Of Walls and Neighbors: National Poetry Month

(By TR001 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Dave Healy is back with another poem, this time alluding to Robert Frost's famous "Mending Wall." 

Something There Is

If we build it will they come?
If we build it how high and long?

High enough to shut out the sun?
Long enough to enclose our fear?

Will one be enough?
Will it ever be enough?

Can a partition admit contrition?
Can we safely hedge our bets?

Who will watch o’er this rampart?
Who will help us unlearn long division?

Can we wall them out
without walling ourselves in?

When our progeny orbit this lonely planet
how many Great Walls will they see?

Hand me another brick.
I can still hear a heart beating.

By Ahazan (own work by Ahazan) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Thanks, Dave. 

What do you think? Do good fences make good neighbors?

Hear Robert Frost read his poem:

Tis Not Too Late to Seek a Newer World: National Poetry Month

AND GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED! (see below)

Odysseus and the Sirens, Ulixes mosaic at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis, Tunisia, 2nd century AD

(By Giorcesderivative work: Habib M'henni - File:GiorcesBardo54.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10353941)

I was pleased to speak with several classes of 8th graders at Cheyenne Eagle Butte Junior  High School last week. They are beginning to interact with poetry, and I look forward to reading their original efforts. 

They asked good questions. One was "What is your favorite poem?" If you love poetry, the answer to this question depends on the moment! At any given time, my answer might have been different, but one of my enduring favorites is the classic by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Ulysses." Based on Homer's The Odyssey, the aged ruler, Ulysses, also known as Odysseus, looks back--and forward--on his life and reign, and decides he wants to continue to contribute, to experience life, to keep moving, and to do what he can. 

I like the poetry itself, and the themes of optimism, strength, and persistence. It has so many quotable lines! Here are the last: 

'T is not too late to seek a newer world. 

Push off, and sitting well in order smite 

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds 

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths 

Of all the western stars, until I die. 

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down: 

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, 

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. 

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' 

We are not now that strength which in old days 

Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; 

One equal temper of heroic hearts, 

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will 

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

For full effect read the complete poem or hear it read here

GIVEAWAY WINNERS: Winners of the Poetry Friday Power Books are Mr. Nickerson and Chel, who did not leave contact info. If I don't hear from them within a week, I will re-draw. 

In This Corner: National Poetry Month

I'm pleased to introduce poet Dave Healy from St. Paul, MN. Retired director of the University of Minnesota's Writing Center, he now occupies his time with freelance writing and helping others write poetry and memoirs. 

Remember my previous post? About the world being too much with us? Here's Dave's response. What can each of us do to put our house in order? Leave your ideas in the comments.

This Corner

The world is too much with us
old Bill said.
Perhaps the world is too much
because of us.
Too much to comprehend
too much to fix.
A corner of the world
is quite enough to handle
to brighten and green
to tend
to keep well swept
to leave better than we found it.
Huxley said the only corner
of the universe
you can be certain of improving
is your own self.
Bullshit.
Let us risk uncertainty and
forego self-improvement.
Let us join those from
earth’s four corners
and put this great grand
house of ours in order.

The World is Too Much With Us: National Poetry Month

(Photo by Mick Baker, https://www.flickr.com/photos/36593372@N04/8573457815,(CC BY-ND 2.0))

The news is sometimes too much to take. It is mostly bad, often tragic, sometimes heart-rending. And in today's world of 24/7/365 newsfeeds, it's everywhere. I'm guessing that you, like me, are sometimes overwhelmed by it. Yet we cannot escape it, and as awful as it is, we need to know. That's when this poem comes to mind, and if possible, I go for a walk and appreciate nature. How do you cope with news overwhelm? Let me know in the comments below.

The World Is Too Much With Us

Related Poem Content Details

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The world is too much with us; late and soon, 

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— 

Little we see in Nature that is ours; 

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! 

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; 

The winds that will be howling at all hours, 

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; 

For this, for everything, we are out of tune; 

It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be 

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; 

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, 

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; 

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; 

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

The Wonder of Poetry: National Poetry Month

To say that this cover jumped out at me is an understatement! "Wonder" "Poems" "Celebrating" "Poets," "Kwame Alexander" and the fabulous art by Ekua Holmes immediately drew me in.

