Let’s write together.
Maureen lives and writes in Silver Spring, Maryland. Now retired, she taught preschool and mentored adults in their work with young children. She holds dear her morning writing practice, which includes journaling and poetry. Maureen enjoys writing about children, family, and nature. Maureen is immensely grateful for the Ethical ELA writing community.
Inspiration
Happy September! Happy new year! Ever since I was a young girl, I have associated September with new beginnings, a time for new hopes and dreams. When the calendar ushers in September, I am flooded with memories of school years past, as student, teacher, and parent. This year, my youngest grandchild started school – oh my! I am excited about what new learning awaits. Much like I do in January, I set intentions for myself. It is a time of great possibility and lots of unknowns. I try to channel positivity and energy into my life.
It is amazing what can transpire in a single year. A year ago, Sarah, Mo, and I began work on a collection of poetry inspirations for teachers and students, based solely on prompts shared by this writing community. We recognized how the poetry writing we do each month with OpenWrite plus April’s VerseLove has nurtured all of us in unexpected and good ways. We hoped to expand this beautiful practice to classrooms everywhere, to help teachers and students build community through daily poetry writing.
I am excited to share that our book 90 Ways of Community was released earlier this month. In fact, Ethical ELA has introduced three new poetry books for teachers this September, each written by authors in our community and available for free at https://www.ethicalela.com/store/:
Words That Mend, how poetry can be a transformative tool for teachers, students, and communities.
Just YA, an anthology of short texts that can be read in a single class period, making it an ideal resource for teachers who need to maximize limited class time.
90 Ways of Community, a resource for teachers that includes a school year worth of poetry prompts that nurture community and routines of writing.
These books celebrate all of us – all the writing we have been doing together. I was introduced to Ethical ELA in April 2020, that hard strange time in the early days of the pandemic. Poetry became daily in my life. Although I have never met any of the writers in this space, I feel connected to you through our words. It is amazing to think how many poems we have written together, probably thousands! Through this practice, we ‘meet’ each other, learning about our daily lives, our worries, our joys. I’m excited to think of teachers offering this same poetic wonder to students everywhere – and these three new books will offer this opportunity.
Tomorrow – September 22, 2024 – we are having an Online Publication Party to celebrate this bounteous time in our poetry community. Please join us for a live event on Zoom/YouTube at 12 PM PST/2 PM CST/3PM EST and bring friends with you…we are going to celebrate!
Today,
inspired by this community,
exhilarated by our new books, and
fueled by new year’s intentions,
let’s write together.
Process
One of our goals in 90 Ways of Community is to introduce poetry writing as a daily habit for students and teachers, to propose it as a way to center oneself before moving on to other learning. We chose prompts that were very accessible and brief, ideally able to be responded to within ten minutes. Let’s try this today.
- Holding the idea that September means transition, a new school year, so many things ‘up in the air,’ take a couple minutes to write a short paragraph about one intention or goal you have for this month.
- Read what you wrote. Which words jump out at you in this prose paragraph? Do any adjectives or verbs surprise you? Did you reveal any emotions?
- Channel these found words into one of the multitudes of ‘tiny poem’ forms we have been introduced to in this writing community. Here are links to seven – tanka (Sarah), triolet (Fran), naani (Leilya), dodoitsu (Mo), elfchen (Margaret), diamonte (Stacey), skinny (Glenda). No need to try them all – but it is fun to see what happens to your words when you play with more than one.
Just have fun!
Maureen’s poems
Prose paragraph: I’m sitting here with my feet on the heat pad wondering how will I do this? I’m going to give it my best. Seriously, why did I let Marla talk me into this? We’ve had weekend trail runs for years, but they’ve been short. Now we’re going to do ten miles? Yep. I’ve got this. Gotta believe. One foot in front of the other and all that. The heat and ice treatments for my feet are paying off, my feet hurt less, which seems nuts – run more and hurt less? Doesn’t make sense. Praying for a cool day. Praying for time to slow down so that the race date doesn’t come too quickly. Gotta get regular miles in. Praying I stay healthy. Let’s go.
Skinny
unsure uncertain terrified
run
miles
heat
ice
run
trails
cool
slow
run
unsure uncertain my best
Triolet
gotta give it my best
one foot in front of the other
why this dream this test
gotta give it my best
practice runs heat ice rest
heart is already aflutter
one foot in front of the other
gotta give it my best
Naani
feet tenderly held
heat pad on high
nestled on the ottoman
readying for a long run
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to 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.
The bathroom mirror
toothpaste mists
errant hairs
finger prints
an alien looks through them all
A new hair cut
some yellowing teeth
the long stubble
he reaches for the windex
spritz
squeak
wipe
The alien still remains
hate
spite
pity
the alien goes sinkward
tooth brush
foamy spit
look down
I leave the mirror
Hello Maureen,
Thanks for the interesting prompt today. I’m a day late – which my poem kind of explains.
A Little Triolet to Myself
Commit yourself to sixty minutes of work. Sage words from my dissertation chair.
It sounds like a simple intention, an attainable goal.
Yet, I find myself pulling out my hair.
Commit yourself to sixty minutes of work. Sage words from my dissertation chair.
Focus. Let’s go! Open the files and begin to review the complexity of data. The result: a blank stare.
Remember the effort and work you’ve invested. You must finish to become whole.
Commit yourself to sixty minutes of work. Sage words from my dissertation chair.
It sounds like a simple intention, an attainable goal.
Oh I remember this! I purchased WRITING YOUR DISSERTATION IN 15 MINUTES A DAY book in hopes that it would help me develop a habit– and then stole time from writing to read it. Ha! I ended up with a poster above my computer upon which I wrote: JUST WRITE. It is not easy and your triolet captures it perfectly. Keep swimming!
Hi Shaun, I’m a day late with the chance to comment – and I love this triolet so much. I read (somewhere?) that a triolet is like a prayer, with the musicality and fervancy of its repeating lines; I feel this when I read your poem. Love the rhymes you chose – chair with hair with stare, absolutely naming the pressure of dissertation writing. Best wishes!
A day late, but thanks for a great prompt! I fear that I am not good at the “tiny.” I took the lead from the idea of trying to get to “tiny” and the “words that mend” reference.
9/21/24
Thinning
The aching
started in spring
(as it always does for me).
First, wrists so swollen
and tender that
I couldn’t steer the car;
Ankles and then knees
stiffened to the point that
forward progress
stopped.
