Greetings, Poetry Friends! No, this post is not about my likely peptic ulcer, which came with a 2-week headache and has now thankfully calmed down, UNLIKE just about everything in my immediate environs here in Maryland, just 7 miles from the White House.
No, this post might also be titled "Why I Do the Work I Do" and I hope you'll never get tired of me sharing raw poetry by kids in the wild, uncut gems shaken loose by 30 minutes of reading, playing and writing in a WHISPERshout Workshop.
This residency is with 2nd graders and is focused on Valentine's Day-adjacent themes of friendship, inclusion and social-emotional learning, with a hefty dose of figurative language to move us past "I like Allison. She is my best friend. We play together," if possible. (For a few 2nd graders, writing these 3 sentences is what's possible. No shade.) So we read poems that use straightforward examples of this, like "A Purple Place" from my book SQUEEZE, and we play with describing emotions using this little guide:
sounds in a basementare clicks and dings for games,people talking on tv,people talking in real life,people doing workouts.there are lots of soundsin a basement. but thereis one that is the best,love moving from personto person.
Go on, shut down all the medical research, fire all the scientists at the NIH.* I know the cure for peptic ulcers, for plenty of other ailments: Take one poem--one raw, uncut gem of a 2nd grade poem--and be healed.
******
Thanks to Laura Purdie Salas and her beautiful new board books for hosting us today! And now that you're feeling, I hope, a bit restored and determined, here are a couple of ways to act on that, because *no, don't!
5Calls app: easily contact your reps with prepared scripts on your choice of issues
INDIVISIBLE'S Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brinkand next Friday...
Go, Zeke! 😍 I'm sorry to hear that you have a peptic ulcer. Yes to the economic blackout. There are also protests at Tesla dealerships tomorrow, FYI.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Heidi, for your dose of healing words! Yes, I've been calling my senator every day, writing postcards for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, & attending every protest I can. These are dire times, and poetry surely helps!
ReplyDeleteI love what you draw out of these kids, Heidi. By providing space, time, permission, prompts...you're growing artists!
ReplyDeleteAh, Heidi - the uncut gem of a second grader's poem - what a delightful way to put it. Your residency continues to sound amazing. ♥tanita
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure, Heidi. A poem to be preserved and revered at all cost. This is a genuine WOW moment. Thank you for sharing this magical moment. I need to put on my GUYS WRITE t-shirt to celebrate this moment.
ReplyDeleteThank you to Zeke for the best medicine ever, and thanks to YOU, Heidi, for sharing - and for all you do! (Here's to healing for that ulcer, too!) Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI wrote poetry with kids this week too. I love the basement poem. :)
ReplyDeleteSigh and swoon. Yes, children are alot...and then one can restore your faith in humanity with a poem like this medicine poem. My goodness, I needed to read that more than I realized. Thank you, Dr. Heidi. And, thank you for the blackout information. I have on my list of things to do today the task of researching how to call Congress in the least uncomfortable way.
ReplyDeleteI know about the blackout, have been writing, calling, keeping busy because we must! Thanks for that warm hug of a poem from your dear, thoughtful Zeke! And, take care of you, too!
ReplyDeleteOh, Zeke! That's marvelous. 5Calls is great, Heidi. And I'm reminded of the poem that George Bilgere shared today (by David Budbill): https://georgebilgere.com/so/0ePKWmiK6?languageTag=en
ReplyDeleteHeidi, there are a couple of Wows in this post. The child's poem ends with a whole different ending than I thought. but there/ is one that is the best,/love moving from person/to person.Fabulous work Zeke. There is also the words of
ReplyDeleteDavid Budbill The Emperor,/his bullies/and henchmen/terrorize the world/every day, Feel better.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, thank you for all the goodness in the links here. (I added the Economic Blackout to my Instagram.) And for the sweet purple and basement sound poems. I love second graders!
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful I am regularly reminded why I do the work I do, it can be such a bright light in times of stress and strife.
ReplyDeleteDear all--sorry not to get around as I'd hoped this weekend...family emergency!
ReplyDeleteYikes! On top of everything else, an ulcer!! Cut this girl a break, please.
ReplyDeleteBut at least there was Zeke's poem to the rescue. Hope everything is calming down.