Our Host’s Classroom
Eat Here
Get Gas
That “jokey” (and a bit hokey) sign got me thinking about today’s prompt. Oh, I’m Scott, by the way, English teacher at a local (for me, but not for you (probably)) high school and an adjunct instructor at a local (again, it’s local for me but not for you (probably)) community college. And now, of course, I’m thinking the decision to put a picture of my classroom above the phrase “Eat Here / Get Gas” is a bit odd.
Inspiration
Anyways, I was thinking of the signs that I currently have up in my classroom:
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London
“Cut a good story anywhere and it will bleed.” – Anton Chekhov
“Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.” – Robert Frost
Why are these so violent?! I also have a few gentler passages, though, too:
“The best writing is rewriting.” – E. B. White
“Poets deal in the particular to discover the universal.”
“Prose proceeds, verse reverses.” – Richard Howard
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” – Oscar Wilde
And two full poems: “Why Some People Do Not Read Poetry” by W. S. Merwin and “Why Are Your Poems So Dark?” by Linda Pastan
These posters and wall verses are periodically swapped out, so I got to thinking, what if I shamelessly used this opportunity to elicit and solicit some more!
This, of course, is not something new, this “poetry as billboard.” Poems have replaced advertising on some buses (and other forms of transit) in Washington thanks to the Poetry in Public program. https://www.4culture.org/poetry/ And over thirty years ago, The Poetry in Motion folks did a similar thing, placing poems in various transit systems in Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, and San Francisco (among many, many others). https://poetrysociety.org/poetry-in-motion
I’m not looking for anything “as grand” as that, though. I mean, just looking at a small sampling of the poems from the New York Poetry in Motion selections https://poetrysociety.org/poetry-in-motion/category/new-york you’ll see some heavy hitters: Charles Simic, Audre Lorde, Tracy K. Smith, Maya Angelou, Seamus Heaney, Shakespeare, Sharon Olds, Billy Collins, Walt Whitman…look, I could just keep naming them, and you’d recognize all of them! You’d also notice that their topics (and size of selections) are as varied as the poets themselves.
I would just like to cover my walls with more verse. Your verse to be more exact. (And selfishly, I’d also like to be able to say – when a student asks about your offering and reads your name – I can say something like, oh, yeah, I know her, she’s a poet friend of mine, we go way back. We’re in a writing group together. 🙂 )
So, that’s today’s ask. Could you create a short-ish poem that could live on the walls of my classroom: A-220? (Could you, essentially, help me redecorate my room?)
Process
Since “your audience” will be seniors in high school, your poems could be about a number of things: ELA content-based topics, student motivation, fighting writer’s block, general life advice, prom, the weather in Michigan, the weather in places that aren’t Michigan, graduation, MLA formatting, why “we” took away two spaces after the period, the joys of reading, why there is no frigate like a book, and, while you’re at it, you can explain to them what the heck a frigate is, see the topics are endless really.
And know that I’m only being (partially) facetious with all of this. I don’t want you to not write something for fear that what you write will end up plastered on the walls of my classroom. If something seems too poet specific or not a “fit” for the culture of my class or if you explicitly say, hey, hands off! or words to that effect then I will totally respect your wishes!
Or you might want/need to take your writing today in a different direction completely, and that, of course, is perfectly acceptable, too.
Scott’s Poem
If you have
the wherewithal
to use the word
wherewithal in
a sentence,
thank a teacher,
or rather, blame
him because it
makes you sound
a bit pedantic.
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.
Sorry that I’m late to respond, but thanks for the interesting prompt!
If you ever think
You need to prove yourself
To those who dislike you
Without getting to know you
Ask yourself
“Should I put in the effort
When they don’t do the same?”
Hey, no worries, Marisa, thanks for writing and sharing with us! You’ve crafted a great question here. And it’s a nuanced one, too, right? Should we afford those who “dislike” us a modicum of courtesy even if they don’t reciprocate? Good question, lol. Thanks!
If you ever begin to believe
Everyone else is the problem
Consider yourself surrounded by mirrors.
Nice! Thanks for this, Nathan! It’s a more poetic (and appropriate!) version of the quote I usually think about from Raylan Givens in Justified: “if you meet in a-hole in the morning, you’ve met an a-hole. If you meet a-holes all day, you’re the a-hole.”
Nathan, you have a poetic verse. It’s short, simple, but sweet. It’s also an important lesson that some need to learn. Wonderful job!
I don’t know if you need this sign, Scott. But I know when I go back to my classroom next year I will need it!
This verse is not for you
It’s for your teacher
Stop
Talking.
Oh, I love this! Yes, I need this, Ona! I’m getting better at it, I’d like to think that anyways after 29 years, but I still need to, hey, just sit back, and let them do that thinking thing, it takes time, you know, schools shouldn’t be about kids coming here to watch you work, they should do “the working” themselves. Thanks for this “gentle,” lol, reminder!
Ona, I love how you get straight to the point with yours! It’s funny but it gets the message across. I bet some part in every teacher wishes they could hang this up in their classroom. Great job
Sometimes
Sometimes it feels like you can’t do anything,
That you can’t go up and ask the girl you like out,
That you can’t write your paper on time,
That you can’t play the sports that you want because you aren’t good enough.
There are a lot of times that people feel they can’t,
But you have to realize thet High School,
Is a time of CANS.
You can have the courage to ask them out,
You can not give up and turn it in on time,
You can try your best at playing a sport you love.
All you have to do is give life your all,
At least do so now, when you can,
So that later you don’t have regrets.
Absolutely, Andrew! My students (sometimes) don’t realize that there’s really “a safety net” in high school; now, is, indeed, the time for them to try and fail and try again so that, as you so aptly wrote, they “don’t have regrets” later in life. Thank you for writing and sharing this!
Well, since the clock on this Chromebook says 12:28 AM, I think it’s pumpkin time as they say — do they? — and it’s pretty tough typing when you’ve been turned into a pumpkin, or so I’ve heard, I wouldn’t actually know, I mean, I’ve never been turned into a pumpkin before, a summer squash, yes, but a pumpkin, no. (Is it worse that I had to fact check that joke by just typing into Google “is a summer squash a type of pumpkin” — it apparently works, you’ll be happy to note, because “pumpkins are a type of winter squash” OR the fact that I just told you I did all of that?) Regardless, thank you all for your awesome offerings today — well, um, yesterday, to be exact — and please, check back later today to see my thoughts (and thanks!) for your poem if I didn’t get a chance to comment on yours today, er, yesterday…I just need to sleep for a bit, lol!
From 408 to A-220
If you have
the audacity
to use the word
audacity
or chutzpah
temerity
or gall,
please pause
and reconsider
simpler options:
nerve
guts
effronteryimpertinenceprocacityWhoops:
stick to
nerve and guts
or meet me
in the fecund garden
of vocabaudacity.
The “fecund garden / of vocabaudacity”! LOL. I love the rethinking and crossing out of “
effrontery/impertinence/procacity” (Although, to be honest, “procacity” is going into my immediate working vocabulary, and I may even channel Big Daddy from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — is that the smell of procacity in here?! — when I say it. My students, of course, will have no idea what I’m saying, lol. Which, now that I think of it, is par for the course some (most?) days…) Thank you for this, Allison!🤣🤣
Allison, I love this writing advice! Fecund garden is a perfect exemplar! So much fun!
Scott, as always, your poem is full of thoughtful humor! I love this prompt, working on limited time, but I did my best!
Put away your cell phones and
pay attention!
Old man shakes fist and
yells at cloud.
“Old man” is archetypal trope (google it)
that might just represent
wisdom.
The cloud is a metaphor.
The cell phone is not.
He’s yelling because he cares.
Not to get all Willie Loman on you,
but attention must be paid!
Dave,
First I thought of Lear screaming into the wind, but pulling a Willie Lowman is a gut punch. Today I subbed in a class w/ an ISU observer who told me the teacher usually has “Mo Tech Fridays” in the Flex classes. Then she added: “That’s too hard w/ a sub.” I asked her if she has any idea how ironic her comment is. From there we had a discussion about technology w/ me saying it’s too ubiquitous. She responded w/ a confused look. 😞
Haha that interaction is hilarious!!
This poem is so English-y and I think seniors would so love it.
You trembled my English-teacher bones! What a delight.
Dave, lol! “Attention must be paid!” is such a great line from Miller’s play, which, of course, I read in my AP classes, and which, of course, my students will appreciate in your poem (more so, perhaps, than the admonishment at the start to “[p]ut away [their] cell phones,” lol.) Thanks for this!
Love all of the references in here: a little nugget of literary and pop culture gold. ❤️
If I could go back to when I was young,
I’d think more of others Than I worried
What they thought of me.
I’d talk to the new girl. Eat lunch with
Someone new every day.
I’d smile in the halls,
Be nice to the under classes,
Spend less time in front of the mirror
And more time really seeing who was around.
I’d stop planning so hard to be a success,
And just be me. Really me, warts and all.
Don’t like me, okay. That’s on you.
If I could go.back to when I was young.
Jeanie, you straight forward description will surely speak to some reader who wonders if all the worry will make a difference. Thanks for acknowledging this speaker’s past in such an open way.
Jeania, what a wise reflection! I think many of us here could relate to your words. I am drawn to the speaker’s desire to be what/who they are: “I’d stop planning so hard to be a success,
And just be me.” Thank you for sharing!
Jeania, this is such good advice. I think about going back to my younger days with the wisdom of hindsight too. So many difficult lessons could’ve been avoided.
Jeania,
Repeating the first line at the end creates a nice frame. Have you read “The Power of Regret” by Daniel Pink? We all have regrets, or should.
Jenia, your openness here is beautiful. Isn’t it strange how we re-view high school as teachers? Your poem is lovely. I, too, would “talk to the new girl” and “smile in the halls.” Thank you.
Jeania, thank you for this introspection! All of my students need to read this. This is such an important (but, granted, very difficult) lesson to learn: to “just be [you]. Really [you], warts and all.” That’s a lesson even adults need!
When making choices, choose wisely.
Never ignore that uneasy feeling you get
when something just doesn’t feel right.
Because it’s so much harder to get out once you’re in.
So, don’t settle.
Perfect and true advice, Donnetta! Students (and people in general) need to hear/read this more often. Thanks for this!
