Have you ever had that student? The one who sits in the back of the class, holds herself in tight, rarely, if ever, raises her hand to share a poem with the class. The closet poet.
That’s not me because I believe in writing with my students and sharing my vulnerable poet self so they feel safe sharing theirs. And most of the time, it helps. I’ll share, then the shy ones will look at me with their longing eyes asking “Is it OK?” They know that poetry is a little piece of themselves. It’s bleeding on paper as someone famous said.
I wasn’t going to post for Poetry Friday. Life is just so full of family and busy that I can’t get caught up. But when I read A’s poem, I felt compelled to share it and how she came to write it.
I presented Irene Latham’s poem “Peace” from Dictionary for a Better World. Irene shared it in her newsletter here. This poem came at the perfect time in my lesson planning because we talked about symbolism this week. Irene so effectively used chocolate as a symbol of peace. There were so many wonderful craft moves to notice. Then I set my students loose to write. I invited them to create their own metaphor for peace and to borrow the phrase, “If only”.
A’s words both broke my heart and then healed it. At the age of 10, she expresses her internal life of anxiety and hope in a mature way. And yes, there were tears. I am privileged to be her teacher, her friend.
From the Tide, To the Moon (A letter from a friend to a friend)If only we all
could just look up in the sky
and see that things aren’t that bad.
We aren’t that different.
We’re all human.If only the stars could join us
and show us peace in the world.If the moon could tell the tide
to think for itself.
To flow on its own.And when you tell me
when to make decisions,
me when to make a choice
and what choice I should make,
think about how different we are
from the tide and the moon.You aren’t the moon,
So beautiful that we stare up at it.
I am not the tide,
That flows without ecstasy.Not a moment of freedom.
Adelyn, 5th grade
No justice for the torrent.
Leave me be.
Leave me to my space.
Leave me to my freedom.
Reflections on the Teche 