Friday, May 14, 2010

long time no blog

There are good reasons (mostly relating to overload) that I haven't posted since April 23. I don't think there's anyone out there faithfully expecting to hear from me every Friday, but still I feel sorry about not meeting that expectation.

Oh, wait--there IS someone faithfully expecting to hear from me!
This surprises and makes me glad:
of course it is my mom and dad!

Below is the poem that should have gone into the charter school application (right around Academic Design Section 12.b, "Provide details regarding the school's plan to build and maintain appropriate home-school partnerships"). I knew what the poem meant but not what it said, so I couldn't track it down until I opened up my box of books about families and found the Trumpet Club poster I've had since the 80's. My first-graders are doing some work about family traditions, personal history and autobiography, so I put up the poster and we started reading. Most of them memorized it in two days--and I think I have too, finally!

Andre

I had a dream last night. I dreamed
I had to pick a Mother out.
I had to choose a Father too.
At first I didn't know what to do.
There were so many there, it seemed:
Short and tall and thin and stout.

Then just before I sprang awake,
I knew what parents I would take.

And this surprised and made me glad:
They were the ones I'd always had!

~ Gwendolyn Brooks

The Friday Poetry Round-up is at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup today.

4 comments:

  1. I've always thought this poem was beautifully optimistic. A few years later, and the narrator's choice might have changed!

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  2. Hi Heidi,

    I love Gwendolyn Brooks! I hadn't read this poem before, so thanks for sharing!

    Laura Evans

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  3. "...the Trumpet Club poster I've had since the 80's..."

    *GRINS* I've got plenty of those, too! We belong to the Sisterhood of the "Seasoned" Teachers!

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Thanks for joining in the wild rumpus!