What's a poem, squared? After a conversation on rules -- inventing them, breaking them, knowing them, we decided to count the letters in our names and write poems that was equal to that number, squared -- as many lines as words per line. We also discussed the reason why we call something "squared" -- remembering the actual shape of a square and denoting base x height. We reviewed the notion of "function rules" and "substitutions" and listed the various modes of expression -- algebraic, concrete, numerical, verbal, and graphical -- making ties between those forms of expression in math and the ways in which our poetry/theater connected.
Here are a few examples of NAMES SQUARED!
L E R O Y (5)
say hi and good bye
see you again another time
when life is just right
see you in high school
see you in college years
T A T Y A N A (7)
Tatyana is a thirteen year old girl.
She is a creation to the world.
She's brilliant, talented, and funny. And sometimes,
her nose is a little runny. I
really like Tatyana. She's a really cool
person. She lights up my day. She
makes me feel great. I love Tatyana.
K H A R I (5)
When I think of me,
I think proud and free.
Love, faith, and belief is
a part of you and me.
Don't cry -- your hopes fly.
T Y L E S H I A (8)
I am short, silly, and really kind, small.
Every day I wonder if I were tall.
I am little, but I have a big
Dream. A dream that is more than it
May seem. I am a cool person to
be around. I like to walk and shop
all over town. So I am true and
me, the best that I can always be.
D E N I S H A (7)2
I really dn't know what to do.
This whole thing has me feeling blue.
I feel like I'm about to cry
but I'm holding the tears back in
my eyes. What's wrong with me, I
say to myself as I hold my
tears. Then I think I'm going away.
N I C O L E (6)
In the dark, scared and alone.
Where am I going now, friend?
If that is your real name.
You don't understand! The pressure's on!
I must fight this mirror fight
with the girl I don't like.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Experiment: If.When.Then @ Crown -- Day One
Day One @ Crown
Conditional Exercise -- if/when/then in pairs
If I was a mountain,
then you would be an orange.
If I was a can,
then we would all live on the moon.
If I was pink,
then I would fly above the moon.
If chocolate tasted like mice,
then we would go swimming.
If you stop licking your lips,
then you will wear tight pants.
If I drove a car,
then I would leave.
If the world spun very fast,
then bubbbles would be blue.
If my head was big,
then I would get married.
If I die today,
then I won't see another tomorrow.
If I was a tree,
then I would cry.
If I get an A in math class,
then pizza will always be for breakfast.
If I was a boy,
then I would die.
If I turned to page 6,
then I will cry.
If I was to eat an apple,
then I would fall.
If I read a book,
then tigers would sleep in my classroom.
If I see Ms. Amanda,
then I would break a pencil.
If I ran outside,
then I would sleep forever.
If I ride horse,
then I will wish upon a star.
If I were to cut myself,
then I would be sure to smile.
If a giant learned algebra,
then you would get smaller.
If you look on the sole of your shoe,
then flowers will bloom.
If my leg didn't hurt,
then blue would be purple.
If I had a million dollars,
then I am going to dig a tunnel to Australia.
If I was Jamaican,
I would buy you a wig.
If you fly,
I will die.
If I fall off the bridge,
then I'll never know the real truth.
If I tie my shoe,
then I will marry J.
If I was to fly like a bird,
then you have to dance silly.
If I was the sky,
then you'd have to do the lean wit-it, rock wit-it.
If I was the moon,
I'd dress nicely.
If you start crying,
I will cheer you up.
If I were you,
then I'd lose myself in the world.
If two stars cross in the night,
then I will leave you.
If the world was no longer a world,
I'd wear my socks all at the same time.
If god hears my prayer,
I'll go the store and buy pigs' feet.
If I call you tonight,
then we could go to sleep.
If I beat someone up,
we'd go to sleep at dawn.
If I went to sleep,
then you would turn purple.
If I was blind,
you'd wake up wheezy.
If I go to school,
then I'll love you forever.
Conditional Exercise -- if/when/then in pairs
If I was a mountain,
then you would be an orange.
If I was a can,
then we would all live on the moon.
If I was pink,
then I would fly above the moon.
If chocolate tasted like mice,
then we would go swimming.
If you stop licking your lips,
then you will wear tight pants.
If I drove a car,
then I would leave.
