Bean Boat
by Amy LV
Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.
Students - This poem goes along with a set of poems I will soon (in a couple of years) publish in a book with Clarion. The book will be titled WITH MY HANDS: POEMS ABOUT MAKING THINGS. Today's poem is dedicated to Mary Lee Hahn, supreme teacher and maker and gardener and photographer and so much more. Last year, she and I were walking and talking about life, and she told me how her after school Environmental Club made bean mosaics together.
Mary Lee says, "Environmental Club is such a gift because I don't have to be accountable to state or standards or administration about the activities we do. Something as small as observing soup beans that have been soaking for a couple of days until the embryo starts to develop and then making a mosaic on a paper plate with dry beans can be enough to fill an hour with the wonder of creativity and the knowledge that a small bean plant lies dormant in each of the seeds we use for our designs."
Of course I could not get Mary Lee's thoughts out of my mind, and those mind-thoughts turned into this poem. This one's for you, Mary Lee and students!
You can find some simple directions for making bean mosaics of your own over at KinderART.
What do you like to make? You might make that project into the subject of a poem!
I am a maker and am most happy at work with my hands. Right now I'm making some very easy and cozy knitted handwarmers. These warm the hands but leave the fingers free for driving or for other work or movement. They are fun to make and fun to give. Soooo.....
Cozy Handwarmers - Surprise Color Giveaway!
Photo and Handwarmers by Amy LV
Please leave a comment on today's post to win a free pair of hand knitted fingerless mitts...knitted by me in a surprise color! Please leave your comment by next Thursday, Halloween, to be entered in this drawing. I will announce the winner on Friday, November 1.
November 3, 2013 - Matt Forrest Esenwine of Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme is the winner of the handwarmers! Please, Matt, send me a private message with information about whether the handwarmers will be for you...or for someone else. This will help me determine size and color!
Irene Latham is hosting Poetry Friday with 1,000 goodnesses. Stop by her place at Live Your Poem, and celebrate her 1,000th blog post with all kinds of fun.
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