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Last week I collaborated with artist Marla Kristicevich on a workshop for teachers designed around poetry and art collage. The workshop was part of the Arts in Education professional development series held at the Acadiana Center for the Arts.
After I presented about finding elements of poetry in my poem “I am a Beckoning Brown Bayou,” Marla shared how she had taken words from 3 different poems from my book Bayou Song, and circled words that represented an element of art. She then created a magazine collage to reflect those words and images. While Marla’s complete presentation was in a PowerPoint slide show, the part that touched me were the amazing and beautiful collages she had created from my words.
Marla’s collage from interpreting the poem There is Always.
We had 12 dedicated teachers attend, and they enjoyed the time to sit and create with materials from magazines, painted paper, and other scraps. The collages were varied and lent new meaning to the poems we worked with.
Then I led the teachers in writing their own poem by gathering new words from their own collages and selecting a form to use. My hope is these teachers will take what they learned, their joy of playing with words and art, and bring it into their classrooms, but more than that, my poet’s heart was touched by the way my poems from Bayou Song led to more poems.
Collage from “There is Always” by Cissy Whipp.
Cissy’s Poem
Dance/Nature Triptych
I.
My dance is in the way
the leaves calmly curl and crinkle
under my feet.II.
My dance is in the water
rippling, rising, rushing
around my ankles.III.
My dance is in the place
between land and water –
the muddy, mysterious marsh.
Finding the poem inside.
Kay chose the I Am form to use when her collage revealed things about herself.
Kay’s collage from the poem There is Always.
Hands Up High
Kay Couvillon
I am fiery red in summer beach walks,
I become lavender peaceful
with restorative yoga.
I hold my
hands up high
to the lights of
love, trust, dance, and
cold beer.
I am an
E. Broussard eagle
in awe of the
bald eagle’s nest.
I sway in the
wind of the leaves after
hibernating when I feel like
torn cardboard.
I love red, pink, and scented
geraniums in clay pots from
Mother Earth.
Reflections on the Teche 