If the world spun very fast,
then bubbbles would be blue.
If my head was big,
then I would get married.
If I die today,
then I won't see another tomorrow.
If I was a tree,
then I would cry.
If I get an A in math class,
then pizza will always be for breakfast.
If I was a boy,
then I would die.
If I turned to page 6,
then I will cry.
If I was to eat an apple,
then I would fall.
If I read a book,
then tigers would sleep in my classroom.
If I see Ms. Amanda,
then I would break a pencil.
If I ran outside,
then I would sleep forever.
If I ride horse,
then I will wish upon a star.
If I were to cut myself,
then I would be sure to smile.
If a giant learned algebra,
then you would get smaller.
If you look on the sole of your shoe,
then flowers will bloom.
If my leg didn't hurt,
then blue would be purple.
If I had a million dollars,
then I am going to dig a tunnel to Australia.
If I was Jamaican,
I would buy you a wig.
If you fly,
I will die.
If I fall off the bridge,
then I'll never know the real truth.
If I tie my shoe,
then I will marry J.
If I was to fly like a bird,
then you have to dance silly.
If I was the sky,
then you'd have to do the lean wit-it, rock wit-it.
If I was the moon,
I'd dress nicely.
If you start crying,
I will cheer you up.
If I were you,
then I'd lose myself in the world.
If two stars cross in the night,
then I will leave you.
If the world was no longer a world,
I'd wear my socks all at the same time.
If god hears my prayer,
I'll go the store and buy pigs' feet.
If I call you tonight,
then we could go to sleep.
If I beat someone up,
we'd go to sleep at dawn.
If I went to sleep,
then you would turn purple.
If I was blind,
you'd wake up wheezy.
If I go to school,
then I'll love you forever.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Surealist Conditionals -- Absurdist Logic
"EVERYTHING IS FLEEING/TOWARD ITS PRESENCE." -- ROBERTO JUARROZ
For months I've been obsessed with this quote by Mexican poet Roberto Juarroz. I started writing it everywhere – as the signature to my email, on notes to friends, and in little spots around my office. It was the kind of idea that was planted like a seed and grew a thousand branches. I started thinking about absence and presence, energy and transformation. What is fleeing exactly? How do we know when we get there? And what gets lost along the way?
The line haunted me. A few months later, when fellow Break Arts artist Leah Sobsey and I began talking about leading text and image workshops with HABLA in Merida, I knew I wanted to use this poem in some way to organize our workshops. In many conversations between Greensboro and Chicago, Leah and I started making connections between the ideas in Juarroz's poem and the antique photographic process of cyanotypes, one of Leah's favorite photographic processes. Just as Juarroz's poem pushes the reader to think about fullness and emptiness, absence and presence, so do cyanotypes, which depend on the energy and heat of the sun to reveal or hide images placed on sheets of chemically coated fabric or paper. A transformation happens. Both the poem and the process itself asks us -- simply put -- what makes a thing – a thing? Where does its essence reside?
Leah and I began to plan a text and image workshop that would include a poetry warm up, close analysis and discussion of a poetic text, and the cyanotype process. Traditionally, cyanotypes entailed placing objects from the natural world onto treated paper, exposing the paper to sunlight, and removing those objects to reveal its after-image. But Leah explained the magic of using transparencies and black sharpies to write or copy text, placing it flat onto treated paper, making it possible to expose original handwriting and poetic text. The possibilities were endless and we couldn't wait to try this with workshop participants.
For the poetry warm up, we wanted to play with the idea of "conditionals" or "poetic logic" to fuel our thinking about absence and presence. We decided to play a Surrealist game in which two players invent poetic sentences by one player creating an "if/when" phrase and the other deciding on a "then" phrase without knowing or seeing the other half. To play this game, you can either write your part down or simply think it. When both players have decided on their part, the team reveals the thought in its entirety. You can also play this game by both players secretly writing an "if/when" phrase, folding or hiding it, trading their phrase with their partner, and completing a "then" phrase. No matter how you play, the idea is to generate surprising and audacious new language pairings that provoke new thinking about what makes a thought or an image whole.
HOW TO PLAY:
1. SURREALIST CONDITIONALS
Get into pairs and assign a Person A and a Person B.
