Welcome to the November Open Write. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read prompt below and then, when you are ready, write in the comment section below. We do ask that if you write that, in the spirit of reciprocity, you respond to three or more writers. Check out our “store” to receive your complimentary copy of Ethical ELA books! https://www.ethicalela.com/store/
Our Host, Stacey Joy
Stacey L. Joy is a National Board Certified Teacher with 39 years of teaching in the elementary classroom. Stacey’s core teaching beliefs center her scholars’ history, self-advocacy, justice, and joy. Stacey is a poetry lover, a creator who goes down rabbit holes on Canva, and a fan of coffee, water, and red wine. Stacey is proud to have poems published in Ethical ELA’s recent teacher resource books: Just YA, 90 Ways of Community, and Words That Mend.
Follow Stacey on X @joyteamstars or on IG @joyteam.
Inspiration
In chapter six of 90 Ways of Community, Sarah, Mo, and Maureen teach us how to write about the world. There, Denise Krebs shared the “4 x 4” poetry form. I looked back at my poem in response to Denise’s April 2022 #Verselove prompt, and I felt proud because I wrote about teaching the truth. In this time of book bans, educators know we must find ways to teach the truth and write about the world we currently face. Today’s prompt was written 9 days before the historic Presidential Election of 2024. I took a chance and wrote this prompt and my new poem on faith that love and hope will prevail and right will trump wrong.
Process
Think about our nation, our possibilities, our writing community, our classrooms, or anything that is on your heart. Let’s use Denise Krebs’ 4 x 4 poetry form to write.
A 4 x 4 poem structure follows these four rules:
- 4 syllables in each line
- 4 lines in each stanza
- 4 stanzas
- Refrain repeated four times in lines 1, 2, 3, 4 of stanzas 1, 2, 3, 4.
Of course, you are free to write with or without form.
Stacey’s Poem
Women’s Rights Wins
We have control
The rights to choose
No man can say
Keep the baby
Women’s health first
We have control
Harris has won
Nothing to fear
IVF rights
Abortion rights
We have control
Trump can’t hurt us
Reproduction
A woman’s right
To birth or not
We have control
©Stacey L. Joy, 10/27/24
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human, and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe. For suggestions on how to comment with care.
My poem is in response to Stacey Joy’s pre-election poem.
we had control
But not enough
To win the fight
And make things right
We fought it hard
We had control
They don’t want change
It’s a real shame
Groups are put down
Criminals are praised
We had control
Hurt to our soul
Soon they will learn
Their choice was wrong
Lies have been told
We had control
Teaching Littles
By: MM 11/17/24
Teaching littles,
Creates patience.
Stay poise and calm,
To teach them order.
Teach hearts to grow,
Teaching littles.
Hands that guide the way,
Light the path ahead.
Questions fill the air,
Minds start to sprout,
Teaching littles
Growing brains form.
Each day they learn,
Silent strength appears,
Their steps we trust,
Teaching littles.
This is so sweet! Your third stanza really captures it vividly for me.
MM,
You are chosen for the littles! Teaching upper grade is my safe space and I know those who teach the littles are extra special. Your poem is exactly that, extra special. You have shared all the reasons teaching littles is a gift.
I hope the littles appreciate you as much as I know you appreciate them. Thank you for sharing this sweet gift with us.
MM, your opening stanza speaks for us who teach older students, too. To model patience, we have to learn it, first. Thanks for reminding us of that.
MM, thank you for this and for what you do, lol! I can’t imagine wrangling a room full of littles! I’ll stay with my seniors and first-year college folks. I also love the lines “Questions fill the air, / Minds start to sprout”!
Hi, Stacey! Thank you for hosting today and your prompt. I am so with you on taking control of our lives. How much longer someone else will dictate us what we can or can’t do.
I had a busy Sunday and wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but I did. This poem is about my self pep talk today 🙂
Just Do It
Rush in, no time
Pens down, clock chimes
Tasks stack, must climb
Push past, don’t whine.
Workloads hit fast
Clear paths, make last
Quick steps, hold fast
Done when the day’s passed
Mind whirls, no slack
Deadlines attack
Move sharp, no lack
Focus, stay on track.
Clock ticks, don’t pause
Work’s pull, no cause
Finish, no loss
Victory’s the boss.
Hi Leilya,
I know the feeling of rushing and being in the midst of too many things to do. Thanks for taking the time to write with us. I sense the urgency of every task in each stanza! You nailed it, Leilya.
I long to be a better manager of my mind! The whirling always takes me off course. You’re teaching me how to keep pushing because…
Clapping over here for you and this poem! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Wow, Leilya! Not only did you do it, but you did it with rhyme! That really shows the hectic pace of your day. Nicely done.
Oh, Leilya, these clipped bursts in your poem show the harried nature of your day. “Pens down, clock chimes” etc. And the rhyming really makes this a fun and fast. I’m glad you made it today, Leilya!
Music Moves Us
Music moves us.
We ride its waves.
We match its pulse.
We sway as one.
Energy builds.
Music moves us.
Nothing matters.
We are fluid.
Vibrations course
Through every nerve.
Music moves us.
We fly aloft.
Getting hotter,
Sweat forming beads
On our faces,
Music moves us.
Shaun, I like how your floating line “Music moves us” creates movement in this poem. The first stanza is my favorite. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Shaun,
I lovvvvve this because I love music! When I’m down, it’s where I go. If I’m excited, it’s where I go. Music definitely moves me!! This stanza moves me because I sometimes feel as if certain songs take me up…to the sky!
Great poem, Shaun!
So much movement in this poem! This firm really suits your topic, Shaun. I love it.
