30 years.
Childhood/adolescent/young adult friendships that stand the test of time are truly be treasured and you capture that so well in this poem. I love how you build the contrast of high school friendship with adult in the first two stanzas and then the anaphora in stanza three really works!
This day makes me so happy! What a serendipitous moment!
I still cannot believe this! I read this response first before you “revealed” who you were, and I thought who in the world could this be, especially since you knew who the EJDs were! It is so good to find you here!
Oh, did I love this challenge! This draft is definitely going to change. But, I did have some fun playing with memories…I planned out a whole party in my notebook!
My Wonder Women
You’re invited
to my
no limits
wonder party.
Will you come?
My Mother,
my sisters
all grandmothers
aunties, cousins
college pals
work friends
church girls
neighbor ladies
past, present
alive…departed
no holds
barred on
any dimension.
Will you come?
My women
who have
seen me
in each
joy and sorrow
hope and prayer
blessing out
kept and
broken promise
kind word
and cheer
of encouragement
Will you come?
We’ll shuffle
pinochle decks
string beans
knit sweaters
hold babies
go bowling
play golf
sort photos
pick rhubarb
for pie
sip tea
laugh and sing
Will you come?
No RSVP
is needed.
Show up
when ever
you can
on line
at home
at work
in dreams
Will you come?
Linda, I loved hearing you call out to all your women! I read “Will you come?” is both an invitation and a call for help. Some of my most wondrous women I now see only in dreams. You reminded me of that. Thank you.
I will definitely come!! What a welcoming, vibrant poem. I definitely want to be there with all those wonderful women!
Linda, thanks for the invitation you extend here in the poem and here in this community of writers. One question I ask students when we’re telling T.I.M.E.. of poetry (see my website) is what is the THOUGHT or THEME that is coming through to you as you read the carefully selected words of this poet.
The message to me is that “We’re welcome to join your circle of friends.” When are you having the rhubarb pie? 🙂
Linda this poem is so much fun. I want to come!!! The stanza with “We’ll shuffle…” is beautifully diverse, considering all the different activities your Wonder Women may want to choose to enjoy. I just love it. At the end, I felt that sense of sadness I get when I reminisce about all the fun I’ve had with my loved ones who’ve passed away. I only get these strange appearances in dreams, but hey, at least they come!
Thank you for this enjoyable tribute to your Wonder Women.
Linda,
I’m coming for the rhubarb pie! And, of course, the celebration of women and the beckoning of others to join your celebration draws me in. Your poem is a hug.
I’m coming to your party, Linda. That line “hold babies” is just for me. I’ll bring Thomas along. Thanks for the joyful invitation!
Dixie,
This is an anthem for all. The darts got me and then the uplifting and then gusts of feminine. Gorgeous.
Omg, I just realized there were a ton of poems posted at the end that I never saw today!
“That time”
Our undercarriage
Damask shape
Rides strong
Through cycles
To breed
Next lineages
Flames lit
Sanguine sanguine
Optimistic blood
Crimson soldier
Hijacking emotions
Push & flow
Origin of strength
Rags buttress
The fluidity
The inevitable
Sanguine sanguine
Confident blood
Symbolic stature
Spotting of origin
Vermilion tide
Proof & representation
Time to
Birth life
We are women
Stefani,
I read this out loud a couple of times. I love saying “Sanguine sanguine” in the refrain and “vermilion tide.” I feel like the words sound as they mean, such movement.
Peace,
Sarah
This is so deep I needed to keep reading it to make sure I was grasping and experiencing it as intended. Then I heard yesterday’s teacher’s voice from Mo’s poem asking me, “What do you think the poet is saying?” and then I shut that voice up LOL. 🙂
I think the complexity of it is intentionally representative of the complexities of being woman, hear us roar! Wow, Stefani. The “crimson soldier/hijacking emotions” reminded me of my years with a uterus, the monthly even sometimes daily hijacking! Outstanding poem.
WOW!! For the messages and the mechanics.
Your use of the pun for “cycles” shows the economy of writing poetry.
“Proof & representation”
What a clever example of poetic license. You stayed with in the challenge of twos per line! Love it!
