Reflections on the Teche

This Photo Wants to be a Poem

July 9, 2020 by margaretsmn

Free use, Library of Congress collection

This photo is from the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, a set of 22,000 glass and film photographs and negatives taken in what was then called Palestine (present day Israel and the West Bank) from 1898 to 1946. The picture is part of a “Bedouin wedding series” but the caption on the negative just reads, “The bride.” That’s it. The Bedouins roamed the region as nomads, so there are any number of places the photograph might have been taken over the course of two decades.
Library of Congress blog

Usually for the photo prompt I find a photo of my own or one from my Instagram or Facebook feed, but today I am using a photo from the Library of Congress. I signed up for emails from the Library of Congress blog, and this recent post made me want to know more.

Please write a small poem of 16 words or so in the comments and comment on other poems. I “found” a poem on the blog post. Maybe that’s cheating…

Still,
eyes.
Those hands.
This woman knows work.
She is there
gazing into the future
hoping…
Margaret Simon, found poem

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing | Tagged Bedouin bride, found poem, Library of Congress photography, small poems, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 28 Comments »

Slice of Life: My History Project

July 7, 2020 by margaretsmn

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Before leaving my students for the year, I offered an assignment from Scholastic Magazines, the My History Project. We spent a Google Meet session looking at Animoto for creating interesting videos.

I knew this project would be a difficult endeavor without me overseeing and coaching the process. I honestly didn’t think any of them would take the time to pursue it.

You are a part of history.
You are living through an important and unique time in history—the COVID-19 pandemic. Years from now, historians will learn from the experiences of people who went through it—people like you and your family.
Lauren Tarshis, Scholastic

The projects were due to Scholastic by July 1st. I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email from Chloe’s mom with a link to her completed video. I’m excited to share it with you. I love how Chloe used equations “Laura Purdie Salas-style” to communicate a lot with few words. Please share comments to Chloe here, and I will pass them on to her.

https://animoto.com/play/w8LdoDC8wNoB16OfRzgWEQ?autostart=1

My History by Chloe, 2020

Posted in Gifted Education, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged Chloe, My History Project, Scholastic Magazines | 11 Comments »

It’s Monday: What are you reading?

July 6, 2020 by margaretsmn

Find more links to reading children’s literature at Jen Vincent’s blog.

Would you like some wickedly wacky poetry in your life? Reach for Vikram Madan’s book A Hatful of Dragons. I won this hilarious book on Matt Forrest Esenwine’s blog

Reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, I can imagine my students falling into this book of poetry. I love books that help us to see poetry as something fun, fun to read, and fun to write. Vikram Madan plays with language in a unique way: “A hatful of babies? Will leave you crawled! A hatful of barbers? Could shave your head bald! A hatful of dragons???”

The best, though, is the fill-in-the-blank poem. With 7 choices you can fill in 1 blank 7 different ways and you can have 7 different poems, but you have 12 lists of 7 words to choose from. It becomes an exponential number of poems possible. 13.8 billion! Kids will have a blast with this!

Page from A Hatful of Dragons shows the whimsical illustrations that accompany the poems.

All Because You Matter came to me from Scholastic. The release date is Fall 2020. Written by Tami Charles and illustrated by Bryan Collier, this book should be in every early learning classroom. The colors in the illustrations are magnificent. The text is lyrical and poetic.

“They say that matter
is all things
that make up the universe:
energy,
stars,
space…
If that’s the case,
then you, dear child, matter.”
Tami Charles, All Because You Matter

Tamir Charles writes in her Author’s Note that she will not raise her son to walk in fear. Without answers for fixing racial injustice, she begins with this book…”a loving tribute to the greatness that lives within my beautiful, brown-hued, brown-eyes boy and within all children, of all colors, everywhere…YOU MATTER!”

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged A Hatful of Dragons, All Because You Matter, Bryan Collier, Tami Charles, Vikram Madan | 5 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem

July 2, 2020 by margaretsmn

I am reposting this week’s prompt for Poetry Friday. I have taken on a weekly photo prompt from what originally was done by Laura Purdie Salas at her blog: “15 Words or Less.” With a new title, I am posting a photo on Thursdays for whomever feels compelled to write a small poem response. To join us each week, subscribe to my blog in the right margin or watch for it on Twitter @MargaretGSimon or Facebook (Margaret Gibson Simon). We welcome all writers.

Please read and respond to a few poems as well as post one of your own.

This week’s photo comes from Amanda Potts in Ontario, Canada. Amanda is an amazing educator who blogs at Persistence and Pedagogy. I grabbed her photo from an Instagram post. She joined a challenge called #EducatorsONtherun with other Canadian educators to run or walk 1.5 km for 45 days from May 18 (Victoria Day) to July 1 (Canada Day). Her Instagram posts each day were full of beautiful images and inspiring messages.

