Triolet Thursday - Triolet #23

Do you know?

Langston, does a dream defered die?
I don't want to run out of time.
Opportunities pass me by
Langston, does a dream defered die?
my dreams hover low, but don't fly
John, does a dead dream toll or chime?
Langston, does a dream defered die?
I don't want to run out of time.

This is what I saw...

Gayle Danley, a slam poet, is working with the 8th grade students this week. Did I mention that already? Anyway, on Tuesday she shared with them her 5 step writing process:

1. Write it all down
2. Read it aloud
3. Cut the fat
4. Read it aloud (again)
5. Add flava

Then she gave the students a writing prompt/sentence starter to get them going on step one:

This is what I saw...

Gayle asked them to write at least a page of everything they saw (and felt) about one particular moment in their life that they felt connected to. Fascinated by the chance to be able to participate in the workshop, instead of leading it, I opened my writer's notebook and started scribbling down my thoughts.

I jumped ahead of myself a bit. Before the scribbling began, she encouraged everyone to close their eyes for a few moments to imagine this moment in our mind's eye. Now even though this worked for me, I can't imagine the response I would get in my actual class if I told them to close their eyes and just think. I would be reluctant to say it to my students; my corny radar would turn on and shut my mouth down. Gayle, however, is a performer and it didn't seem odd at all for her to make such a request, it felt organic. The kids felt it, I felt it. We all closed our eyes.

While my eyes were closed, my mind traveled waaaaaay back to my pre-teen years, when my father taught me - through his reaction - that I had to keep my writing hidden. It's funny during retrospection, but I was scared then.

Today, I had planned to share it out loud during the workshop, but I chickened out. Perhaps tomorrow I will have more courage...if the snow doesn't detain us...

i am accused of tending to the past: A poem by Lucille Clifton

i am accused of tending to the past
as if i made it,
as if i sculpted it
with my own hands. i did not.
this past was waiting for me
when i came,
a monstrous unnamed baby,
and i with my mother's itch
took it to breast
and named it
History.
she is more human now,
learning languages everyday,
remembering faces, names and dates.
when she is strong enough to travel
on her own, beware, she will.

****************************************

Why didn't anyone ever tell me about Lucille Clifton?

I won't forget her now, at least.

*sigh*

Triolet Thursday - Triolet #22

Can't Revise Reality

Your heart, frosted, to stall the decay.
"The selfishness paints me red," she muttered.
panic sets in, surrounding me with grey
your heart, frosted, to stall the decay.
The cold only increases my dismay
fiction is easy; real life is cluttered
your heart, frosted, to stall the decay
"The selfishness paints me red," she muttered.

Lubricious

I didn't know what that word meant a few moments ago. It's part of the latest writing prompt on Read.Write.Poem. Several words were in a word cloud. You are to pick as many or as few words as you'd like and create a poem using the words. I don't think I'll actually pick that particular word, but it's always great to learn a new word. I'm thinking I'll use the words from the prompts to create a triolet.

Well, first day back to school from the snow intermission is tomorrow...

Time for bed then. I hope my writing doesn't slow down because I'm back to work, but you know how that goes.

Poetic Reflections

I suppose all this snow has given me a moment to reflect on my poetry and how my poetic skills will develop. There are only so many ways to make my poetry stronger, right? I should make a list:

1. Read & write more poetry.
2. Be a member of a writer's group.
3. Participate in a writing workshop.
4. Go on a writer's retreat.
5. Get a M.F.A. in Creative Writing.

I've been thinking about number five a lot. Even gone as far as to pick potential schools to apply to (Virginia Tech, Rutgers-Newark, Chicago State Univ.,etc.). It's a bit premature for me at this point to apply to an M.F.A. though because all of the programs require letters of recommendations from people/writers who are familiar with my work, and I don't have anyone I could ask. My professors from grad school have probably forgotten about me, and even if they remember, I didn't submit any poetry to them ever, so they wouldn't be at liberty to say.

That means I need to first do all of the other options, before applying to an M.F.A., so that I can find writer-ly folks who are familiar with my poetry, and who's opinion will matter to the selection committee.

I have the first two covered. I've been reading and writing a lot more poetry than usual, and part of that is because I've joined an online writer's group that has challenges and poetry prompts that give me that little push I need to write. Then I also get a chance to share and see what other people are writing. I'm hoping the physical writer's group I joined offers me that same time of push.

I enrolled in a workshop too, but I realized after reading the confirmation that I enrolled in a course that is only meant for teens, and not those who want to write for teens. Grrrr! I have to read more closely. Durnit!

There's another writing workshop that I would like to participate in during the summer in San Francisco called VONA, but it's not the typical workshop where you pay the fee and you're in. It's the kind where you must submit a sample of your work and explain why you'd like to participate. If I can scrape together the cash, I would love to participate for at least a week, if not two...but two weeks on my teacher's budget is really pushing it. I'll apply anyway and see what happens.

Bicycles: Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni is still riding around in my mind after the cento mini-challenge. I bought another collection of Nikki's poet while I was eating at Bus Boys & Poets yesterday. I had to choose between a thick collection of selected poems or the collection of love poems. I was tempted to by the selected poems because I would get a bunch more poems, but I'd rather collect all of her books eventually and be able to decide for myself which poems are the best ones. I figure the poems in a "selected" collection are the ones the author/agent/editor believes are the greatest in a book...but we might have different taste. I chose to get Bicycles.

I read the following poem from Nikki's Bicycle collection to my valentine.