Love this advice, Donnetta. Yes, so much harder to get out once you’re in.
Scott, your prompt inspired me to write this little ditty.
Your opinion matters here
Within these four brick walls.
But when it comes to drama,
Please keep it in the halls.
This is the perfect ditty, Katrina!
LOL, Katrina! This surprised a bark of laughter from me! It reminds me of the phrase, “save the drama for your mama,” which I can’t see myself ever uttering to my students. Your poem, however, oh, yes, I can, whole heartedly, see myself printing it out and putting it on my classroom’s walls, lol! Thank you!
You are welcome. Thank you!
Bravo, Katrina!
😂Great advice!!
Yes! This is delightful. Thank you for sharing!
Standing ovation to “keep it in the halls”!
This is a chuckle of truth and wishful thinking of a teacher. I hope they follow this.
Katrina – this is perfect advice!
Sometimes
the simplest
of solutions
work the best:
stay in your seat,
all four legs planted
solid on the floor,
and guess what,
you won’t get pushed
or fall
to the ground.
Then we can skip
the conversation of
why you are
on the ground
shouting
at your “friend”
who shoved you.
Please and thank you.
Keep it simple
and be where you should.
MM,
Your poem made me smirk when I read “and guess what/you won’t get pushed/or fall/to the ground.” I have never understood why people are surprised when their seat tips back and falls.
Spoken like a teacher and written like a poet. I love the alliteration. “Sometimes the simplest of solutions works the best.”
You write as if this happened in your classroom before! LOL!
This is great! I love your second sentence, especially. I can picture this scene so perfectly. So simple, so direct, so good. Thanks for crafting and sharing this!
Moonism
Boxer, my favorites out of all your gems are:
My favs:
“Two days till Monday.” This had me smiling widely. And I love, “Writing is the existence of imagination” and “The reward for hard work is more hard work.” Thank you for these Moonisms. (Side note: I hope (and imagine, regardless of it’s true or not, lol) that you use “I’m out like a speckled trout! [peace/victory fingers] as your “closing” for all of your electronic correspondences.)
Clayton your use on nonsense is likely to make sense when the readers stop shaking their heads. Because between meant of the nonsense time is straight factual advice.
My two favorites are
Don’t work so hard to get out of work
The reward for hard work is more hard work
Thanks for sharing truths than likely will save a reader from unnecessary alarm when they realize
Wherever you go there younare
I love this! You are such a clever writer, Boxer! Moonism…brilliant!
Clayton – these are so great I love that you can call them “moonisms” so good! I feel like these can inspire students to write their own “____isms” too which would be awesome to read!
My favorite lines were
I love Mondays
Put off yesterday for today
We all 13th cousins
Hi Scott,
Thanks for this prompt. I just had my cable man leave after a new install. I don’t know if this is really what students would care about but I am venting.
Newness
what to follow
so many signs
on the roads
cross traffic doesn’t let up
give a soft shoulder.
A new remote,
power on, arrow to the right
beware of the bump
then a dip.
Walls and at home have exempt outlets
or a dead end.
Bombarded with
commands,
directions ahead
telling me where to turn and what to do.
Let me alone!
I love how your approach allowed you to vent tonight. All signs point to yes!
Susan, I’m here for the venting, lol! It seems sometimes technology that should streamline life for us just makes it more difficult. What is that old joke, the IT guy rewires your phone to make it easier to dial the police, now you just have to press 4872#. I’ve mangled that a bit, but I think you get the gist of it, lol. And I love how your bolded words end on “dead end. / ahead.” Perfect! (And I hope the cable situation works out and that you don’t end up needing a remote for your new remote!)
Scott,
I just loved this cool prompt! And I loved your mentor poem — incisive with a side of humor, as always.
I’m here in Texas visiting my best friend, and the experience is always a reality check for me in many ways, but especially since my friend, and so many of his friends, did not pursue college degrees and are happy, healthy, and — in some cases — wealthy because they put their soft skills and their knowledge of themselves and their strengths to work for them. Degrees help, but they aren’t foolproof — I’ve know some degree’d fools that prove it.
I don’t know if this is the kind of advice you’d want to share, but this is what our conversations today about your prompt yielded.
Success is different for everyone; for some it
is money, for some contentment, and for some it’s escape from
relative(s) or community – but remember that someday you will bust out of this town
and make your life your own, and
you don’t have to take a traditional route to do it. So while some
are chasing a degree, remember that a degree of uncertainty comes with everything, and being
responsible, punctual, self-aware, and a self-starter may get you just as far as paying
for your education for the next four (Five? Six?) years. My friend gave me some advice for
your young ears – he was homeless in high school. Kicked out of his
own house for being who he was, he dropped out of high school and pursued his
happiness in a different way, earning his GED and going out into the working world – even
so, he is a manager at a major airline, a photographer on the side, and
take(s) his happiness seriously, traveling with his job, advocating for his union, and taking
control of his life more firmly than I’ve seen people with college degrees do. Think
of this when you look down on less-school successful peers and don’t be too hasty with
your criticism of them: you have no idea how
life may turn out.
This is full of valuable advice …”a degree of uncertainty comes with everything” (right on!!) …wow, your friend “was homeless in high school” and nevertheless “taking control of his life more firmly”…”don’t be too hasty with your criticism”. This is what all high schoolers need to hear.
Wendy, I love this small treatise on success. It should be read far and wide. I like the two ways to read it. The story of the young friend, so successful with his taking control and working hard, earning a GED and so much more. Powerful stuff!
Yes! I think your commentary is just as valuable as your poem. I get a little peeved when people tell children that the need to go to college. Those days are over. We all need to offer students options that include entrepreneurial skills, trades, or whatever else is out there.
Wendy, this is brilliant! My students, absolutely, need to hear this from my AP classes to my co-taught ones! And your advice from your friend brought goosebumps. And your striking line! So so good! Thank you for thinking about (and discussing this prompt with your friends!) and for crafting such a wonderful piece!
I really like this poem and think it’ll be really good for high school students.
Artificial cedar topiary trees
have replaced the frostbitten
native Nelly I planted last spring.
I wonder if that’s how it goes:
one day I will decide my genuine
smile lines are no longer welcome.
Will I fill the line with plastic vines?
Then, years from now below the
surface, will it matter I am rootless?
*Scott, I don’t think this is anything close to the prompt today, but I couldn’t share this thought about the plastic trees my partner planted in our front lawn today out of a deep resolution to not take care of living plants ever again.
Oof! Plastic trees? Plastic smile? No thanks. The world will soon drown in plastic.
Sarah, thank you for following that thought and for crafting this introspective (and a touch somber) poem. And, of course, thank you for sharing it with us! I appreciate how complicated this “whole thing” is, how nuanced it is — I mean, more than once I’ve been mowing my lawn, thinking, maybe a front yard of gravel, or fake sod, or something, anything that I don’t have to cut every week would be better — and this being juxtaposed to your second stanza with the very real concern of how (sometimes, oftentimes?) society ties “worth” with “aging.” Thank you for this!
Sarah,
Wow. Loved the suggestiveness of the second and third stanzas. My mind went to botox and I loved the juxtaposition of the natural with the artificial in such a creepy way (echoes of “The Veldt”!). Then those last two lines…
Ooh! Plastic trees? I can’t imagine because in our California sun they would bleach away. Love the imagery of the plastic vines filling the smile lines. It’s fine to be rootless, I think. One can always fill in with something.
I love this! I am trying to imagine plastic trees – I wish you’d included a photo. Your rhymes in “Will I fill the line with plastic vines?” are so awesome…and that final, “will it matter I am rootless?” is really good advice I think: dare to be rootless, don’t be too stuck in one place.
Sarah, you make me (again and again) think about these issues. The world is overfilled with artificial greenery, trees, flowers, and yes, smiles. And even if at some point, you decide to make some adjustments to your smile, you shouldn’t worry. You are strongly rooted in humanity and kindness. The imagery of plastic veins does sound quite unsettling.
Sarah,
My smile lines needed this extra love today! I saw a woman the other day who looked like her face was a mannequin and her body was natural. It’s hard to fathom. Thank you for this gem!
This is a profound poem. Interesting to plant fake trees outside. Sounds weird but I know the frustration of having plants die. I will never get Botox. It sounds so scary to me, probably because of your last question!
Oh Scott! I’m intrigued by the sites you’ve shared and want to spend all day enjoying them. Thank you, for offering this unique opportunity to share something that may or may not be shared with your students.
Shot With an iPhone
All those photos
in your camera roll
documenting
All those moments
of your school days
celebrating
All those nights
kickin’ it with friends
laughing
All those times
alone with your selfies
losing
All those chances
to connect eyes
lock hands
and live
without
your
phone.
©Stacey L. Joy, April 26, 2024
Stacey,
Love this and the way the apostrophe drives in your point.
“losing/
All those chances
to connect eyes”
This is wisdom that everyone needs to drink in, absorb.
I really like the stanza break after the word “losing” – drawing one’s eye to the gravity of that word.
Stacey, I love your final stanza, “All those chances/to connect eyes/lock hands/and live/without/your/phone.” The irony of the poem on the phone is perfect.
Oh, Stacey…this is gooood. And in love the image you created.
I love love love this, Stacey! This is so good! Students don’t often times see how this technology is weaving itself (irretrievably?) into their everyday lives — this notion of “I can’t have fun or really do anything unless I document it” is so so insidious. So, thank you for articulating this so well! (And I love the visual, too!). [In my class, we’re doing a modified April Bracket of Performance Poets — a la Melissa Alter Smith’s wonderful template from her Teach Living Poets site — and Marshall Davis Jones’s “Touchscreen” has made it into the final four. I’d link to it here, but Billy Collins, a while back, told me that wasn’t a good idea unless you want the whole video popping up! All of this is to say, thank you, again, and I like the fact that my students this year will appreciate the power of your poem even more because they’ve just been “primed” by Jones’s.]
The structure of this is amazing Stacey! The repetition works well and I may just add this to my room also! I agree it connects to “Touchscreen” perfectly.
Scott — This is a fun prompt and one that I would like to visit. I’m in between places I need to be so this all I got today.
Wherever you go,
there you are
don’t run from the person you’ve become,
Just be you, that’s all!
If you make mistakes
Give yourself a break
sometimes mistakes are what it takes!
