One of my goals for my book Bayou Song is for the poetry and invitations to inspire kids to write. My friend and writing group partner, Kay, presented the opening poem, “I am a Beckoning Brown Bayou” to her gifted 4th and 5th grade students. She invited them to write. Imagine their excitement when she said she knew the author and encouraged them to send their poems to me via Google docs. She said, “I even let them sit in my wheelie chair to write to you.”
I was delighted. I wrote two comments to each one. Kay looks forward to meeting her kids again next week and showing them the comments. I told her that she was doing exactly what I hoped Bayou Song would do, inspire new poems. Enjoy these creative response poems!
QUACK,QUACK!
By John
Quack,quack!
We ducks love the duck pond and warm summers.
We like the smell of fresh bread.
We never have a bad time at the duck pond.Quack,quack!
The duck pond opens and all the kids are running.
They love to feed us bread and hear us QUACK!
The kids also love to hold us fluffy duckies.Quack,quack!
When the sun started to set everyone was upset.
Us full ducks floating around love to sleep.
For tomorrow, there is more bread to fill our beaks!I, the Ocean Can
By Marin
I am a wild ocean.
Over time, animals with legs have given me a name.
Though I do not need one.
The winds of earth push my mighty rolling waves.
I am located between two areas of land.
Which I have benefited for hundreds of years.I am a wild ocean.
Please help my fishy friends.
They are being hurt by oil.
This oil comes from the animals with legs.
Many of the sharks are being killed too.
Also being killed by the animals with legs.I am a wild ocean.
Thousands of offspring from the turtles are killed.
On that note, please don’t pollute.
Or trash my beaches.
My tropical waters are now gray and black.
The animals with legs are not to be trusted.
They are hurting the mermaids.I am a wild ocean.
I will do anything to save my fellow waters.I, the ocean can …… and will.
Bayou Song and I are on our way to the National Book Festival in Washington, DC. If you live in the DC area, come to the festival and see me. Bayou Song was selected as Louisiana’s Great Read in the 52 Great Reads for young readers. I’ll be posting pictures to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
How gratifying it must be to read the words of young poets inspired by your work! Wonderful!!
Congratulations on this new book, Margaret – already inspiring such wonderful original poetry! Congratulations to John and Marin on these fine poems.
Re. the opening of Marin’s:
“I am a wild ocean.
Over time, animals with legs have given me a name.
Though I do not need one.”
— um, I’m guessing I’m not the only adult poet who would LOVE to have written that killer third line. (Nods head; applauds….)
I think this linen will stay with me all day….”The winds of earth push my mighty rolling waves.” Marin and John are certainly inspirations….and so are you and Kay. What a lovely, rewarding post to read today.
Love the poems they wrote. Margaret, how lovely that your collection inspired these words.
Dear Margaret, your book is out there living a life of its own! How lovely these poems are, and how wonderful that your words are inspiring others’ words. Have a great time in DC! Looking forward to the pictures. xo
Every time you share I’m sorry that I’m not in the classroom again–with your book! These are examples of how it will “inspire” as your wonderful quote says. Lovely poems, from knowing!
Your poems have inspired more great poems! I can imagine how exciting and gratifying that must be. I enjoyed both of them. I wanted to join in the fun and quacks at the duck pond, and the wild ocean called to my heart. Have fun at the Book Festival–can’t wait to hear about it.
So cool! I hope you feel proud! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Love seeing how your book inspired student writers. Have a fantastic time at the book festival. I’ve been twice and hope to make it again one of these days.
Margaret, congratulations on traveling to Washington, D.C. to present at the Book Festival. Let your voice rise and continue to inspire both adults and children to write. The children’s poems were well written and I especially enjoyed the one on the ocean with its naturalist / environmentalist perspective.
Hooray for inspiring young poets! Have an amazing day today. I’ll be with you in spirit!
Enjoy your trip, Margaret! I once attended the Book Festival with a group, and I regret not taking a bit of alone time to hear some of the readings. I hope you’ll get the opportunity to enjoy it fully.
You are certainly an inspiration!! John and Marin each conjured up strong (different!) emotions. I like how good they were at getting inside the mind of their subject. Have fun at the National Book Festival!
I can’t think of a more satisfying thing to do than inspire more poetry. Well done, to you teachers.
How wonderful! What a trip this must be for you (and I don’t mean the one to DC, though I’m sure that will be too). So exciting to share your life’s passion in this way— inspiring students beyond the ones in your own classrooms. Keep reaching, Margaret. You’re changing the world, one young poet at a time! 🙂
Thanks Michelle, I needed that affirmation today. The journey is great but it’s hard to really know how far the reach.
What fun and powerful poems you’ve inspired Margaret!
Coming from budding, sensitive, and perceptive poets as seen here,
“The animals with legs are not to be trusted.
They are hurting the mermaids.
I am a wild ocean.
I will do anything to save my fellow waters.
I, the ocean can …… and will.”
Thanks!
Thank you for publishing our poems and enjoying them as much as we did writing them. Today is Tercet Tuesday!
Kay, Noah, Allyson, Marin, Karter, John
[…] to use Bayou Song to inspire poetry with her gifted 4th and 5th graders. Last week they wrote I am poems. This week they wrote tercets. I love Karter’s use of B words to express the beauty […]