I can hear a student responding, with her head cocked, and hand on her hip when sees this line circled. “But, I only have two words!”
Stefani,
Bravo! I love the way your poem says, hey everyone, we women bleed and that blood gives all of life, life. What would the world be without “That undercarriage.” You know that makes me think about cars and the chassis underneath. That car ain’t going anywhere without it! You are a clever girl!
Stefani – This is a fascinating poem. It takes me to the days of bold bloody bleeding, which I did for 7 days every month for about 40 years. It was a whole lot of letting. I never thought of it as “confident” and now I see it differently. The “push & flow/origin of strength” seems so right. I used to think that giving over 25% of my life for 40 years was pretty damned brutal, but I’m now thinking it gave me some remarkable strength to get through some pretty tough stuff. Thanks for creating such a provocative poem. Susie
I read this a few times….undercarriage…that makes sense and it’s such a different way of entering into this subject. I really like the connection between “That time” and the rest of the words of the poem…because you never use the words period, menstruate or any of the technical terms. But, we get it!
My Wonder Women
A Lindsay
ebony daughter
highly intelligent
education embracer
makeup officiando
California lover
S Marie
melanoid daughter
frequent traveller
NYC lover
hospitality expert
college graduate
P Marie
caramel mother
strength personified
35-year instructor
Texas lover
resting in heaven
Seana, what a special tribute to your lovely Wonder Women! I hope you’ll share with A Lindsay and S Marie because it’ll warm their hearts. I love the word choices given that you were able to stick to two-word lines. It made your words even more powerful because there is no extra fluff, just the power in the words to show the strength of these Wonder Women! Write On, Sister!
Seana,
I love how you celebrate the literal and figurative shades of women in your life, who have brought you wonder. Thank you for introducing us to A Lindsay, S Marie, and P Maria!
Peace,
Sarah
This rainbow of browns is a lovely tribute to the melanin span one finds among women of color. More important, though is the sweetness of this tribute to what appears to be women of different generations.
Seana,
I love the way you celebrate the “ebony,” “melanoid,” and “carmel” skin tones, the spectrum of beautiful women in your life. This reminds me of the way Ibram X. Kendi writes about the many colors of black skin and the beauty in all.
For all the wonder women who survive.
“Surviving Voices“
Women who
Survive abuse
Rise up
Like mythological
Birds, Phoenixes
Role models
Finding words
Speaking truths
Soaring against
Powerful patriarchies
Honor their
Enduring sacrifices
Anita Hill
Who led
This fight
Followed her
Conscious dictates
Forged movements
Truthful message
Celebrated messenger
Others followed
Honor her
Enduring sacrifice
Christine Ford
Woman warrior
Unafraid, undeterred
Endured constant
Harassment: tweets—
Social media
Verbal assaults
Death threats—
Still this
Poised patriot
Named names
Gave all
Honor her
Enduring sacrifice
Chanel Miller
Found courage
Spoke softly
Reclaimed name
Faced injustice
Embraced truth
Excoriated abuser
Confronted systems’
Recurring trauma
Moves forward
Survival created
Her narrative
Honor her
Enduring sacrifice.
Unknown others
Survivors who
Live daily
Quiet lives
Uncelebrated, unnamed
Rising up
From ashes
Tattered, torn
Rebuild, reclaim
Their stories
Soar above
Like birds
Mythological wonders
Honor their
Enduring sacrifice.
—Glenda Funk
Wow, Glenda, this is powerful. Your refrain reads like a command. It really works. I also appreciate that you’ve named the women and the sacrifices they’ve had to make to be heard. Your last stanza really hits hard, though. I feel like you’ve given voice to so many of the women whose stories we don’t know or will never hear. Thank you for that.
Glenda—a compendium of survivors. The refrain is so powerful. Honor them. Enduring sacrifice. If only we could lose the need for this honor
Glenda, yet another poem that packs so much punch and power! I, as a survivor of rape and abuse, appreciate this poem for more reasons than I can share without ruining my keyboard with tears! I loved the care with which you chose the words for Christine Ford here: “Still this/Poised patriot/Named names…”
This really speaks to what becomes of survivors and our narratives: “Survival created/Her narrative…/Rising up/From ashes/Tattered, torn/Rebuild, reclaim/Their stories…”
Finding the courage to share our stories no matter what, and appreciating spaces like this to do it. Love your poem.