The pain was migrating,
mysterious,
The explanation
was delivered in a vial of blood,
dark cherry red as my
Grandmother’s inherited mahogany chest.
Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I used to think that to
Fill was to fix– stopping up gaps
with dense, antique books; bricks of the darkest chocolate;
postcards from
Lisbon, Zion, Dublin; cool curls of ice cream
in pastel, Depression-era bowls;
Shards of glass rubbed smooth
by far-flung oceans;
one last bite of pesto-coated farfalle that smells of garlic and the
earthy green of summer’s last basil;
Tiny watercolors painted on street corners
in distant cities.
The thinning
started with the diagnosis.
A counter attack launched on
my body’s attack on itself.
A conscious paring away of the
Sweet and comforting
extra.
A concurrent winnowing
of self and surroundings.
The transferring of the physical
to the metaphysical,
the item itself to vaporous memory–
That last pain au chocolat on Rue d’Amélie,
A mental photograph of the (now grown) children laughing, backdropped
by Playa Flamingo’s molten sunset.
Less weight to carry, yes.
But not easy for a collector like me.
An exercise in
distilling down, creating a
curative tincture in the paucity,
of material,
of things,
of words.
Mariah, here, a ‘tiny thread’ lead to this wonderful poem – what a horrible disease to endure, and what a beautiful, poetic telling you have offered. I am mesmerized by your stanza beginning
and how you share a creative rethinking of all things inflammatory, your ‘winnowing,’ [love that word!] “Tiny watercolors painted on street corners in distant cities.” Gorgeous!
Maureen, thanks for the day’s prompt. I enjoyed reading your shared memories of writing in April of 2020. The connection I felt during that time remains important to me. So I’m glad to be here today.
sea turtle sighting –
wide sea before me darkens as day’s light diminish
I stare glimpsing the head and flipper of a sea turtle
– what’s the chance?
I rise to follow its movements finding the turtle’s head in the surf
ten or fifteen minutes pass, I gaze at the sea as another great turtle moves before me
Wendy, I love the quietness of your poem and the thought of you standing observing nature, one with the sea and the turtles’ habitat.
Oops, so sorry, Jamie, I meant. I knew that as I pushed post.
What a sight to behold! This is the stuff of nature channels for me; so exciting, Jamie. I am smitten with the alliterative words “darkens as day’s light diminish.”
I set an intention to return to this forum in August, but I did not. I’m a month (and several years) late to the party, but I think about this group often and have missed these opportunities to read and write and share. Congratulations on the new books!! Thank you for providing the space and prompts to reconnect to my [poetry] writing and to my poetry-loving friends.
grad school student meets middle school teacher meets wishful reader/writer
the stack of unfinished work
tilts to the side, threatens to push
unread novels and half-filled
journals to the floor
Betsy, so glad you are back! Busy, but here nurturing your poetry writing. Your title is perfect. So glad the wistful writer made it today.
I, too, love the title, and I would imagine so many of us can relate to the difficult task of managing the conflicting roles and wants/needs. I say “needs” because I am realizing more and more that if I do not feed my creative side, my mental health and the rest of my work and jobs suffer for it. I just showed up in August and am back this month because I was shocked at how allowing myself time to write poetry changed things last month. I am glad you made it back and are prioritizing time for this!
Welcome home! That “stack of unfinished work/tilts to the side” reminds me of the tilt of one’s head as we contemplate where to begin when we are drowning in work. Love that you landed on poetry writing, here with us.
I must have missed Mo’s dodoitsu form — I don’t remember writing it before! But it fit my brainstorming perfectly. Thanks, Maureen, for the inspiration today and to everyone else for bringing these cook forms to us to try!
Breathe
Be okay with letting go.
Remember Covid’s lessons:
Grace. Forgiveness. Slow down. Do
more with less – sometimes
do less with less. Don’t forget
to thank people, often. Make
relationships. Don’t forget
to give people a
pat on the back more often.
Chastise less, understand more.
Teach people to do the same.
P.S. That should say “cool” forms, not “cook.” lol.
Great September advice, Wendy. If you can do these intentions, you will have a good year, I’m sure. I like the enjambment on each line and between stanzas.
I love the concept of “grace” and all that it encompasses. I love all of this advice, and giving yourself grace and forgiving yourself and congratulating yourself is also so very important.
Beautiful advice. The doing is the teaching, I think. I especially like “Grace. Forgiveness. Slow down.” – those periods help these words become commands.
Hi Maureen,
thanks for hosting and inspiring us. Great to hear about the impact of our community taking form in new books.
So fun to see you see your running pep talk gathering steam in three different verses. Go, Maureen! You’ve got this!
I’m glad to be reminded of these short forms and hope to return to them soon, but today, I’m keeping it free and loose.
Reading Life
the big books of fall
are being teased
in the Times
and the Guardian
Murakami
Erdrich
Kushner
Danzy
Haig
Shafak
Rooney
Powers
Alam
Flanagan
and my library holds
are still full
of books of spring
and summer
Sharon,
I got a feeling of the journey of reading from your poem, when it spoke of the library holds. It made me think of a ship on the ocean. Thanks for the visualization.
Sharon, you remind me of some great authors. My reading list is also never ending.So many great books and so many teasers!
Same, girl, same. <3
My bedside table (and bedside floor) still hold the books from many seasons past…I loved how your skinny poem recreates the stack of books, the list of holds and best intentions. I hope you have time to read them all!
–Betsy
Haha, isn’t that the truth, Sharon? It is hard to keep up on all the good books there are to read.
I like this ‘free and loose’! I see and feel the tension of your burgeoning reading list and the delight/horror of the Times releasing more inviting reading. Such a great problem to have, wonderful goal to submit to!
Maureen, thank you for hosting today. There is something so sweet about tiny poems. I appreciate your poetry focusing on running and its end result. I decided to write a dodoitsu.
September Pep Talk
persevere, accomplish goals
be bold, don’t fold, just do it
follow through, don’t be a fool
…….but what if there’s pie?
Barb Edler
21 September 2024
Barb,
Love the title and the humor in the promise of pie to keep one motivated during those tough days. Wonderful internal rhyme w/ “bold / fold.” The ellipses signal more to this talk and the realization pie awaits.
Love it! All the positive advice and then likely distraction from following the imperatives!
The ones that nudge me is line two
be bold, don’t fold, just do it.
But then comes line three
follow through, don’t be a fool
appealing to my ego. Will I choose to be a fool?
No way, Jose!
Barb,
Wonderful change in direction with the thinking that goes into the pie. So motivated, but our appetites are famous for making us feel that subtle doubt.