Person A thinks of an “if/si or when/cuando” statement.
Ex: If a bird chirps or When a child fails
Person A does NOT tell Person B – they either think it or jot it down
…meanwhile…
Person B thinks of a “then/entonces” statement.
Ex: then all the leaves will fall or then I’ll have to wash the spoons.
Person B does NOT tell Person A yet – they either think it or jot it down.
When both Person A and Person B are ready – meaning they each have their secret phrase, they give each other a nod to reveal the conditional statement as a whole:
If a bird chirps
Then all the leaves will fall.
When a child fails,
Then I’ll have to wash the spoons.
The joy is in the audaciousness of surprising and unexpected connections. It’s fun for Person A and Person B to jot down the whole phrase before moving on to a next partner.
In the style of a salon, each person quickly finds a new partner, quickly decides who will think of an “if/when” and who will then of a “then” and begin again.
There are many variations on this exercise – and when working with children, it also works well if each child comes up with an “if/when” phrase on a sheet of paper. Each child also comes up with a “then” phrase. The children make two piles on the floor and then are invited to select one phrase from each pile to create surprising new phrases. That’s just one possibility out of many to make this exercise more hands on and interactive. You could also make a visible wall of “if/when” and “then” phrases and have students mix and match the phrases in pairs. The emphasis should be on the joy of outrageous pairings – constructing new meanings and images – and delighting in the results.
For months I've been obsessed with this quote by Mexican poet Roberto Juarroz. I started writing it everywhere – as the signature to my email, on notes to friends, and in little spots around my office. It was the kind of idea that was planted like a seed and grew a thousand branches. I started thinking about absence and presence, energy and transformation. What is fleeing exactly? How do we know when we get there? And what gets lost along the way?
The line haunted me. A few months later, when fellow Break Arts artist Leah Sobsey and I began talking about leading text and image workshops with HABLA in Merida, I knew I wanted to use this poem in some way to organize our workshops. In many conversations between Greensboro and Chicago, Leah and I started making connections between the ideas in Juarroz's poem and the antique photographic process of cyanotypes, one of Leah's favorite photographic processes. Just as Juarroz's poem pushes the reader to think about fullness and emptiness, absence and presence, so do cyanotypes, which depend on the energy and heat of the sun to reveal or hide images placed on sheets of chemically coated fabric or paper. A transformation happens. Both the poem and the process itself asks us -- simply put -- what makes a thing – a thing? Where does its essence reside?
Leah and I began to plan a text and image workshop that would include a poetry warm up, close analysis and discussion of a poetic text, and the cyanotype process. Traditionally, cyanotypes entailed placing objects from the natural world onto treated paper, exposing the paper to sunlight, and removing those objects to reveal its after-image. But Leah explained the magic of using transparencies and black sharpies to write or copy text, placing it flat onto treated paper, making it possible to expose original handwriting and poetic text. The possibilities were endless and we couldn't wait to try this with workshop participants.
For the poetry warm up, we wanted to play with the idea of "conditionals" or "poetic logic" to fuel our thinking about absence and presence. We decided to play a Surrealist game in which two players invent poetic sentences by one player creating an "if/when" phrase and the other deciding on a "then" phrase without knowing or seeing the other half. To play this game, you can either write your part down or simply think it. When both players have decided on their part, the team reveals the thought in its entirety. You can also play this game by both players secretly writing an "if/when" phrase, folding or hiding it, trading their phrase with their partner, and completing a "then" phrase. No matter how you play, the idea is to generate surprising and audacious new language pairings that provoke new thinking about what makes a thought or an image whole.
HOW TO PLAY:
1. SURREALIST CONDITIONALS
Get into pairs and assign a Person A and a Person B.
Person A thinks of an “if/si or when/cuando” statement.
Ex: If a bird chirps or When a child fails
Person A does NOT tell Person B – they either think it or jot it down
…meanwhile…
Person B thinks of a “then/entonces” statement.
Ex: then all the leaves will fall or then I’ll have to wash the spoons.
Person B does NOT tell Person A yet – they either think it or jot it down.
When both Person A and Person B are ready – meaning they each have their secret phrase, they give each other a nod to reveal the conditional statement as a whole:
If a bird chirps
Then all the leaves will fall.
When a child fails,
Then I’ll have to wash the spoons.