I love it when a poem is lyrical, narrative, and instructive. When a text can be didactic in nature but not in tone, well, that is art. You are an artist, Glenda, and I imagined sketches of these women in your notebook with these images surrounding them:
Rising up
From ashes
Tattered, torn
Rebuild, reclaim
Their stories
Soar above
Like birds
Mythological wonders
And you…you are a surviving, thriving voice,
Sarah
Glenda – You’ve created an important piece here that does, in fact, ensure the survival of these women. And I so appreciate it. I hold the stories of these women as honest and urgent reminders of how hard we have to work to be strong and heard and respected. Those patriarchal beings have made me so furious…the roots of that power can only shrivel if women stand strong and stand together. Amen, Sista! Susie
This is powerful and such a respectful tribute to these women. They really are wonder women. Thank you for writing and sharing this. The imagery of the rising phoenix is strong.
Glenda,
I love how the structure of your poem allowed you to share numerous specific women of strength while ending with a stanza about the abundance of unknowns.
My Tribe
Me watching
Me learning
Her waking
Her doing
Her cooking
Her cleaning
Her working
Her providing
Her guiding
Her parenting
Her advising
Her teaching
Her pushing
Her encouraging
Her leading
Her showing
Her growing
Her loving
Her giving
Her resting
Her being
Her
Mo, I love the way you worked with “me” and “her” for this tribute to your Wonder Woman and your tribe! The verbs show us the load! Wow!
Mo,
I love how open your poem is in your use of “Her.” It allows for so many possibilities. I see your arms outstretched, inviting so many women into your tribe. ❤️
Well, there is a gerund poem but also identity in service and being. Lovely.
I love that all of that is in you…My to her. Really strong list poem.
This is so beautiful. I’m so glad I was able to read this right before bed. I absolutely love the way you ended this poem. There isn’t anything a woman can’t do.
Women’s World
The weight
Bore on
Strong shoulders
Carried with
Humble grace
Knowing eyes
A lens
To wisdom
Mothering, working
Raising, racing
Advocating, gritting
Mhmm, girl
Running laps
Running meetings
Running worlds
But are
They too
Nice, grouchy
Smiley, ditzy
Meek, bossy
Don’t care
Got places
To be
Epic things
To do
When the
Hair hits
The pillow
She smiles
Through the
New weight
Bore on
Strong shoulders
Women’s world
Emily, you’ve captured the essence of strong women everywhere. I love your middle sections- Running laps, Running meetings, Running worlds. I also love the idea of epic things to do. Well done!
Emily, again your voice and your words are pure and powerful. I love:
“Running laps
Running meetings
Running worlds” because yes, our Wonder Women do alllllllll that!!
I felt this part in my soul:
“Got places
To be
Epic things
To do…”
You capture the essence of wonder, power, tenderness, weakness, strength, and WOMEN with grace! I’m thrilled to read your writing this week.
Emily,
Your use of “R” words gives a real sense of “running, raising, racing” that defines the lives of so many women. I love the strength I see in women through your words and the tireless energy so many muster to make the world work.
Emily, I like the addition of the “don’t care” and the words preceding it. I think this connects to an often forgotten stressor that many women face–being judged for anything and everything. Thank you for this poem.
That ending, Emily. “When the hair hits the pillow she smiles through the new weight bore on strong shoulders.” So powerful.
That ending, Emily. “When the hair hits the pillow she smiles through the new weight bore on strong shoulders.” So powerful to smile through. Is it satisfaction, pride, confidence, strength–all.