Love this, Tammi! Your words flow so beautifully and I agree give yourself a break if you make mistakes:)
Tammi, I love these motivational words.
This is short and sweet, just the right message!
“Wherever you go,
there you are”
Tammi, so glad to see you here even though it’s been a busy day! Yours is a nice poem to pair with Gayle’s today. “don’t run from the person you’ve become” could have great implications.
Love this Tammi! Kids seem so scared to be wrong, when wrong is just a step on the path to discovering what’s right. Love this poem!
Tammi, these are golden and timeless truths that you’ve captured so well here! (And I love the rhymes in stanza two: “make,” “mistakes,” “break,” and “takes”! So good!) Thank you!
How fun! I enjoyed this prompt a lot.
Honestly, Margaux, I knew you would doubt my psalm about the knightly gnome who, gnashing his teeth, asked his psychiatrist if there was a mnemonic device for the word pneumonia, so I went out on a limb and used a pseudonym.
Psinserely,
Bjorn the Pterrible
This is so clever!
I think students will have a lot of fun with this one! I smiling at the knightly gnome because that image just seems incongruous with my images of each. Love it!
Haha! Love this wordplay and the lesson embedded in it! <3
Wow – this is so fun! Very clever.
Lol! This was a lot of fun! I love all the play with the silent letters throughout, and the rhythms you’ve crafted: “I went out on a limb and used a pseudonym” is just fun to say out loud. Thank you for this!
Choose
Maxims, famous quotes, inspirational blather…
it all comes down to the word,
your word,
that specific word
that rips
the scab right off
the skin
of your idea
and lets you
bleed
until
you are ready
to scar.
by Susie Morice, April 26, 2024©
Such truth, Susie!!
Susie,
Amen, boy howdy, preach! “it all comes down to the word”! Yes. And I do love the challenge to the trite, often reductive saying that pass as wisdom in “Maxims, famous quotes, inspirational blatter.” “Blather is such a specific, necessary word in this context. I cringe a bit when I see sayings on posters and wonder what folks would think had they read the entire text it’s taken from.
Whoa, Susie! A poem for the just-right word…it couldn’t be more powerful or true. I’m in awe of this imagery – I so understand it.
Oh, Susie! Yes, this is so true.
Holy guacamole, Susie! Wow! You have nailed it in this poem! Get ready to scar! Love the imagery and action, and truly is there anything more important than a person’s word! Fantastic poem!
So, vivid, so visceral, so good! Thank you, Susie, for this unapologetic truth!
Susie, this is great advice — and, like the metaphor of wounds and healing in your poem, painful to try to follow — but so necessary to do in order to heal. <3
“lets you
bleed
until
you are ready
to scar.”
Isn’t this the gospel truth? Wonderful advice.
Susie, “blather” is such a perfect word to describe a lot of motivational posters, isn’t it? scab, bleed, scar. Yes, to this powerful metaphor for the word, my word.
BOOM!
This hits the nail on the head!
You are a master of “the word,” Susie! I can’t help but quote your wisdom again and again:
“that specific word
that rips
the scab right off
the skin”
Love the rhyme, rhythm, /s/ and /r/ alliteration create lines that are so dynamic! Amazing!
Ohhhhhh! I love what your poem made me see and feel. Your movement from “word” to “scar” is powerful.
This is amazing. Using this too. It physically affected me when I read it and I guess that’s the point of words.
With apologies to Twain. Jesus it much better than I ever could.
Surround yourself with
genius and talent, you will
elevate yourself
Mo Daley
4/26/24
Great stuff, that. Fist pump! Susie
Yup! I agree with this for sure! We rise to the occasion when we are surrounded by people of talent.
Love it. <3
Bravo! Choose friends wisely!
Mo, you’ve just pinpointed why I joined this group, lol. 🙂 Thank you for haikuing this so perfectly!
Yes, Mo! You speak my words. I don’t fool around with fools! lol!
“School days are the best of your life,”
“How I wish I could go back to those carefree times.”
But do they recall the endless tests,
the pressure to succeed,
the uncertainty of what comes next?
The sleepless nights, doubts, and farewells?
You wonder, “What can they truly understand about my journey?”
But every graduate, professional,
and elder was once in those shoes.
They faced the same crossroads,
carried the same anxieties,
hopes, dreams, and ambitions.
Every cap thrown is a story continued,
if you just step forward.
“Every cap thrown is a story continued,
if you just step forward.”
I love this—it should be quoted at every graduation ceremony!
Mak — so much truth in your poem and in this —
“Every cap thrown is a story continued,
if you just step forward”
Mak, I loved how you used empathy here to inspire, showing how those who have gone before have trod the same roads.
“Every cap thrown is a story continued” is a great line! And it is so true, right? We sometimes feel alone in our “anxieties, / hopes, dreams, and ambitions” forgetting that other people have “come before us” and have walked “in those shoes.” Thank you for this reminder, Mak!
The 21st Century Art of Poetry
The art of poetry according to Horace
is complicated and intimidating (my assessment).
In a 476-line poem, he instructs young poets,
“Whenever you instruct, be brief…”
Oh, he gives lots of instruction. One example,
A poem should have charm as well as beauty.
He gives ancient Greek lessons
on iambus and spondee,
Oracles and orchestras,
Wisdom and leeches, Diana
and how a play should have exactly 5 acts.
“If I fail to keep and do not understand
these well-marked shifts and shades
of poetic forms, why am I hailed as poet?” he asks.
(Actually, that is a translation of what he asks.)
I think poetic forms are great myself.
I like having parameters that help me write.
Maybe you do too.
But I would suggest that poetry
can be billboard length, as well.
(Thank you, Mr. Closkey.)
“Cut a good story anywhere and it will bleed.” ~Anton Chekhov
“Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.” ~Robert Frost
When you put your words to paper, they live inside my head ~Jennifer Guyor-Jowett
Every little thing is gonna be all write. Just write. ~Fran Haley
If someone says you aren’t good enough,
Laugh and write a limerick about them. ~Leilya Pitre
Take life by the shoulders…Write it a poem. ~Joanne Emery
A poem is a what we need right now,
And you are hailed as the poet.
____________________________________________
Scott, what a lovely idea for your prompt today. I love the idea of hanging these in your room and being able to comment that you know that poet. We are all hailed as poets today. Thank you, Horace. And a special thank you to Anton Chekhov, Robert Frost, Jennifer Guyor-Jowett, Fran Haley, Leilya Pitre, and Joanne Emery who helped me write my poem today.
Oops, I mean Mr. McCloskey.
Oh, Denise, I remember Horace’s “Ars Poetica” letter. I used it in my Literary Analysis course. You managed to use his oxymoronic “Whenever you instruct, be brief,” and I agree with your assessment. Not many of us would be successful following his instructions. Including great lines of “billboard” length makes so much sense. The final two lines seal a deal for me:
“A poem is a what we need right now,
And you are hailed as the poet.”
Thank you, friend!
Denise,
As I read your analysis of Horace, I thought about who sets the standard for what a poem can and cannot be. Of course, we know the answer, so I love seeing this push back from you. It reminds me of Alexander Pope’s “Sound and Sense” and Archibald MacLeish’s “Ars Poetica.” My favorite thing about your poem today is the way you make room for many possibilities, from embracing form to experimenting w/ pop culture, like a billboard. I like to think these days we have a more inclusive, expansive view of what a poem is, and your poem honors that idea. I’m even amused at your oops moment. It can be a poem, too.
I love that you have included vintage and contemporary poets here!
Denise — This is fun to think about… ol’ Horace… I need to go back and look…maybe. LOL! Most of all I LOVE “a poem is what we need right now.” Amen to that! Susie
Awwww, Denise-!! I love how you thank Horace even while pushing back a bit, lol. Scott’s prompt is vibrant indeed. As are those perfect quotes by Frost & Chekhov, reshared in this way (I shall never tire of those). And I am honored to write alongside YOU and all the other VerseLovers here. We make each other better – wind beneath poet-wings – this is so what you do with your words, Denise. Always. Thank you. <3
Denise — I love the way you structured your poem to move from more dense stanzas (in the fashion of Horace) to the the billboard length take poetry “by the throat.” and convey how poetry can be many things.
Denise, what a clever way to celebrate poets, this prompt, and writers who share this space. Those first quotes popped up when I was writing today. Hail to poets! Brilliant!
Denise, I loved the shift here, the turn that this took into blending our poets’ words into the words of the greats’ — great poem!
This is wonderful, Denise! I love this interplay of voices throughout — Horace to Frost to Guyor-Jowett to Haley to Pitre to Emery — this merging of what it means to “be” a poet, to be a creative, and to be needed. This invitation at the end is everything! “And you are hailed as the poet.” Thank you for this!
One of my smart students (actually qualifies as intelligent) created a poem form she called a quotem. It’s, of course, a poem that sounds like a quote, not to be confused with a quoem which is a poem inspired by a quote. I recently wrote a poem for a colleague’s birthday that could be consider a billboard-ish/quotem much-like-a-Hallmark-card poem.
You are a verse of vision–
steady and calm
like the slow river
you come from.
You hold the weight of wisdom–
gentle and kind,
a true heart and mind.
You are a gift.
Margaret, what a lucky colleague you have to receive this quotem. “verse of vision” “weight of wisdom” are wonders. And “gentle and kind / a true heart and mind” is a joy to read.
Margaret, The imagery of a slow river and the attributes of wisdom, gentleness, and kindness weave together to not only celebrate a person but also to inspire the reader. This piece certainly serves as a gift. Very amazing.
Margaret— this is wonderful. “You hold the weight of wisdom-gentle and kind”. Beautiful quotem!
Margaret — Thank you…I didn’t know these specific terms – Quoem and Quotem. Makes sense…I love it when I learn that certain seemingly unnamed things actually have a term. Fun! Susie
So lovely, Margaret – your words are a gift, flowing like that slow river.
Margaret — what a beautiful message for your friend’s birthday card! Enjoyed the rhythm and especially these lines “You hold the weight of wisdom–
gentle and kind”
Quotem is a fantastic variation on the quoem. Brilliant. I am channeling the subject of your poem wanting to be that “slow river” this weekend. And I’d like to say that you, my friend, are a gift.
Sarah
Margaret, I just love that your student invented a form — so cool! And I love your reassuring, loving gift of words!