Barb,
HA! I laughed out loud. XD
Barb, pep talks are a must from time to time. I like the humorous twist with the pie in the final line. It made me smile. I like baking, but recently try not to bake because there isn’t a pep talk that can keep me away from a slice 😀Thank you for your poem!
Lol! I love this “Pep Talk,” Barb. Pie does have a way of questioning our resolve!
Barb, fun dodoitsu! I love that last question: “…..but what if there’s pie?” I love this in the midst of the pep talk.
Ha! Love this – there must be pie, I think! “be bold, don’t fold, just do it” Wonderful dodoitsu, Barb!
Reminder
Scrawled on
a Post-it Note,
placed on my
desk: every
lesson plan
you create
could use
more poetry.
____________________________________
Thank you, Maureen, for starting us off on the right (poetic) foot this month! I love the idea of tiny poems to help usher in the new (school) year! (And ten miles?! It makes me tired just reading that, lol. I think I’ll go lie down for a bit; I’ll happily cheer you on, though, from a resting, horizontal position! Oh, and I also love the rhyme of “aflutter” and “the other” in your triolet!)
Scott, what a wonderful intention for the new year. Yes to poetry, in all its mending and joy.
Scott, your poem says it all. Yes, to making more poetry possible for our students and ourselves.
Scott,
I like the visualization of a Post-it note on a desk. When I have done similar things, it is a reminder, but relatively hidden in terms of the vastness of the desk space. It is meaningful, but still likely to be lost.
Truth!
I need to do the same, Scott! Thank you for this idea: every lesson plan should, indeed, include poetry.
Scott,
I see your post-it note so clearly…along with the plums and red wheelbarrows of WCW’s poems. The form’s brevity and clarity transport me to your desk, to your lesson plans. I think everything could use more poetry. I’m glad you’ve set the intention to do so.
Cheers!
–Betsy
Scott, I love your Post-it Note reminder. I love coming across these and either remember what I wrote or try to remember why I wrote it. Fun capsule of memory. The poem you add will be remembered more than this sticky note.
That is a beautiful goal!! Fabulous, Scott!
September is my birthday month which often leads me to set goals for the coming year. After having some health concerns last year, I am treasuring turning a year older. I have learned to be grateful for each day and look for those small joyful moments. Going forward, I want to continue to rebuild my health. I want to keep exercising- rowing, pickleball, hiking- to make me feel strong and powerful. I will meet my goal that I missed last year of participating in my 1st ever Fall regatta. I plan to keep adding more plant-based meals for dinners and trying out new foods and recipes. I know I can impact my health for the better by choosing what I eat and when I eat. I will be healthier and stronger on my next birthday.
Treasuring another year older
Unwrapping each day’s living gift
Small joy beholder
Treasuring another year older
New choices- my life’s molder
Healthier, stronger, fitter- my body’s shift
Treasuring another year older
Unwrapping each day’s living gift
Cathy, lovely poem. I enjoyed the repetition of “Treasuring another year older.” Such an important reminder!
Cathy, I loved reading your paragraph and then the triolet response. The rhyming is so effective and pleasing to the ear. Here’s to new choices and a great healthy year for you.
Cathy,
this is so tender and wise. Love the focus on gratitude:
Congrat’s in your regatta and your focus on your health.
Cathy, love the refrain throughout this — I feel like I usually read birthday poems where the writer is bemoaning the slipping away of another year — love that you’re celebrating them!
In the back of my throat, deep in tonsils
is a music box
top, closed
lever, still
song, forgotten
plans, remembered
intentions, waiting
promises, piling
In the back of my throat, deep in tonsils
is a September tickle
phlegm, swelling
swallow, aching
cough, stifling
fever, rising
In the back of my throat, deep in tonsils
is a familiar temporal waltz
my cough has opened
the music box
the tickle has turned
the lever
the song
finds its rhythm
the plans
demand attention
and the piles of promises
drown in September’s belly
In the back of my throat, deep in tonsils
is a music box
top, opened
song, singing
reminding me to wind
levers of joy.
Sarah, you have such a way with extended metaphors! Music from start to finish, choked up, trembling, then released! WOW! Thanks for reminding us to open the music box. It’s all there! And the student often are the ones who choose the song…jazz, blues, or hip hop and anthems!
Sarah, I feel the fight to keep going in your poem. Balancing one’s health and work obligations can be overwhelming. Love how you ended this with such a positive end: “opened
song, singing
reminding me to wind
levers of joy.”
Well played and beautiful!
Ohhh, Sarah, you’re such an incredible poet. I always marvel in your way with words, images, metaphors, and symbols! I hope you find the balance, the wellness, and the “levers of joy” you deserve!
🌹
Sarah, loved this and the unexpected turns it took. Beautiful poem!
Sarah, may your music box play rich tunes this year, “wind[ing] levers of joy” Beautiful!
The second to the last stanza, beginning “my cough has opened/the music box…” – the cause & effect ‘dance’ of these lines is so fabulous. I think this is much like the inner mechanics of a music box – I am sure you planned this, and it is gorgeous!
Thanks for the prompt, Maureen. I guess I am going with a Naani. Someday, when I have more time, I am going to invent a Naani Naani Boo Boo form.
He speaks in anger
to me as others before,
not realizing
I am my protagonist?
Can’t wait to see your Naani Naani Boo Boo form, Rex. Your poem is provocative. Love the emphasis on your final line.
I am thinking on it a lot as a concept….the sea of protagonists, not so much the form.
Rex, I loved the question mark in the last line.
I like the idea of “I am my protagonist?” I think it would make it easier to not worry about those who speak in anger and don’t realize our story. The italicizing and question mark are interesting.
Rex, Four brief lines, 15 words and what mystery. Each line adds a piece important to the narrative. Would be fun to take your lines and develop a story.
Hahaha! I so want to see a Naani Naani Boo Boo prompt – you have me thinking! That last line is fabulous, revealing who is angry at whom.
Thank you for this fun prompt. Here is my first one. I may try the other styles as well. One of the things I have liked so much from this group are all the different poetry styles. Before joining this group (I am not a writer, I am a scientist) I only knew of the Haiku and Sonnet. Lol Autumn is my favorite season.
I sit alone on a hill watching autumn settling in.
Breathing,
Orion,
Brisk,
Migration.
Breathing,
Amber,
Equinox,
Harvest.
Breathing,
I sit on a hill watching autumn settling in, but I am not alone.