Survival Test
By Mo Daley 11/17/24
I can’t engage
My strength is gone
I must keep sane
Protect myself
Knocks on my door
I can’t engage
My sanity
Is at stake here
Stupidity
Beckons to me
I can’t engage
How to stay strong?
Fight the good fight
Do the right thing
Holding head high
I can’t engage
Mo,
I think the refrain of not being able to engage really comes out with the removal and isolation I feel in the stanzas. The sense of numbness, maybe even tinted with loss. I like the sense of disconnect in the last stanza, when you know all the right answers, but alas…can’t engage.
Mo, I agree with your decision to not engage! I am certain that a large portion of our collective stress is due to constant engagement. My son decided to take a social media break and he said he’s been feeling free and calm and he’s finding simple things more enjoyable.
I think it’s best to steer clear of all that can steal your peace.
Mo, I think I know why you can’t engage. There are some situations when engagements are a waste of breath. You do need sanity, right? Hugs 🤗
Thank you for your prompt today, Stacey. I wish the outcome had been different, too.
I decided to center my poem on a new word (Samaras Seeds) I learned today on a hike.
A New Word: Samaras Seeds
Learned something new
Samaras seeds
Is whirligig
and whirlybird
Never to old
Learned something new
Helicopters
Samaras too
Spinning jenny
And a wing-nut
Learned something new
These words– seeds, too
Went for a walk
and nature talk
No politics
Learned something new
I love learning new words like this, too, Tammi! I heard about samaras seeds earlier this year and loved it. Now I can’t remember where! It will drive me crazy now. I love your take on not being too old to learn.
Tammi, I love that this nature walk not only taught you something new, but it kept you away from the poison of politics. Thank you for sharing this. I’ve never heard Samara Seeds before. I learned something new today! 🤗
Tammi, how good it must be to spend a day with nature. Love your poem, love the idea of learning new things daily. The final stanza is essential here, and “no politics” is priceless. Thank you!
Learning something new is a healthy response to the days, isn’t it? That is a new word for me too, but you made us know the definition through your poem. Thanks for sharing your new knowledge.
Oh, Stacey, your sweet poem, I am still believing–“Faith that love and hope will prevail.” It will, but it will take longer now. Thank you for sharing your hope and writing this beauty.
I always appreciate the etymology of complicatus “folded together; confused, intricate” Where I find myself in these days and in some relationships seems complicated.
Complicated
families, friends,
alliances
stretched to trembling,
Trembling ruptures–
Complicated
relationships
at risk, breaking.
Confusion, fears
misconceptions
complicated
folded, woven
together. How
will we ever
find unity?
Complicated
Denise,
These words “Trembling ruptures”, “at risk, breaking” captures the fragility of our world and makes also makes me wonder “How/will we ever/find unity?”
I feel the relationships between family and friends will be strained for the unforseeable future.
Denise, thank you for this! These concerns and issues are real and really “complicated” as you say. I also love the line “stretched to trembling,” and I didn’t know the etymology of complicatus, so thank you for that, too! 🙂
Denise,
I like the simple logic of your using more words with multiple syllables to capture the innate complicated nature of your poem: alliances, relationships, misconceptions. I also like the subtlety of enjambment and ending with no punctuation after the question posed. There is a sense of unresolve.
Denise, my friend, this hits hard. I pray that your complications clear up soon. Sometimes it seems misconceptions and misunderstandings are at the center of familial issues. Hoping that with time and caring conversations everyone can be at peace. Thank you for sharing, Denise.
Hugs to you!
Denise, I feel the trembling, the confusion, the fear. Finding unity? Yes, complicated. When we lose hope, when we feel betrayed, when we are suffering a great loss, relationships become even more strained. Sending hugs. Thank you for sharing this powerful poem.
Denise, I keep thinking about it all the time: “How
will we ever
find unity?”
It is complicated indeed. You captured the essence of today’s reality. Thank you!
Stacey, my heart hurt a bit more to see the dream “Harris has won” woven into your poem…thank you for offering an outlet for a bit of my emotions.
this is still our country
unite with love
work to be done
roll up our sleeves
help those in need
speak up, protect
unite with love
who is hurting
who is left out
marginalized
vulnerable
unite with love
surround and shield
look for the light
within the cracks
we will keep on
unite with love
Maureen, I know how you feel seeing “Harris has won” and it hits me hard to realize I could revise my poem to say the opposite of everything intended…Harris has lost…We lost control…So much to fear… GOOD LORD. I won’t do it. 💔
You give me a peaceful resolve. Thank you for sharing light and hope with all of us. This stanza resonates with me as I imagine the most vulnerable needing protection more than ever:
Good for you, Stacey! I love your poem AS IT IS!
Maureen, the timely reminder that “this is still our country” with that refrain to “unite with love” makes me believe, anew, that healing is possible… if, as you say, we roll up our sleeves and work at it.Your poem and those of so many here today ARE the light within the cracks and I am so grateful for it.
Unite with love is a powerful message. Together perhaps we can shield ourselves but there are definitely a lot of cracks to be wary of. Love your title.
Maureen, I was just writing response to Denise and thinking that the only way to unite is with love and kindness, so your “unite with love” came in just in time. I think it is going to be my new hashtag #unitewithlove Thank you!
“We WILL keep on…”
I love the marching beat of these words, reminding me we need to stay true to our formation as we march together to victory
The refrain is beautiful, Maureen. “Unite with love” is something I desperately want to see, and I’m trying to have hope. I love “look for the light / within the cracks” Yes, let’s!
Stacey, thank you for sharing this form of poetry. It is definitely something I will use in the classroom.
It’s nature’s way
First the flecks of
White appear on
Muzzle and ears.
The whitening of
(It’s nature’s way)
Black, brown, fawn, cream,
sorrel, brown fur,
Finally, the
Mask rounds the eyes
(It’s nature’s way)
And nose and mouth.
Ghostly visage,
barking subsides,
Last tender days.
(It’s nature’s way)
Oh, Katrina…you have painted the picture of several of my life’s great loves, right here. Aging canine friends with eyes still full of trust and loyalty…what gifts they are to us, truly.
I felt my heart breaking at the words, “Last tender days.” It is very touching how you notice the whitening of the fur over time.
Awwww, my heart aches as I recall those last days of my pets over time. I currently have a cat whose starting to get white hairs around her eyes. Nature’s way is sometimes so gentle, just like your poem. Thank you, Katrina, for offering your poem and your heart today. I’m glad you might try this form in class.
🩷
Katrina, that last stanza! So heartbreaking: “Ghostly visage, barking subsides, Last tender days. / (It’s nature’s way).” Thank you for crafting and sharing this!
Katrina, you do a magnificent job of showing “nature’s way” of how we must all face age and the changes it brings. Your last stanza is haunting and heartbreaking. “Last tender days” is perhaps my favorite line, truly poignant.
Stacey, thank you for offering the powerful 4×4 form today. Lots of thoughts – sometimes I can fit them in a quick-punch form and sometimes I can’t. I struggled today. Confession: I rarely speak or write on the topic of politics. My heart grieves divisions; it craves healing. I started writing a poem on peace and finally gave up. It just so happens that yesterday in the fantasy retreat poem I wrote about a crow – highly symbolic, otherworldly, prescient bird. Lo and behold, yesterday evening, a crow appeared on my fencepost, right by the window, cawing and cawing. I humored myself with thoughts that my writing invoked it. Makes me think about all that writing really does invoke and evoke…that is the power and the beauty and the gift of it, in this world of anguish and loss, wherein our time is so short. So once again…I write of crows.
I write of crows
and one appears
on the fencepost
by my window
cawing at me.
I write of crows.
I don’t know why.
Maybe they do.
Maybe because
they’re death omens.
I write of crows,
not politics.
Maybe I crave
a more divine
intelligence.
I write of crows.
Fran, It’s funny you should write of writing of crows. We had an outdoor service at church today, and the crows cawed loudly whenever we sang. It was a pleasant reminder of a “more divine intelligence. Thank you!
Love the magical hold of crows for you, especially as shown in these lines –
“I write of crows.
I don’t know why.
Maybe they do.”
Hi Fran,
I’m glad you found your inspiration today in the crows. I am not a fan of the feathered friends like you and most of our poets here. I am deeply fearful and crows seem to be everywhere I look. They’re all over my school campus, they’re outside the house, they’re everywhere! 🫣
But, I must say, your poem does give me pause to imagine “a more divine intelligence.” Clearly, America needs a more divine intelligence to be able to unite and love one another.
Thank you, Fran. I always enjoy your poetry!
Fran,
I have noticed the crows more in the last couple weeks…that and a good three or four days of fog.
I like how it starts out as a break from the stress of politics, and then takes that flippin’ intense turn where they are death omens…as if that is an easier consideration than the politics at hand. And, I like the jab at us all, with the more diving intelligence. If only life were about dropping stones into a bottle of water…
Oh, yes, Fran. “I write of crows” sounds like it might be more rewarding these days. “IMaybe crave a more divine intelligence” is a beautiful few lines.
There are so many powerful poems in this feed. Thank you for the inspiration and form. My son was home for a very short visit, and watching him leave was harder today.
It is still hard
to watch him leave
not hear his voice
or stinky feet
Finding my way
is still so hard
after three years
without them home
The quiet nights
are empty now
it is still hard
enduring the hush
Yet, my best hope
for the future
lies in our hearts
Love is not hard
Heather – your words pierce my heart and sting my eyes – I know this feeling well! Chuckling over the “stinky feet” – that’s an epic joke here with one of my own. A perfect little dose of reality, that detail, These lines absolutely sing to me: “My best hope for the future lies in our hearts. Love is not hard.” So beautiful and so true.
Isn’t it just so hard to let them fly? We just love being their safe place to land, don’t we?
“it is still hard
enduring the hush”
Love this.
Heather, I chuckled at the stinky feet. It’s been so long since my son moved away but I vividly recall the stinkiness that would accompany his shoes! LOL!
Perfect ending and reminder that our hearts hold the easy love!! Beautiful. Hugs to you.
Stacey, this turned out rather kooky, but it does say what I mean, and I hope it encourages those writing about topics like yours. Things CAN change!
Shook from our Nook
Only four words
This can be hard
For a retard
Retired and tired
But what a blip
If we can dip
And cast our hook
Into an old book
The author’s words
Said what we’d heard
Shook us to bone
But not left alone
Words back then shook
Us from our nook
Stuff in the past
At last, is passed
Yes, Anna, as I like to believe: This too shall pass.
I appreciate the “kooky” poem! We will get through this.
I was heading down a philosophical, political road. But I’m spending the weekend with a family that I tutored online for seven years, never in person. Finally, I flew down to meet in person. What a wonderful weekend I am having! He is 14 now, and a young man. So this is what I wrote…
Families Can Be Made
First meet online
Tutoring needed
I took the job
Families can be made.
One year, then more
The screen, our home.
Families can be made
Not just a job
Over the years
Families can be made
Phone calls and screen
Seven years shared
Families can be made
Come and see us!
And then I went
And there was love.