Margaret,
Your words feel warm in my soul. I want to keep them close.
You are a gift, Margaret. 🩷
Oh, this is so so good, Margaret! The structure, the rhythm, the details: it’s all just so well-crafted and, truly, such “a gift.” Lucky colleague! And now we, too, share in this luck! Thank you!
At the start of my senior year,
my principal sat my entire class down in the library—
all 48 of us—
and warned that the year
would pass in the blink of an eye.
Naturally, I scoffed at him.
Then I blinked, and
I was walking across our auditorium’s stage,
receiving my diploma,
saying goodbye to people I hated,
to people I love.
I was ready to ditch my small town,
the small-minded people,
but I wasn’t ready to leave my best friends.
Cherish who you have,
cherish the time you have,
before you’re an adult
mourning childhood friendships.
I feel I am still mourning my childhood friendships. It all feels like a flash. I remember dancing a slow dance with a boy I “liked” to the song Cherish. I cherish that moment, but have no idea who the boy was. Boyd, maybe? Your poem is just right for hanging on a wall for seniors.
Mick, I like how you remember that talk the principal gave. It is a significant memory for you. This poem holds good advice. I love that word cherish.
“Then I blinked”— and you blink again and again. Great advice!
Mick,
I so appreciate when a poem reads like a narrative building scenes to the so what, and your stanzas do that so nicely. I also love learning about the poets here. 48 in a class. Yes. An “mourning childhood friendships.” Your poem helped us to witness this time and mourn with you.
Peace,
Sarah
Mick — Time really does pass in a “blink of an eye.” There are so many stages of life that repeat this blink. College, bliss of newlyweds,birth of children. It all goes by so fast. Your word “Cherish who you have, cherish the time you have” are truth.
Mick, these are truly words of wisdom. I can relate to these feelings, mourning childhood friendships that were ended too soon.
Mick, I love your poem.
The lines that stuck out to me the most were “Then I blinked, and I was walking across our auditorium’s stage,” “saying goodbye to people I hated, to people I love,” and “I wasn’t ready to leave my best friends.”
You had great imagery and I portrayed a feeling that nearly everyone can relate to.
Good job!
Many of my seniors are feeling this, with these few remaining weeks left. You’ve captured these feelings so well here. It goes so fast: “Then I blinked, and / I was walking across our auditorium’s stage.” Yep, it’s fast. I love this advice: “Cherish who you have, / cherish the time you have.” Thank you for this, Mick!
They say “Youth is wasted on the young”
or
“What I would give to be your age again.”
But do they remember
the fights with friends
the angry parents
the boy or girl who didn’t love them back?
The awkwardness
insecurity
and anger?
You ask, “What does this person know about me?”
But, every author, poet, and playwright
was once your age,
felt the same feelings,
had the same thoughts,
fears,
hopes,
and dreams.
Every story is yours in some way, if you just look.
– April 26, 2024
Hi Em! I love your poem. I love the idea that “every story is yours in some way”, we’re all more similar than we realize. Great work!
I love “every story is yours”. We read poems and think I wish I had written that or I could have written that or I hope I never write that. All stories, all poems are ours.
Em, I love the reminder that everyone “was once your age.” It’s a good reminder. We can relate to every story, if we just look. I love the empathy in your poem.
Em— this is so true. Every story is yours…just look. Wonderful.
Em,
What a great closing line “Every story is yours in some way, if you just look.” What an invitation!
Sarah
<3 <3
Loved the authenticity of this sentiment:
“But do they remember
the fights with friends
the angry parents
the boy or girl who didn’t love them back?
The awkwardness
insecurity
and anger?”
We look back on the “golden age” of our youth and forget how hard it was; your lines capture these sentiments perfectly.
TRUTH! When I try to “pull” a student into reading, I often fall back on your advice (except it’s not so artistically put, lol) by using some George Orwell Animal Farm references, look, folks, it’s not about “the pigs,” although it is absolutely and completely about these animals at the same time, you understand, no?, that’s what literature can do, that’s what symbols can….and then I’m off on some tangent. Now I can just point to your poem! and say, Orwell is (was) human, too, he knows loss, heartache, rebellion, all of those feelings that each and every one of you have felt. So, thank you, Em!
I’m loving these so much! Scott . . . can we steal these for our classrooms, too?
Aren’t these great!! This is such an embarrassment of riches, right? What gifts!
Scott, very clever ploy to decorate your room. This one is for your students!
Find common ground
before the divide
is too wide.
Listen closely,
search for truth,
make the difference.
Our world needs
you!
Barb Edler
26 April 2024
I thought since you were looking for posters that I’d add my Canva rendition.
LOL, you caught me, Barb! Your words and image are wonderful! Your words are so important, and they pair so well with the picture. This will look great on my wall, lol. Thank you!
Thanks, Scott!
Barb,
Your words are wonderful, but your Canva rendition really works!!
Barb,
Your Canva is gorgeous. It looks as though it’s straight out of a poster catalogue. Remember those? That first line is so aspirational: “Find common ground,” and I hear Casandra in the second line warning “before the divide / is too wide.” The call to action in “Listen…search…make” echos ideas in Neil Gaiman’s “Make Good Art,” which is what you do every day. This is such a life-affirming, spectacular poem. Thank you for sharing your art and your vision.
Barb, your first stanza appeals not just to high school students. we all desperately need to find common ground. The divide is too wide as I see it now. Thank you for these golden words!
“Divide is too wide” is a nice phrase to say aloud. I love how the Canva illustration shows this in nature.
Beautiful and on Canva, even moreso. Susie
Barb, the poster is breathtaking, and I love the sentiment in that first stanza. The divides keep getting wider when we don’t find common ground. Isn’t that the truth? “Listen closely” is another great bit of advice. Thank you for sharing this treasure.
Barb, truer words never said than in your first stanza today. Finding common ground is a good goal for every interaction we have.
Barb, I am moved by the appeal to healing in your lines – we all need this poem.
Oh, this is a message our students desperately need and want to be reminded of. So powerful to say “our world needs/you!” and the rhyming offers a welcoming rhythm.
Sarah
anchors
befriends
calms
dreams
extends
fixes
grows
HOPE
imagines
journeys
keeps
loves
marvels
notices
opens
practices
questions
replenishes
shifts
teaches
understands
vacates
wades
xeroxes
yields
zests
be the one who hopes
Well, that was supposed to be centered and single-spaced. Lol. Thanks, Scott, for an awesome prompt!!
Trying to attach a screenshot. Hope this works!
I love getting to see your wonderful poem the way you envisioned it, Maureen! Hope draws the eye first and then we light on the last line: “be the one who hopes.” YES! Hope springs eternal! (And, like Angie, I didn’t at first “see” the alphabet either because I was pulled along down the length of your poem. It was such a wonderful surprise when I realized, lol.) Thank you for this!
At first I didn’t notice the alphabet. Amazing Maureen. So much conversation can happen about this – verbs, spelling, meaning, alphabetizing! What a poster to be in a classroom! Often I wonder where the idea comes from for certain poems, like this one, beyond the obvious prompt of course!
Wow, you’ve captured the power of words within your alphabet poem, Maureen. I really enjoyed: loves, marvels, notices, opens, practices, questions. Super final line! Yes, to the ones who find hope.
Maureen,
I know the formatting did not work for you, but I like the expansiveness of your poem and am imagining it as a sideways wingspan with Emily Dickinson’s feathers. Hope is how we take flight, how we get out of bed each day, how we make our world better, and by writing a one word per line poem leading to that final thought, you launch each word and all it offers into the world of possibility for young people. Also, the spaces create opportunities to pause, think, and breathe.
It took me a minute to see an alphabet poem, Maureen, because words flow so smoothly. Hope is that thing I often seek, and I appreciate you drawing attention to it. All the verb choices speak to your skillful use of diction. I think I will “Borrow” this one for my office wall. Thank you!
Maureen! This is my favorite poem of all! It’s the ABCs of hope, and I am just wading into the dreams and loves and marvels of your beautiful poem. It would make a dandy poster for Scott’s room.
Be the one who hopes. Oh, yes, Maureen.
Maureen,
I love how you have hope anchoring the center of this poem and for the way your spacing moves my eyes slowly through each contemplation, each word standing on its own yet a pile of ideas to ponder toward “the one who hopes.” Yes.
Sarah
Scott, thank you for the prompt. It is such a great idea to have the words of your poet colleagues and friends in the classroom. I also like the idea of changing them from time to time to expose kids to more brilliant ideas. This morning I have read a dozen of poems that well deserve to be placed on your walls. People here are brilliant! I only have a few minutes to play with words today, so nothing worthy of public display, neither do I have “the wherewithal.” So here are a few random rhymes:
***
If someone says you aren’t good enough,
Laugh and write a limerick about them.
***
When you have the writer’s block,
Simply go for a walk.
Suddenly, you will catch
Poetry sounds—a magical batch.
***
In words you’ll find your hidden voice,
Don’t be afraid—make it your choice.
***
With pen in hand, we shape our fate,
In stories told, we memory create.
Leilya,
I love all of these. Taking a walk is an invitation to observe, and that invites poetry into our lives and onto the page. Have a lovely day, my friend.
Thank you, Glenda! You, too, enjoy the weekend! I will, just have to do some x, y, z –the usual work things.
Omg I love the first and last stanzas – moving from humorous to sooo deep! “we memory create” what a well phrased meaning. I always tell my students to write if for no other reason than to remember!!
Nice pebble poems, Leilya. I especially like the hidden voice, make it your choice one. I think so often students do not feel their words are worthy. Poetry allows them a way to find their voice.
Leilya, truth throughout! I love the limerick idea. I want to give it a try! 🙂 And that last stanza… I want to have a poster with this one it:
Leilya — I totally love the first stanza…write a limerick about them! LOL! Indeed! LOVELOVELOVE that. Susie
I love that magic batch of words found in nature…..catching poetry sounds is right up my alley this weekend…..
Leilya-! These are marvelous poem “posters”! Every single one. The limerick one – priceless. It cracked me up. The last one, on shaping our fate and creating memories, has just the right mystical, wistful, very slightly-cautionary tone. Puts me in the mood to read of enchantments and such.
Such wisdom, Leilya.