Your Shower

I wish I could be
Your shower
I would bubble
Your hair
Tickle my way
Down to your lips
Across your shoulders
And over your back
Around your waist
Bounching off your knees
Fall to the tips
Of your toes
Then journey back
Again
Warm Wet
Sticky Sweet
Up and Down
Around and Around
Around and Around
Around and Around
Until
There is
No more hot
Water

Lucille Clifton: I was Born with Twelve Fingers

I wish I had known her work better while she was still living.

:-(



...and Ms. Lucille, if you should want to stick around awhile, I'd welcome your visit...

Triolet Thursday - Triolet #21

Snow company

This poem keeps you company in the snow
when it's just as cold inside as outside
when you're stuck and you have no place to go
this poem keeps you company in the snow
when you're not alone, but still feeling low
when weather and mood creates a divide
this poem keeps you company in the snow
when it's just as cold inside as outside.

"I Wish I Wrote That!" Wednesday - The Dear One

As an aspiring writer (and therefore, a voracious reader), I often find myself reading other authors and saying to myself "I wish I wrote that!" I'm sooooo impressed by an author's ability to construct words into meaningful and fresh sentences, that I'd like to highlight them here on my blog on Wednesday. **************************************************************************
The Dear One
by Jacqueline Woodson
Page 7

I stayed two weeks. And although Dad and I played chess, took walks full of long silences through Denver, and kissed each other hello and good-bye, the smell of his pipe was all that was familiar about him now. We talked around things the way strangers did.
***************************************************************************
That last line struck a cord with me. Can't you imagine this? The fact that this line in particular smacked my senses is probably very telling about my own relationship (or lack there of) with my father, but I think anyone could relate to that weird, awkward silence you feel when you are spending time with someone you should be close to, but you aren't anymore.

I wish I wrote that!

Fall in Love with a Poet Mini-Challenge: Poem #5

Did you read poem #4?

This is the final poem for the mini-challenge. It was enjoyable and I learned a new poetry form, which is always fabulous. Thanks Nikki Giovanni for the inspiration. Thanks Read.Write.Poem for the experience.

Walk Away From This Poem

This is a 2 word poem because everything we do is not enough...not
lots of questions and practically no answers... this poem wonders why
this poem hates
and this poem recognizes that
the last poem on the last day may simply hang its head...and walk

Fall in Love with a Poet Mini-Challenge: Poem #4

Did you read poem #3?

Today's cento is another Nikki Giovanni based poem. Are you feeling the love yet?

Where Poems Come

My favorite place is no longer there. Just the memory
like a fading piece of cloth
by sun and southern wind
it's sort of like dreaming. We reach for some place we maybe
reconstructed
when things go wrong
where poems come

*******************side note********
Today is my mom's birthday! Happy B-day Mommie!!!

Fall in Love with a Poet Mini-Challenge: Poem #3

Did you read poem #2?

Poem #3 is yet another cento inspired from Nikki Giovanni. Along with her other books I used for the first two centos, I also borrowed lines from Blues for All the Changes to complete cento #3.

Snowflakes

Winter rain makes good ice cream
snowflakes are so delicate they melt
one stops on my window pane
for just one moment
though transforming...stays

Fall in Love with a Poet Mini-Challenge: Poem #2

Did you read poem #1?

Poem #2 for the mini-challenge is another Nikki Giovanni cento:

Casually Quiet

There must have been a silence. Not a moaning, not a mumbling
quiet as a community of clouds casually rolling by
I, too, sing but no one wants to listen
no one wants to understand
somebody has to
sing to me

Fall in Love with a Poet Mini-Challenge: Poem #1

Over at Read.Write.Poem I heard about a this mini-challenge to fall in love with a poet. The challenge calls for creating cento poems as the means to fall in love. A cento - as I have recently learned - is a patchwork poem of lines taken from other poets. Normally the cento draws from many poets, but for this mini-challenge, you are to focus on one poet only; this is where the love part comes in.

I selected Nikki Giovanni because her poetry has inspired me so much in the past (present, and future). I foraged through two of her books to find the lines for my first cento: Acolytes and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea. Here is what I came up with:

Quilting Acolytes

I know poems get lost...because they're always being found
sometimes this poem feels lonely...sometimes this poem yearns
struggling...to lift itself into the wind
we need poetry...we deserve poetry
poetry is the antidote...to arrogance
poems are serious business
let's write poems

Snow on my Mind

The snow closed down school yesterday. I was QUITE appreciative of the break.
I slept in til about 8am. That is one of the best things about a snow day, being able to wake up naturally when your body has decided you've had enough rest.

Of course, not having to go in for work is also good...but sleep is so important.

The snow was pretty tame, however there is talk of an even bigger storm starting tomorrow. I'm guessing it's going to be more like the one that happened during our winter break. According to weather.com, the snow is going to start coming down at 9am, and not stopping until Saturday. Already, there has been a discussion about what should be done. Should school be dismissed early? Closed all the way? Regular day?

You know what I'm hoping for...

*grin*

32 Day Writing Challenge - Day 32

Last night, I stayed up a bit late to watch the Grammys (and lesson plan). It was difficult to get up this morning to go to work. Mondays are already difficult enough, as it is, but I did myself in by staying up so long.

A two-hour snow delay would be fabulous when things like that happen.

And wouldn't you know it, we got a two-hour delay!

Fabulous, right?

No. Sadly, I found out there was a delay on my car radio, seconds before I pulled into my school's parking lot.

Fricken fracken!!!!!!

Once I made it in, there was no way I planned on driving back to my house. Instead, I curled up on the couch I have in the back of my classroom and settled in for an uncomfortable nap for two hours.

*sigh*

The silver lining in this story? I only teach three classes today; normally I teach five.

Kids are happy, teachers are happy. Win-win.