GJS
11/17/24
Gayle,
Love the message of positivity in your poem. I agree families can be made! The writing family we have formed here is also a testament to how distance can be bridged through technology.
It is amazing how bonds cam be made over a Zoom call. I feel this way about my writing group, and I will be meeting a few of them for the first time at NCTE this week.
Gayle, what a gift YOU are to this family and clearly they’ve been a gift to you also. I love the refrain because sometimes our closest and most dear loved ones are the ones we choose to include in our families.
I hope you all enjoy one another. Thank you for sharing and writing!
I agree wholeheartedly, Gayle – families CAN and ARE made, and how beautiful is that? “Not just a job” resonates deeply – makes me think of teaching, too. I celebrate your ending lines – love, yes! – and getting to see your family in person. Amazing!
Need we say any more?
Thanks for the prompt, Stacey. I like the simplicity and rhythm progression of this form. And, I am in need of a catharsis as well as a recommitment. With due respect to William Ernest Henley:
CAPTAIN’S SOUL LOG
My faith is yare
storm tested true,
as I awake
as I lay down.
With steadfast course
my faith is yare,
true in purpose
morning manna.
Shite is still shite
a rose a rose,
my faith is yare
the stars still bright.
Anguish is real
conflict will come
but this I know,
my faith is yare.
Rex,
I got a chuckle out of these lines “shite is still shite,/ a rose a rose”. Somethings you just can’t change but as you note we need to keep the faith.
Yes!! Good choice in your refrain: my faith is yare
I feel both the hope and the frustration here. I absolutely adore this stanza:
Let’s keep the faith, Rex. Thank you for writing with us today.
I love this, Rex, for so many reasons – most of all for the faith/holy fear that still holds, bright like the stars. And for the comic relief in the middle:)
You’ve captured the Captain’s voice well here. So appreciate “the starts still bright” and “my faith is yare.”
I learned a new word: yare. I love that idea in your refrain: “My faith is yare” Thank you for this.
Stacey, thank you for taking such a difficult topic and bringing out the power of it through your poem. I have decided to talk about my future classroom and students as I am still in college!
I’m still learning
How to inspire
the next gen of
shining students
Each step I take
I’m still learning
How to create
The perfect place
Through the classes
I’ve yet to take
I’m still learning
My future awaits
I cannot wait
To see how I
Can guide their way,
I’m still learning
I love the movie from “My future awaits” to “I cannot wait”! And the rhymes in some lines. The flow and repetition/continuation of “I’m still learning” works so well, since we never stop!! Excellent.
KC,
I love the hopeful message your poem conveys. Even after years of teaching, I feel like I am still learning “how to inspire /the next gen/of shining students.” As teachers I think we must always keep learning and adapting which is what makes our jobs both exciting and challenging. Good luck in your future classroom!
There is so much hope and excitement in your poem. “I cannot wait” for you to start your journey and continue your learning as it is never-ending.
KC,
Thank you for sharing your poem and your hopes as you dream of your future in teaching. I can say that in this 39th year of teaching I am STILL always searching for ways to inspire my scholars. You are going to be exactly who they need when you step in your first classroom. Just don’t ever stop learning and growing and you will be fine.
I love this stanza as it speaks to ALL of us here who continue to learn and evolve.
K.C., your words encourage me. They are refreshing. After all of these years in the classroom, I find that “I’m still learning/how to inspire/the next gen of/shining students.”
K.C.,
Hold fast to that mindset. I promise it will be your friend throughout your career. “I’m still learning” is the perfect refrain, one we all need. I taught 38 years and never stopped learning. Still haven’t stopped learning.
As another future educator I really like your poem. I find it very relatable and understandable. I also like the adjectives you used throughout the poem like “perfect” when talking about a school and “shining” when you are talking about the students. This poem really shows that you want to be a positive and inspiring teacher!
I don’t get it:
I mean what the
actual fuck?
What just happened?
Obviously,
I don’t get it;
I’m still having
trouble making
sense of all this.
Are you saying
(I don’t get it)
this is because
some people did
not want a wo-
man in office?
I don’t get it.
___________________________________________
Stacey, I prefer your version of events rather than what actually happened. [sigh] For my offering, I’m just shaking my head at all the undecided voters who weren’t ready to have a female president. Really? I mean, really? Come on, folks…
Love hearing this from the perspective of a man!
Scott,
I’m feeling the same way. It was like whiplash. I just hope that all Trump’s blustering hateful promises won’t come to pass.
Scott, I needed your perspective and your poem today. I don’t get it either. But sadly, the world is about to see and get him!
Thank you, Scott.
Scott, isn’t it wonderful though that we have a space in this forum where we can share our beliefs and disbelief. Like you, “I don’t get it.” This makes the upcoming holidays with those who “get it” especially daunting. It is faith in democracy itself that gives me hope. I have to believe…
Oh, Scott. Amen and amen. I like how you kept four syllables in each line. It makes the fourth stanza all the more powerful to have to slow down and read, “did not want a wo-
man in office? I don’t get it.
Stacey, Thanks for sharing this powerful poem and this interesting format. As I cope with the aftermath of the election, these our my thoughts…
I need to heal
my broken heart,
shattered friendships,
polarized land.
I need to heal…
transform my fear,
banish contempt,
find common ground.
I need to heal
and seek the truth,
grasp my values,
fight for justice.
I need to heal
and build bridges,
stay true to our
Democracy.
Love this, especially the lines
“polarized land”
“common ground”
Rita,
Truth! We all “need to heal/and build bridges,/stay true to our/Democracy.” It is going to be a bumby four years.