Emily – I like the way you’ve framed your tribute to women with those “strong shoulders.” The “gritting/Mhmm girl” had a particular resonance for me. I could feel that rumble inside my throat and chest. What strikes me about your very accurate list of images is how true this is and how much it is not my sense of the other gender…women are exceptional beings. Did I understand that when I was young? I really like your piece. Thank you. Susie
My Women
My women
made and
make all
the difference —
my lens
to sort
a world
both sacred
and scarred —
Aunt Marie,
a force,
who fished,
belly laughed,
hugged hard,
wrote letters,
acted up;
Aunt Hilda,
the giver,
stayed tethered,
chuckle clucked,
wrote cards,
archived family —
stunningly kind;
Jack,
“favorite cousin,”
the voice
of clarity,
raucous fun,
timely shenanigans,
smiths words;
Kat,
soul sista,
who reads,
knows more
than Moses,
empathic emissary —
a gift;
Barbara,
the inquirer,
practices pause,
listens long,
processes profoundly,
rabid reader,
truth teller;
Kelly,
creative sass,
bad ass,
focused determination,
brilliant wit,
daring might —
my baby;
Katie,
tender tough,
all in
or none,
reaches out,
seeks, wonders —
a lover;
and Mama,
my Polaris,
her lap
cradled tomes
with tales
that ferried
her through,
knew life
was stories
strung.
by Susie Morice ©
My Polaris!
I loved each little tribute to these women. Your writing reminded me of the many women who have shaped me into who I am today. I loved the way the short lines made me eager to get to each next line. The words all tumbling to try to describe the epic women.
Susie, the short lines in today’s format really make us think about the important qualities we admire in these amazing women who have helped shape us into the women we are. You’ve used so few words, but I feel like I know them, r at least I want to know them! Lovely!
What a wonderful tribute! Especially your mother, who knows that life is “stories strung”. We all write our stories as we go.
Susie, what a brilliant way to showcase the Wonder Women in your life. You should share your poem with them too, I’m sure they’d be honored. I love the unique qualities and strengths from each of them. I want to know Kelly…
creative sass,
bad ass,
focused determination,
brilliant wit,
daring might —
What a soul! Everyone needs a Kelly in their lives.
And Mama, imagining all those “cradled tomes with tales that ferried her through …” Beautiful imagery.
Susie,
I appreciate your word choice and tone, it flows well. I love that last stanza about your mom and “cradled tomes” is extra fabulous.
This has a feel of the Little Women movie to it. I want to know all of these people…the badass with sass, the cluck chuckle, the knows-more-than Moses and of course, Polaris. You are a most fortunate person to enjoy the strength of this pantheon!
Susie,
I want to encircle all these women and bring them into my orbit, especially Mama, whom I know from your poems you honor last so we have a lasting image of this woman who “knew life / was stories / strung.” I like the way you end w/ one word, which to me is a continuation of story. Kelly with her “creative sass / bad ass” sounds so fun! “Knows more / than Moses” endears Kat to me. The strength, uniqueness, and power of these women bring me joy through your words.
Susie, each stanza is its own sharp and tender rendering. “Chuckle clucked” might be my favorite two words juxtaposed tonight! I like what pushing against form–in this case the two-words-per-line structure–invites us to pare and focus our thoughts. Polaris, tomes, ferried…I love your words.
Susie,
I always appreciate your work. This is simply beautiful. What a tribute to the incredible women in your life.
The lines that resonate with me most are
my lens
to sort
a world
both sacred
and scarred —
Such a great metaphor and I love how sacred and scarred intermingle.
Sarah, thank you for adding in the new Laurie Halse Anderson novel! Wow, I had no idea about the upcoming book. I’m sure it’ll be a hit!
It looks like this Five Day Challenge has me reflecting on my grandmother, Jamie (Jamar) Elna Williams. I carry her name as my middle name, “Jamar” so she’s always with me.
Wonder Woman
Showed up
Spoke up
Loved, cared
And shared
Dignified
Seldom cried
In public
But alone
Sometimes on
The phone
Balanced pride
With humility
The Bible
Was her
Guide
Teaching
By doing
Modeling
Integrity
Demanding
Honesty
Living
The truth
Showing possibilities
Encouraging risk
Reminding us
Not to
Fight with
Our fists
Wonder Woman
Was Grammama
Wonder if
I can
Be
Like her.
Showing up
Speaking up
Loving, caring
And sharing.
