On Wednesday, I met with “The Three Pecans” after school writing club. We walked from the coffee shop to a gallery to see a student art show. I introduced ekphrasis to them, writing to art. I prompted with instructions to either write from observation with description or to enter the art and write from that perspective. All three of us were surprised at how the art drew poetic lines from us. Our poems were deep. We enjoyed reading them to each other and discussing where the emotions came from.
Each time I write with others I am surprised and fulfilled by how quickly we become close and confessional, sharing some of our most vulnerable parts. Poetry is magical in this way, bringing hearts together.
I asked my former student Kaia if I could share her poem today. I was struck by her conversation with her own heart.
this heart i see
the heart that beats
right in front of me
speaking in tongues, that only i understand
i feel it with my hand
i hear it with my ears
but why are you aching, my heart?
who hurt you?
the questions i ask go in one thump
and out the other.
she doesn’t know why
her heart is aching.
i don’t know why
my heart is aching.
Kaia, age 14
Reflections on the Teche 