And the series of asterisks in between look like eyes or represent listeners to me in between. Or maybe a twinkle of insight as the words rush over me. Just like thinking of them symbolically. And the dashes work so well to breathe in between. “Poetry sounds– a magical batch.” Love that phrasing.
Peace,
Sarah
Love your use of rhyme! Such a powerful message and I adore the image of pen in hand.
I’m with everyone here, Leilya, these are all great lines! I love the humor of “If someone says you aren’t good enough, / Laugh and write a limerick about them.” Lol! And then the truth of your last lines: “With pen in hand, we shape our fate, / In stories told, we memory create.” I love the power this instills in the crafting of narratives. Thank you for sharing your artful “word play” with us today!
Scott,
Thanks for hosting. Anyone who teaches seniors understands the following.
Bill-Bored
bored bill
yawn spilled
nodded off
assignment scoffed
played games
teacher blames
watched TikTok
work forgot
excuses made
graduation delayed
mom sad
dad mad
second chance
old rants
moral tale—
unholy grail
seize day
don’t delay
Glenda Funk
2-26-24
Youth is wasted on the young! Shaw was right. Your poem is new, but historical, too. This is the time of year where I typically said to students, “I need you to be somewhere you’re incapable of getting to at this time in your journey. You are still dependent on others and I need you to be standing strong on your own. That time will come and I have to realize, it won’t be on my watch.”
Glenda, your title is something! I like the brief rhymed couplets you crafted to drive the narrative to the “moral tale.” I taught the seniors in two very different countries, and regardless, there is at least one child who thinks that the world will stop for them.Have a wonderful Friday!
Glenda, Ha! I love that title. I love the series of short quips especially “assignment scoffed” as it reflects an unhealthy attitude any teacher will find frustrating. Your poem is so relatable and reflects the typical kind of blame game and the consequences of procrastination. Seniors are definitely ones who seem to sabotage themselves so it’s a timely reminder to just do it! Your carpe diem message at the end is so important to remember. Love the image in your Canva pic.
What a wonderful format. It’s always a winner for me when I read a rhyming poem with short lines like this one of yours. The rhymes are perfect–nothing forced or trite. The photo you chose is great. It looks like a fun high school room. And bored bill – bill-bored is a hoot. “moral tale–unholy grail” and “bored bill / yawn spilled” are two of my favorites.
LOL! Gotta love this, Glenda. Love the rhymes and the “forehead smack” of it all. Indeed, “seize day”… poof…it’s gone. Perfect title! Hugs, Susie
Glenda, yes!! Oh, I. had some seniors once who were taking more than one English class because they didn’t get your advice in time……..and so many need to read this right about now.
Huzzah, Glenda! Superb rhyming and too-true storytelling – plus wise advice. This poem is an absolute delight to read.
Glenda,
The title itself is a perfect, and then the rhythm of each line is perfect in its economy but also the senior who may not be in the mood to utter full sentences after 4 years of high school and uncertainty of tomorrow. I think each line is a scene to unravel in its own poem, too. And I also think of this as a great YA poem for the anthology.
Peace,
Sarah
Glenda, I love all of this. Almost every stanza could have been used to describe my last week (and the ones that didn’t, might just describe the upcoming weeks, ugh). And your short staccato stanzas really drive home each of these very particular senior “moments” that, as you say, every senior teacher will immediately identify! (And I love the use of my classroom as the background image of your piece. That is so good! I can imagine a student being confused at first, wait is that a picture of this, this room, what is this…and then they’re caught and pulled into the poem! Brilliant!) Thank you for this!
I tried remembering all of the words my teacher taught us in 7th grade that were fun, but I had to go to my pinterest board of unused words to bring a few more in.
What are the words
that you learned
in classes past,
where you stuttered
and shuddered at the
length and the task.
Was it words like
dawdle, that make you
feel like you have a
Southern drawl?
Or maybe it was
reciprocate that made
you hate the
English language.
Could it have been
chattel that you mixed up with
cattle?
Maybe you’re in
dysphoria trying to even
remember the euphoria
your teacher felt during the lessons.
Maybe you’re
brooding and moody
realizing how many words
are so eccentric and authentic
you couldn’t possibly
remember the plethora
of designations of the
language we speak.
For my freshman, Hope. It was opinion – which they loved to spell as ‘opion’ each and every year. It is my opion, however, that words matter. Thanks for reciprocating that in today’s poem.
Hope, I love that you brought up some of the words that might be challenging for 7th-graders. Once I discovered online the list of 100 words every 10th-grader needs to know. Boy, there were quite a few a didn’t know! I still look into this list periodically and show it to my college students. Thank you for channeling the word importance today!
Hope, fun vocabulary celebrating poem today! Like Bryan, I was reminded of a word my fifth graders had trouble with. Definitely often became defiantly for my students (after spell check and auto correct, that is)
Hope, this was a lot of fun! I loved reading it out loud, just to hear your craft: “brooding and moody / realizing how many words / are so eccentric and authentic.” Thank you for this!
Hi Scott! I absolutely love your idea – the quote/poster part, the poetry in motion part (that’ how I was introduced to Louise Gluck), and the redecorating your classroom part. Here’s what I have this morning:
Take Life…
Take life
by the shoulders
Shake it good,
Turn it around,
Turn it upside down,
Shake it some more,
Knock some sense,
Out of it.
Make it do silly things,
Creative things,
Daring things.
Have fun with it,
Sit it down
Make it a cup of tea,
Write it a poem.
Life as a game of Yahtzee. I love that, Joanne!
Joanne, I love every instruction you provide. These steps are inspiring:
“Make it do silly things,
Creative things,
Daring things.”
Your poem sits so right here!
Great physical actions to express what we need to do with our life. Very fun poem, Joanne!
Joanne, what a beauty this is! I read it this morning (along with Bryan’s comment) and I’ve been thinking a lot about taking life and giving it a good shake today. This is a wonderful poem to have hanging on the wall in a classroom!
I’m in with you and life, Joanne!! Love this poetic advice.
I love the play here, Joanne! How you personify life, so that the reader is an active participant in his or her or their own lives! And, yes, please, “[h]ave fun with it,” “[m]ake it do silly things,” and “[w]rite it a poem”! Excellent! Thank you!
Scott,
This is a fantastic idea! While I am sure not all of your students will leave home and head to college, I know one message that I have tried to tell ours is . . .
Remember . . .
don’t compare
your inside
with anyone
else’s outside.
Your roommate’s
constant good mood;
your classmate’s
Snapchat showing
the absolute blast
she is having;
your sister’s
Insta reel
displaying life
going on as normal
without you . . .
Insides
are
much different
than
outsides.
~Susan Ahlbrand
26 April 2024
I tried to create something “hangable” with Canva. I put my name and location to make it easier to explain the famous poet you know IF you choose to hang mine. Decided to put a coconut in the background since the outside of it is sooo much different than the inside. Not my fault if some teenage boys decide it’s something else. 🙂
This is so good, Susan. Such an important message for young people to remember. The examples are great. Definitely wall worthy! Your note is so funny too! I am what is referred to as a coconut – brown outside, white inside HA.
Susan,
Excellent advice, especially for teens since the in-shape jocks are the fat, bald-headed middle-aged men, and the tiny geeks and nerds get cooler and more fun over time. Everyone needs a reminder social media is often distorted information. Great ending:
“Insides
are
much different
than
outsides”.
Susan, what a wonderful message. Love the “Insta reel displaying life” lines since this is so indicative of our new social media world. Your Canva rendition is perfect! Fantastic poem!
Susan, this is wonderful! It’s immediately accessible and applicable to all of my students (to all people, in fact, who enter my room!). And your Canva “hangable” is beautiful. It’ll look great in my room! (And we can’t stop teenage boys from teenage boying can we which is why I still use the term — though maybe a bit more infrequently — the “climax” of this or that narrative we happen to be discussing in class. Thank you for this!
I can easily swap out a different image if you can find one that you think works!
Lol, no, no, not at all! And to be honest, I didn’t even think of that before I read your comment — I opened the image first — and when I did read your comment and looked back at the image, I squinted a bit, turned my head to the side, and still couldn’t make out anything “untowards” in it. This is great!
What a good message, Susan. So much truth that the inside is much different than the outside, and more important, I would say.
Amen to that, Susan! Great advice! Susie
Susan, such a powerful message – – not comparing is the best way to live, true to thine self and not a comparative counterpart. Amen!
Once again, you remind me that “Comparison is the thief of joy’ and all we see in the digital world isn’t reality (hey, a new take on “all that glitters isn’t gold,” perhaps!). You write the truth!
At first I wrote a kinda cheesy poem then tried to write a poem that you might appreciate more.
Are you ready
for this spread?
Maybe bread and butter
cornbread and honey
flatbread and hummus
breadfruit and saltfish
fry bread with cinnasugar
or a gingerbread house?
You have been
misreading.
put down the
TikTok food videos.
Think again.
How about a spread of
treadmills or
treading water
anything to
ready your heart
before a dreaded
future of high BP,
high BMI,
high cholesterol
because of those
breads.
Oh, right, y’all are just
like teenagers
don’t worry yet
but also don’t eat
too much bread.
Before you know
it, you’re already
old.
You’ve misread
my thoughts.
I know your favorite
class is PE,
we get it.
Think again.
How about a spread of
600 thread count
Egyptian silk sheets
across your bed
right after you shower
oh, wait, y’all know
nothing about those.
(If you do, I’m jealous.)
BTW try to get a normal
amount of sleep.
Now, let me readjust this poem,
dear readers.
Maybe Mr. McCloskey
(Mr. M or the cooler Mr. Scott
or slightly inappropriate Scott
or the nickname y’all made
for him that he approves?)
has told you to proofread
papers before turning in?
You should probably
go to the top and reread.
Pay close attention
to textual features.
Have you heard of
the widespread disease
that the U.S. is filled with
nonreaders?
This spreading disease
need not be increased.
Think back to your
preadolescence, yes,
when maybe it was just
easier
funner
in general
even though
I didn’t care for it
when I was your age
but now I really do.
Put down
Insta
(unless it’s a bookstagram)
and
TikTok
(unless it’s booktok)
Pick up a book
and READ.
