Friday, January 21, 2011

Poetry Friday & Poem #296 - An Open Book



ON WRITING WELL by William Zinsser
Photo by Amy LV


This is poem #3 in my series of poems about reading and books and words.

Students - something I enjoyed while writing this poem was thinking of expressions beginning with the word "open."  I also thought of "open house," but that's not in the poem yet.  You might want to try that sometime - think of an expression you've heard over and over again, and just crack it open.  Either expand it or ask "What if?"

Now it's time to sled on over to A Teaching Life, where Tara is hosting today's roundup.  Happy Poetry Friday!

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

10 comments:

  1. The book that is open in my life right now is HEART OF A SAMURAI. It is teaching me again, in a new way, how strange so many things in the U.S. are to my foreign-born students. I think that will make me more understanding, as well as more kind!

    Great poem! Number 300 coming up in a few days! I'll toss some confetti up for you!

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  2. Love that! I love the relationship between openness and kindness.

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  3. I like the photo and I like the poem. Ending on kind: terrific.

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  4. Lovely, Amy! My favourite idea is in the first three lines:"An open book/ will help you find/ an open heart" and the photograph made me think also of an open window.

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  5. "an open heart
    and open mind"
    ...love that - so true!

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  6. Mary Lee, Karen, Jeannine, Sheri, and Mrs. Smith, Thank you for coming by and commenting today...for "opening" up my post! Happy Poetry Friday! A.

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  7. Short, sweet, true. Are they called aphorisms, those sayings by the likes of Benjamin Franklin? I feel this belongs in the public mind like "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise."

    Michelle Ray writer has an exciting thing this week--were you able to see her write-up in the Md teacher's union mag?

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  8. Amy, this is wonderful. So full of compassion. I like what Heidi said--this is so pithy and true and easily memorized--even for me. It should be an uncommonly good common saying!

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  9. Amy,

    We read your poem on Friday in class and really wanted to share thoughts with you sooner. Actually tried to via my iphone...I can read blogs, but have to figure out how to post from the phone. After reading An Open Book, one of my boys (typically a reluctant participant)exclaimed, "Wow, she's really growing words!" I smile every time I think of this moment. His comment was brief, but huge for him and so true too! Happy #300. Your words are growing and blooming in our hearts and minds. ~Theresa

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