Thank you, Rita, for this poem and sharing your feelings. You are not alone. Let’s build the bridges and seek the truth and find our healing together.
🩵
I, too, yearn for healing, Rita, and finding the common ground of being humans who need one another to keep living in this world. How magnificently you captured this need! Brava!!
Rita,
I think we all need some healing, but I don’t know how that can happen given what we know about what millions accept and endorse, which is one man’s inhumanity to many. Our first obligation is to preserve democracy, as your last lines note.
Rita, your first line is compelling. I feel the “shattered friendships, polarized land”. Powerful poem and I hope bridges can be built.
I really like the creative words that you used throughout this poem! My favorites were “polarized” and “banish”. They allow me to paint a more vivid picture in my head of what you are writing about!
Beautiful words and powerful message. I too needed to hear and heed your message of healing, which I believe brings hope.
Stacy,
I hold onto every word here and have to believe deeply that “We have control” and that women will continue to rise up and shape policies and innovate ways of choice and for women’s health. I will be on the look out for joining efforts. Hugs.
Sarah
craft tandem paths
through crisis roads
lean in to folks
ask for stories
ready to share?
craft tandem paths
in a whisper
or silent breath
want to scream?
i’ll join you: go
craft tandem paths
echoing salve
need to weep?
let our tears pond
splashing sorrows
craft tandem paths
Sarah, you’ve given me something I needed TODAY. I’ve cried but I think it’s time to “let our tears pond” and “craft tandem paths” together. Oh, how I love this.
💛Thank you, Sarah.
“want to scream?
i’ll join you: go”
These line are amazing!
What beautiful sounds you create and I love the image of
Sarah,
Yes, we really do need to “craft” those “tandem paths” and share stories. Together we are stronger.
Sarah,
”Craft tandem paths” is such a provocative line and idea. Honestly, it’s super hard to trust anyone these days, and trusting people has never been easy for me. I am so profoundly disappointed in people and continue to be pretty much every day. I have weeped and cried inconsolably the past and present days.
Sarah, your message is provocative. I need that “echoing salve” and feel the desire to scream. I feel the need for togetherness and inclusion more than ever. Too many are marginalized and the hurt and damage caused by this will be difficult to overcome.
Greetings Teacher-Poet Friends,
Thank you for writing with me today. I wanted to express my sincere apologies if today’s prompt is triggering or saddening. I gambled and lost, and I did not consider how it would feel to respond to the prompt if Harris lost. No thought at all. With that, I am deeply sorry to open the wounds more or cause any additional sadness.
Please know that you are free to write about whatever you choose and you’re also free to ignore my hopeful poem.
Lastly, since she lost, I deactivated my X account so you may follow me on Blue Sky or IG (@joyteam). My Blue Sky handle is: https://bsky.app/profile/joyteam.bsky.social
Have a wonderful Sunday and remember never give up hope for a better future. 💙🩵
Stacey,
Thank you for hosting. I wish your poem were our reality. I’m both heartbroken and angry. My anger is directed toward white women more than anyone else. Too many are both accommodating that horrible guy and/or too unwilling to speak up in their own worlds. I don’t know how to solve that problem. I saw Marc Elias’s newsletter this morning. The headline reads: “The Old Guardrails are Off.”
Old Guardrails Fail
Old guardrails fail
in this new order.
No expertise
in his orbit.
Sycophants control.
Old guardrails fail.
New world order
will emerge now.
Lies trumped our Choice
Deniers won.
Old guardrails fail.
Hope cannot quit.
We need realists
Commit to fight.
Never give up.
Old guardrails fail.
Glenda Funk
11-17-24
Glenda,
I will hold onto the call here of “Hope cannot quit” and that grounded in “realists” and “fight”! The action in your poem is space for reinforcements and new to replace the old. I hear it. I feel it. This is very powerfully crafted.
Peace,
Sarah
Yes, yes, yes and I’m deeply sorry that “old guardrails fail” and we have witnessed the sickness of our nation. I hope all of us remember your words:
Thank you, Glenda.
Oh, Glenda, Your message is clear and important. “Old guardrails fail” fills me with fear that I am trying to overcome with hope and honest communication. It’s an unbelievable situation but “hope cannot quit!”
Glenda, your lines “Hope cannot quit,” and “Commit to fight / Never give up.” are really sitting with me, and bringing me back to a long sought reflection I had with some classmates where we came to such similar conclusions as you portray in your poem. Thank you for sharing.
Bravo! From the message to the word choice to the images to the moving “old guardrails fail” . . . this is masterful!
Glenda, your refrain speaks volumes. I totally understand your anger. We do need to commit to fight just as your poem expresses. Thank you for sharing your powerful poem and wise, sage words today! Hugs!
Stacey, thanks for your prompt today. Our reproduction rights are so vital. Your powerful poem went straight to my heart which made me think about how important it is to be aware of what’s afoot. We can’t bury our heads from what hurts our souls, and I fear for our educational systems. Keeping people ignorant, allows others to take control and often leads to abuse.
Remember When the School Bell Rang
Educate first
or we will thirst
for a life we
can call our own
listen for lies
educate first
protect our rights
before lives die
when schools close doors
our children hurt
educate first
be wise, alert
watch carefully
truth is power
to save our world—
Educate first
Barb Edler
17 November 2024
Barb, this is powerful and true! We will keep shouting and fighting to educate our babies. I ache and my heart breaks thinking about the future, but I also know we can do this!
Thank you, friend, for giving us this powerful poem! 🌹
Barb,
“our children hurt” made me gasp. This is the heart of it all. I hear the sort of education calling in this poem is for truth and knowledge grounded in what is good and right for kids. Hugs and gratitude for these words today.
