Students - The other day, I walked outside to the scene you see above. It was such a magical snow - fat flakes falling in the stillness. I captured the short video above, and as I walked back inside, I thought to myself, "I would like to give this scene, this snow, to someone who would love it." Later, I wrote that thought into my notebook.
The origins of a poem are somewhat mysterious. This one grew from that snowy day scene, and also from a line from a "The Uses of Sorrow" - a poem by Mary Oliver:
Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
Then I remembered the time, many years ago, when I had a video chat with author/teacher Margaret Simon and a few of her students from Louisiana. We had lots of snow here, and as they do not know snow, I brought some inside, and in front of my screen gave them a tiny snowman.
So there it is: Outside Scene + Someone Else's Poem + A Memory = A New Poem.
This is why paying attention matters. Sometimes the littlest thing comes back to haunt you in the very best way.
If you were to fill a box with something and give it to another, inviting them to enjoy the contents...what might you fill it with? Of course the thing you choose wouldn't have to really fit into the box, and of course it doesn't have to be something you could even ever put into a box at all. But still...what might you select, from all of the everythings you can imagine?
It is possible that this thought will walk you right into the arms of a poem.
Laura is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Laura's Blog with a joyful celebration of FINDING FAMILY, the newest book by Laura Purdie Salas. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.
For you, I offer a box full of ideas and a box full of hope.
xo,
Amy
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