
Even though I’m not teaching daily, I still subscribe to Teach This Poem. This week I used the lesson to prompt my own writing. The model poem was Ok, Let’s Go by Maureen McLane and included a painting by Claude Monet, “Impression, Sunrise.” I usually write as the sun is rising, so the artwork echoed for me the sun rising over the bayou. I also used two of the words from my Wordle guess.

Dawn School
After Maureen McLane
Dawn school
begins without me
as it settles sun rays
upon still water.
Let’s be here
where the teachers
are cypress knees
and squawking herons.
Sunrise impression
is a silhouette hovering
over tainted tin
of a resting Joe boat
Waiting to mark me present.
Margaret Simon, draft






Beautiful, Margaret.
I really enjoy the sense of presence, being with this sunrise in your poem, all the alliterating sounds, and your closing silhouette stanza too! Also Maureen McLane’s poem—really rich, thanks!
Love the teaching metaphor, Margaret.
Teach is on of my go-to wordle choices. It worked for this poem. Thanks.
Beautiful, Margaret. I especially like:
where the teachers
are cypress knees
and squawking herons.