Anna, isn’t it sweet how your grandmother wanted her time with us this week? I am honored to meet her through your poetry.
I love so much about your word choices, pairing, and the ones that needed to stand solo on a line. I enjoyed the rhymes “Dignified/Seldom cried/Balanced pride/
With humility
The Bible
Was her
Guide”
Something about “Demanding honesty/living the truth” is so powerful and says more than the words themselves.
Such a strong Wonder Woman to love and cherish forever.
The showing up and speaking up are what our children need to see in powerful women, and I’m so glad you carry her name and her legacy with you. No need to wonder if you can be like her – – you ARE like her! I see it in your writing each month, and I saw it in your presentation at NCTE. You show up and you speak up and you model what it means to be a wondrous woman!
Anna,
Your grammama is welcome in every poem. She sounds like the ideal woman, one we’d all do well to emulate. Your refrain is strong, emphasizing her qualities:
Showing up
Speaking up
Loving, caring
And sharing.
There’s a cadence to your poem that gives it a marching quality so fitting for today.
Stacey, ooooooh…..your poem tells how I feel about this writing community with my writing soul sisters! I love that first stanza…I am reading the essence of: .ever wonder who paves the path we cross when sometimes we can’t bend? (that’s pretty deep, by the way) That’s one thing this group does for me – – it gives me eyes for issues that I hadn’t seen from another perspective and nudges me to bend. The second – ever wonder why we don’t take advice….smiles that never mend? I love this group – where I can share mistakes I’ve made along the way and find the support of many who have made those same mistakes and lived with them and gotten back up – refusing defeat – to press on and be strong, determined to find the smile again. Stanzas 3 and 4 – listening with our hearts, encouraging each other, sharing our stories, filling holes, loving all the somewheres between us. Your brain blender whipped up a verse shake I can drink all day, my friend!
Kim,
“Your brain blender whipped up a verse shake I can drink all day!” I LOVE YOU! Thank you, my friend!
Kim,
This note w/ all these lovely thoughts has me shedding a few tears into my morning coffee. Yes, to all you say about this group. I am not good at sharing my inner secrets w/ others. This group softens the guardrails I’ve erected, and reminds me it’s okay to be vulnerable and honest w/ other women. ❤️
Hot Women: a blend of Wonder Women and Hot Lines poetry
After reading Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott, I found these hot lines for Joan:
Jeanne d’Arc
Maid d’Orleans
Red dress
Captive bird
Advance! Onward!
Needle threading
Hemming, mending
Spinning, churning
Cooking, cleaning
Advance! Onward!
Archangel visions
Inner voices
Determined mindset
Fearless determination
Advance! Onward!
Thwarted expectations
Refused marriage
Changed clothes
Battle armor
Advance! Onward!
Powerful voice
Wielded sword
Led resistance
French Savior
Advance! Onward!
Sacred light?
Mad girl?
Holy One?
Patron saint?
Advance! Onward!
Tower cell
Hands bound
Pyre built
Flames swallowed
Advance! Onward!
High price
Selfless sacrifice
Martyr wings
Victory!
Advance! Onward!
Kim,
“Advance onward” feels like a call to action for all women. I’m in the Shakespeare 2020 challenge and read Henry VI Part 1 last week. Shakespeare did not treat Joan d’Arc kindly, and I cannot forgive him for that. Your poem is a wonderful corrective, and I’m putting that book on my TBR right now!
OOOOHHH, the cadence of this demands reading aloud and loud…I can hear the marching steps, the strong footprint of a woman and women who “wield swords” and “sacrifice…wings” as they pay attention to “inner voices” that pull them and push them forward. Women who despite the battles “advance.” Dang, girl….I really love the power of this one. I raise my fist in solidarity! Susie
Kim, your call to “Advance! Onward!” is timeless. I feel like I have to tell myself this several times a day. Thanks to your poem I’ll now think, “If Joan could do it, so can I!” I loved your inspiration for this poem.
Hot Women!! Wonderful choice. I was ready at “Hot” LOL. This is badassness on FIRE! From the words so carefully chosen, to the punctuation with question marks, to the repetition Advance! Onward! It’s right on time for Hot and Wondrous Women!