Mona, I see the science in your poem, and the beautiful pause and poetry in “breathing”. Well done! I love the twist you make on the last line. Not alone. Lovely!
Mona, what a beautiful skinny poem. I love how you framed this one, and your word choice is fantastic!
Mona,
This is lovely and brings me such a sense of peace. I love the repetition of breathing and the twist from
to
a powerful progression.
I admire how you create such a strong sense of both scene and philosophy in such few words.
Mona, gorgeous imagery! It totally put me in the scene,
Mona, I believe we are all poets. (Some of us haven’t discovered it yet.) I love the meditative surprise of your skinny poem, how you flip the words of the opening line to that beautiful conclusion – “I am not alone.”
In the southern hemisphere here, so only have 2 months of the school year left. I’ve not gotten used to it.
this is the end, not the beginning.
hoping
for
more
time
hoping
there’s
enough
left
hoping
this is the beginning, not the end.
The reordering of the words in you last line made the whole poem very powerful. It highlighted for me that a new beginning in school starts many times with new units and new semesters so there is always hope to impact our students in positive ways.
Thank you for this perspective, Angie. I can get so caught up in my own cycles of time that I neglect to consider other rhythms of the world.
The refrain of hoping is a lovely echo here.
Sarah
Oh wow, Angie! I hope you find some joy in the “beginning, not the end” and time to relax and reflect.
Angie, your crafting of those first and last lines are so good. Hope this poem will give you a fresh new start to a super wrap up this year. “hoping” with you!
Angie, I felt like this poem could apply to see many situations!
*so
Whoa! Thank you for flipping the script on the school year and reminding us, always true, “this is the beginning, not the end.”
September in Texas just felt and looked like summer. September in Missouri feels different, and I think residents respond to that feeling. They decorate for fall (not just Halloween) in a way I don’t remember seeing back home. They celebrate the transition to the new season. The most I have ever done is swap summer candles for fall scents. But this is my 4th year here now, and I’m starting to feel the urge to decorate, make soup, and build a fire.
Naani
Seeing a season
where there wasn’t one before
pausing
and noticing. Falling.
That last word – falling. Love how it could mean the season you are entering or falling in love with new recognition and celebration of this seasonal change.
Amanda,
Thanks for offering us a window into geographic transitions for you. Do you call MO home now?
This naani is lovely. The gerunds are beautiful in the becoming of pausing, noticing, falling. That pun in falling is clever!
Peace,
Sarah
Amanda, I too moved from state to state, coast to coast during my years as a classroom teacher. The move from Michigan to Missouri was tough. But the transfer from Western Mass to Southern Cal, threw me. I did not realize September and October are the hottest months there! I only had fall “work clothes”. Like us, you’ll make it, even if the tree leaves never change colors, nor does it snow by Thanksgiving so you’ll know when to start Christmas shopping!
Amanda, wonderful naani. I enjoy reading the prose with the poems today. Your falling for the seasons that aren’t really there is something I’ve experienced in places I’ve lived, and your poem describes it beautifully. “pausing and noticing. Falling” is my favorite.
Amanda,
As someone rooted down in Texas, still sweating in September, and likely October, your poem makes me a little jealous.
Thanks for the quick vacation to a cooler possibility. I’m enjoying living vicariously through your poem and imagining what you are
You have created very special documentation of the differences in these two locations with this tiny poem…and that last word, wow! “Falling.” THIS is autumn, I think. Beautiful!
Maureen, thank you for the prompt today and for so many options. I’m looking forward to the celebration tomorrow. I have had a September like none other. My prose…
September – transition to a new way of living, a new Phoebe-less reality. So many things are “up in the air” in this new world in which I find myself. I had never experienced the death of a baby so close. I have known others who lost their babies in miscarriages and even stillbirth horrors, but Phoebe—my very own baby’s baby—was here and ours. She flavored the world with her soft gentle wholeness. She lived only a month. So what is my intention for September? (Intention – aim, hope, motive, objective, plan, purpose.) Like Rumi, do I “Stay light-footed and keep moving.” Or do I linger and cry and see her in every pink sunset, in every ambushing reminder? Yes, this latter is my intention for September and as long as it takes.
tanka
my baby’s baby
so perfect and clearly whole
we loved and lost her
as meningitis ravaged
her fleeting vitality
naani
lingering sadness
after her gentle emergence
into life, then out again
a Phoebe-less world
Oh Denise. This is so difficult. Your prose is as beautiful as your tanka and naani for Phoebe. I’m so so sorry for your loss.
Denise,
I cannot imagine the grief of losing a grandchild and witnessing your own child endure this loss. What a year you have had in grieving. I wish I could hug you or offer some comfort. These poems are a duo that offer us a way to witness, a glimpse of the heartache in “gentle emergence…/then out again.” Holding these words dear today.
Peace,
Sarah
Denise, I want to hug and sit quietly with you. We could cry together, you could tell me about Phoebe. I had many losses, some seemed unbearable, yet I can’t imagine how it may feel losing your “baby’s baby.” You prose and poems reveal your grieving soul. Sending love and kind thoughts!
Denise, I’m sitting here wishing I could do something that would help ease your sorrow. There can’t be anything harder than losing a baby after a month of love and connection. I send you and your daughter prayers for comfort and love.
I felt these lines deep inside my core:
🕊️
Denise, I am so sorry for your loss. You and your daughter and your families are in my thoughts.
Oh, Denise, I am so sorry – so deeply sorry. I will put your family in my prayers. I send you a warm hug of comfort.
Denise, what bravery you possess to embrace the latter intention of lingering with Phoebe, but what a remarkable way of honoring her brief time here with all of you. There truly is mending in words. I’m not sure I could have your strength. Her coming and going and that impact reveals itself in both of your poems, in the gentle emergence/into life, then out again. But that last line – the Phoebe-less world – moves me to tears. I am so, so sorry. Embracing you with love, healing, and hugs.
Denise, your grief is beautifully etched through both these poems. I am so deeply moved and feel the sorrow of “a Phoebe-less world”. Thank you for sharing Phoebe with us in these two perfect poems. Hugs!
Oh, Denise. I am so sorry.
Sending you and your family love and light.
Thank you for sharing your love and your grief through these two heartbreaking poems.
Dear Denise,
Ive been thinking about you and your baby and dear Phoebe since you first shared this heartbreaking news. Sending more hugs and love. I know poetry can’t replace those cherub cheeks, but I know it is a balm.