This book contains poems by Alexander, Chris Colderley, and Marjory Wentworth, who wrote in styles and voices of favorite poets or allusions to them. The poets celebrated include Naomi Shihab Nye, Basho, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda, Maya Angelou, and several other favorite poets from a variety of time periods. 

This book shouts JOY! Aimed at young people, it has brief, excellent information about the celebrated poets in the back. Introducing each of the three sections (Got Style?, In Your Shoes, and Thank You), Alexander writes a bit about what poetry is and how poets write what they write. 

Alexander explains in his preface that the book's title comes from a quote by Lucille Clifton. "Poems come out of wonder, not out of knowing."

The poems are brought to vibrant life with Holmes' colorful collages.

If you need a reason to celebrate, this is it! The book's poems also offer ways for you to celebrate your favorite poets and write poetry of your own. 

GIVEAWAY REMINDER: See details here.

Baseball's Opening Week! National Poetry Month

Batter up! It's baseball's opening week at ball parks across the U.S. Whether or not you are a fan, you recognize this harbinger of spring. For most of us fans, it's a time for hope that this year, our team will do better. Our local newspaper this morning proclaims "New era finally dawns for 2017 Twins," and fans will turn out to see if it is so.

 And yes, baseball is poetry, too. I'd like to introduce you to poet Elizabeth Healy, who has granted permission for me to use her poem here. Liz is, among other things, a caregiver and one of a large family of die-hard baseball fans. Here's how she would like to experience the game:

WITH MY EYES CLOSED

by Elizabeth Healy

I want to use my other senses first
Hear the vendors calling us to slake our thirst
and the home plate umpire being roundly cursed

I want to smell the grass as sweet as heather
The sweat of fans enjoying the hot weather
and the intoxicating scent of an old mitt's leather

I want to taste ballpark fare and sup
on hotdogs slathered in mustard and ketchup
and drink a cold beverage from a paper cup

I want to feel the crunch of peanut shells beneath my feet,
to squeeze myself into the plastic seat
and enjoy the too short season of sizzling summer heat

I want to see the sky a periwinkle blue
the shamrock green outfield grass--such a peaceful hue
and the white of home a place for every heart that's true

I want to embrace the game with all my senses
to leave behind all worries and pretenses
in the magic place that's found between the fences.

Thanks, Liz! This and other poems are found in Liz's book and so he calls, available here.

Take us out to the ball game, and remember to comment on the previous post for a chance to win one of Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell's books!

Here We Go! National Poetry Month and A GIVEAWAY

Raise your hand if you are as excited about National Poetry Month as I am.

Great! Glad to see so many of you! I've planned some fun here throughout the month, with several guest poets, so I hope you'll stick with me here.

I'm pleased to kick off National Poetry Month 2017 by telling you a bit about Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell's Poetry Friday Power Books for middle school students and teachers, You Just Wait and Here We Go. 

Why a Power Book? Great question. The intro to You Just Wait says, "Because we believe in the power of poetry to express our deepest feelings and most powerful experiences. Plus we want you to discover the power of poetry in your own thinking and writing...."

Both of these books (and I hope there are more to come) have
*a story line told in different styles of poetry.
*anchor poems for each chapter written by well-known poets for young people
*response poems by Wong
*a pre-writing "Powerplay" in each chapter to get readers and writers ready
*a "Power 2 You" in each chapter that gives writing prompts and space to write.

The concept is beautiful in its simplicity and unique in its approach. Wong has chosen topics and poems that middle school students will relate to. You Just Wait focuses on a student's identity, trying to find one's place in the world within the larger, diverse community. Here We Go shows how students can band together to make their communities a better place. The illustrations by Franzi Paetzold add to the middle school vibe and enhance the text.

I highly recommend these books for middle school teachers to use with their students and for upper elementary-high school to use in or out of class.

GIVEAWAY! One lucky winner will receive a copy of You Just Wait and another lucky winner will receive a copy of Here We Go! What do you need to do? Comment on this blog post, including contact info (email, FB, or twitter), before noon CT on Sunday, 4/9. I will randomly select winners, contact and announce them. Good luck, best wishes, and happy National Poetry Month! Here we go!

More info about these and other Wong/Vardell books at Pomelo Books.
Video interviews with Wong 
Vardell's blog, Poetry for Children