The joy is in the audaciousness of surprising and unexpected connections. It’s fun for Person A and Person B to jot down the whole phrase before moving on to a next partner.
In the style of a salon, each person quickly finds a new partner, quickly decides who will think of an “if/when” and who will then of a “then” and begin again.
There are many variations on this exercise – and when working with children, it also works well if each child comes up with an “if/when” phrase on a sheet of paper. Each child also comes up with a “then” phrase. The children make two piles on the floor and then are invited to select one phrase from each pile to create surprising new phrases. That’s just one possibility out of many to make this exercise more hands on and interactive. You could also make a visible wall of “if/when” and “then” phrases and have students mix and match the phrases in pairs. The emphasis should be on the joy of outrageous pairings – constructing new meanings and images – and delighting in the results.
snowball experiments with 7
in honor of the number 7, being studied currently by 7th graders at marshall middle school, we're experimenting with the surrealist exercise in which a poem "snowballs" from one word to two words to three words to four words to five words to six words to seven words -- well, we're stopping at seven. you could go on and on i suppose. content is up to you, which makes it somewhat challenging to get started, but here are a few i came up with on the fly to show our students. not saying they are the best, but i will say the experiments were delightful and took me to another head space.
SNOWBALL EXPERIMENT POEMS w. 7
SNOWBALL EXPERIMENT POEMS w. 7
ROAD TRIP
Dying
Is meant
For dangerous roads.
Take me with you.
We don't share the night.
I dream of you in gold.
You dream of me in green leaves.
You dream of me in green leaves.
I dream of you in gold.
We don't share the night.
Take me with you
On dangerous roads
Meant for
Dying.
WOMEN
Our bellies
Bulge and cave
Depending on the season.
What if our minds outlive
Our bodies and we fail to
Remember our lives? Crave me, still.
Remember our lives? Crave me, still.
Our bodies and we fail to
What if our minds outlive,
Depending on the season.
Bulge and cave.
Our bellies
Women:
COME CLOSER
You
Don't know
Many things about
Me. You never asked.
Now you want to know.
I'll tell you later, but first:
Stand closer so you can really listen.
Stand closer so you can really listen.
I'll tell you later, but first:
Now you want to know.
Me. You never asked.
Many thing about
Don't know
You.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Calculate Your Name
I decided to lead a mini-workshop with my roommates to test run an assignment that would in some way play with ideas about translations between mathematical and poetic expressions. This idea emerged from conversations with Luke Albrecht, amazing mathematics teacher @ Crown Academy in Chicago, and Cynthia Weiss, brilliant arts educator. Here's what we came up with and the results that followed after an hour long workshop with artists Jamie Topper and Chris Salaveter. Inspired by Oulipo.
Assignment:
First, figure out where your letters of your name appear in the alphabet. Then, write a poem using the number of words per line that correlate with the number attached to the letters in your name. Then, add up all the numbers. Add the number in your total together. Repeat a word or phrase the number of times of that final total.
A M A N D A
1 13 1 14 4 1
1+13+1+14+4+1 = 34
3+4=7
1 Snow,
13 Where did we sled when the sky turned cold and we slept slow?
1 Worry
14 settled in when our fingers went numb --- how did we know when to leave?
4 Return home now. Hurry.
1 How?
7
Slow. Slow.
Slow. Slow.
Slow. Slow.
SLOW.
C H R I S
3 8 18 9 19
Canoe through lilies
Do you chew your food thoroughly while breathing?
Sleeping boy in headlights beyond hill house mess of clothes inflatable giraffe won at carnival by throwing darts.
What is the quickest way to the boiler room?
Staring contest with the owl still thinking of atrophied bengal tiger and cluster of policemen on the wall.
Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover
Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover
J A M I E
10 1 13 9 5
He spotted the stags.
Gentlemen deer
Then separately, the does.
Where to?
My walk to school
East Prairie Road --
One giant fissure in the
sidewalk
If you stay with your kind,
will we survive?
Yours: Half of the back seat
Half ! Half !
Assignment:
First, figure out where your letters of your name appear in the alphabet. Then, write a poem using the number of words per line that correlate with the number attached to the letters in your name. Then, add up all the numbers. Add the number in your total together. Repeat a word or phrase the number of times of that final total.
