Violin - Poem #26 for April 2014 Poetry Project

LIVE!

Learn about this, my April 2014 Poetry Project, HERE!

Violin

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I fell in love with this old violin yesterday. If only it could talk!  If only it could sing!  Just imagine the songs this violin must know.  It may be difficult for you to see in this photograph, but it is a very old violin.  When I held the case, I felt like I was going back in time.

Every line of today's poem has eight syllables except for one of them.  Can you find it?

Here is some of my work on this poem.  I would say that half of the work, though, happened on the computer today. Sometimes a change of longhand to keyboard helps me out a wee bit, and today was one of those days.

Violin - Draft Page Spread #1

Photo by Amy LV

Today, I offer a giveaway of two books here: one copy of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR SCIENCE compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong and one copy of my own FOREST HAS A SONG. Each Saturday of April, I have offered this same giveaway here, for eight books in all.  Thank you to Sylvia and Janet for your generosity.  Please leave a comment below, and I will draw two names next Tuesday evening to be announced on April 30, the last day of this project.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Poems Come from Great Emotion - Song

I remember the first time I heard poet and teacher Georgia Heard speak about writing and teaching poetry at The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project.  She told us that one of her great poet teachers (I believe it was Stanley Kunitz) said this to the class, "If you want to write poetry, you must live in a way that lets you find poems."

Georgia went on to tell about stopping along the side of a road when she admired some laundry hanging on a line and asking the woman of the house if she might have permission to paint the laundry, "It's so beautiful."

That speech changed me.

I try to live in this poem-finding way now, to allow myself to be affected by moments and people, sights and sounds, animals and places.

This week, our eldest daughter played in her school's orchestra.  We are so lucky to have a professional musician leading these young string players, and when they played...I cried.  Indeed, it was a fullness of gratitude that just spilled over.

Teachers - A great part of teaching poetry is helping children understand what it means to be touched by something and for us to show children when we, too, find meaning, beauty, and even fear in the world.  In order to write well, we must first have something to say.  And in order to have something to say, we must think, feel, and believe.

Thank you to David L. Harrison, for the prompt of the word 'song' this month.  His blog offers adult and student monthly poem word prompts and sharing opportunities.  This month's word is 'song', so if you'd like to read more such poems or share this publication possibility with your students, visit David's blog.

(Please click on COMMENTS below to share a thought.)

MyPoWriYe # 46 - Private Concert

Living in New York City from 1994-1995, (Claremont, near 125th & Broadway), I loved the proximity of people, the sounds and smells of others' lives all around.  These days, the noises I hear at home all come from family or nature.  Sometimes I remember those surprise sounds of other souls living so near, and I miss the mystery and human closeness.

 

(Please click on COMMENTS below to share a thought.)