The Sunday Night Swaggers are back to monthly challenges. This month Catherine Flynn has challenged us to write an In One Word poem created by April Halprin Wayland. See her introductory post here.
I know I am not alone in having a rough beginning to this school year. Foremost on my mind is what is best for kids. Unfortunately, there are many meetings and required gobbledygook to get to the fun part of teaching. Every year, my goal is to inspire explorers, writers, and scholars. Following April’s prompt, I went to Wordmaker to gather words that can be made with the letters in inspiration. Each line ends with a word I chose. Thinking about this exercise was just what I needed to block out the messiness.
Virtual Teacher
I didn’t warm-up for this sprint.
Margaret Simon, draft
Breathless; my hand anoints
each name, a nonart
list that rips
into a class of sorts,
a prison
on screen, trap
of pixels, brain strain.
Who’s bringing the aspirin?
In the spirit
of language, I rant.
Yet, I don’t rant
about you. You are the rain
to my pain,
showing me we can soar.
Other Swagger Posts In One Word…
Catherine Flynn
Linda Mitchell
Heidi Mordhorst
Molly Hogan
Reflections on the Teche 
Beautiful Margaret, I especially like images you created from these lines
“You are the rain
to my pain,”
Good luck, take lots of small breathing breaks,
It’s not easy, but oh how your students will sponge up all you offer, thanks!
Thinking of you and all teachers across the country! Your poem is full of inspiration, in many ways.
Love that, “you are the rain to my pain.” What a lovely line. I might just take that for a striking line. I soooooooo get the gobbledygook. It’s the stuff we have to get through to see the kids that bring the real joy to teaching.
Like, Linda M., I too love “you are the rain to my pain” & I need to do this again. April’s “one word” form is a delight, brings out beautiful poems, like yours, Margaret. Best of wishes to you in this strange school time.
[…] see other “In One Word” poems, check out these blogs:Linda MitchellCatherine FlynnMargaret SimonHeidi […]
This is beautiful and so true! This week has been a surreal “sprint” that I wasn’t “warmed up for” either. But the kids are surely “the rain to my pain.”
Wow, what you did with this one word, “inspiration”, is inspiring, Margaret. Wishing you all the best this new school year. 🙂
“Who’s bringing the aspirin?” : )))) I cannot type HA! in big enough letters for that, and I love that image you chose too. I’m struck again by how each word we pick spills a collection of perfect words for the poem we need to write: “a prison on screen, trap of pixels, brain strain.” Excellent.
I concur–this poem is an inspiration. My thoughts are with you and all the teachers, students and parents trying to find their way through this year.
Margaret ~ I, too, am learning to teach in this Brave New World…and your poem captures how I feel: breathless. And like Heidi, this line fits me perfectly: “a prison on screen, trap of pixels, brain strain.”com
Poems in this form leave the skin of their chosen word behind and become something surprising, every time. Thank you for showing what a poet can do with one word!
You described the form perfectly, “leave the skin of their chosen word and become something surprising.” Also it’s a form that can contain all that I am feeling. It felt good to write. Thanks!
What more can be said,
You are the rain
to my pain,
showing me we can soar.
These words of yours are full of the angst you have been experiencing with an inspirational tone. Margaret, I am amazed at how resilient teachers are this year as they enter a new normal way of teaching. Here in my hometown, the elementary children are going back to school on Tuesday with plexiglass shields surrounding their desks. Teachers experience emotions as nervous tension and joy all rolled into one. May your year be filled with the joy being a teacher.
Thanks, Carol. I have both face to face and virtual kids, and I’m faced with so many confusing directives. We need resiliency and grace.
Margaret, I love the turn from the anxiety and anger of the first half to the resignation and realization of the second half. Sending so many hugs.
I’m not sure how I missed this last week, Margaret! (I feel like I’m dropping balls right and left.)Once again, I’m amazed by the words that can emerge from within a chosen word. Your word choice was…well, inspired! Who knew that aspirin was hiding within inspiration? I don’t think I’ll ever forget that! Your poem encapsulates so much feeling. “You are the rain/ to my pain” is such a moving line. Good luck! As our principal said, “Welcome to your new job! That you didn’t apply for. But you got it! So, congratulations!”