Let’s honor Canada Day with poems. Write a small poem of 16 words or fewer. Place it in the comments. Be sure to respond to other poets with encouraging words.

(A note about 16 words: William Carlos Williams once wrote a small poem about a red wheelbarrow using only 16 words. Amazing things can happen in small poems.)

After the rain
droplets cling
Sprinkle green leaves
with feeling
So much depends
upon the rain
Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Writing | 42 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Prompts, Gifts, and Poems

June 26, 2020 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday round-up is at Karen’s Blog.

Summer means the Summer Poetry Swap which is coordinated by Tabatha. I’ve already received two poetry gifts, and it feels like summer just began.

The first poem I received came from Laura Shovan, a dear poet friend and author of The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary and Takedown. Laura sent sourdough starter, a whimsical pen, and this poem.

My second poem came from Buffy Silverman. Buffy and I have never met, but I have enjoyed her poetry for years. What delight to open an email from her with this image and beautiful poem about wild iris, blue flag!

This week Linda Mitchell and I teamed up to provide prompts for Ethical ELA. This site by Sarah Donovan is a wonderful place for teachers to write and receive positive feedback. I enjoyed being a part of the community this week. The poetic responses were amazing! Here is a link to the 5 Day Open Write.

I wrote two poems in response to Linda’s prompts. The first one was a list poem. I had a receipt marking my notebook page. My oldest daughter is having a girl (Yes!) in November. At a local children’s store, I bought the first thing for this new one, a newborn gown.

For the Little Ones

Shorts
Shirt
Gown–> NB

white silky soft
edged with pink stitching
to welcome
a sister
now growing
day by day
a girl to embrace
a girl to bless
a girl to love
Margaret Simon, draft

The second prompt from Linda came from Linda Baie’s prompt in Laura Shovan’s Water Poem Project, to write a fiction poem. I took some quotes from my weekend with my kids and built this scene.

Heat

What is it about the 90 degree mark
that turns a sunny day into fire
burning you through to the bone?

They didn’t speak in the heat;
Their brains thirsty, wrung out
beyond droplets of sweat,
couldn’t fathom anything worthy of saying.

He handed her the phone,
clicked play on a video of animal faces,
noses in particular, that made her smile,
despite herself. She didn’t bother
to ask why.

Humor finds its way into the cracks
of relationship, beneath the surface
of burning skin to release toxins
from the crease of a smile.
Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged Buffy Silverman, Ethical ELA, Laura Shovan, Linda Mitchell, Summer Poetry Swap | 14 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem

June 24, 2020 by margaretsmn

Once again, I am inspired by Molly Hogan’s photography. She starts each day with a blank canvas, or what would have been once called an empty roll of film. And she opens her lens for discoveries and wonder.

This photo appeared last week in my Facebook feed. The whimsy of it grabbed me. Molly thinks the duckling is a common eider, not a duck we have in the deep south.

Please join me in writing a small poem today, inspired by this image. Leave your poem in the comments. Read other poems and comment. Come back to read any comments you receive. Here there is no judgement; we hold each other up.

Flip-flap!
Splish-splat!
I toddle
on my new legs,
just like
That!
Margaret Simon, flash draft

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing | Tagged Molly Hogan, onomatopoeia, small poems, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 20 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Juneteenth

June 19, 2020 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday round-up is with Tricia Stohr-Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

I was struggling over what to post today. I didn’t prepare my post ahead of time. I considered bailing out completely. But something was tugging at me.

That tug started with an email from poets.org that sent me into a rabbit hole of Black poets. Reading, clicking, texting, reading…

Then I was discussing my dilemma with my daughter, Katherine. She works for an ad agency in New Orleans. Her co-worker, Dante Nicholas, wrote an article on Later.com “How Brands Can Celebrate Juneteenth on Social Media.” In his article, Dante states “June 19, 1865 – Juneteenth – is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States….At its heart, Juneteenth is a day of celebration.”

I clicked further to find that Dante is also a fabulous photographer. I screen-shot this post from his Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/allthingsdante/

In my reading, I felt a kinship to Margaret Walker. Not only did she have my name, she also lived in my home town of Jackson, MS. for a time. I wish I could say I met her or saw her speak, but I didn’t. But her words spoke to me today. Dante’s image makes me think of poets like Margaret who said, “Let a new earth rise.”

Using words from Margaret Walker from For My People, I wrote a small found poem to celebrate the freedom of Juneteenth.

