The National Writing Project’s Write Out ended last Friday with the National Day on Writing. All the wonderful content is still available, and my students aren’t ready to stop writing. Yesterday we perused the site and found information about Phillis Wheatley from the Boston National Historic Park. When I was researching to write poems for my forthcoming book Were You There: Biography of Emma Wakefield Piallet, I used a line of Phillis Wheatley to write a golden shovel. I shared the mentor text with my students.
They were fascinated to try writing golden shovels, so we found a poem written by Phillis Wheatley on Poetry Foundation. We read “A Hymn to the Evening.”
A Hymn to the Evening
Soon as the sun forsook the eastern main
Phillis Wheatley, read the complete poem here.
The pealing thunder shook the heav’nly plain;
Majestic grandeur! From the zephyr’s wing,
Exhales the incense of the blooming spring.
Soft purl the streams, the birds renew their notes,
And through the air their mingled music floats.
Through all the heav’ns what beauteous dies are spread!
But the west glories in the deepest red:
Thursday was a special day in our small room. The butterfly whose chrysalis lay on the zipper finally emerged. We were excited because it meant we could finally open the enclosure to release them all. We had four that I had been feeding with mandarin oranges from the cafeteria.
We had the privilege of watching their daily antics and marveling at their beauty. The butterflies were Gulf fritillaries. And flit they did. This breed was less tame than the monarchs we have raised before. They did not light easily on a finger. We had some exciting moments trying to catch them all.
But we did and together released them into the butterfly garden. Luckily one of them hung around for a photo.
My mind and my golden shovel poem were both on this miracle of Mother Nature.
A Hymn for the Gulf Fritillary
after Phillis Wheatley
“A Hymn to the Evening”Fritillary soft
Margaret Simon, draft
petals purl
from enclosure to the
spread of wings, flitting over streams,
freedom like the
birds
who renew,
survive and thrive singing their
tender, sweet notes.
Reflections on the Teche 
Beautiful, Margaret! Congratulations on raising another batch of butterflies. I especially like the comparison to the birds in your poem –
freedom like the
birds
who renew,
survive and thrive singing their
tender, sweet notes.
A beautiful golden shovel, Margaret! Wonderful how you captured your students’ interest and inspired their enthusiasm for poetry.
Now, that’s a lovely usage of an utterly gorgeous line! And the butterflies are the icing on the poetry cake.
Is there a more perfect name of a butterfly than frittilary??? Your poem captures the tenderness beautifully.
Beautiful, Margaret. Your work with students, writing, and butterflies warm my heart and make me wish for the days I did similar work. I miss it. Congratulations on a successful release! I had a monarch chrysalis on our enclosure zipper too – my sister-in-law had to release it because it eclosed when we were on vacation! It was the only one I raised all year – so I was sad to not be able to tag it and say goodbye!
You chose a gorgeous line for your golden shovel! What fun for your students to be part of this process with the butterflies.
Margaret, your Hymn for the Gulf Fritillary is gorgeous. So many beautiful sounds and word choices “petals purl” “survive and thrive” and “singing their tender, sweet notes”
Oooooh, that word, “purl.” I just want to hold it in my hand like a new butterfly. We need more hymns right now. This is beautiful. Thank you.
Phyllis Wheatley’s poem is rich with possibilities for golden shovels. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating — your students are so lucky to have you!
Flitting over streams brings me into such a peaceful setting.
Thanks for visiting today. I find pure joy in raising butterflies!
Wow, Margaret. This is one of the loveliest golden shovels I’ve seen. I extra love this:
petals purl
from enclosure to the
spread of wings, flitting over streams,
High praise coming from you who made a sonnet this week! I love how the golden shovel form pushes me to use words like purl in a new way.
I love that you choose poems with challenging vocabulary to share with your students! 😍 Congrats on the new book!
Thanks for recognizing that. My students are gifted, so they love new words!
Your students will take so much joy in words and from nature when they leave you, Margaret. What a special time to read from Phyllis Wheatley and learn about golden shovels, then you write that lovely poem from her line about the new births in your class. I love the comparison of “freedom like the
birds”, too!
Margaret, your students are so lucky to have a teacher who gives them such wonderful opportunities. Watching those butterflies is something they will never forget. Your golden shovel enhances the beauty of this experience. I especially love the image “petals purl.”
There’s so much wonderful here–your classroom fritillaries, your non-stop passion for teaching, Phyllis Wheatley’s poem and your lovely golden shovel. I especially love all the lovely “r” sounds and how you compare the butterflies to birds and end with birdsong.
Margaret, after a long pre-Halloween weekend, I finally can sit and read more poetry from friends. I am so impressed that you chose a Wheatley poem to analyze with your students. Your poem is an excellent mentor text fashioned from Wheatley’s strike line. The word renew makes a prominent debut just in time for SJT. May you continue to be the light that opens your students’ eyes to a world of poetry. Congratulations on your newest project. I look forward to reading your work.
Your passion for teaching is wonderful. Thank you for this golden shovel and the fritillary photos. What a great day!
Margaret, you have so many wonderful treats in your post. I love hearing about your students’ enthusiasm and your teaching moments. Your students are fortunate to have you as their passionate teacher, who takes time to involve them in many special projects. Congratulations on the fun Gulf Fritillary release day and your upcoming book. I saw a small fritillary and a big fritillary in my garden this summer, but only a few monarchs, which was disappointing. This summer we received record breaking rain, which is difficult for butterflies to survive in. Thank you for including Phyliss Wheately’s delightful poem, which I haven’t read before. I love your golden shovel. The tightness of your poem and every word being important is masterful. Your first two words hooked me. Here are some favorite lines:
petals purl
Great comparison to birds
spread of wings, flitting over streams,
freedom like the
birds
who renew
Great ending, too, love your rhyme, internal rhyme, alliteration and consonance. Thank you for sharing your joy and inspiration; you gave me joy, also.
Oops. Can I use your poem as a mentor poem in my notebook, including a copyright by your name? Happy Halloween. 🙂
Such a sweet and tender poem for the fritillary–lovely pics too, and exciting day for your students, thanks for sharing all these treasures Margaret!