Friday, October 22, 2010

Poetry Friday & #206 - Face Poem



Grandpa VanDerwater & Baby
Photo by ?


This is Poem #21 in a series of poems about poems.

Students -  I have always found great beauty in the faces of the old.  So many stories.  Every time I see an old person, particularly a happy old person, I smile inside, thinking how beautiful that person is.  Well, once in a while, something I have always believed just shows up in a bit of writing, and I find myself silently saying, "Hello, friend."  This happened yesterday, pencil in hand, as lined faces rose in my mind.

One interesting fact about the process of writing this poem:  it was initially in the past tense.  After reading it several times over and listening to each of my children read it aloud, I decided that present tense would make it more...present.

For a truly beautiful poem about old people, visit The Writer's Almanac to read Ted Kooser's "The Very Old".

Andromeda Jazmon is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at her blog, a wrung sponge.  Mosey on over there to join the fun!  This evening I cannot wait to meet Mary Ann in person, along with all of my new poetry blogging friends in Minneapolis at Kidlit Con.

Please visit next week for another Classroom Poetry Peek with Mrs. Sallye Norris and her first graders from Puster Elementary School in Fairview, Texas.

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

8 comments:

  1. Lovely, Amy. Reminds me of a drawing that one of our middle school students did for the Reflections competition last year. The theme was "Beauty is..." and she drew an elderly man's face.

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  2. Oh, Amy -- serendipity for me that you posted this poem today. I'm off to do a workshop on portrait poems with the fourth graders I'm visiting this morning. Will bring your poem along as a model :-)

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  3. Very touching poem! I will be thinking of you at KidLitCon. Have a blast!

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  4. This poem is really really beautiful...and real. (I will remember it--and the beauty of wrinkles--as mine continue to accumulate, too!)

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  5. Amy, I think this is brilliant. I really love the imagery and the emotion you capture here.

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  6. Tabatha, I would have loved to have read that piece. There is, indeed, a beauty in wisdom...Thank you for commenting...
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    Laura, What fun! I hope it was somewhat helpful! Maybe we were channeling each other!
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    Andi, Thank you so much. I didn't really know my own grandfathers, but I am so grateful to have known Mark's grandpa.
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    Lori, Thank you! You might want to try "portrait poems" like Andi mentioned with your class too...
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    Kerry, What wrinkles? And yes, I am into real too. Thank you for coming by!
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    Toby and Laura, You made it around through Poetry Friday even after our whirlwind weekend! Thank you for your kind words and all of the fun. See you on Friday!

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  7. Beautiful! Hard to believe that just a week ago, we were walking over to The Open Book right now to start a new chapter in our friendship!

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