Sarah
Barbara, I love this important message. I cringe when I think about what could happen to our school system and how these change have and will continue to hurt our children. I love the line “truth is power” and the heed to “watch carefully.” Thanks for sharing.
Barb,
As always you find the sweet spot of each prompt. “Educate first” has been the rallying cry of teachers, and we know the consequences of ignoring those two words. Of course, lacking wisdom and intellect, that guy (you know the one) needs the least intelligent folks he can find around him. How can so many embrace all the nonsense? “Truth is power,” indeed.
Barb, your refrain “Educate first”, seems like it would be true internationally, The issue arises, “Teach them what, when, and why?” We wonder, but do our best to keep in mind, that “truth is power”. The question of course is “Power for whom?”
Thanks for the thoughtful poem.
Amen and amen. The truth that education is necessary to save our republic is becoming broadcast in our country in a way no one could have imagined. “Truth is power / to save our world” Amen, Barb. Thank you for speaking up.
Oh, Stacey, I’m so sorry the election did not turn out the way we had hoped. My hope was too high and now I am hopeless. So I turned to meditation and today’s sent me to affirmations and my 4 x 4.
Affirmation:
to speak truthful,
listen with care.
I am okay.
Light illusion?
Affirmation:
sparkles of hope,
glimmers of love.
The sun is kind,
so are the birds.
Affirmation:
I am my friend.
I am myself.
Nature’s alive.
Breath for my day–
Affirmation.
Ahhh, to inhale the warm loving kindness of your poem is all I need. Margaret, thank you. I appreciate this calming gift. I think we all need to repeat these affirmations after feeling so hopeless these last few weeks.
Hugs and appreciation!
Margaret,
There is so much healing in nature, and I am grateful for your poetry, which always grounds me in place with “so are the birds” and “Nature’s alive” and “light.”
Sarah
It’s refreshing to read your positive words and get a glimpse of how you are trying to heal. This is surely a time to relish nature, light, and the abundance of blessings in our lives as we struggle to move into a challenging future. Thanks for sharing these words.
Margaret, I really sit with your first stanza, and especially the final line, “I am okay.” That is something I have to remind myself sometimes when things are getting tough, and especially recently thinking about my future. Your poem has reminded me to take things one step at a time.
I really enjoyed reading your poem Margaret! I liked the words that you used that express the beauty of nature and gives a sense of calmness.
Thanks for the prompt Stacey. It was nice to look back at the poem I wrote in 2022 also. It was about being done with grading 100 essays which funnily enough I’m almost done with again, but different school, students, hemisphere. Anyway, the poem I wrote about today is a totally different subject.
Who would she be?
Yes, it’s always
a she to me.
I’m not sure why.
But I wonder
who she would be.
Reserved like me
or outgoing?
My cross to bear
always asking
who she would be
never knowing.
What if I made
a different choice
eight years ago?
Who would she be?
Angie, your poem pours right into my heart. Big hugs, and I love that you shared the cross you bear. That takes courage, friend, and I admire you for it.
Angie, wow, what a heartbreaking poem. I feel the angst, the pain, the loss. Who would she be is a haunting question. Thank you for sharing such a powerful, deeply moving poem!
Ohhh, Angie. I feel this in my soul. I, too, wonder about my first pregnancy’s “seed” but have never given it a gender. Imagining the women today and tomorrow who lose their right to choose breaks my heart.
Sending love your way and I appreciate you sharing something so personal.
🌷
Angie,
I am hesitant to assume this is autobiographical, so I will say the speaker’s words here made me gasp. At first, my own story of not having children and always wondering who we might have made to live in this world and then the story of my friends and family who were able to make choices since 1973, and the freedom in being able to write this poem because they were trusted to make a choice for their own body and life. For many, this is poem can be read as a privilege — that the mother lived to write this poem, and, of course, I feel for all the women who were not able to or who may not have survived without physicians to help.
So your poem got me thinking deeply here about choice and freedoms and grief and wonderings. So much here. I hold your words dear and am deeply grateful for this poem of eight years ago.
Peace,
Sarah
Thank you for reminding us that this poem may have a speaker distinct from the poet. Regardless, it’s powerful as heck.
How courageous to share your profound reflections. A woman always wonders and you personal ponderings touched my heart.
Stacey,
I love the simplicity and structure of the 4x4x4. And adding the theme of our nation makes it a great form to say things in few words. I love your poem and I followed a similar idea,
we
our country’s soul
has been kidnapped
because we fear
all the wrong things.
our big worries
are about me
instead of we
like it should be.
we put our hope
and then our vote
into a man
so filled with hate
how to return
to better days
where we trumped me
and love still reigned.
~Susan Ahlbrand
17 November 2024
Susan, your opening stanza is like a death knell, ringing out with terror. I think your completely right when you say it’s about me instead of we. Your final stanza is a question I hope will be answered. Extremely powerful poem and the truth within so aptly stated.
Susan,
I’m grateful your poem speaks to the truth of this dreadful outcome. Thank you for sharing this with us. I must believe we will get through this and love will return.
Oh, Susan.
“kidnapped” is so powerful and then the play on words with “we trumped me” and I want to hold onto “love still reigned” in that I can see we are loving in this space today.
Hugs,
Sarah
Susan, your poem speaks honestly and vulnerably, so thank you for sharing. It seems like such a gut check for what is to come.
Susan,
It’s like you crawled into my head, snatched my thoughts, and set them into your poem. That first stanza takes us to church. “Perfect love drives out fear.” Too bad that blubbery clown hasn’t read that bible he grifts off of.