I Love this, Angie! Read, read, read, YES! (And I love the metafictive nature throughout — yes, kids, high cholesterol is a thing, you’ll find out.) Thank you for the sincerity, too: so many of my students don’t see themselves as “readers” at this age. I know that I didn’t see myself that way when I was their age, either. And I think continually hearing that from me (and now from you, too!) can only help “the cause”!
Angie, I enjoyed your poem so much. Playing with “read” in all possible ways, yet moving a message of reading throughout came out wonderfully. My favorite gems here are:
“anything to
ready your heart
before a dreaded
future of high BP,
high BMI,
high cholesterol”
“Put down
Insta
(unless it’s a bookstagram)
and
TikTok
(unless it’s booktok).”
Love it all!
Ah, Angie, I believe you did a good job channeling Scott in your poem. Funny and what a great message! It’s like subliminal advertising for the importance of reading. How did you find words like “preadolescence” and “readjust”? So clever!
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/words-containing-read I learned this was a possibility when we wrote duality poems a few years ago, another memory to look back on: https://www.ethicalela.com/20-30-alternative-italics/ 😁
I love this! The wordplay is fun and captivating, like that scene in Forrest Gump….shrimp creole, boiled shrimp, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp……engaging and the repetition is just catchy!
I would love to share poetry with your seniors! What a fantastic prompt for the day and a way to bring poets from across the globe and currently writing to the walls of your room 🙂
Purposeful Punctuation
by Erica J
Semicolons:
the dressed up period
with a pause prelude of
a colon instead.
Colons:
the bunk bed periods
stacked to signal caution
a period ahead.
These pair of pretend
periods may seem precocious
but mastery means style.
Period.
Erica,
This is a fun way to teach punctuation. zzthd first verse is my favorite. I always tell kids semicolons act like periods but get closer to what follows,
Ericka, what a perfect extended metaphor to share your thoughts about having style. Plus, a great grammar lesson, too! Love it!
Erica, fun! I love “seem precocious / but mastery means style” That is true about a lot of things we learn, isn’t it? Fun poem for making punctuation more interesting and accessible.
All those Ps and Ms in your last stanza! And the descriptor of “bunk bed periods” for a colon is so great, Erica! I have never heard of a colon described like that, lol. My students will love this! Thank you!
Scott, we may have giggled a bit as we read the background, setting and prompt, but we also nodded our heads in agreement with you about the power of poetry. Please feel free to share this one with your students:
YES, YOU!
You can do it.
Do what? Get it written,
Then get it right.
You can have it.
Have what? Peace and harmony
Avoid the fight.
You can be it.
Be what? Be the light.
And you’ll be all right.
Get it written
Peace and harmony
Be the light
Aright? All right. Awwright!!!
I think your bold blue words at the end make the perfect poster. Your words shout the self-affirmations we all need!
Anna, thank you! These are such truths that my students need to here: “You can do it.” “You can have it.” “You can be it.” And I love “Get it written, / Then get it right.” You’ve given my students such good advice!
You can do it, have it, be it! Nice message to young people. Our world is going to need them!
Introductions Come Last
HIT paragraphs
Starting place on a map
To successful writing
But now you’re fighting
A blank page, furrowed brow
Come on, ideas come out!
How can you hook a reader
Like they’ve arrived at a theatre?
Introduce the background information
Bring them up to speed on the occasion.
Switch gears, give them your reasons
A thesis begging for them to listen
But wait!
How can you make a map
Or hook them into your trap
If you don’t know what comes next?
If you don’t know the body up ahead?
If you can’t imagine what you’ll say,
Why write a thesis anyway?
Dear writer, there’s an easy solution
Use this to create a lovely illusion
Of organization, understanding and depth
Once you’ve reached the body’s last breath
When you have finished your draft
Then HIT your intro–write the first part last.
This sounds like a HIIT class and an anchor chart that needs to be in my room! Awesome!
How can you hook a reader….How can you make a map……both amazing questions, and they work well in your poem. Lucille Clifton says all poems are questions. Yours is!
Ashley,
That move in the final stanza of direct address is intimate and a calling in to listen. And that phrase “lovely illusion” is beautiful in sound and appearance and meaning! Great message, too. Write the intro last. Amen.
Sarah
THIS is the advice, Ashley! Your fourth stanza is so true from a beginning writer’s perspective; these are, indeed, the questions they keep asking, so I love your sage (and comforting — “Dear writer”) advice in the last stanza — “write the first part last.” I love seeing their faces when they hear such seemingly contrary advice, wait, what do you mean, just jump into the body paragraphs, ok, if you’re sure….(if only they were that agreeable, lol). Thank you for crafting and sharing this!
Scott–you used up my word–wherewithal was EXACTLY what I was going to write about! (Well, maybe not…) This prompt initially flummoxed me, and then I was intimidated by the poems I scrolled through. Then I said, “what the heck” and tried to pretend I was wise. So here you go… (and I do love the prompt)
Have You Made Today’s Mistake Yet?
Here’s the thing–
Mistakes happen.
Every day.
Minor mistakes, middling mistakes,
major mistakes.
(Avoid those, if you can.)
Embarrassing mistakes, dreadful mistakes,
and–hopefully–some delicious mistakes
You may not recognize them
until years later.
The trick is not to repeat
the same mistake
over and over.
(That’s called stupidity.)
Make a different mistake tomorrow.
Clean it up, make it right,
then move on to your next one,
which is bound to happen.
(That’s called learning.)
Life is a grand concoction
of good decisions,
opportunity,
and the mistakes you learn from.
Make yours a glorious one.
GJSands 4-26-24
“delicious mistakes” and “Make yours a glorious one.” Absolutely wonderful. I think I make too many delicious mistakes haha!
You’re reminding me, Gayle, of how I don’t mind ignorance in the classroom. They don’t know better. But if I teach them, and they continue to be ignorant, then it gets rather stupid. We’re meant to make mistakes, and to learn from them. Now, I’m off to get outside in the world in preparation of my next mistake.
Gail,
Great advice. The parenthetical thoughts put a zing in the advice. I’ve never been fond of the word “Mistake” as it is often used to rationalize choices. There’s a difference. Love these lines:
“Life is a grand concoction
of good decisions,
opportunity,
and the mistakes you learn from.”
Oh Gayle,
this is so wise and comforting. Feeling better about the mistake I’ve already made today. Thanks for helping me reframe and feel the joy of making mistakes, being human and, hopefully learning.
Thanks for the pep talk poem, Gayle.
I couldn’t agree more with your poem. Love all the ways you describe mistakes and emphasize the need to not repeat! Such an important message for anyone. I love the idea of making a glorious mistake.
Gayle, thank you for “pretending” to be wise today! I Love This! My students — especially the AP folks — hate making “mistakes”: they don’t want to be “wrong.” They don’t quite understand yet that mistakes are part and parcel for learning, growing, succeeding, you name it: we gotta make mistakes, just try not to “repeat / the same mistake / over and over. / (That’s called stupidity.)” Thanks for this!
Gayle, you’re speaking my language. Oh, such truths here, such divine insights.
And you ARE wise, Gayle – for you accurately explain the difference between stupidity and learning via the thing called mistakes. The title is absolutely perfect – we just need to own it, we aren’t!!
Right on, Gayle! So so so wise. I LOVE that you chose the notion of how we need to value our mistakes…they make colossally good stories…well, and poems, by golly. Wonderful poem. Susie
Gayle, such fun! “Minor mistakes, middling mistakes,
major mistakes.” Those are fun to read. “And–hopefully–some delicious mistakes” stirs up a whole lot of fun daydreaming. Those words “concoction” and “glorious” make that last staza super sweet.
Scott,
thanks for hosting and sharing your funny poem. I’m sure your seniors appreciate your humor—even if they might not always show it.
Struggled a bit to come up with my subject today, but eventually, I can’t recall how, my brain made its way to Rothko.
Thanks m, everyone, for this space and push to write.
Rothko
when you first see
one of his rectangles
you will not get it
you will not be moved
but one summer day
you’ll see walls and walls of Rothkos
they’ll be a click in your heart
later you’ll seek solace
in his purple blacks
stare into the void
and feel comforted
Sharon,
This is masterful. I love the simplicity and form that honors Rothko. There really is nothing like seeing the masterpieces in person, Everyone needs that experience.
Wow, Sharon, I love the process of your poem and the way you show how perceptions will shift as we age. I so enjoyed “they’ll be a click in your heart” and your final stanza is a jaw-dropper. Powerful poem with a very provocative message.
Sharon — I love that you chose Rothko. I’ve written a poem about Rothko and how I envisioned my mama would have interpreted his big blocks of color. You brought me back a fond memory. I love Rothko…those seeming “void[s]”… I think mama would’ve hated him and then loved him. Cool. Susie
Sharon, thank you for teaching me about Mark Rothko (and for pushing me down a Rothko rabbit hole for the last forty minutes or so, lol). “The Rothko Effect” is fascinating, and I had never heard of it before. The reason, though, that I was originally drawn to your poem was the beauty (and the sentiment) of the line, “they’ll be a click in your heart.” I tell my students (in a less artful way, lol) that they might not “get something” now, and that’s ok, really ok, it’ll come to you, years later, when you’re standing in line at Kroger or the DMV, and you’ll think, you know what, Shakespeare did have it right, there truly are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy….or, you know, whatever we’re studying at the time that I think will come back to them (in the future). Anyways, thank you for this!
Hey Scott! What a wonderful idea. I am sort of jealous of how amazing your class is going to look once you have all these amazing people’s words up! 😀
Here’s mine:
Winning is a singular joy.
But have you ever thought of
The richness of failure?
To fail is to court possibility,
To fail is step one in building
Something better, stronger, higher.
So inspirational for those seniors!
Saba,
“To fail is to court possibility,” expresses a profound truth.
Love this, Saba. The richness of failure is brilliant!
I love, love, love this message. All people–but seniors in particular–need to have this message in their faces regularly!
Saba, I love the ideas you give to failure here. “court possibility” and “step one” is being better. Beautiful.
Saba, this is it, isn’t it? This is the secret: “The richness of failure”. I love this! I’m excited to be starting Godot next week, and your verse echoes Beckett’s so perfectly! “Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Thank you for giving this verse of advice to my students!
I’m trying to teach my students that failure is not as bad a thing as it’s made out to be. Hopefully, we can teach some kids to not be afraid of failure but to embrace it and use it to learn.