A M A N D A
1 13 1 14 4 1
1+13+1+14+4+1 = 34
3+4=7
1 Snow,
13 Where did we sled when the sky turned cold and we slept slow?
1 Worry
14 settled in when our fingers went numb --- how did we know when to leave?
4 Return home now. Hurry.
1 How?
7
Slow. Slow.
Slow. Slow.
Slow. Slow.
SLOW.
C H R I S
3 8 18 9 19
Canoe through lilies
Do you chew your food thoroughly while breathing?
Sleeping boy in headlights beyond hill house mess of clothes inflatable giraffe won at carnival by throwing darts.
What is the quickest way to the boiler room?
Staring contest with the owl still thinking of atrophied bengal tiger and cluster of policemen on the wall.
Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover
Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover Cover
J A M I E
10 1 13 9 5
He spotted the stags.
Gentlemen deer
Then separately, the does.
Where to?
My walk to school
East Prairie Road --
One giant fissure in the
sidewalk
If you stay with your kind,
will we survive?
Yours: Half of the back seat
Half ! Half !
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Walking Inside Yourself #2
i see my grandmother
and see my silver cage
with blood and the
slithering heart is
gone somewhere
in my body.
my heart feels
like my mom's
cooking mushrooms.
i see a piano lying down
feeling so sad because
my grandmother
is dead and i wish
she never died.
my weather feels dead
like my grandmother.
she's dead even though
she didn't want to die.
3rd grader, not sure who wrote this..., columbus
and see my silver cage
with blood and the
slithering heart is
gone somewhere
in my body.
my heart feels
like my mom's
cooking mushrooms.
i see a piano lying down
feeling so sad because
my grandmother
is dead and i wish
she never died.
my weather feels dead
like my grandmother.
she's dead even though
she didn't want to die.
3rd grader, not sure who wrote this..., columbus
Walking Inside Yourself
i walk inside myself and
see a scared, spotted snake
slithering to the planet
saturn
the floor was shaking
as fast as someone
on a motorcycle
and i see a soufle
of fluffiness
a forest of words
i walk inside myself
and see a piano plucking
the keys out and getting
a tissue box
i walk inside myself and
see more and more melting
monkies mowing lawns
by christina, 3rd grade, columbus
see a scared, spotted snake
slithering to the planet
saturn
the floor was shaking
as fast as someone
on a motorcycle
and i see a soufle
of fluffiness
a forest of words
i walk inside myself
and see a piano plucking
the keys out and getting
a tissue box
i walk inside myself and
see more and more melting
monkies mowing lawns
by christina, 3rd grade, columbus
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Mapping Boundaries -- Defining our Lives @ Crown Community Academy
The idea of a “circle of obligation” emerges out of conversations on the “ethics of care” initiated by philosophers such as Nel Noddings and Carol Gilligan. Educators involved with Facing History & Ourselves, a social justice education organization based in Boston, MA, also use the “circle of obligation” metaphor to encourage young people to consider the relationships they value most – to think about the people, ideas, places, and things they would most defend and protect – and why. The nesting circle is a powerful visual metaphor with which to experiment in attempting to express these layers of obligation – in identifying these circles within circles, we create “domains” or categories, inevitably leading to questions of belonging, inclusivity/exclusivity, human relationships, and to whom or what we are ultimately responsible for in developing an “ethics of care” in both our personal and public lives. How do we visually organize our feelings of love and responsibility, and what is the criteria we set for our “ethics of care?” This helps us navigate the complex conversation of self and other – pushing students and ourselves to consider who or what we exclude when we make decisions about who to include in our circles.Step One: Brainstorm
Think of the people who have been on your mind most today
Think of the places that are most taking your attention today
Think of the ideas or concepts that are most taking your attention today
Think of what or who you’ve been most worried about lately or today
Step Two: Draw a “circle of obligation” using the “bull’s eye” or “nesting circle” image. Start with yourself at the center and consider the rings of obligation that surround you. Who, what, and where would you include?
Step Three: Set Domains/Restraints
Draw a second version that only includes people and places.
Draw a third version that only includes ideas.