Writing Women
inspire me
desire me
to write
words that matter.
Making books
to sign, inscribe
a future
together.
Writing women
explore the world
in ways
that lead
to wonder,
finding awe
in every day.
In feminine
pen strokes
gliding words
across a page,
writing women
claim courage
line by line.
I love, love your last stanza. Gliding words, writing women, claiming courage line by line. The effortless flow of alliteration and paired words (especially claiming courage). Yes
I am loving the claim courage line by line ending. You chose an amazing topic for your wonder women….women writers…..and my mind settles on Malala today as I think of claiming courage….one book, one teacher, one pen can change the world.
Margaret, your lines
writing women
explore the world
in ways
that lead
to wonder,
strike me and challenge me to think about why we have our students write and, indeed, why we write ourselves. Does writing lead to wonder? Does reading what others write lead to wonder? You are a wonder woman writing and making us wonder about wondering. Thanks. 🙂
Margaret,
You are one of these “writing women” who “inspire me,” and your poem reminds me of how important it is to honor women who write by reading them. One of my former students only read women writers in 2019. She, too, is a young woman who writes, and I love her example and see her honored in your poem.
This could be the introduction to a marvelous book written by us, Wonder Women Who Write! Whooohooo! I love it. “In feminine/pen strokes/gliding words/across a page…” pure artistry!
Love your tribute to Writing Women!!
Wondrous Women
“Just because you carry it well doesn’t mean it’s not heavy.”
My friends,
I watch you carry your burdens
With strength and grace
Your faces for the world
The pain for your hearts
Kim
My ballerina
Grace personified
On stage in New York, dream fulfilled
Until injury changed your path.
You bring dance to our town and to me
with generosity and perseverance
Your smile lights the room,
You are beloved.
Few know your burdens—
Alzheimer’s took your beloved father
Cancer is trying to take your beloved son.
And you dance through the sorrow.
Julie
My birthday twin
Born just two hours after me, worlds apart
Your petite frame disguises tensile strength
You survived because you said farewell to your beloved home
Packed your children up in the middle of the night
And fled north to stay alive
to protect them and watch them grow.
A lioness in miniature,
guarding your children and your friends.
I would follow you into battle, knowing you would fight for me,
And we would win.
We are a fine trio, my friends.
Finding each other late, just in time.
Hailing from different places
Different lives
Different worlds.
To one small town.
We three are a band of wondrous women.
Laughing through tears
Baring souls
Sharing truth.
Burdens are lighter
When carried by many hands.
Honoring your friends and noticing who they are separate from you and then together carrying each other’s burdens makes me wish to be one of your friends.
Your quote at the top frames this verse so well. I always think of weight when I hear that line, but you show that it’s burden and it’s hardship and it’s heartache and sorrow. You show that courage and friendship and support are the prescription for the parts of life that are impossible to endure alone. This is reassuring, and something we all need today.
Thank you for giving us a beautiful glimpse into the lives of these women. I love the idea of writing about the heavy burdens women carry. It reminds me that everyone has their stories and just because I can’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there impacting everything that person does.
Gayle,
I’ve read your poem several times today. Each time I feel inadequate to say all that’s on my mind when I think of the strength in your words and in the lives of these women who push on through life despite shattered dreams and finding a way to bid farewell and move to a place of safety. It seems we so often think of the friendships that matter most as those lifelong ones forged at a young age, so your poem honors and encourages those friendships we arrive at later in life. “Finding each other late, just in time” reminds me that we need to be open to the friendship possibilities regardless of age and circumstance.
Gayle, I almost feel like I know your Wonder Women. The familiarities are startling. Then to realize, it’s because we are Wonder Women and so are our friends and family.
This resonated with me:
“Cancer is trying to take your beloved son.
And you dance through the sorrow.”
Watching a friend of mine bury her son and then continued to dance through life as he would want. Wow.
And this part:
“A lioness in miniature,
guarding your children and your friends.
I would follow you into battle, knowing you would fight for me,
And we would win.” YESSSS! I love it, even the miniatures can handle the battles for us and them!
