Poem #316 Explores One Reader's Change

This is poem #6 in Story Poem Week, and even though I post poems about books on Fridays, this one snuck in today.

Students - sometimes I get an idea stuck into my head, an idea of something that troubles or concerns me, and I cannot shake it.  For a while, I have been thinking about how important it is for readers to read for ourselves, not for other people, not for prizes, not for grades.  Reading is so much bigger than any of these things: reading is life.  

When we write, we can explore our feelings, opinions, and ideas about the world.  Other people don't have to agree with us or even read our words, but somehow, through writing, we can make sense of our lives and our own thoughts.  We can discover what matters most to each of us.

What keeps rolling through your head?  Is there something you would like to change in the world?  Is there something you wonder about and wish you could help with?  Your writing is a magnificent place to begin.

Teachers and Parents - Alfie Kohn's article, "How to Raise Nonreaders" offers us some meaty food for thought (and I'm sure it had a hand in this poem too.)  And thank you to Barry Lane for pointing me to Dan Pink's book, Drive.  You might wish to listen to Dan's TED talk, "The Surprising Science of Motivation."

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Captive in a Book? Read Poem #236

A Reading Birthday

Photo by Amy LV

Students - this poem is written in rhyming couplets, meaning that each pair of lines rhymes.  Each line in this poem has eight beats, except for line three which has seven.  How do I know this?  I know this because I am constantly tapping out beats with my fingers, listening for the rhythms in my lines.  Sometimes I change a whole line or set of lines because the beats do not sound right.  The seven-beat line in this poem still sounded good to me, so I kept it even though it was the only one.

If you want to try writing a poem with a specific meter, go for it.  Count out the beats as you go, and after you are finished, count them out again.  See if any lines are way off.  Sometimes I notice that one line is super-long, and I break it into two.  It is a wonderful thing to be in charge of your own poem.  You can make and break the lines however you wish!

Teachers and parents - as we work to help children love reading and increase their agency over learning,  Alfie Kohn's article from ENGLISH JOURNAL provides us some thoughtful insights.  Read "How to Create Nonreaders" for inspiration and good thought.

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