Jar - Poem #3 for April 2014 Poetry Project

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

Canning Jars

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Each day of this month, I will choose which poem to write based on the thrift store photograph that strikes my fancy that day.  Yesterday it was these empty jars.  There they are...empty...but what did they once hold?

Sitting in a Greek diner, I began writing in prose.  Rather than beginning with another's rhyme and meter as I'd done the two previous days, I decided to just start writing in sentences to see where my pen would lead.  

Before I knew it, I was writing in the voice of one jar.  This happens to me sometimes; I almost feel like I become an object or an animal.  It is odd and cool at the same time.  And I think it happens simply because I write a lot.  Maybe it just gets old to write as oneself all of the time and so these other beings emerge.  

Draft #3 Page #1

Photo by Amy LV

As I wrote as a jar, a repeating pair of lines emerged.  Actually two repeating pairs of lines emerged.  Can you find them?

If you looked carefully, you found that these two pairs of lines each occur twice:

It's been fifteen years

since I held jam.

We jars are made

for holding things.

Why?  Why repeat words and lines instead of coming up with new words and lines?

Well, there are a couple of reasons.  One is that readers' ears just like repetition.  It is comforting and musical to hear the same sounds over and over again.  The repetition at the beginning and ending of this poem brings it around, full circle.

Also, though, repetition stresses an important idea, here the passage of time, and too, the great importance this jar finds in the act of holding.

Draft #3 Page #2

Photo by Amy LV

I find it refreshing to write in new places from time to time and may visit the Towne Bistro again.  (No one seemed to mind me reading out loud to myself in the corner.)

Today I am excited to welcome my colleague, teacher Judy Perkins and her second grade poets from Wellsville Elementary School in Wellsville, NY.  I have the good fortune to work with Judy and her team, and so it was a treat to receive these warm and joyous poems from her students last week.  Let us welcome these young writers and their wonderful teacher.  Thank you for helping us celebrate National Poetry Month!

There are still a few days left to leave a comment and thereby enter my giveaway of Post-It notes over at Sharing Our Notebooks.  Don't miss Mary's notebook poem post!

Tomorrow is the first Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month 2014, and I'm hosting here.  I look forward to seeing you and rounding everyone up.

                                                    

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Surprises - My Poem Writing Year #176

Draft of Surprises

Students - sometimes poems come together in scrips and scraps, the same way that dreams come.  I am not sure, but I think this poem came from the following facts:

1.  I saw two children covered in temporary tattoos last Saturday.

2.  My son went to the doctor yesterday.

3.  International Talk Like a Pirate Day was three days ago.

4.  I know someone with lots of tattoos who once told me that the secret to having lots of tattoos is to get them in places that hide beneath your clothes.

5.  Someone else told me last week that she has a tattoo, and I was surprised. 

6.  My sister is a doctor, and her four-year-old son's name is Jack.  (I do not think that either of them have tattoos.)

7.  I loved the adult novel THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

Usually I do not go back and deconstruct where a poem came from, but it was interesting to think through what brought this poem out of the abyss.

After writing several drafts yesterday, I asked my children to read this poem aloud.  Listening to someone else read my poems aloud helps me know if I have written clearly and in a strong enough meter.  This time there were a few places that I wanted to go in and tweak, and the poem actually ended up quite different in some spots.  Revision is like playing around on an instrument, just listening to how different sounds and meanings go together and deciding on your favorites.

Next Friday is National Punctuation Day...start preparing to celebrate now!

       

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MyPoWriYe #47 - Ideas & Draft Sharing

Sometimes when we sit down to write, it feels as if there is nothing to write about.  All of the good ideas have been used up, life just isn't so interesting at the moment, or maybe we're plain tired.  After 47 days of a poem each day, I can honestly say that through trust and with risk, an idea will always come.

Students - if you find yourself staring at a blank piece of paper for more than five minutes, it may be too long.  Just start writing any old thing...let one thing lead to another...and off you go.  Don't plan to write perfect words.  Just write!

Messy Drafts for "Ideas"

Here you can see the pages that led to the poem "Ideas (like peaches)",  above.  I began by writing about goodbyes, moved to writing about names and maps, wrote almost a whole poem about teatime, and then finally stayed with this idea poem.  

When I write, I feel like a dog getting ready to sleep, circling around herself three times.  Settling, settling, settling, settled.  How is writing for you?  Take some time today to talk with your writing friends about how you get started and what keeps you going.  Half of writing is knowing ourselves and knowing how to keep ourselves working and getting wordswordswords on the page.

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