Denise,
I am so sorry for your loss. I’m keeping you and your family in my prayers and sending a hug to you.
So sorry for your loss, Denise. The poems are tender, and heartfelt, but I am moved more by your loss. I am hopeful you find a healing…
Denise, this was just a beautiful tribute to Phoebe. I’m so sorry for your loss!
Denise, I read your poems this morning and still the sadness and emptiness remains. The simple forms provide a construct for something too great for words. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Denise, those heartbreaking words – “my baby’s baby.” Your grief must be so achingly hard. I am so so so sorry for you and your family, this enormous loss. I hope … somehow … poetry heals? Sending you love.
Good Afternoon,
For some context, I’m currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin. I’m a first-year English as a foreign language instructor. Needless to say, there are some differences between the US and Beninese education systems and interaction with language. I know I can do this. At the same time, the first week of school was a lot. I know I’m about to become stronger than I could have thought of before, but I’m feeling a bit run down at this exact moment. It’s wonderful to check in with other teachers through poetry. Sending love! Here’s my skinny.
Skinny:
Settle
I’m at site
New home
Three languages
Five to seven classes
Thirty-nine
Sixty-eight
Twenty-seven
Eleven
Forty-six
Twenty-two
Fifty-four
Students
Names
Hoes and weeding
Endless
Khaki
Creativity?
We’ll see
Settle on grace
Helena, yes, you will do it as you “settle on grace.” Your poem shows that this week was a lot, and yet there is hope. Those numbers in your classes! Yikes. All the best. I’m glad you came here today.
Oh, Lena. Yes. So many transitions for you. I am so glad you are joining and rejoining this space each month so we can all stay connected and be a source of support, too. We are cheering you on and appreciate this way of witnessing your experiences. I am struck by the various numbers and ways of counting alongside activities and ways of being that cannot be like names and weeding! Love it.
Peace,
Sarah
Helena, loved this skinny! That series of numbers listed gave an accumulating weight as it progressed. Love the last sentiment. You CAN do this!
The listing of numbers is such a poignant way to convey the overwhelm of your work. What a gorgeous conclusion, reminder – “settle on grace.” Best wishes to you!
Hi Maureen,
I am so grateful for this first day of Open Write and for your short and sweet options! I love your naani and how it shows your feet so much care. I set a goal at the start of this school year to NOT WORK on Sundays. After 39 years in the classroom, I should have free Sundays, right?? 🫣
I chose a Tanka to share my school year’s goal of work-free Sundays.
Sunday goal is set
No school work or lesson plans
Time to read or write
Rest, relax, watch shows or shop
No thinking about Monday
© Stacey L. Joy, 9/21/24
Now here is a goal for all teachers for the mental health and wellness we all need. It’s fabulous, Stacey, and I couldn’t agree more! Love how you put such a powerful message into a mindset and habit shift that makes a true difference.
Kim, yes!! It has made a huge difference. Just wish I had done this a longggg time ago.
Yes, Stacey, after 39 years, you are so right. You deserve to take Sunday off. I hope tomorrow is the best day ever, and that next week shows it was worth it.
Thanks, Denise! I’ve kept my Sunday promise since school started and it feels amazing. I am prioritizing how/when I get papers corrected, make copies, etc. so it’s wonderful to feel more organized on Monday without stressing out on Sundays.
What a worthy goal- Keeping Sunday free will allow you to enter Monday refreshed! Love how your tanka and accompanying photo paint a restful vision
You have a wonderful goal for Sundays. It is so important to take that time for yourself so you can be the best for your students. May your Sundays be filled with rest and relaxation and a calm mind.
Oh, I am so glad you shared this goal. I need to set some goals. Time has gotten away from me already. Let me know how the “No thinking about Monday” goes. I imagine it may take some conscious effort to fall into, deeply, living! And so appreciate you sharing the new shows you are exploring. I think I need a binge watch day!
Hugs,
Sarah
Stacey, Sunday sounds heavenly! Yes, give yourself the gift of enjoyment and relaxation!
Amen!
Stacey, I love this goal! I’m starting year 30, and I haven’t quite been able to keep this goal. This gives me hope! We need and deserve time for ourselves, “[t]ime to read or write / Rest, relax, watch shows or shop”!
That is a phenomenal goal – and you will keep these boundaries, I feel certain. “Rest, relax, watch shows or shop” – you deserve this! Your school week will be all the better, with this goal attained. Best of luck!
Thanks for inviting us to look back to what others have prompted and to look forward to our school year by writing a tiny poem. I chose the diamonte that Stacey taught us.
For the first time in years, as a retired classroom teacher, I’ve been teaching online. This time, it’s adults, but the issue is the same: Why did they come? Why did I? My other question is, will we be this excited next month when our learning is tested? Yes, I am learning to get along and learn together. I hope the answer is yes for us all.
School
Students arrive
They arrive ready
Ready for what? Hmm.
But am I ready
Ready to jive
And learn
Yes!
I hope your students are ready to jive! Anna, I love how the form of the poem reflects on itself considering the two different subjects student and teacher. I think that since it is such a compact poem, it helps to bridge the two together. Teacher and students are anticipating alike!
Anna, I love the question – ready for what? It reminds me that every child has their own needs that we as teachers work to respond to.
Hi Anna,
How exciting to launch into online teaching for adults. I am sure you’ll have them learning ALL that you have to teach!
Woohoooo!! That graphic says it all.
I love the insight behind your questions “Why did they come? Why did I” – all students are the same, no matter our ages. And you will provide such joy and inquiry, I think, as revealed with
Thank you for opening up the September open write, Maureen! It was lovely to reflect on September. For my family it has been a tumultuous month, but I hope my skinny keeps the tone of what I am trying to achieve.
Baby steps edging into dappled autumn, we yearn for
balance,
creativity,
time,
togetherness,
balance,
space,
work,
hope.
Balance,
baby steps edging into dappled autumn.
Jordan, I love the repetition of the word balance. I believe it helps capture the tone you are going for. And all the other positive words! Yes! I also love the phrase “dappled autumn”. It conjures so many pictures. All the best to your family as you find balance in the busyness.
I love balance repeated. Such an important word.
Jordan, Your poem reminds us to be patient. Just as we give wee ones time to learn, we should do the same for ourselves and our adult students.
Such hopeful intentions! Wishing you all the best in your “baby steps edging into dappled autumn.”
Maureen,
Thank you so much for kicking us off this Open Write with all of the poetry options. It was so fun to revisit all these fun forms. We truly have an amazing community. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our party tomorrow.