Scott, It was great to read your prompt this morning and laugh along the way. The two spaces after a period comment always gets me, kids today have no idea what it was like to learn how to type on a typewriter and why two spaces were needed;) Thank you for hosting.
i write words, they move to the wall
to the masses, i am a techwright
right-click here ➡️my text is viral
the rite of the digital extension in my hand
i’m now a world renowned author, right?
I had hoped the formatting would work with the poem being right-justified, but it didn’t.
Stefani,
Despite formatting not working, this is fabulous. You’ve offered a profound truth about appearances, about what we value, about our culture. The somewhat bit g, ironic tone is perfect. Love the use of the symbol. Wonderful poem.
Stefani, this is great! I’m with Glenda; although it wasn’t formatted the way you envisioned, this is still a fabulous poem! I’m so drawn to the lowercase “i” that my students use — and don’t think about — when typing a response to something in class. If it doesn’t autocorrect for them, they’re, like, meh, that’s ok, you understand what i mean. And this thought/mentality goes hand-in-hand (perhaps) with, hey, my tweet went “viral” so “i’m now a world renowned author, right?” This is spot-on. Thank you!
Stefani, wow, your poem is relatable and shows the ability to make our words viral. Your question at the end is compelling. What a great “Big Question!” I can see why you would want this poem to appear right-justified. I really enjoyed “the rite of the digital extension in my hand”. It reminds me of this space. How we have the opportunity to write words on the wall, wondering whether we will be silenced or go viral.
Stefani, I like the button in the poem. This arrow points the way :). And what’s viral (or posted at all) makes you world-renowned with today’s high-tech ways.
We WERE on the same “right/write” wavelength today, Stefani! “I am a techwright” – love that. Most of all I love the question at the end – oh Lord, what is meant now by “world renowned author’?!? [holding head in hands]
Stefani, this somehow reminded me of some of my fifth graders on the other side of the world whose goal in life was to have a million subscribers on YouTube. I like the use of write, wright, right and rite. Clever!
Giving it a shot, Scott. Actually, the poem was meant to be. I read the prompt and she sent a photo at the very same time. The Great Whatever does what it does. Always love the way your mind operates, moves, and plays. Your students must have an amazing time in your care. We should go into business manufacturing Wherewithal Overalls.
A Graffiti Poem for Scott’s Wall (not to be shared with children
who don’t appreciate Edward Gorey)
b.r.crandall
why wallow with a minute of misery
when we could have 60 seconds of joy?
she asks as we buckle the seatbelts.
she knows i can be Dory a times,
but tend to be an ass like Eeyore.
It’s fast food Friday.
We both know fries are on the horizon
(this pleasure is meant to feel guilty)
This means we’ll drive by
Affordable Cremations
(free rubber chicken
with every purchase).
The McCrispy
is in vogue again
and we want milk shakes.
why are we this way?
she laughs from the passenger seat
as we pass Blinds to Go.
I’ll take one Helen Keller
& a Stevie Wonder on the side.
probably, i say,
because our time
is likely to run out soon.
OMG Bryan, you and Scott have me laughing a bunch this morning. Your poem is so wrong, but so so right. The picture/billboard adds so much to this as well. And “affordable cremations” just gets me with our mcworld culture. Thank you for sharing.
Bryan, this seems hilarious from the first lines:
“why wallow with a minute of misery
when we could have 60 seconds of joy?”
I looked at the picture first–from McCrispy to Crematorium is a sure straight path (I laugh). Sorry! It is kind of sad too.
Bryan–how do I love thee? Affordable Cremations? One Helen Keller and a Stevie Wonder? The shake and fries? I want to spend Fridays with you–guilty pleasures and all.
Me and my husband just had fast food Friday. It was totally lacking HK and SW. Lame. This picture and poem are perfection. It’s a real life meme!
LOL, Bryan, this is brilliant! The juxtaposition! Did the McDonald’s people put up the “New” McCrispy sign and realize that they were making some sardonic quip at Capitalistic Consumption or American Lifestyles and Habits and whatnot or were they, like, they told us to put up a sign so we’re gonna put up a sign? So funny! I loved your humor and your various references throughout this — from Edward Gorey, Dory, Eeyore to “rubber chicken[s]” and Blinds to Go (which, took me a bit “to get” but made me smile when I did). Since “our time / is likely to run out soon,” thank you for this and for all of your verse this month! (And I’m ready to start this side hustle of Wherewithal Overalls whenever you are!)
Bryan, Your photo explains so much about your poem. I love this whimsical flow of anticipating guilty pleasures like shakes and fries. I also enjoyed the slightly dark undertone like the “free rubber chicken with every purchase” “affordable Cremations” and “because our time/is likely to run out soon” I’m sure Scott’s students are going to love this poem!
What I wouldn’t do to be blessed with your sense of humor! It’s so intelligent! I laughed out loud in class just now at the Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder reference!
This is gold!
Bryan,
I’m admiring both the randomness and cohesiveness of this poetic romp. I love the title and the pun in “Gorey.” Now that’s art, sort of a making with humor the sublime subtext complicating going out for a fast-food dinner. The macabre humor in the lines,
“Affordable Cremations
(free rubber chicken
with every purchase)”
appeals to my baser nature. Don’t tell. The blind humor you tapout with your white pen with a red cap in “I’ll take one Helen Keller
& a Stevie Wonder on the side.”
is a bit cringy, I’ll admit, to this visually-impaired reader who had a blind father, as in literally, but it also reminds me of the time my brother was asked what our father does for a living, and Steve (said brother) crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back and said, “Oh, he just lays around like this.” So having read this delicious collage of words, I too am asking, “why are we this way?” . .
What a combo! My youngest son is a funeral director/crematory operator. I am waiting to hear what he will quip about this (!!!) but in the meantime, your dark humor is killin’ me (pun totally intended).
Bryan, this tradition of Fast Food Friday and the dash to get food pulls me right in. I want a milkshake, too, a chocolate one. Affordable cremations……Affordable Cream-ations Milkshakes and rubber chickens and Friday fun…..this is all some jolly let-loose-Friday-fun!
Bryan, this is hilarious and honest and macabre. I laughed at the ending. “because our time / is likely to run out soon.” Thanks for sharing the picture!
Scott, what a way to celebrate words of wisdom and set up students for success! I love all the links you provided and can’t wait to explore more of them. I don’t have the wherewithal to fully express how much I love this prompt, but I kind of want to have a booklet of all of these for the graduating seniors I know. Can’t wait to come back and read later this evening!
Clinking Pens
on Aisle 12
I caught him
peering around
the corner
“I thought that was you,”
he smiled, approaching.
“Remember me?”
Of course I did.
“Chandler!”
We side hugged,
I asked him
about life.
“I want to
thank you,”
he offered.
“You taught me
if I remembered
nothing else
to always keep
a pen on me.”
He reached
in his pocket,
pulled out
a black pen
with gold banding
and clicked it.
“I just bought
my first house
and signed with
it. I thought
of you.”
My breath caught
a tear welled
and my heart
burst with
that now-I-can
die-a-teacher-
who-mattered-joy
I reached in
my purse
pulled out
my signature
Pilot Varsity
fountain pen,
blue ink,
and we clinked
pens, smiling
there on
Aisle 12
This might be the best teacher-ish, grocery-style, Shakespearean pen-duel I’ve ever read. LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Kim, somehow your side-hug brings out just the perfect experience of reconnecting with former students…the need for some connection and appreciation in an often awkward side hug is so much more than simply a handshake. Thank you for sharing this moment with us.
That is so cool! This exemplifies your positive influence on students, teachers and friends. I love the title!! I’m clicking my pen now!
This is story that deserves a poem, Kim! I am for “clinking pens” any time of the day on any isle. Such a beautiful encounter! The rewards we get from teaching are priceless.
Omg what an awesome experience. Signing on his new home with the pen that reminds him of you! Wow 😭
Kim,
This tugs on my heartstrings. Cheers to
“we clinked
pens, smiling
there on
Aisle 12”
We never know when we’ll see those former students and share a memory of the time in our class. This story honors those moments.
Kim, what a lovely moment to pen!
This is the sweetest, coolest thing ever, Kim! I can so picture this scene in my head.
I can see this happy reunion pen-clicking scene as if I were right there on Aisle 12, too, all the way to a glimmer of tears welling a wee bit in your eyes, Kim. So precious – and so meaningful.
Oh, my goodness! This is the best story! I’m so glad you met Chandler in Aisle 12. I’m guessing you have more than one of these, but this is such a clever capturing of the emotion of the moment:
“now-I-can
die-a-teacher-
who-mattered-joy”
Kim, this gave me goosebumps when I read it hours ago. I just really love it. When Chandler “pulled out / a black pen / with gold banding / and clicked it” and then he said, he signed for his first house with it and “thought of you” was so good and THEN you had your “signature / Pilot Varsity / fountain pen” and “clinked / pens” with him! (I’ve just realized that I’m recounting this like a scene from a favorite movie, no, no, you don’t understand, they stood up on their desks, sure, they could have fallen, but they didn’t, then they said O Captain, my Captain, you know, from Whitman, so good….) [Side note: I also love a good pen, but I haven’t tried the Pilot Varsity fountain pen before, so, you’ve convinced me that I need to give that a try!] Thank you for crafting this poem and for sharing it!
Scott, you never fail in the art of unique approach! Ever-lively, hilarious, creative, inspiring. The opening hokey sign reference made me think of so many “bad signs” I’ve seen – even formal stationery from an official department which accidentally left the “l” out of “public”…er, moving on… re: my poem: This is the first thing that came to mind. I can’t decide on the title (was also thinking “Bill of Writes”) but as you say, anyways…here goes and thank you so much for always being so incredibly inventive and entertaining. Feel free to use if you like; the idea of covering a classroom walls in poetry fills my soul. How fortunate are your students, to have you.
The Write Time
Write.
Write here.
Write now.
Write your rite
of passage.
It is your right.
Write a wrong.
Write a right.
Write the world.
Write your heart.
Get it in the write place.
Write the rain.
Write the pain.
Every little thing
is gonna be all write.
Just write.
Write here.
Write now.
Write on.
Ooooh, I do love some wordplay. So many golden nuggets in here of write/rite/right. My favorite line is “Write the world.”