For playmates in the clay
singing dirges, ditties, blues,
Let a bloody peace be written.
It’s time, friends, it’s time!
Margaret Simon, found poem from Margaret Walker’s For My People.

Posted in Photography, Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged Dante Nicholas, Juneteenth, Margaret Walker | 4 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem

June 18, 2020 by margaretsmn

Summer is here with peaceful mornings before temperatures rise. This image popped up on my Instagram feed. My friend, Jen Gray, owns a farm in Breaux Bridge, LA where she rents two houses for artist retreats. Unfortunately, I haven’t made my usual retreat there this year. I miss this place.

Jen’s photographic eye fascinates me. This photo has so much to offer, a foggy sunrise and dewdrop spider web. What will you write about? Please leave a small poem in the comments and comment on other poems. Thanks for stopping by.

What remains from
a slow walk in the field?
Dewdrop tears
for a peaceful world.
Margaret Simon, flash draft

A note about process: While writing my flash draft, I typed in about 21 words. In cutting it to 15, I found what the poem really wanted to say. There’s something to be said for small poems.

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing | Tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, 15 Words or Less, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 61 Comments »

Slice of Life: Milkweed

June 16, 2020 by margaretsmn

My milkweed/monarch journey began a little more than a year ago in a school garden. There I met Meadow. (Yes, Meadow is the name of a naturalist in our area.) She taught me about capturing monarch caterpillars and caring for them through emergence to a butterfly. (Slice of Life post here.)

I wanted some host plants of my own, so I took cuttings from the garden and planted them in a flower bed. This spring while sheltering at home, I was able to nurture caterpillars on my screen porch.

In May, I was visiting a friend, safely distanced in her backyard, and she gave me a few milkweed seed pods. I had no idea how to cultivate them, but I planted them in two pots of potting soil and kept them watered.

A miracle of Mother Nature, the seeds sprouted. I had 42 little seedlings about 3 inches high. I could have taken a few and planted them in my flower bed, but what about all the others? I couldn’t bear the thought of letting them die.

I ordered some cheap plastic pots on Amazon, and planted each little sprout. Putting out a call on Facebook, I had some takers. The surprising part for me was how excited the receivers were. And how welcomed the visits!

On Sunday, Sisters Sarah and Emily came by to “rescue” some seedlings. I taught Emily in elementary school. She is now headed to 10th grade, so it was great to see her. (Oh, how I just wanted to hug her!)

Mary and Brittany arrived at the same time, donning masks and staying distanced. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other in a more intimate way than Facebook allows.

On Monday, I delivered seedlings to some friends and took a walk through a beautiful backyard and met a new grandbaby.

This morning, I noticed an opened seed pod on one of my milkweed plants. The cycle continues…

Milkweed seeds provide life for the butterfly and hope for this lonely planet, as well as Joy to this lonely planter.

Notice the green seed pods on the milkweed plant.

Posted in Slice of Life | Tagged friendship, milkweed, monarchs | 2 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Say Butterfly

June 12, 2020 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday round-up is with Irene at Live your Poem! She is gathering a celebration of poet Nikki Grimes.

If memory serves me correctly, I first learned of Nikki Grimes’ work when I bought this book, Words with Wings, at the recommendation of a colleague who knew of my passion for poetry and novels in verse. I brought it home with me this summer for inspiration for writing my own novel-in-verse. Who knows if that will come to fruition, but when I opened the book, this is what I saw:

“May your dreams take flight,” Nikki Grimes.

How’s that for messages from the universe?

Today, Poetry Friday is celebrating Nikki Grimes. I’ve had the privilege to see her at NCTE a few times. Last year, I sat at her table for the Children’s Literature Luncheon where each one of us received a singed copy of Ordinary Hazards, her memoir in verse. I’ve read and listened to this book and have used it as inspiration for my students, too.

I use Nikki’s poetry time and time again to inspire writing with my students. In Words with Wings, there are a number of poems that begin with “Say”. One of them is Butterfly.

from **Words with Wings** by Nikki Grimes, 2013 *Wordsong*

Last month I was creating instructional videos for an open channel station that was airing teacher-made videos for students learning at home. I created one around this poem. In doing so, I created a draft of a poem of my own as a model for writing “after Nikki Grimes.”

Poets like Nikki give children courage to be writers. Her gentle way of writing the truth echoes in the hearts of young people. If you are looking for a model poem for young writers, turn to Nikki Grimes. Her next book release is exciting to me. Legacy: golden shovel poems inspired by words of Harlem Renaissance Women Poets. It releases in January, 2021. I hope by then I’ll see Nikki again and add another signed book to my collection.