This is the Year

A very special “thank you” to the educators who hosted this January’s Open Write out of pure generosity. We deeply appreciate our volunteer hosts and the care they take in responding to our poems. Thank you, Shaun, Gayle, Glenda, Erica, and Jessica. Please join us February 15-19 with Donnetta, Stacey, Britt, Amber, and Seana! Also, we’d love for you to contribute a blog post about special moments you’ve had with Ethical ELA friends, activities you’ve used in your classroom, or just general sentiments and experiences about ethical aspects of teaching to celebrate our 10th year with Ethical ELA. Sign up here.

Our Host: Jessica Sherburn

Jessica lives in Chicago where she teaches 12th grade English and hosts Poetry Club at Mather High School. She served as a Representative-at-Large within the Michigan Council of Teachers of English and Teacher Advisory Group Member for the Zekelman Holocaust Memorial Center. In addition to writing, Jessica enjoys hiking, kayaking, and penning sarcastic quips. She is a proud mother to two cats, Ollie and Davie, who enjoy long naps and spilling mugs of black tea.

Inspiration 

January is a time for self-reflection, goal-setting, and aspirational thinking–especially in a presidential inauguration year. One poem that I return to again and again is Martín Espada’s “Imagine the Angels of Bread.” Espada writes about an imagined world of empowerment and equity with powerful imagery, similes, and metaphors. The poem begins:

This is the year that squatters evict landlords,
gazing like admirals from the rail
of the roofdeck
or levitating hands in praise
of steam in the shower;

this is the year that shawled refugees deport judges,
who stare at the floor
and their swollen feet
as files are stamped
with their destination.

Process

Make a list of the changes you would like to see in yourself, community, country, or world in 2025. What would a radical reimagining of empowerment and equity look like to you? Consider borrowing Espada’s structure as you draft your poem: 

• Line 1: This is the year that _______ (your hope or aspiration comes to fruition)

• Lines 2-5: Provide a concrete description of what this would mean, using imagery (descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch) or similes and metaphors.

Repeat this structure as needed for any additional stanzas. Or, write whatever else comes to mind when you imagine the possibilities of a better world!

Jessica’s Poem

Invest in the Promises of our Future 

by Jessica Sherburn

This is the year that schools are funded,
that the teacher supply rooms brim with notebooks, pencils, and folders
and the libraries are staffed with kind-hearted professionals 
who stuff the shelves with novels and magazines and poetry and manga 
without fear of accusations and vilifications.
This is the year when we invest in the promises of our future 
rather than the corruptions of our past.

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers.