6th graders at Columbus Elementary School read poet Susan Stewart's "yellow ice and stars," about feeling really really far away from one another. I asked them to think of what it feels like to feel far away and to describe those feelings by talking directly to the person/idea so far away.
Death Is Near
You are as far as god and I
am as far as the world
on a planet with a house on it.
You are as far as a memory
in the sky and I’m as far as
my cousin’s death, as he rides
in the sea like a dead man.
You are as far as my sister’s
lies, I’m as far as my death is
near, and you are as far as
Navy Pier in an old place. I am
as far as gods in the sky.
You are as far as my love.
I am as far as my love in the
blue sky. You are as far as the
trees. I am as far as a river
of love.
You are So Far I Never Saw Your Face
You and I are as far as where
Jesus is. I am as far as the bottom of
the boat of the Titanic. You are so far I
never saw your face. I am as far
as the first day I saw you. I am so
far away that nobody is understanding you.
You are as far as the day I was born.
You are so far away that I don’t
even remember your name. I am so far that
I don’t even remember my brothers’ and sisters’
names. You are so far away into the first
War we ever had. I am so far where
I could see the universe. You are so far that
You don’t even know the place you are.
You and I are so far away, where only god
sees us.
Jessica A.
As Far As...
I am as far as a gem that is
cascading down eternity and you are as far as
a computer with its vast knowledge.
You are as far as the heavens that rain
smoldering, flipping boulders and I am
as far as the person on the bottom of the
pain where darkness is eternal.
I am as far as destruction and you are far as creation.
I am as far as a black hole at the nexus
of nothing and you are as far as the person
trapped in that hole. You are as far as the river
o life and I am as far as the person
who sings “oh how far I am from life!”
I am as far as destruction and you are
as far as creation.
You are as far as a boy playing in a field
and I am as far as the father calling
the boy from the mountains. I am as far as
the sky and you are as far as the
mountain piercing the sky.
I am as far as destruction and you are as
far as creation.
Alexander C.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Until We Turned To Dust...4th Graders' Takes on Origins
In 2003, at Columbus Elementary School in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, I worked with 4th graders once a week. One week, we wrote poems about rewinding the universe and finding the origins of things around us. What was a baby before it was a baby? An egg. What was an egg before it was an egg? Dust. What was dust before it was dust? An idea. and so on...there were some really wild spiraling ideas in their poems...
Origins
The car turns into wood and wood turns into a tree and a tree
turns into a root and the root turns into water and the water
turns into a seed and a seed, how can all things come from a
seed?
The door knob turns into iron and the iron turns into a
railroad track being torn down or maybe being torn
up.
The milk turns into a cow and the cow turns into a cattle
and the cattle turns into a lost cloud.
A letter turns into a memory and a memory turns into a
big Glob of Nothing.
Gianna S.
And Where was I?
The world turned into an egg again and then
into a rock. I was in the rock.
The board would turn into a rock and I
was in a volcano.
The clock would turn into a stick again and I
was a rock.
Chicago was a small fort on land and I was
on a mountain.
The White House would turn into sand and
I was in a store.
The sky would turn into water and I was
a tadpole.
The land would turn into sand and I was
in a tree.
The boat would turn into sticks and I am inside a
clam.
The light would turn into dark and I was in the
shadows.
The ocean would turn into land and I was in
a pond.
Tomasz B.
God's Breath
The house turns into bricks.
The bricks turn into dust.
The dust turns into air.
The air turns into God’s breath.
God’s breath turns into us.
Becky N.
The Origin of Humans
The humans turn into monsters.
The monsters turn back into big piles of goo.
The big piles of goo turns back into a green sun.
The green sun turns back into Venus.
Venus turns back into the Earth.
The Earth turns into a bird.
The bird turns into an egg.
The egg turns back into a human.
Jonathan F.
The Words
The seas turn into bees
The bees turn to E’s
The E’s turn to nothing
Nothing turns to air
Air turns to Jesus
Jesus turns to God
God turns to Christ
Christ turns to spirits
Spirits turn to hope
and hope turns to love
Love turns to wife
Wife turns to husband
Husband turns to dust.
Alexandra P.
Origins
Your words turn out to be air
The great lakes become ponds
My heart turns into sadness
A person becomes death
The devil becomes an angel
The teacher becomes a student
The world becomes a map
The picture becomes a country
Power becomes a spirit
Love turns into sadness
Earth turns into a singing bird
The teapot turns to water
A family becomes love
Ice becomes a book
The tree becomes a desk
The gold turns into silver
Khrystyna K.
Rewinding the World
My pencil becomes a wooden stick.
All humans become clouds.
The water becomes the sea.
One hour goes back to one second.
The world becomes a huge forest.
All chalk becomes dust.. This is what
would happen if we rewind the world.
Xavier M.
The class will turn into glass.
The city will turn into sand.
A pupil will turn into your eye.
The train will turn into rain.
Your hand will turn into your skin.
Alyssa R.
The air turned into solid gold
The wind turned into a whistling
Pole. My hair turned into
slimy stones. Five socks
made of gold break my bones.
A bird walks over the sea
10 fish turned into flees
A hippo couldn’t have broken
my knees oh please oh please
don’t change back, oh please.
Jasmine H.
Origins
The car turns into wood and wood turns into a tree and a tree
turns into a root and the root turns into water and the water
turns into a seed and a seed, how can all things come from a
seed?
The door knob turns into iron and the iron turns into a
railroad track being torn down or maybe being torn
up.
The milk turns into a cow and the cow turns into a cattle
and the cattle turns into a lost cloud.
A letter turns into a memory and a memory turns into a
big Glob of Nothing.
Gianna S.
And Where was I?
The world turned into an egg again and then
into a rock. I was in the rock.
The board would turn into a rock and I
was in a volcano.
The clock would turn into a stick again and I
was a rock.
Chicago was a small fort on land and I was
on a mountain.
The White House would turn into sand and
I was in a store.
The sky would turn into water and I was
a tadpole.
The land would turn into sand and I was
in a tree.
The boat would turn into sticks and I am inside a
clam.
The light would turn into dark and I was in the
shadows.
The ocean would turn into land and I was in
a pond.
Tomasz B.
God's Breath
The house turns into bricks.
The bricks turn into dust.
The dust turns into air.
The air turns into God’s breath.
God’s breath turns into us.
Becky N.
The Origin of Humans
The humans turn into monsters.
The monsters turn back into big piles of goo.
The big piles of goo turns back into a green sun.
The green sun turns back into Venus.
Venus turns back into the Earth.
The Earth turns into a bird.
The bird turns into an egg.
The egg turns back into a human.
Jonathan F.
The Words
The seas turn into bees
The bees turn to E’s
The E’s turn to nothing
Nothing turns to air
Air turns to Jesus
Jesus turns to God
God turns to Christ
Christ turns to spirits
Spirits turn to hope
and hope turns to love
Love turns to wife
Wife turns to husband
Husband turns to dust.
Alexandra P.
Origins
Your words turn out to be air
The great lakes become ponds
My heart turns into sadness
A person becomes death
The devil becomes an angel
The teacher becomes a student
The world becomes a map
The picture becomes a country
Power becomes a spirit
Love turns into sadness
Earth turns into a singing bird
The teapot turns to water
A family becomes love
Ice becomes a book
The tree becomes a desk
The gold turns into silver
Khrystyna K.
Rewinding the World
My pencil becomes a wooden stick.
All humans become clouds.
The water becomes the sea.
One hour goes back to one second.
The world becomes a huge forest.
All chalk becomes dust.. This is what
would happen if we rewind the world.
Xavier M.
The class will turn into glass.
The city will turn into sand.
A pupil will turn into your eye.
The train will turn into rain.
Your hand will turn into your skin.
Alyssa R.
The air turned into solid gold
The wind turned into a whistling
Pole. My hair turned into
slimy stones. Five socks
made of gold break my bones.
A bird walks over the sea
10 fish turned into flees
A hippo couldn’t have broken
my knees oh please oh please
don’t change back, oh please.
Jasmine H.
Cruising Away From the Madness -- 4th Graders' Poetic Escapes
In 2003 at Columbus Elementary School in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, I was working with 4th graders. We read Naomi Shihab Nye's poem called The Rider -- about a boy who leaves his Loneliness panting on a street corner because he's riding so fast away from it on his roller skates. So I asked these guys to think about what they wanted to get away from and what mode of transport they'd use to get away -- how far would they go and what would whatever they escaped be doing if/when they were finally gone?
The Boy Left
I wanted to get away from war so I got in a
spaceship and flew over the world and
the war disappeared.
I wanted to get away from the world so I
borrowed a flying machine and I flew
all the way through the atmosphere and
the world followed me all through the
galaxy. And it caught me and smashed
me in a thousand pieces.
Tomasz B.
Anger
anger anger dries up like a solid
stone. broken up like fearful
tone. having pain and wonder
of the torturing cold. being an
angel of the goodest poem
i’m stone can’t break my bones.
so i hop on a flying poem
my body’s wondering where i’m goin’.
my soul is heading to the north pole..
who knows where i’m goin’?
Jasmine
I Wanted
A wise man told me he wanted to jump in
his red truck and go so fast just to get away
from fear. He said he would be going so fast
that fear would be left in the middle of the
earth panting. It didn’t sound so wise to me.
That night I thought about what he said and
thought about my fear. I thought of what the
old wise man said and it kind of made sense.
So I hopped into my red roller skates and
went so fast that I went half way across
the world and I did it. I left my fear
swimming across the Pacific Ocean.
Gianna S.
Trying to leave my soul behind,
I hop on a hot air balloon and took happiness.
Trying to get away from love,
I left my soul and she’s still trying to find me,
Looking all over the world.
She said, please Alyssa, find me oh please,
Banging her hands, having a fit for me.
I tried to get away from love but
Love still found me under a rock
So little you can’t see me.
Alyssa R.
I was really, really so sad that I hopped to my
Airplane and traveled all around the world. And my
Sadness was left on top of the ceiling.
I was really, really so angry that I hopped into
A motorcycle and I traveled to the moon and my
Anger was left in a garbage can.
I was really, really so shy that I hopped into an air
Balloon and flew to Mars and my shyness was
Left in the sink.
I was trying to get out from an enemy’s house.
I got on my bike and traveled to China and my
Enemy was left in a pile of garbage.
Anahi R.
I want to get away from loneliness.
I got on my boat and I went to Hawaii, leaving
loneliness swimming in the ocean.
Michael L.
I wanted to get away from an enemy.
I got in my limo and went around the world and my enemy was sitting on the front
stoop.
I wanted to get away from a bully
and went on an air balloon and went to
the Great Wall of China and the bully
was crying out loud.
I wanted to get away from sadness
and went on a helicopter and then
came back and my sadness was down
in the basement trying to get out.
Sandra M.
One day I was so bored so I got on
my roller blades and I rode 400,000 miles
and my boredness got tired and went away
from me forever.
I tried to prevent war but a nuclear bomb
blew the world up so I got on a train
and flew out to space and landed on
Mars.
Lyubomir S.
The Loneliness
I had a big anger to
I go on my motorcycle and
went all over the world.
Anger started spinning away from
me.
I had a big sadness so
I got on my jet plane
and sadness was burning
in the clouds.
I had a big cold so
I hopped on a bus that
went so fast, cold couldn’t
keep up and it got freezing in the
street.
Xavier M.
The Boy Left
I wanted to get away from war so I got in a
spaceship and flew over the world and
the war disappeared.
I wanted to get away from the world so I
borrowed a flying machine and I flew
all the way through the atmosphere and
the world followed me all through the
galaxy. And it caught me and smashed
me in a thousand pieces.
Tomasz B.
Anger
anger anger dries up like a solid
stone. broken up like fearful
tone. having pain and wonder
of the torturing cold. being an
angel of the goodest poem
i’m stone can’t break my bones.
so i hop on a flying poem
my body’s wondering where i’m goin’.
my soul is heading to the north pole..
who knows where i’m goin’?
Jasmine
I Wanted
A wise man told me he wanted to jump in
his red truck and go so fast just to get away
from fear. He said he would be going so fast
that fear would be left in the middle of the
earth panting. It didn’t sound so wise to me.
That night I thought about what he said and
thought about my fear. I thought of what the
old wise man said and it kind of made sense.
So I hopped into my red roller skates and
went so fast that I went half way across
the world and I did it. I left my fear
swimming across the Pacific Ocean.
Gianna S.
Trying to leave my soul behind,
I hop on a hot air balloon and took happiness.
Trying to get away from love,
I left my soul and she’s still trying to find me,
Looking all over the world.
She said, please Alyssa, find me oh please,
Banging her hands, having a fit for me.
I tried to get away from love but
Love still found me under a rock
So little you can’t see me.
Alyssa R.
I was really, really so sad that I hopped to my
Airplane and traveled all around the world. And my
Sadness was left on top of the ceiling.
I was really, really so angry that I hopped into
A motorcycle and I traveled to the moon and my
Anger was left in a garbage can.
I was really, really so shy that I hopped into an air
Balloon and flew to Mars and my shyness was
Left in the sink.
I was trying to get out from an enemy’s house.
I got on my bike and traveled to China and my
Enemy was left in a pile of garbage.
Anahi R.
I want to get away from loneliness.
I got on my boat and I went to Hawaii, leaving
loneliness swimming in the ocean.
Michael L.
I wanted to get away from an enemy.
I got in my limo and went around the world and my enemy was sitting on the front
stoop.
I wanted to get away from a bully
and went on an air balloon and went to
the Great Wall of China and the bully
was crying out loud.
I wanted to get away from sadness
and went on a helicopter and then
came back and my sadness was down
in the basement trying to get out.
Sandra M.
One day I was so bored so I got on
my roller blades and I rode 400,000 miles
and my boredness got tired and went away
from me forever.
I tried to prevent war but a nuclear bomb
blew the world up so I got on a train
and flew out to space and landed on
Mars.
Lyubomir S.
The Loneliness
I had a big anger to
I go on my motorcycle and
went all over the world.
Anger started spinning away from
me.
I had a big sadness so
I got on my jet plane
and sadness was burning
in the clouds.
I had a big cold so
I hopped on a bus that
went so fast, cold couldn’t
keep up and it got freezing in the
street.
Xavier M.
Friday, October 16, 2009
EKPHRASIS -- EKPHRASTATIC -- Poems & Paintings, Poets & Painters
responding to works of art through poetry:
NOUN-VERB-NOUN – identify nouns, verbs, and nouns in 3 columns and begin to mix and match new imagery as a result of various combinations (first taught to me by Evan Plummer)
GETTING TO THE ESSENCE – write 24 words in response to a work of art, then reduce it to 12, 6, 3 and finally 1 word as the essential “essence” of the work (first taught to me by Jenn Morea)
3 WORDS ONLY – on small post it notes, respond by describing, analyzing, interpreting works, but only write 3 words per post it note – then arrange/rearrange post it notes into a poem
JUST OUTSIDE THE FRAME… -- imagine what is “just outside the frame/image” – what do you see, hear, imagine, remember, dream, wonder about?
JUST BEFORE/AFTER…what happened just before or just after the narrative in the art work?
FIRST PERSON MONOLOGUES – pick a person or object in the work of art and speak from their perspective/voice
WHAT YOU DON’T SEE IS…/WHAT YOU DON’T HEAR IS…/WHAT YOU DON’T REMEMBER IS…
QUESTIONS TO…the object, person, landscape
I AM…place yourself inside the work and become an object or landscape, etc. What do you see/experience/feel/remember?
___________IS___________________ -- pick an object/person/landscape and compare it to something else
LETTER LIMITS – write about what you see/hear/think/feel only using words that begin with certain letters of the alphabet
EPISTLE/ODE TO AN OBJECT/SUBJECT WITHIN THE WORK – directly address an object, person, etc. through a poem or ode praising that thing/person
LIST POEMS
o TEN THINGS I WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT…
o TEN QUESTIONS FOR…
o TEN THINGS I HATE/LOVE ABOUT…
o TEN SOUNDS…
o TEN VERBS…
IN THIS MOMENT… try to capture a single moment in the work of art – expand – and choose another moment – expand
WHAT IF… what does this work of art make you wonder – start with a “what if” question about the object, person, etc. and keep asking
HAIKU-or-LUNE-AS-REFLECTION – write a haiku (5-7-5 syllables, 3 lines) or lune (3-5-3 words peron line, 3 line poem) about what you see/experience
FIVE TITLES AS A POEM – come up with at least 5 different titles for the work of art
I KEEP DREAMING OF…-- imagine that this work of art is causing you to dream – what is happening in this dream?
EKPRHASTIC POETRY --http://valerie6.myweb.uga.edu/ekphrasticpoetry.html
FROM POETS.ORG: The Shield of Achilles by W. H. Auden
The Painting by Jon Balaban
War Photograph by Kate Daniels
The Family Photograph by Vona Groarke
Museum Guard by David Hernandez
The Mad Potter by John Hollander
Messieur Degas Teaches Art and Science at Durfy Intermediate School, Detroit 1942 by Philip Levine
Ode to a Grecian Urn by John Keats
Die Muhle Brennt—Richard by Richard Matthews
Photograph of People Dancing in France by Leslie Adrienne Miller
Why knowing is (& Matisse's Woman with a Hat) by Martha Ronk
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams
Stealing The Scream by Monica Youn
Joseph Cornell, with Box by Michael Dumanis
QUESTIONS to consider when writing in response to a work of art: (from http://wwwf.countryday.net/FacStf/us/hammondk/Ekprasis/Default.htm)
• What's the perspective of the poem? Does the poet "enter" the painting and join its world? Does he/she become a figure in that depiction? Is the poet a spectator? Participant? Art critic?
• What part of the art work has inspired the sentiment? Is the poet sympathetic? Compassionate?
• To what is the poet responding: the subject? the technique? the history? the artist?
• Does the poet make mention of the time difference between when he/she writes and when the work was created?
• What special language does the poet employ to deal with the art work?
• Is the "point" of the poem the same as that of the art work?
ANOTHER GREAT SOURCE FOR EKPHRASTIC POETRY:
http://www.dwpoet.com/poetassign.html “ekphrastic excursions” -- David Wright
ekphrasis --
give voice to the work of art by entering its world
praise the work of art by examining what you learn from it, why you need it
examine a personal issue by zoning in on a specific feeling/issue raised in the work of art
examine a social/historical issue by zoning in on the work of arts’ context/intent
NOUN-VERB-NOUN – identify nouns, verbs, and nouns in 3 columns and begin to mix and match new imagery as a result of various combinations (first taught to me by Evan Plummer)
GETTING TO THE ESSENCE – write 24 words in response to a work of art, then reduce it to 12, 6, 3 and finally 1 word as the essential “essence” of the work (first taught to me by Jenn Morea)
3 WORDS ONLY – on small post it notes, respond by describing, analyzing, interpreting works, but only write 3 words per post it note – then arrange/rearrange post it notes into a poem
JUST OUTSIDE THE FRAME… -- imagine what is “just outside the frame/image” – what do you see, hear, imagine, remember, dream, wonder about?
JUST BEFORE/AFTER…what happened just before or just after the narrative in the art work?
FIRST PERSON MONOLOGUES – pick a person or object in the work of art and speak from their perspective/voice
WHAT YOU DON’T SEE IS…/WHAT YOU DON’T HEAR IS…/WHAT YOU DON’T REMEMBER IS…
QUESTIONS TO…the object, person, landscape
I AM…place yourself inside the work and become an object or landscape, etc. What do you see/experience/feel/remember?
___________IS___________________ -- pick an object/person/landscape and compare it to something else
LETTER LIMITS – write about what you see/hear/think/feel only using words that begin with certain letters of the alphabet
EPISTLE/ODE TO AN OBJECT/SUBJECT WITHIN THE WORK – directly address an object, person, etc. through a poem or ode praising that thing/person
LIST POEMS
o TEN THINGS I WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT…
o TEN QUESTIONS FOR…
o TEN THINGS I HATE/LOVE ABOUT…
o TEN SOUNDS…
o TEN VERBS…
IN THIS MOMENT… try to capture a single moment in the work of art – expand – and choose another moment – expand
WHAT IF… what does this work of art make you wonder – start with a “what if” question about the object, person, etc. and keep asking
HAIKU-or-LUNE-AS-REFLECTION – write a haiku (5-7-5 syllables, 3 lines) or lune (3-5-3 words peron line, 3 line poem) about what you see/experience
FIVE TITLES AS A POEM – come up with at least 5 different titles for the work of art
I KEEP DREAMING OF…-- imagine that this work of art is causing you to dream – what is happening in this dream?
EKPRHASTIC POETRY --http://valerie6.myweb.uga.edu/ekphrasticpoetry.html
FROM POETS.ORG: The Shield of Achilles by W. H. Auden
The Painting by Jon Balaban
War Photograph by Kate Daniels
The Family Photograph by Vona Groarke
Museum Guard by David Hernandez
The Mad Potter by John Hollander
Messieur Degas Teaches Art and Science at Durfy Intermediate School, Detroit 1942 by Philip Levine
Ode to a Grecian Urn by John Keats
Die Muhle Brennt—Richard by Richard Matthews
Photograph of People Dancing in France by Leslie Adrienne Miller
Why knowing is (& Matisse's Woman with a Hat) by Martha Ronk
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams
Stealing The Scream by Monica Youn
Joseph Cornell, with Box by Michael Dumanis
QUESTIONS to consider when writing in response to a work of art: (from http://wwwf.countryday.net/FacStf/us/hammondk/Ekprasis/Default.htm)
• What's the perspective of the poem? Does the poet "enter" the painting and join its world? Does he/she become a figure in that depiction? Is the poet a spectator? Participant? Art critic?
• What part of the art work has inspired the sentiment? Is the poet sympathetic? Compassionate?
• To what is the poet responding: the subject? the technique? the history? the artist?
• Does the poet make mention of the time difference between when he/she writes and when the work was created?
• What special language does the poet employ to deal with the art work?
• Is the "point" of the poem the same as that of the art work?
ANOTHER GREAT SOURCE FOR EKPHRASTIC POETRY:
http://www.dwpoet.com/poetassign.html “ekphrastic excursions” -- David Wright
ekphrasis --
give voice to the work of art by entering its world
praise the work of art by examining what you learn from it, why you need it
examine a personal issue by zoning in on a specific feeling/issue raised in the work of art
examine a social/historical issue by zoning in on the work of arts’ context/intent
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