Friday, June 22, 2012

Back to Poetry


Poetic goodness can be found with Amy Ludwig Vanderwater at The Poem Farm.

I have been doing a lot of other writing lately, I am happy to come back to some poetry today, it feels good. Everyone should write a poem. My sister insists it makes the world a better place every time someone does. It sort of makes me think of that line in It's a Wonderful Life, "every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." Maybe every time someone writes a poem, someone else smiles! Wouldn't that be nice?



Awe struck
Listening
Laughing

Wondering
Reflecting
Inspiring
Talking
Eager


The above is a list/acrostic poem of the wonderfully filling experience I had at the All Write conference in Warsaw, Indiana the past two days.

Today, Ralph Fletcher lead us in an exercise of borrowing a few lines from one of his poems and creating our own. He has used this technique, at first with hesitation, with students and noticed that it seemed to work well. He described it like giving you training wheels so you can go farther (something like that, he said it much better). Here is my poem, the first two and last lines are the borrowed parts.

(The Good Old Days)

Sometimes I remember
the good old days

Walking down to the river
skimming tadpoles from the still pools

Watching them
circle in my cup

Looking at you

Looking at me

I still can't imagine
anything better than that.

5 comments:

Linda B said...

I think two others did this too, Betsy. I'm jealous that you all were there! The poem is just great-bet it calls up a lovely picture in your mind.

Christy Rush-Levine said...

I can't believe you posted so quickly! I am impressed. It was so great to meet you in person. Next year we need to kidnap you away from your school group for a few hours one night to hang out!

Amy LV said...

There's nothing like a conference to inspire! I am so glad that you got to go, Betsy. 'Wish I'd been there with you. I love -

Looking at you

Looking at me

What a moment poem! Thank you for sharing it. Happy Poetry Saturday!

a.

Robin said...

I love these Betsy! I missed them on Friday...didn't even turn on the computer until Saturday. I'm still digesting and trying to figure out a way to put all my thoughts together from All Write. You nailed it, however, with your All Write poem and The Good Old Days poem is beautiful. Mentor texts really are powerful, aren't they?

Mary Lee said...

I can't believe we were in the same room and didn't meet! WAH!

Love your poem. That break between the two looking lines says so much without saying a thing. Perfect.