Have had many mixed emotions with this September as my youngest is a high school senior. I decided to go with the Triolet today.
September
Bittersweet September
Last days of summer
So many last firsts to remember
Bittersweet September
College apps and final Homecoming splendor
Senior year unfolding life into color
Bittersweet September
Last days of summer
Tammy,
so many last firsts to remember
this line resonated with me on so many levels today. This is indeed bittersweet – – what a lovely way to celebrate the ending of one chapter and the start of another as you release your youngest into the world as a ready adult.
Tammi,
I love how each line encapsulates the spectrum of emotions you are clearly feeling. My kids are still so little, but I feel this just a smidge when seeing some of my students I remember as freshmen taking on the halls as seniors now. Thank you for your poem!
Tammi, wow, how quickly the time goes. “Bittersweet September” really captures this new place you find yourself in this year. It sounds like you are already cherishing each moment of the end of this chapter with your youngest.
I love “So many last firsts to remember” that’s great wording!
I remember these mixed emotions,
Beautiful triolet of tribute to this time of transition. May time slow down and you get to hold these precious moments close!
Thank you, Maureen, for hosting this first September Open Write. Like you, I have special relationships with September. For me, every school year in grade school and college began on September 1st. It was a national holiday – Day of Knowledge. You are so brave—10 miles! I did 5 miles in spring and thought I wouldn’t make it. Love all three of your poems and I think you found a helpful mantra in preparation for your marathon: “one foot in front of the other” – this is a key!
In response to your prompt, here is my paragraph this morning:
“At this time next year, you’ll be able to relax and take things slow,” my kind friend and colleague reassured me. I wanted to believe it—no, I truly hoped it would be so. The thought was as soothing as a breezy walk along the beach, as calm as that first cup of morning coffee, and as joyful as crafting with my grandkids. But hold on! By the time spring semester wrapped up, I had already signed up for a new project, followed by a June conference. Then, two more Board of Regents initiatives landed on my desk, enthusiastically backed by my administrators. Of course, I applied, won, and now I find myself juggling all three, on top of my usual teaching, research, publishing, service, and everything in between. But who am I kidding? I thrive on this. I love staying active, meeting deadlines, connecting with people, and watching them grow. It’s what makes me feel happy and complete.
Pace of Joy (Skinny)
Relax
Things
Slow
Soothing
Breezy
Calm
Morning
Joyful
New
Spring
Initiatives
Juggling
Teaching
Research
Publishing
Service
Love
Active
Connecting
Happy
Complete
Walking Moments (naani)
Breezy walk along the shore
Calm as first morning coffee,
Watching others’ happy growth—
Makes me feel complete.
first morning coffee. You had me right there in that breezy walk along the shore, gazing out at the horizon to watch the sunrise. There is nothing quite like water, the sky, the sand, and the breeze with coffee in our hands to remind us of the overwhelming joy that these seemingly simple things can bring.
I love the honesty in your journal and in your poems. Keep doing you!
Leilya, I love how you reflect on your business but center it on the feelings it gives you by the end of both poems. The skinny was a great form to capture the wide range of activities you engage in, each taking up a distinct line.
Leilya, At the end and beginning of all those busy words in your skinny, you write “relax” and “complete.” It reminds me of an entire day, waking up relaxed and taking that deep breath in as we slowly begin, and then the rush of things, before we return to day’s end complete. What a beautiful sequence.
Leilya,
What I love is that I still feel your joy even through the juggling and the change of direction/goal. Love it all!
Leilya, thanks for showing so much about yourself in your headnote and poetry. I love how both of these poems end with the word “complete”. You’re inspirational!
Leilya, sweet prose and poems today. I loved getting to know you with all your many responsibilities giving you energy and completeness. I love “calm as first morning coffee”
I feel your energy and joy in these two tiny poems, Leilya! Yay to a full and rewarding schedule – that “Active/Connecting/Happy/Complete”.
Thanks for all the inspiration this morning, Maureen. Though, I can’t participate in the celebration, I am so happy that these books have been published and will be feeding teachers’ and students’ souls in coming years. It was a happy surprise that your invitation to write this morning came to me. I’ve been so immersed in the school year, that writing has become secondary. I wrote a poem about the supermoon and then rearranged to the triolet and tanka forms.
Supermoon
In late September,
a watercolor moon
rises in the night sky.
A blue-gray smudge,
Earth’s shadow,
across her glorious face.
She is bright and full,
bearing much promise,
a Harvest Moon.
A time of celebration
for summer’s fruits
and fall’s bounty.
She continues to rise,
resting on a ribbon of clouds,
glowing through the haze.
Rising up and up and up,
as the sky darkens
to an inky blackness.
She remains shining,
Luminous in the
Autumn night.
Moon Triolet (a nod to Fran)
In late September,
a watercolor moon
rises to remember
In late September
A blue-gray smudge, remember
Earth’s shadow, a Harvest Moon.
In late September
A watercolor moon.
Moon Tanka (a nod to Sarah)
Watercolor moon
rises in the inky sky.
She is bright and full,
bearing glorious promise,
resting on ribbons of clouds,
Joanne, I love them all – these poems evoke the nighttime fall mood so much that I can see the bare limbs in the backdrop of that moon in the inky dark sky, hear the leaves rustling across the ground, and I feel the bite of the cool breeze as the season changes from hot to cool – – far more inviting temperatures for the respite from the blazing temps. Gorgeous, gorgeous imagery here. Kinda makes me want to make caramel apples today.
Joan, I love the image of “watercolor moon” you created in all of the poems. Your triolet speaks to me the loudest:
“In late September,
a watercolor moon
rises to remember”
These lines carry me into the past–remind me about the birth of my first child many years ago, numerous first days of school, walks in the park, and so much more–talk about the power of words. So well done!
Joanne, your poems are lovely. I couldn’t help but think these would be such terrific mentor texts to teach about firm and revision. You’ve inspired me!
These are all beautiful. The “ribbon of clouds” and the “watermelon moon” bring such imagery and depth to the poems. So easy to close my eyes and visualize this view you paint. ❤️
Joanne, so many lovely images here “ribbons of clouds” and “blue-gray smudge” and “watercolor moon” Beautiful!
Your poems are gorgeous! I love how you praise that ‘watercolor moon’ in each of these; I love the ‘ribbons of clouds’ and that ‘blue-gray smudge.’ How I wish the nights were less cloudy here and I could have observed this beauty. Thank you for giving me this in words!
