Two Pieces - A Broken Heart Poem

Broken
Photo by Amy LV

Students - Sometimes I feel a great need to write about something. Today that something is peace.  In the light of too many shootings on our streets, in our schools, in this country, I do feel like I am holding my heart in two pieces.  As I glue it back together with love, I commit to helping our country work toward peace.

When you find yourself not sure what to think about a difficult situation, know that writing is always here for us.  It may not make the bad thing go away, but it can help us understand it...and sometimes through our writing, we can find a way to heal or even a way out.

Peace to you all this week. 

This month you can find a wonderful post at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks. Cynthia Grady, author of I LAY MY STITCHES DOWN: POEMS OF AMERICAN SLAVERY shares some of her favorite notebooks, behind the scenes of this beautiful book, and she offers a giveaway too.

Tomorrow is the last day of Banned Books Week 2015, and I was honored to find this read-out of my poem "Are You There, God?" in celebration of this week. Thank you to Mr. Pace and his Honors II English class from Salmon, Idaho, for sharing this great public service announcement on You Tube.  Read what you wish to read!

Heidi is hosting today's Poetry Friday and the #Diversiverse today over at My Juicy Little Universe. Stop by her place for an important post and to check out this week's poetry roundup.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Giving the Blobfish a Voice

Trophy
Photo by Henry LV

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - I just had to write this poem after reading today's news story about a recent contest sponsored by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.  The blobfish won as "ugliest animal" by thousands of votes.  I could not help but wonder what the blobfish think.  What would you think if you won this prize?

Life is full of stories and facts and all kinds of interesting tidbits.  Part of the joy of writing is choosing which ones to spend time with and doodle about in our notebooks.  Sometimes, like today, the doodling about is plain fun.  Sometimes it is more serious.

What grabbed you in the news this week?  Don't let anything slip by your writing mind.

Today's not a regular posting day here at The Poem Farm, but this was too good to pass up.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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Long Live the Kunimasu with Poem #263

A couple of days ago, I turned on my phone to see that Yahoo had an article up about the kunimasu, a Japanese salmon believed extinct for the past 70 years.  But lo and behold!  A team of researchers has just found many of them in Lake Saiko, near Mount Fuji.  These fish are not extinct at all, and they kept their secret for seven decades.  I am very happy for the kunimasu and for us.

I began drafting this poem on Thursday, in front of a group of third and fourth grade students at Country Parkway Elementary in Williamsville, NY.  These students were writing free verse poems, and after we talked about and read free verse for a bit, I modeled thinking and drafting on this chart.

Chart from December 16, 2010 

by Amy LV

It's clear to see that today's poem did not end up in free verse after all.  Maybe I shall try another kunimasu poem, a free verse one.  If I do, I think it will be from the fishes' perspective.

It was exciting to see the variety of poetry students wrote last Thursday, on all topics from authors to new ice cream flavors to the importance of wearing hats.  One girl wrote from the point of view of a whale, referring to us as "humans."  I may have an opportunity to share some of these students' poems here, and some of them may be turned into dance and song by high school students.  Some interpretations may be performed on an evening in April with former Poet Laureate Ted Kooser!

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