Poetry Friday posts with Violet who is celebrating Canada’s Thanksgiving.
There are only a few signs that October is here. The temperatures are still quite warm, but on my morning walks, the sun does not peek over the horizon until I am close to home. The bald cypress trees in our backyard are turning brown. And the grass is growing slower, so my mower (dear husband) can spread out the weeks between mows.
In the classroom, when the calendar changes, attention turns to the end of the month. You know the day, Halloween!
I have subscribed to the Academy of American Poets newsletter “Teach this Poem.” The lessons are just right for my gifted students. From this site, I introduced Robert Frost’s poem October this week. We discussed the poem, the rhyme scheme, imagery, and new vocabulary. We talked about odes and how an ode is like a praise poem to something ordinary. Then we wrote our own poems, stealing words and ideas from Robert Frost.
I tried a golden shovel with my favorite line, “Enchant the land with amethyst. Slow! Slow!”
O, autumn, your winds Enchant
birds into song, the
sugarcane drapes the land
in swaying soldiers with
suits of green-gold amethyst
Step, step Slow!
Swish, swish, Slow!
Marching to harvest all.–Margaret Simon, after Robert Frost “October”
Lani, a 6th grader, took a line from Robert Frost and built her own poem around it.
How do you know when fall is here?
When the leaves from towering branches
that loom over us fall into colorful
brown–green leaf piles to plunge into until
twilight makes its unveiling.When you don’t have to set your
alarm-instead being woken by
The crows above the forests call.When football starts and your bedtime
changes to fit the Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, and Sunday games.When you can wear a sweater
outside and cold fronts become
more persistent.When the flu sets in and
the doctor is occupied.When fuzzy socks come out of
the dark hole called
your sock drawer.When summer clothes
go to Goodwill.When you stuff your face
on Thanksgiving.When the days are shorter and
the sunsets more memorable.When you grieve when it’s over.
Lani, 6th grade
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, that is a gorgeous line for a golden shovel and you nailed it. What a beautiful poem. step, step, swish, swish. I love it!
I keep thinking of stopping to take a picture of the sugarcane. It’s tall and waiting for harvest which begins at the end of September until Christmas.
I tried a golden shovel and, after three days, abandoned it. I envy the skill with which you wrote yours. Brava!
Don’t give up. There is a golden line out there somewhere waiting to inspire your poem.
Margaret, I chime in with my agreement. Perfect little gem of a golden shovel.
Lovely golden shovel poem. I love how this form interconnects poems across ages and pages. And your student’s poem bursts with the signs of fall.
Margaret, I hope you’ll be spared Nate’s wrath this weekend. Stay safe, my friend.
It’s not that strong a storm and seems to be heading east of us. Thanks.
Margaret, I have been thinking of you with all these hurricanes that are coming through. I am glad that you are safe.
You and Lani have both done a wonderful job of lauding autumn. I would love to see your sugar cane soldiers, and can just imagine Lani’s “dark hole sock drawer.” (I have one of those in my house.)
I love how your poems were inspired by Robert Frost’s “October” poem. I had to look it up to reread it. Like Violet, I would like to see those sugar cane soldiers. My mom grew up in Oklahoma and used to tell me about how they made sorghum molasses from sugar cane.
I like how Lani’s poem starts rich and thick and dwindles down…the way the leaves do, the way the light does, the way the year goes. Nicely done! (And thanks for the educator newsletter heads-up. How did I not know about that?)
Oh, there’s so much to love in this golden shovel (and in Lani’s poem as well). Those sugarcane soldiers marching to harvest….ahhhh. Your poetry is always inspiring!
Margaret, first thanks for the tip on the newsletter. The teachers I am working with are looking for resources so this one will be added. Secondly, your golden shovel poem holds beautiful images and sounds that make me long to see your Louisiana home. I think the opening to Lani’s poem is so descriptive and engaging. Would this student like to offer this poem to my fall gallery along with others from your class? Would you like to send in your poem with a photo of your Louisiana landscape?
Over and over, the idea that original writing only happens without models and prompts is discredited. The range of response here is so wide, and think of everything in between! The idea of marching to harvest is a bit sad, and so the summer clothes on their way Goodwill. Most enjoyable!
Congratulations to Lani on a poem well written! And I love how it dwindles away towards the end, like the loss of leaves until there are just a few left flapping in the fall breeze.
I really enjoyed Lani’s poem. Awesome job!
The “sugar-cane” soldier imagery is beautiful in your poem. And I like the melancholy ending to Lani’s poem. You’ve offered an inspiring poetry session for your students Margaret, and they are fortunate to have you!
It’s fascinating the different ways we experience fall in different climates! Great poems!