Friday, September 9, 2011

Growing - Poems about Time & Change



How Tall are Heidi & Amy?
Photo by Amy LV


A couple of weeks ago I shared a poem called "Mysteries" about my recently-sold childhood home.  During my last visit to our home, I walked around taking photographs of everything I would want to remember, those distinct and touchable-smellable-feelable rooms of childhood.  

A few weeks later, my sister said, "I would love a photo of that wall where Dad used to mark our heights."  I said, "I got it."  For this was an important bit of space for me too.  I remember standing up straight underneath Dad's flat hand at both seven and at sixteen, wondering if I had grown and changed.  Can you see how my dad painted AROUND our heights when he repainted the back hall?  

Students - Writing this poem helped me see one way that time passes in my life - how my body grows and changes.  There are so many ways to notice change and growth.  Our new puppy, Sage, is getting bigger, and we can tell by how heavy she is in our arms.  As a little girl, I listened to our grandfather clock singing and bonging on the quarter hour.  This month, I am marking time by the Concord grapes filling our porch edges, the abundance of cider apples at the market, and the acorns littering our driveway like so much confetti.  How do you know that time is passing?   Try choosing one change in your life and follow it through a poem.  The choices are infinite.

Mom's Clock
Photo by Amy LV

Since I mentioned my wonderful sister today, I would also like to celebrate Kristine O'Connell George's newest book, EMMA DILEMMA, all about two sisters.  As an older sister, this poem rings honest and beautiful and funny and bittersweet, all at the same time.  You can check out the Facebook page for EMMA DILEMMA here and see a photo of Heidi and me here!

Time does bring new things, and today I would like to welcome you to my very new blog, Sharing Our Notebooks.  In this new space, I will post and share a variety of notebooks for your nosy-peeking-pleasure.  I seek notebooks of all types: student, chef, inventor, writer, jotter, doodler, painter, any and all pages are welcome.  Please consider joining this blog fit for classroom and personal use, highlighting notebooks of children and adults alike!

Today's Poetry Friday post is over at Secrets and Sharing Soda. Head on over there to read some great poems-about-poetry and to enjoy all of the links!


(Please click on POST A COMMENT below to share a thought.)

5 comments:

  1. Your dad painting around your heights made tears spring into my eyes. So sweet, so telling. Lots of memories about those pencil marks on the wall behind the door in my house.

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  2. Now this looks like a really really cute book. And I love your poem too. Wisps of memories of childhood days. ;-)

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  3. Lovely post. I think you definitely captured the voice of a young child in your poem.

    BTW, are you going to the NCTE Convention in Chicago in November?

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  4. Thanks, Amy, for mentioning Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems! I've loved reading your blog -- especially your thoughts about your childhood home. Happy writing! Kristine

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