Maureen, your prompt today warms my heart as I think of the loving arms of this community through the years and ask myself: where would I be without this writing group, my people? And you know I love this short forms for saying so much in so few words. I’m thinking back to two weeks ago, when my father received not one but two cancer diagnoses, and how the world has once again shifted into shadowy uncertainty. All my strong ropes are here – rooted in prayer and my writing community, the strengths of my life where I feel grounded and not at all alone, because the healing is ever-present in this group. I cannot wait to celebrate our books tomorrow at the Zoom party with all of you. I’ll be wearing light blue for prostate cancer and dark blue for colon cancer to cheer Dad as he begins his treatments in the coming days. Thank you, Mo, for the opportunity to write for healing today and to all of you for the opportunity to celebrate our journey tomorrow!
Guts (a triolet nod to Fran)
adopting a diet for healthier guts
black beans and yogurts and probiotics
changing our diets for glands and but(t)s
adopting a diet for healthier guts
cheering on polyphenols in nuts
guarding our colons from xenobiotics
adopting a diet for healthier guts
black beans and yogurts and probiotics
Jiu-jitsu Dodoitsu For the Win (a dodoitsu nod to Mo)
I’m shopping today for blues
two new cancer-ribbon hues
for dad’s diagnosis news
this fight he won’t lose
Bonny Blue Naani (a naani nod to Leilya)
a light blue ribbon
worn through September
on a dark blue shirt
we’re cheering Dad’s treatments
Sending positive thoughts your way, Kim.
I was struck by this line, and how the (s) after blue added another level to the words
I’m shopping today for blues
Kevin
Kim,
I feel the emotions in your poems moving from sadness “I’m shopping today for blues” to hopefulness “we’re cheering Dad’s treatments.”
I agree with you. Our poetry community provides support as we journey through difficult times.
I’m so sorry to hear about your father’s diagnoses. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
A fight he won’t lose. I will keep your dad in my prayers, Kim.
Kim, I can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow at the party as well.I am so sorry to hear about your father’s cancers. Your pain, concerns, love, support, and all the scary feelings along the way are present in each line. Like Kevin, I am struck by “I’m shopping today for blues.” I am with you in your belief that “this fight he won’t lose.”
Sending love, peace, hugs, and kind thoughts your way as he undergoes treatment.
Kim, your love and concern come through in each poem. I’ll be sending healing vibes your dad’s way. See you soon!
Kim, I’m feeling so much as I read through both your intro and your 3 poems. From the first line of the triolet to the last line of the naani, you are surrounding you and yours with healing. Sending all kinds of healing and love to your dad and all of you. He’s got you and you’ve got us!
Kim, I love how you celebrate this group and individuals through your poetry today. I can tell from your proactive words that you are behind your father’s recovery hundred percent. Powerful poems! Hugs!
I am so sorry you are facing this challenge, Kim, and I hope your father weathers these diagnoses well. I see a wink of humor in your line “changing our diets for glands and but(t)s” which made me chuckle – and laughter is the best of medicines, yes?
What a great prompt! Thank you for highlighting the new year feel of September. There is so much possibility as we start school. I fall for it every time and I never quite see the growth until I’ve been away for a long weekend or a school break. But, seeing the kids grow and mature is the best. Triolets are a favorite for me. Those repeating lines are sweet.
I did things differently this morning. I read responses before I drafted. Then, the words that came out of my prose reminded me of the ‘Peace of Wild Things’ by Wendell Berry so I drafted a poem in the style of his.
The Peace of Saturday
When dirt from the road covers me
and I am coughing from dusty weeds
and sun bleached litter that surround it,
and I shrink from unkind sounds of the highway
carried too far in cargo holds of my thoughts
I come into the late September sun
of my kitchen table, sit with loved ones
play with cats, sip coffee,
quietly read the news.
I come into the safe space of Saturday
where outside cares hold no sway.
I write a few words of gratitude
for friends also at their safe spaces
I rest in the warmth of these morning hours
and I am renewed.
Linda, who could be a better famous poet for finding the safe spaces than Wendell Berry? Your lines are soothing for a day like today, where the outside cares are held at bay while we steep ourselves in renewal. Friend, you have offered healing balm to my rough places today through poetry, and I thank you for that.
You can’t wrong when you channel Wendell Berry, at any level.
I once saw that poem you reference in the wild: https://flic.kr/p/2oZNahX
Kevin
I love “the safe space of Saturday.” I’m holding your words in my mind to carry through the weeks ahead to get to those future safe spaces of Saturdays. We all need Saturday renewal. Thank you!
Linda,
Your poem is so soothing. Love the cadence of your words, especially –“I come into the safe space of Saturday/where outside cares hold no sway.” You’ve truly captured the peace of our amazing writing space on this beautiful Saturday.
What a calm, soothing poem for this beautiful September morning, Linda! These line resonate with me when I sit to read the poems crafted by friends here or draft my own:
“I come into the safe space of Saturday
where outside cares hold no sway.”
Thank you!
Linda, love that you took your own beautiful path to today’s writing. What a beautiful description of a Saturday, I think – “where outside cares hold no sway”
What beautiful words this morning, Maureen! It was a true honor to work with you on 90 Ways of Community.
I love the fall and also find it to be a time of great change. I tried a naani this morning.
Fall Mo(u)rning
by Mo Daley 9/21/24
September brings
Renewed hope, resolutions
Wrapped in fear
Of my body becoming a fallen leaf
Oh, my goodness-isn’t that the truth?! Well done.
Mo, the autumn of the calendar is such an apt metaphor for the places we find ourselves in life – – and I’m there with you, with the fear of aging and the realities that set in. All those times my grandparents told me I’d better enjoy things while I was young are coming rushing back into my memories ringing stronger truths all the time. And those zero-ending decade birthdays, as you and your husband celebrate today, deserve every bit of cake and ice cream. I love the way you celebrate life every day ~ the musicals, the plays, the outdoor tent parties to hail the living as the gift it is. Cheers!
Wow. That last line. Just wow.
Kevin
Mo,
What a powerful juxtapostion between new beginnings of the school year and endings “a fallen leaf.” I am really feeling the weight of your poem today, as I am struggling with my last first high school September. My youngest is a senior. Today is Homecoming and it is bittersweet.
Mo – your poem shows just how powerful words can be. Fifteen little words arranged so eloquently, grabs the reader, and speaks the truth. Beautiful poem, Mo. Thank you.
Mo, I couldn’t have said it better. Your final line is cutting into my bones right now. Let’s begin celebrating minutes and hours too!