Fran, the interplay between write and right hits just right. I am hearing so many rhythms in your words – from an old PSA that I use to show kids (Write here. Write now) to “Every little thing is gonna be all write (Ted Lasso has my heart). I’m also remind of Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem about the time to write (summer – but when summer comes…). Beautiful words today (and always!)
Fran–sometimes, when I scroll through before writing (righting?), I just think “Nope–I can’t top this, so I’ll just go back to bed.” This is one of those moments. Your word play and your message and the formatting… Well, darn.
Ya gotta write, aright?!
(well that botched)…you gotta write, a’ight?!
Fran, I went with a similar theme as well. My nephew recently had to write his rites of passage as he graduates from 8th grade. I love the “every little thing is gonna be all write” lines! Thank you for sharing.
Fran, I am speechless. Every line (or a couple) can be a poster.
Write a wrong.
Write a right.
Write the world.
Every little thing
is gonna be all write.
I am in love with your words. My day is going to be all right. Thank you for this masterful manipulation of words that carries so much sense!
I know I want that as a poster in my room, Fran! It’s catchy and witty and wise!
Perfect! Every line, every word, just right on. And this is right up my alley, with the play of right, write, and rite to the message of the importance (no, the very need) of written expression. And, Fran, you’ve crafted this so well, so much more poetically than I could have, so thank you! “Every little thing / is gonna be all write. / Just write.” So good!
Fantastic message about writing. Loved “Write your rite” and your last four lines are perfect.
Fran,
Years ago I had a bulletin board w/ a Nike swoosh in the middle and the words “Just Write It” plastered in large letters w/ the swoosh. Your poem embodies that idea. What’s a good time to write? Now! Keep that pen moving, friend.
Fran, the wordplay and message is spectacular here – – I think my favorite line is Write the pain. I had the awesome opportunity to hear our state Poet Laureate speak last night, and I now am the firmest- ever believer that the most riveting poetry of all comes from the pain of the deep, dark places, not so much the meadows. Writing is the ticket to feeling heard, feeling seen, feeling better. As always, wonderful!
Fran, here is the beauty I wish I would have written today. But like Scott said, I’m glad you wrote it because it is perfection. Like Leilya said, I think this could be a series of posters!
Fran — love the wordplay A LOT. I used to run a writing lab and “Write On” was the motto…this was about a zillion years ago. I would’ve hung your poem in the lab for sure. Susie
Good Morning, Scott! What a fabulous introduction and prompt. I have no problem with any of my poems on a wall for students — and even better if the students don’t know me (why is that?) Your sense of humor has got to make you a favorite among students! I don’t know if I have the wherewithal to be so fun. ha!
This is a revision of a draft I began recently. It’s a tricky subject. But, I wanted to think of a YA audience reading it. So, you have that! This form is called a ‘Definito’ and was invented by Heidi Mordhorst. It’s supposed to be a maximum of 12 lines…but mine is longer. And, I’ll be revising this for some time.
Negative Space
A painting, a sculpture, rock garden,
a poem, a dance, or an orchestral piece.
In any fine art, there is…color, line, curve,
texture, layers piled up from a base.
We feel movement, harmony, rhythm, beat.
Closer now…what isn’t there?
Air space around the piece. Artists choose
what to take away, leave blank,
surround what they create
with large or small emptiness–air space
for minds to rest, find a boundary,
mentally grasp an edge of what is and isn’t art;
to contemplate.
This is negative space.
Linda, thank you once again for reminding me of all these great formats of verse. And your use of this today is perfect. I love thinking about air space to mentally grasp an edge of what is and isn’t art. So profound! Thank you
Linda, you bring attention to the importance of negative space. Being able to think of it as the artist’s choice, as deliberate as those filled spaces, adds purpose, intention to what we often think of as unintentional. I like the idea of it being a resting place.
Linda,
I had an epiphany reading your poem. There’s a book NCTE published that is about teaching ELA as both art and craft, and it occurs to me that we need and generally have negative space in our teaching days. We need brain breaks, but until reading your poem, an excellent exposition of negative space, I had not thought about those moments in class as art, too. I think I’m gonna have to blog about this. Thank you for the insight and the inspiration.
I love this line: “mentally grasp an edge of what is and isn’t art.” It makes me thing of the way sunlight at different times of day gives a different “edge” to things, defining them differently.
I’m taken with the long A sounds here, the space echoing throughout with this sound….kind of an echo…..like negative space visually. Clever!
Linda, what a beautiful definition of negative space, and teaching about arts. I love the invitation for us “to contemplate” and “mentally grasp” the metaphors in your poem.
Linda — This is really rich and I love it. “Negative space” is sooooo essential a concept in painting and writing and photography…well, it is fascinating everywhere I go to think of “negative space” before I make a judgment. Wonderful. I’d hang this in my classroom in a heartbeat. Susie
Linda, this is beautiful! Writers’ craft is so intentional: what words to choose is just another way to say, what words were “left out.” I love this! Thank you for crafting this lesson on “negative space” so well! And regardless of what the definition of the Definito says about the number of lines required, you definitely (and defiantly) nailed this!
Scott, I love the idea of filling your walls with words of advice for high schoolers. Earlier this month these words were swirling in my brain maybe after struggling to get a cohesive thought together. I jotted them down knowing someday I’d use them in some way.
Why?
Why is it
some days
words come tumbling
out of the brain
onto the page
without any effort at all,
While other days
words bounce and
swirl around
in the brain willy-nilly,
never making any sense,
unable to produce
a cohesive thought?
Christine, from my thoughts to your pen (or keyboard, as may be). Those tumbling days make up for all the bouncing and banging from so many others – they still want out but it is a fight.
So true! So, so, so, so true. Why? Why is that? Great question poem.
I love how this is so relatable, Christine. It will help those who are having a rough writing day realize that others do as well!
Christine,
When you get the answer to this question, let me know. I want to bottle and market it. Until then, write on is all we can do. BTW, love the single question structure here.
A great question, Christine! The only antidote I know – write on, anyway, and trust that the Muse hasn’t left for good.
Christine, what a perfect question! Great for a classroom because there are so many variables with how students are inspired or not on any given day. I like the permission this gives to have a “words bounce and swirl” “willy-nilly” sort of day.
Christine, this is the question, isn’t it? Thank you for articulating it so well, so poetically! (And thank you for “jott[ing] down” your “swirling” thoughts, so you could use them “someday.” Essentially, I guess, I’m saying, thank you for being a poet, lol.)
Scott, not sure this is wall worthy, but the first line comes from the words across the front of my classroom. Love this idea and hoping you find classroom graffiti everywhere!
Writing is a struggle against
silence
Words unwritten remain thoughts
unsaid
A voice brought into darkness
is just as loud
They will try to shout you down –
resist
When you put your words to paper,
they live inside my head
becoming a part of me –
the very breath of my breath
Once a tree is cut down
it is no longer living
until someone pens an epitaph
in the form of a poem
upon its cells
telling of its life
“When you put your words to paper they live in my head” I needed to hear these words today. Simply profound. Thank you for sharing them – they now live in my head hehe
Wow! That opening line is fabulous…a struggle against silence. I want this on MY wall. The connection to trees …the connection to life is beautiful.
Jennifer!
This is most certainly wall-worthy! I love every bit of it but especially
as they help us realize how interactive our words are!
Jennifer, your first line is absolutely stated perfectly. Love the process of your poem! I especially enjoyed cutting the tree down image since that seems to be a complaint of students when you’re asking them to use, yes, another piece of paper!
Jennifer,
I’m sure Scott won’t think my vote counts, but this absolutely is wall worthy, especially the lines
“They will try to shout you down –
resist”
When I read the prompt today I immediately thought about the voices in the room and who hears whom, whose presence is acknowledged and whose is not. This is thinking I think we must extend to virtual spaces as well as physical ones. Also, I love the lines
“When you put your words to paper,
they live inside my head”
I often tell students the words they speak float off into the air, but those they write are carved permanently into the recorded record of ideas.
Jennifer, I love the importance you have given to the written word here. Every voice is worthy. That last vignette about the tree living on in the form of a poem is gorgeous.
Jennifer — This is gorgeous. Wonderful piece. The transcendence of words from a seed to someone else’s understanding…aahhhh…lovely. I love the anatomy of the whole thing. Susie
Jennifer…rings of immortality echo in your poem. Our words outlive us. I’ve said before that we write to know we have lived. This is so beautiful, all the way through.
Jennifer,
I have been writing later in the day, so I am so glad to scroll to your poem and say “hello” in this message. The couplets, for me, are inviting in a way that says the lines are for us – -two – the poet and listener. “Writing is a struggle against/silence” is a call to lean in and hear the wisdom, encouragement. “They will try to shout you down — resist.” Yes!
Sarah
Jennifer, this is wonderful advice and such truth! I love this connection you’ve highlighted between writer, reader, and literature: “When you put your words to paper, / they live inside my head.” Words matter, words reach people, words connect us! Thank you for this completely “worthy” wall art!
Hey Scott
Here ya go …
Kevin
A poem is ink
you sketch
upon yourself
Not tattoo,
but something
gone deep
Odds and ends
of the observable
world
Chosen memories
you yearn
to keep
Kevin, those first three lines are eveything (as are the last three). Beautiful!
I love the idea of poems being cherished memories – while I know this your words remind me and ring true to what I hope for in my attempts at writing verse! Thank you.
This is fabulous! “stretch upon yourself/Not tattoo” “chosen memories” Great lines for seniors especially. And, there’s a big idea to think about…and, it’s short the mark of excellence for my boys.
Ooof! I can’t even choose a best stanza–they are all best stanzas! Between you and Fran, I give up!
“A poem is ink
you sketch
upon yourself”
I am posting this in my office (I don’t have my classroom; they change every semester). That is amazing, Kevin!
Oh, Kevin . . . this is definitely a billboard!
I love the image of poetry being ink.
Kevin, what a great metaphor for poems being written upon us. Beautiful.
Kevin — Lovely! Well worth a poster! The opening verse grabs and doesn’t let go till “you yearn/to keep” Well done! Susie
Kevin, this is beautiful! “A poem is ink / you sketch / upon yourself” and “Chosen memories / you yearn / to keep” are great lines/stanzas! Thank you for this!