Thanks, Stacey for this prompt. You made me stop and put into words the beautiful moon rise I saw last night.
Orange Moon Rise
Orange moon rise,
Over the sea,
Dark November,
A shining path.
All is quiet,
Orange moon rise,
Beach deserted,
Alone, watching.
Glistening path,
Across the sea,
Orange moon rise,
Where do you lead?
My mind wanders,
Follows your path,
Inspiration,
Orange moon rise.
Joanne,
thank you for this peaceful and hopeful poem.
I like the contrast of
Love the hope and wonder of your concluding stanza
Your poem is a good reminder of the solace we can find in nature.
I love the question in this. The repetition works well to describe this moon rise. Beautiful!
Faith in the darkness is what I feel when I read your poem today. That question: where do you lead? begins the journey – mind wandering following the path, keeping faith that the path will not be treacherous.
I love the imagery of your poem, Joanne. November’s super moon has been completely mesmerizing as your poem is today.
Joanne, thank you! What a gorgeous poem for an unforgettable moon! I would have loved to see this:
You make me want to seek an orange moon rising. In L.A. that never seems to be the sight. LOL.
This is wonderful. I find it a challenge to get that refrain to fit each stanza–but orange moon rise hits right each one. Beautiful.
Joanne,
After having read several political poems, I am reading the “orange” as a reference to the — I can’t say it– elected person. I am not sure if that was an intention. And then I reread the poem in light of the full moon that has been hovering and am grateful for the “mind wanders” and a path forward.
Peace,
Sarah
Joanne, I concur with Sharon Ray who senses hope when reading yours first a stanza about “a shining path” this dark November. Whatever folks voted, most are disappointed for one reason or another. But, light comes in the evening sometimes, too!
Great imagery! The moon was amazing yesterday in all its oranginess. It caused my mind to wander as well.
Stacey,
thank you for hosting. Your poem makes me ache for what could have been:
Your “nothing to fear” line
and your refrain
are both so calming and strong.
Trying to find the small ways that this is still true.
Maybe later I will write about the hope my students give me with their compassionate leadership, but my heart wrote a poem of grief—my Mom passed a month ago.
Bonjour Mama
I miss you Mom
Mornings are hard
Without our call
Bonjour mama
Bonjour ma fille
I miss you Mom
I cry and cry
Adam says, I know
Teaching helps me
I’m good when busy
I miss you Mom
You were so good
Always grateful
Slyly funny
Laughing, loving
I miss you Mom
Sharon, my mother is in hospice care, and I write about her often. I know it will gut me when she dies. I feel your love and dedication to her memory in your poem. Hang in there. Grief is a weird thing that can knock you when you don’t expect it to. Take care of yourself.
Thank you, Margaret. I’ve read some of your poems about your Mom. They have resonated. My Mom was at a hospice house two different times before she passed so I know that that can be hard and strange as well. I hope you can also find time to take care of yourself. Sending peace and love.
Sharon, the missed morning calls and the staying busy – – I relate to those so well. I lost my mother in 2015 to Parkinson’s Disease, and every day I want to call her. I just wish for one more hour to talk about life, about things I need to know. Her voice came through my aunt last night – words I’d never known she’d said. She told my aunt, “I know you’ll help her through,” and that’s what my aunt does. It’s like my mother passed the torch, and while she can’t be here, she trusted my aunt to have deep conversations with me. I still see her in the hawks sitting on wires, appearing so ironically as I ponder deep decisions. I hear her words when I forget to fasten my seatbelt, I sense her presence in my kitchen as I pour from her old glass Pyrex measuring cup. Thank you for your lovely poem today – it moves my heart and resonates with me so much, this missing of our moms.
Sharon, I feel the loss with your very first line. I appreciate how you show your mother through your carefully chosen details such as “Always grateful/Slyly funny”. I also like how you used different language phrases to say goodbye. Hugs!
Oh, Sharon, first I send you my deepest condolences. I know this feeling all too well. This December will be 14 years since my mom passed and it still seems like yesterday. A mother’s love and care are irreplaceable. Just know, you’ll feel her around you and see her IN you for the rest of your life.
Thank you, Sharon. These lines speak to the beautiful woman your mom was and always will be in your heart:
🤗Hugs for you, Sharon.
Beautiful. The good fortune of busyness to take your mind off…and the missing. I love the French words in this poem.
Phew, Stacey! This prompt had me going all over the place this morning. I love the challenge of guidelines and guardrails. If only your words had come to be. I think your title was nudging my thoughts with wordplay (women’s writes wins). This could have been a 4x4x4x4x4…
The First
It could have been
Adam who sinned
first – who would know
Men write the tales
The story changed
what could have been
when endless men
stole history
Zelda, Hedy
to name a few
it could have been
our herstory
If women wrote
our narratives
the world would know
what could have been
Hear, hear, Jennifer!
so beautifully bitter sweet
Love the way this sounds:
“what could have been
when endless men”
powerful poem!
Jennifer, once again, you’ve written a winner! The perspective is everything. We got one viewpoint, and I’m with you that the apple was only the documented first. Every stanza brings a smile, and your rhymes just kick it out of the park.
Wow, Jennifer, your poem is jaw-dropping. I love your title and how you completely captured me from the first stanza. Yes, what would have life been like had we had ‘HERSTORY”. I also appreciate your allusions to Zelda and Hedy. Crazy powerful poem! Bravo!
Mic drop, Jennifer!
You nailed it. I’m sorry the prompt today didn’t come true but I love that you took this approach. It’s TRUTH!
Thank you!
