What Happens to POETRY?

During that intriguing journey from kindergarten through to high school we lose so many of those fans of poetry, and the answer is simple. It happens because we move away from writing, reading and performing poetry and focus way too much on dissecting and analyzing it. We chop it up into pieces. It becomes reading by autopsy! No longer can hear the rhythm and rhyme. No longer do we rejoice in the wordplay. We lose the pleasure that comes with performance. The quest is focused upon hidden meaning and obscure symbolism. We become obsessed in second guessing the poet's motives.

Poetry in such an environment becomes dull and tarnished. The fans begin to wander away…

We have lost sight of the fact that we learn to write by reading, listening thinking and writing –and by writing we arrive at understanding.'

I learnt from American poet, Ted Kooser - 'You have to read at least one hundred poems before you write one.' I interpreted this as meaning I had to immerse myself in poetry in order to write it. I have continued to collect poetry throughout my writing life. My collection of poetry continues to expand. It is pleasantly plump and well rounded.

Many teachers tell me they love poetry. That's always a re-assuring thing to hear. I fervently hope they are prepared to put such declarations into action and acquire some poetry books of their own. By doing so, they may joyfully share these poetic pearls with the curious learners in their care. It's action that matters. Every generation deserves to have poetry in their lives. Every generation deserves poetry champions. Champions who shine a light on powerful, wondrous and wacky words as well as thought provoking ideas.

So fellow teachers, if you love poetry, I urge you produce the poetic proof!

'Love of language and a sense of gratitude would be two ingredients in the recipe for making a poet.'

Billy Collins

'Each child is born a poet and every poet is a child.'

Piri Thomas

To finish on a joyful note, I share this poem that emerged in my writer's notebook, just last week.

Pigs Might Fly

Birds fly, so might I

Said the pig…

My word, said the bird

No drama, said the llama

Might take a while, said the crocodile

Up there? said the bear

Is that legal? said the eagle

Dream on, said the swan

Good luck, said the duck

Oh no, said the crow

You won’t get far, said the galah

Better me than you, said the emu

I’m heading for cover, said the plover

It’s hard not to laugh, said the giraffe

Can I come too? said the kangaroo

Poetry Inspired by Images and Objects

There are many ways pictures and photographs can be conscripted to support the writing of poetry. Allow me to share a few ideas with you: Old photographs are a great source of inspiration. Cynthia Rylant explored this idea with great success in her book 'Something Permanent' where she employed the Depression era photographs of Walker Evans to add a new voice to the starkness to the lives of people experienced under extreme circumstances. I have used this strategy to spark many individual poems. In ' I Bet There's No Broccoli On The Moon,' I used a photo I had taken in 2004 while living in New York to inspire a poem. The poem was based on a story related by a friend who grew up in New York. I regularly combined poetry and pictures in my writer's notebook, drawing on inspiration from the photograph and my personal memories. We can also utilize existing cartoons and illustrations to create ekphrastic poems. I frequently use the illustrations of Jim Pavlidis to co

Opposite Poems

O pp o s ite P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,' Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not e

Powerful Poetry, 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Janice Scully @ Salt City Verse where Janice shares some original words and offers us a taste of Thomas Carlyle to ponder. I encourage you to join a host of poets from all around the globe and visit Janice's page... Almost two years to the day, I wrote a post featuring the poem 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston. The poem was included in Brian's first book of poetry, 'You Took The Last Bus Home.' A very powerful Reverso poem and technically brilliant. A Reverso poem can be read from top to bottom or bottom to top. It will often express opposite opinions depending on which way you read it. Such poems really make us think. A Reverso poem is like a picture turned upside down, a frowning face upended to reveal a smiling one. The poem read in reverse, contradicts itself with an opposing message. In 'Refugee' Brian Bilston focuses on a societal issue that tends to polarize feelings and the opposing views are clearly in eviden

Sally Murphy9 February 2018 at 18:09
Thanks for being one of poetry's champions, Alan! And for joining in poetry friday today.
Kay10 February 2018 at 12:54
What a perfect post to go with Sally's Terse Verse today! With so many good poetry books out there, it's easy to share a multitude of poetry with students. Since I'm no longer teaching, I try to keep my Little Free Library supplied with poetry.
Mary Lee10 February 2018 at 23:53
Gotta love that kangaroo!
Ruth11 February 2018 at 23:16
Thank you for your post! I definitely have piles of poetry books to prove how much I love it, and I'm working hard to help my students retain their love of it, too!
Mrs. Wyman12 February 2018 at 09:26
You struck a nerve with your opening comments, Alan. I adore sharing poetry with my Kindergarteners and encouraging them to create it as well. We close our eyes and listen. We paint pictures in our heads of what we hear and think. We illustrate the words of others with the images we've imagined. When a former Principal suggested I give my students highlighters so they can circle sight words or particular letters of the alphabet, I push back and say NO! -- Christie @ https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/
Joyce Ray13 February 2018 at 08:58
Well said! It's encouraging to know that PF teachers are working hard to instill a love of poetry in their students. I love the wordplay in your poem. "Is that legal? said the eagle."

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