Thank you for this sweet peak into the lives of your Wonder Women.
Memphis, Tennesee:
four days
after slain.
Widow.
black lace headscarf
she marched,
children in hand
to finish the mission.
Wife.
In love letters
an active force
in theology,
social gospel,
political activism.
Writer.
I see a warless world-
wealth and brotherhood
transcend race or color.
Woman.
Women,
if the soul of this nation
is to be saved,
I believe
you
must become its
soul.
A found poem: “After MLK’s Death, Coretta Scott King Went To Memphis To Finish His Work”
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/08/597703360/after-mlks-death-coretta-scott-king-went-to-memphis-to-finish-his-work
Sarah,
Such a wonderful tribute for today. Those words “you must become it’s soul” are powerful. CSK became a force for justice in her own right as your poem attests.
Sarah, you have honored this holiday with these fine words. May I share it with students? I believe you must become its soul. We must, if this world is to survive.
Thank you for your response to this verse. You are welcome to share.
“You must become its soul.” This is a powerful poem in its message to all of us to take up the cause of MLK, Jr. I love the W words, Widow, Wife, Writer, Woman that frame this poem.
These lines: she marched, children in hand, to finish the mission
and
you must become its soul
show the strength of a woman
who has what it takes and knows what it takes.
Beautiful!
As others are saying, this poem affirms that behind (or walking with) every successful man is a wondrously strong woman. But your poem challenges us to join the struggle, not just stand on the side writing about it. Thank you for this insightful tribute and inspiring challenge.
Woman.
Women,
if the soul of this nation
is to be saved,
I believe
you
must become its
soul.
Sarah, thank you for starting this holy day with Coretta. The call to women to “become [this nation’s] soul” is, indeed, the way we can right so much of what is being fouled every day that I pick up the newspaper. You “found” wonderful words this morning! Thanks again, Susie.
Sarah, thank you for this! I realized after I created our prompts that I completely forgot about MLK Day! I feel like I deserve a time out or a punishment of some sort. Thank you for honoring his memory and Coretta’s with this Found Poem. As soon as i started reading, I felt her come through, smiling, standing strong, being a force for justice.
Sarah,
My mind and heart have been filled with words from MLK since we have been analyzing his work in class. But your poem took me in a completely different direction—a vital direction. I don’t want his work to just be a history lesson or a vehicle for teaching strong rhetoric. We must become its soul. We must become its soul. Wow.
Beautiful work. As always.
Dear Sarah, Thank you for bringing forward the unseen or little known encouragement and power provided by Coretta Scott King, truly part of the soul of this nation.
Wonder Women by Dixie Keyes
Let’s Surrender!
Judgments, preconceptions
miserly thoughts, jealousy
Evil eyes
Brusque gestures
Heavy hearts
Darkest darts.
What circles
Of love
And laughter
Could grow
If we—
Women together—
Surrendered to
The breezes
Of kinship?
Let’s Dance!
With those
Who have
Gone and
Those still
Here—circling,
Reveling, inspiring
Enriching, uplifting
The other
Amidst winds—
Perhaps gusts—
Of feminine
Response to
Time, and
To life.
Could we
Create a
Tornado of
Rampaging love?
Dixie,
Your poem has a wonderful message. The tornado image at the end reminds me how fierce women can be.
A tornado of rampaging love. I love the metaphor Of winds you carry through, building up to what we need— a tornado of love. Yes.
Yes, let’s dance together making a “tornado of rampaging love”. Powerful and profound image.
It’s so interesting to me that we have the power to create a tornado of rampaging love – to embrace, to encourage, to nurture – – and yet we don’t. This is just what we need, now more than ever.
Dixie,
This would be a great opening read to any women’s retreat or conference. I love the encouragement of surrendering and dancing, plus the power of the last two lines. Thank you for this poem.
Hi Dixie, I am just now seeing your poem and you posted this early. How did I miss it? I love this call for us to
“Surrendered to
The breezes
Of kinship…” It would make for such a more peaceful world! Love the questions, if only we would respond and affirm the possibilities of “rampaging love!”
Love it!!!!