Oh, Mo! I feel this; several leaves have taken the plummet already! Love your word play in the title – Mo(u)rning – so clever, as are you, my friend. Enjoy your birthday today. Find every moment to celebrate how wonderful you are.
Oh, I love the fear and beauty of “my body becoming a fallen leaf” – another twist on ‘the unbearable lightness of being’, yes?
It was so wonderful to work with you and Sarah on 90 Ways! Such a joyful and illuminating process, I think!
This week my colleague pointed me (the butterfly lady) and my students (the gifted inquirers) to a moth that was still on a brick column on the pavilion outside. I took a picture and used it as a photo prompt for my students on our Fanschool blog. You can read their poems in the comments. https://fan.school/article?id=z8j8v7zLO5dqwzMKstnf
I wrote an elfchen:
Discovery
insects, spiders
hiding in spaces
waiting to scare me
Gotcha!
I love that photo! A true gotcha moment for you AND the spider.
The last line, Margaret, is such a winner. I like your poem as a metaphor for all gotchas – whether spiders, bugs, or those aspects of aging in ourselves and our families that come creeping out of hiding when we least expect them.
Margaret,
Thank you for your poem. I love the lighthearted tone! Spiders really do have a way of jumping out when we least expect it!
Margaret – that photo of the moth is so amazing. How “fearfully and wonderfully made” it is! I love all the “s” sounds in your poem. You hiss at us and then the crescendo – Gotcha!
I love the humor on this short little poem. I will laugh now whenever I see an insect of spider and think “gotcha!” When they scare me!
Love the photo, Margaret! I saw the moth before, but didn’t know its name. Thank you for teaching yet again )) Your elfchen works every time, especially for this “gotcha” moment.
I love elfchens so much!! They have become my ‘go to’ for capturing a moment. I’m so excited that you are helping students discover the enchantment of insects & spiders – absolutely marvelous work, Margaret. Thank you!
Maureen, thank you the inspiration and the links to a variety of forms! I tried a few today and enjoyed the way how each one reflected my prose. Your triolet’s repeating line sounded like a mantra we could all use!
Retirement Skinny
Part-time retirement gig
fulfilling
challenging
thinking
sharing
planning
reading
exhausting
questioning
Retirement gig, part-time?
Ha! Part time has a way of getting a lot more out of teachers, doesn’t it? I like all the positive verbs here. The gig sounds busy and fulfilling.
Christine, I took a half day yesterday to get a checkup, and even as I drove to the doctor on a bloodwork fast without coffee and a protein bar to start the day, I thought to myself – – half days and part time gigs are pretty appealing the closer I get to retirement. I am right there with you, friend, cheering your pacing for not too much and not too little. Onward!
Christine,
The Skinny poem form really works well here to show all the thoughts coming at you at once. I love the question you pose at the end.
Christine – I love the list of active adjectives – makes the reader think that this gig is anything but retiring. I love how you stand retirement on its ear! Thank you!
I love how you turn the beginning into a question at the end!
Ah – that last line! Yes, sometimes that part-time part slips away from us when we become so invested and determined. Hope that the work remains more ‘fulfilling’ than ‘exhausting.’
Maureen, thank you for offering a choice of short poems to craft during this very busy back to school time and for sharing our new books. I love that each poem form mirrors something about running and the three of them together feel like a journey. (I’m exhausted just pondering this). Your skinny shape reflects the idea of one foot in front of the other over a long (10 miles – phew!) trek. And the repeated/rotating lines in the triolet reminds me of how my thoughts run over and over during a run. I opted for a Naani today as I look forward to another school year while simultaneously questioning my survival. .
September
And so it begins
Twenty-five faces fresh
Curiosity abounds
(I can’t help feeling like the cat)
Perfect opening line …
25 fresh faces is such a great image for fall! And then adding in the curious cat! Brilliant
Wonderful! That curiosity is intoxicating. Enjoy every moment!
I love your last line, Jennifer! You really captured the emotions of starting a school year.
Jennifer, we could sip tea and talk. I love the way your poem begins, and I love the cat ending. I’m imagining the swishing tail, the ears perked and the cat eyes focused on the students, the always landing on your feet and having lives in reserve for the days you feel you didn’t quite survive that one and a new life is waiting in the wings. Yes, this is just perfect.
OH! You surprised me, Jennifer! Love it – I can’t help feeling like the cat! Just marvelous! Thank you!
I know you will enjoy it, Jennifer! These “twenty-five faces fresh” will become close and dear pretty soon. Have a wonderful school year! See you tomorrow at the party 🙂
Jennifer, your last line is so clever! I understand the feeling of a rabbit hole. There’s so much to be discovered!
Oh, no! What a fun line “(I can’t help feeling like the cat)” Don’t let those sweet junior highers’ curiosity kill you this year. Hang it there!
Fantastic last line! Yes the year begins like this.
My old classroom was drenched
in cold, isolated silence;
Now I’m bathed in songs of joy
rising from the playground
I went with a Naani poem, thinking of a classroom move I have done this year from an air conditioned room (the only one in our school) that was isolated from other parts of the school to the hottest room in the building on the second floor with windows (no air con) opening up to the playground.
I feel this. We’ve only had AC in the building for the past couple of years and the heat that built up and never released during August and June was sheer misery, worsening as schools tightened security more and more so that doors could not be left open. I’m glad that the playground sounds bring respite and joy.
I never had AC in my classrooms but did love the sounds of joyful recess laughter and freedom! #worthit
That is my favorite sound in the world–kids playing and having fun. I love that you captured that as the joy in your poem.
Kevin, I can’t even imagine a no-a/c classroom in the Georgia heat where I live. Your poem is perfect for the fresh air and sounds of laughter it brings right through the open window.
Yep, Kevin, I had the same experience in reverse. I had to move from a room with 7 windows and a southern exposure on the ground floor looking out into our garden to a room on the second floor with one tine window covered in chicken-wire facing the street. I’ve brought in anything yellow I can find to bring in the JOY.
Kevin, I would trade my freezing classroom and office with you )))
Love that you are still “bathed in songs of joy / rising from the playground.” Sounds great. Thank you!
Kevin, I’m wishing you a happy settling in in your new space! I have also just begun a school year with no air conditioning. Sending solidarity. I love that you’re celebrating what’s great about your new space, and I’m going to channel this energy as well.
What a great way to ‘change the way you look at it’ – feeling
May your year be filled with such sweet music!