Jennifer,
I love that first verse. Indeed, we’ve always accepted the claim Eve sinned first. Maybe she didn’t. 🤔 Brilliant poem!
Stacey,
Thank you for a form that will stay right with me as I practice 4x4s more. You know how much I love the short forms because of their concentrated word power. And, I think I also love them because on days when finding the time to write is tough, they bring hope for the writing. You have given us a gift this morning! I agree – 90 Ways of Community is a treasure chest of riches. Your poem speaks volumes about our rights as women and brings to mind a recently read book entitled Weyward. It got me thinking about women through the ages and how they have weighted decisions and have overcome circumstances. My mind today is on the week ahead at NCTE.
NCTE
where shall we go?
NCTE!
where will it be?
Massachusetts
where can we breathe?
NCTE!
what do we need?
NCTE!
who will we see?
Ada Limon!
where will she speak?
NCTE!
where will we dwell?
NCTE!
who steals our hearts?
NCTE!
Oh, how I wish I was going. I am so loyal to my librarian conferences (and have limited funds) that I’ve not gone to NCTE. But this makes me want to go!
Kim, I cannot wait for all of the joy and love this group will bring to NCTE this year (and so, so sad I cannot go). Lucky are the participants who will spend time with you, gathering from you, healing with you. NCTE! My heart is with all of you.
Omgggg Ada!! Enjoy her! Soo jealous.
I can hear your joy for the conference ahead. Wish I was packing my bags, too! I can’t wait to hear all about it afterwards. I especially will miss seeing all of you attending and can only imagine how wonderful it will be to listen to Ada! Safe travels, friend.
Gosh, Kim, I can feel the joy and anticipation in every line. When I was a cheerleader, my team loved the repetition of “Comets” (our team name) whenever we cheered. I wish I could have gone to NCTE this time. I know it will be amazing and all this excitement will permeate the week! Have fun, my friend, and I’ll miss you all.
I’ll be breathing with you in a faraway neck of the woods! 😮💨
I am attending for the first time, and your poem has my heart racing with excitement.
Your poem is definitely a cheer, Kim – I can see you leading it, pom poms and all! What a gift to meet Ada Limon and hear her speak – and to breathe, and to be with others united in love of language and teaching. I cheer you on, friend. Can’t wait to hear your takeaways.
Good Morning, Stacy and all.
For now, that hope has to feed us for some time. I pray it is enough to keep us. Poem as celebration. Poem as manifestation. It’s what I take from your words and hope I can give to learners. They need us so much more now than ever.
Only time for the first two stanzas from me — busy weekend.
Quiet winter
silent entrance
snow is falling
as we sleep in
Furnace wakes up
quiet winter
knitting needles
wool gathering
3,,,,tbd
4….tbd
Linda, I want to be there sleeping in as snow falls in all the silence. The first two stanzas reel me in, but those last two – – you may not have thought they would be this powerful and that they need to be more developed, but friend, they are perfect because they leave the day open without deadline or plan. It’s like when we’re on vacation and we get up and have breakfast and then talk about what we want to do that day – so after the knitting and wool gathering, there are things yet unknown that will be cozy and comforting. I like the TBD stanzas. I need more of those in my life. Thank you for reminding me to do more TBD.
Linda, your words soothe. Comfort. Embrace. They bring to mind that exact moment that is like no other as it can only be found and felt in a quiet winter. Silent entrance slips us into your poem and from there, we just want to remain – I’m waiting for this day.
Linda,
thank you for the calm and beauty of
I like the double meaning and potential of
Wow Linda. I want to hear more but thanks for sharing such a soothing 2 stanzas. It sounds like a lullaby. Beautiful.
Ahhh, this is inviting us into a warm loving space. I adore this and appreciate you giving us two lovely stanzas. The furnace waking up reminded me of my grandmother’s house during the holidays. I can clearly hear her saying, “Stay away from that furnace!”
Thank you, Linda. Enjoy your busy day.
Great start, Linda. I love the image of sleeping in on a snowy day. It brings back memories of my childhood and cold, winter mornings.
Stacey, thank you for teaching me a new form and inspiring me with your hopeful poem. I too had visions of this reality and hopefulness of possibilities.
I tried to capture that hopeful feeling, which we need to cling to in these times of uncertainty.
Stay firm in hope
Stay firm in hope
We can rise up
And be the change
we wish to see
Yes, you and me
Stay firm in hope
and speak the truth
when wrongs prevails
I have great faith
despite the dark
Stay firm in hope
Good will prevail
We will triumph
I pray each day
Light will outshine
Stay firm in hope
Christine, I’m drawing strength from your words, “rise up, be the change, speak the truth, light will outshine, stay firm in hope,” Let it be so!
Christine, yes! You pull the threads of time and history close from your very first stanza, reminding us to be the change we wish to see. Whenever I struggle, I find such power in reading books and accounts of those who have overcome. The last line – stay firm in hope – reminds us not to give up, but to forge onward, being beacons of hope. What power!
We are right there with you, Christine! This form works so effectively for your message. Your repeating line moves further down in each stanza, almost as if we can be reminded later and later as we grow stronger with time or as if we slip a bit from the overwhelmingness of it all (I’m trying, I really am). Your words are going to be my mantra for the upcoming future.
Christine,
This is so strong and needed.
Absolutely love your refrain:
Thank you for sharing your hope, faith, and call to action.
I love the positivity of your poem. It’s so difficult to “Stay firm in hope”. I hope the wrongs will not prevail and that light will outshine. Beautiful poem!
Thank you for this hope-filled gift!
I tend to lean into hope when despair is all around me. Your stanzas are beautiful affirmations we can certainly all speak and believe.
Much gratitude!