The main challenge of this exercise is to really engage in conversation on the concept of obligation, ethics, care, and responsibility. Once we create our visual maps of obligation – how can we engage students in interpreting these maps and making meaning out of them? Also, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to decide who or what is most important to you – don’t let this turn into a battle of which superstar is the best, or which friend likes who better. Really push students to think globally as well as personally about this concept of care – how far do our circles stretch – what do our lives have to do with lives lived across the continent? How can we encourage our students to even begin to consider the interrelational nature of life? This is a good beginning exercise to a longer unit or conversation on the personal vs. the universal, generating awareness about the boundaries that human beings shape and challenge in trying to navigate a complex world of power. Drawing these circles of obligation without leaving room for conversation could leave students feeling like this was a popularity contest of ideas and people in our lives instead a real exploration of why and how we care – and what that might have to do with justice and spirituality. We would recommend returning to this same drawing/writing exercise at the end of a unit of study on borders, mapping, boundaries, inclusion/exclusion, etc. as a way to gauge a sense of growth and heightening of awareness of self as it relates to other.
- Create a collaborative circle of obligation for the whole classroom/school
- Create multiple layers of circles on vellum and attached them so that the layers of obligation are visible
- Further explore the boundaries between two circles of obligation by asking students to imagine standing on the border and connecting to both at once.
- Further explore conversation by asking students to think about the distance between the closest and farthest circle, and to push themselves in either direction to name new layers.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
GHOSTS OF DISRESPECT
Educator Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot speaks so eloquently about RESPECT that I had to post some of her ideas here -- even though she doesn't write directly about poetry, I feel like so much of what she says has to do with real learning that lives inside relationships.
Lawrence-Lightfoot speaks about the educator as a "public adult" -- intense, wise, and generous, who enacts values through "authentic inclusivity" -- not just the rhetoric. The educator must bridge the gap between expressed values and daily actions, addressing the "ghosts of disrespect," both oblique and obvious, who haunt our school hallways and lives. She notes the "micro-aggressions" of the everyday that get in the way of enacting a compassionate culture with respect as the cornerstone. She insists that healing be a central part of education and that genuine interest in the lives of our students -- wanting to know and be known -- makes us vulnerable and open enough to hear difficult ideas and live the questions of our time. Endless curiosity is at the core of all meaningful relationships. To exist, we must be visible, and made visible by those around us. Finally, respect is about 1/symmetry, 2/relationship, 3/civility, and 4/storytelling. Respect is relational and generative.
Lawrence-Lightfoot speaks about the educator as a "public adult" -- intense, wise, and generous, who enacts values through "authentic inclusivity" -- not just the rhetoric. The educator must bridge the gap between expressed values and daily actions, addressing the "ghosts of disrespect," both oblique and obvious, who haunt our school hallways and lives. She notes the "micro-aggressions" of the everyday that get in the way of enacting a compassionate culture with respect as the cornerstone. She insists that healing be a central part of education and that genuine interest in the lives of our students -- wanting to know and be known -- makes us vulnerable and open enough to hear difficult ideas and live the questions of our time. Endless curiosity is at the core of all meaningful relationships. To exist, we must be visible, and made visible by those around us. Finally, respect is about 1/symmetry, 2/relationship, 3/civility, and 4/storytelling. Respect is relational and generative.
A WORLD FULL OF BLIND PEOPLE
Poetry is like a bird flying in the clouds
Poetry is Sofia sitting on a buffalo
Poetry is like a duck in a flower
Poetry is like an eye full of fire
like a wind making music
Painting without paint
When a person hits another person and they die
A world full of blind people
sitting in the park at night
Is like Sofia sitting in jail
Is like a dog chasing a mouse
Mary S. Columbus Elementary School 4th grader, "Poetry is..." workshop
Poetry is Sofia sitting on a buffalo
Poetry is like a duck in a flower
Poetry is like an eye full of fire
like a wind making music
Painting without paint
When a person hits another person and they die
A world full of blind people
sitting in the park at night
Is like Sofia sitting in jail
Is like a dog chasing a mouse
Mary S. Columbus Elementary School 4th grader, "Poetry is..." workshop
EATING POETRY
I soar through the sky looking
for dark poetry. I feast on dark poetry books.
The defenseless books beg for mercy.
I might spare 1 or 2 but no more.
I can see nothing but books and blood.
If I were ever confronted
by a holy poetry book, I would die
and hopefully I would remake a memory
forever, but till then, I will forever feast
upon dark poetry.
I hold the paper on a tilt
so the black, bitter ink slides
into my mouth, my lips are black
like the woods at night, but as silent
as a shadow. My veins turn black
as I devour the ink
on the ghost white page.
Alejandro and Luke, 4th grade (2001-2002)
Written in a poetry residency at Columbus Elementary School, Chicago, IL after reading Billy Collin's "Eating Poetry"
for dark poetry. I feast on dark poetry books.
The defenseless books beg for mercy.
I might spare 1 or 2 but no more.
I can see nothing but books and blood.
If I were ever confronted
by a holy poetry book, I would die
and hopefully I would remake a memory
forever, but till then, I will forever feast
upon dark poetry.
I hold the paper on a tilt
so the black, bitter ink slides
into my mouth, my lips are black
like the woods at night, but as silent
as a shadow. My veins turn black
as I devour the ink
on the ghost white page.
Alejandro and Luke, 4th grade (2001-2002)
Written in a poetry residency at Columbus Elementary School, Chicago, IL after reading Billy Collin's "Eating Poetry"
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
MAPPING OUR LIVES
You wanna go to my footprint? Well, if you must. First, once you arrive, you’ll see a man in prison. That would be my father. Don’t ask why he’s there. It’s personal. He’ll ask you to help him. To tell me to forgive me. Don’t do either. He deserved what he got and I’ll die before I forgive him. Next, if you go in the right direction, you’ll see a large German chocolate cake. Don’t touch it. It’s mine. Greedy much? Good. It’s from my 5th birthday. One of my better ones when I look back on life. If you keep on easing down the road, you’ll find a tooth. It’s the first one I ever lost. My mommy pulled it out so it hurt like…well, you know. Don’t touch that either. I’m still waiting for the tooth fairy to get back to me on that. After that, if you keep going, you’ll see my name spelled incorrectly. I know it’s hard to spell, but if you’re a 5 year old girl, it might be. I’m gonna tell you now. You’re not allowed to touch anything. So keep going and se a younger me with chickenpox. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep walking. Years later in my memory – you’ll find a red cross. I’m in the hospital. Come talk to me if you want. All I did was say I’m gonna kill myself. Keep going and you’ll see why I’m crying. Can’t you see? 7th grade was hell.
J, 8th grade
Sunday, February 24, 2008
POETRY -- by fourth grader Egor D., Chicago, IL
POETRY
Paint comes out of my eyes.
There's always sadness in my brain.
I've been eating poetry.
All the people see me.
They run away
and then they stop.
The poems have been disappeared.
The people cry.
More and more people are coming and
crying.
They drip and fall.
The blood goes down the stairs.
The poor people don't know what to do.
Now the people begin to crawl.
The people flew up and never came down.
*this poem was written by Egor Duma, 4th grader at Columbus Elementary School in Ukrainian Village, about 2 years ago. We read a poem on poetry by Billy Collins, and then I asked them to write about the "power" of poetry to make us do, feel, and think certain things. This is what he wrote, straight away, no cross-outs or erasings. Incredible imagery, incredible language. I love this poem.
Paint comes out of my eyes.
There's always sadness in my brain.
I've been eating poetry.
All the people see me.
They run away
and then they stop.
The poems have been disappeared.
The people cry.
More and more people are coming and
crying.
They drip and fall.
The blood goes down the stairs.
The poor people don't know what to do.
Now the people begin to crawl.
The people flew up and never came down.
*this poem was written by Egor Duma, 4th grader at Columbus Elementary School in Ukrainian Village, about 2 years ago. We read a poem on poetry by Billy Collins, and then I asked them to write about the "power" of poetry to make us do, feel, and think certain things. This is what he wrote, straight away, no cross-outs or erasings. Incredible imagery, incredible language. I love this poem.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU CAN
so i'm clearing out the "empty" room of all my mess of papers and poems, trying to get organized for another year of teaching and thinking about children's writing. and i'm startled by these little gems of light i'm finding! i think these were written at columbus elementary school in chicago, il, in the ukrainian village, an amazing little school tucked into the corner of leavitt and augusta. we had read a poem by joy harjo and i asked them to take on an authoritative voice, to call on others to remember what might be forgotten in the everyday. we also talked about belonging and used this prompt as a warm up -- "...blank...belongs to...and...belongs to ...blank..." pushing for them to think about relationships, connections, audacious or otherwise. the light belongs to the window, and the window belongs to the light. that sort of thing. i love re-finding these poems in my apartment. they make me smile. enjoy.
REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU CAN
Remember when you discovered that there is a world inside your body.
Remember when you discovered that you live on the brightest planet.
Remember when you discovered that your dog always dreams about bones.
Remember when you discovered that books are smarter than you.
Remember when you discovered that everything that grows has feelings
just like you.
Remember.
Pavlo D.
REMEMBER
Remember the moon is you and you are the moon
Remember you are the star and the star is you
Remember you are the sea and the sea is you
Remember love is in your heart and the heart is you
Remember you are me and I am you
Remember love is in our heart and our heart is in you
anonymous 3rd grader
REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU CAN
Remember when you discovered that there is a world inside your body.
Remember when you discovered that you live on the brightest planet.
Remember when you discovered that your dog always dreams about bones.
Remember when you discovered that books are smarter than you.
Remember when you discovered that everything that grows has feelings
just like you.
Remember.
Pavlo D.
REMEMBER
Remember the moon is you and you are the moon
Remember you are the star and the star is you
Remember you are the sea and the sea is you
Remember love is in your heart and the heart is you
Remember you are me and I am you
Remember love is in our heart and our heart is in you
anonymous 3rd grader
Friday, June 01, 2007
RIDICULOUS YOU
check out this poem by 3rd grade student omari from visitation catholic school -- it's pretty intense. he wrote it during a workshop on "chants." totally unprompted, it just poured out of him (we were all writing about nature, he was writing this). omari...he's a beautiful, strange, round stuttering child, and i have a feeling he'll be writing poems his whole life. it's an amazing privilege to run into our future's poets. big love to all of you. xoxo, a
RIDICULOUS YOU.
You are full of mistakes.
You are full of mistakes.
No, I definitely am not.
You are full of mistakes.
Did you spill your mother's coffee?
You are full of mistakes.
You ain't perfect, I tell by your looks.
You spit vomit on your history books.
You are full of mistakes.
Why do you think your hair's in a bunch?
You are full of mistakes.
Gee, you're a tough cookie, see, you crunch.
You are full of mistakes.
I don't gotta do whatever you say.
You are full of mistakes.
Well, don't say it tomorrow! Say it today!
You are full of mistakes.
I hate you, I wish you are dead.
You are full of mistakes.
I'm going to tie you up with needle and thread.
You are full of mistakes.
And how exactly are you gonna do that?
You are full of mistakes.
I'll ask my mom, we'll see about that.
You are full of mistakes.
Oh, yeah, right, ya think you can try
to even make me slightly die?
Quit talkin' trash. You've got a rash.
You've caused ants by the Stikko's you smashed. -- (stikko's are chocolate swirl cookies).
You are full of mistakes.
Well, I ain't perfect and neither are you.
As a matter of fact, I hate you too.
You are full of mistakes.
RIDICULOUS YOU.
You are full of mistakes.
You are full of mistakes.
No, I definitely am not.
You are full of mistakes.
Did you spill your mother's coffee?
You are full of mistakes.
You ain't perfect, I tell by your looks.
You spit vomit on your history books.
You are full of mistakes.
Why do you think your hair's in a bunch?
You are full of mistakes.
Gee, you're a tough cookie, see, you crunch.
You are full of mistakes.
I don't gotta do whatever you say.
You are full of mistakes.
Well, don't say it tomorrow! Say it today!
You are full of mistakes.
I hate you, I wish you are dead.
You are full of mistakes.
I'm going to tie you up with needle and thread.
You are full of mistakes.
And how exactly are you gonna do that?
You are full of mistakes.
I'll ask my mom, we'll see about that.
You are full of mistakes.
Oh, yeah, right, ya think you can try
to even make me slightly die?
Quit talkin' trash. You've got a rash.
You've caused ants by the Stikko's you smashed. -- (stikko's are chocolate swirl cookies).
You are full of mistakes.
Well, I ain't perfect and neither are you.
As a matter of fact, I hate you too.
You are full of mistakes.
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