Students – This week I have been very lucky to visit three schools in Williamsville, NY. Next week, I will be lucky to visit three more. And as I have been chatting with students about poetry, I am remembering again and again how vast and endless is the brain.
Inside of you – inside each and every one of us – live worlds and ideas and hopes and dreams and questions. When you sit to write and draw, it may take a moment to call one up. But trust yourself. Wait. You will think of something. Often, I look at a blank page for some time. But always, an idea appears…like a boat. It is not always a great idea, but it’s mine.
And remember this too: the more interesting things you do, the more you will have to write about. I am not referring to fancy things, but rather a variety of things. Today I may sit outside for a few moments and watch ants walk around. Or maybe I will draw the pictures up in the sky, wondering if anyone else sees the same penguin I see. What I do affects what I write. And so it is for you.
So do stuff. And when you do, you’ll have more boats and ants and clouds to write about later.
See that repetition? It’s neat to circle words around and around in a poem. Such repeated words layer like cozy sweaters.
Big hug.
Teacher Friends – Some of you may know Pat Schneider’s poem, How the Stars Came Down. This poem includes this line, one I may well have shared before: “I had a new home in my remembering.” I am over and over fascinated by this idea that what we put in our minds returns to us. I remember it as a mom and as a teacher, asking myself, “What experiences of value am I offering that will feed this child again and again? What am I offering to myself that I can return to one day hence?”
I am hosting Poetry Friday today. This is a weekly gathering of all kinds of poetry goodness, shared all around the Kidlitosphere. All are welcome, and all are invited. To visit this week’s links, or to leave your own link, please just click the button below.
Please share a comment below if you wish.
The HotDaga 
I really enjoyed this post and how you turned the post into a challenge. I totally agree with you and I haven’t thought about the thoughts and ideas that go on inside my head. I think it is important for individuals to be in tune with their thoughts and their feelings. I think we have to practice just like what you are saying, the more we do stuff the more we will have more thoughts and ideas. I think that writing and drawing and doing a variety of different things is how we accumulate such thoughts and ideas. Great post! What are some other different things that you do to make your brain come up with interesting fun thoughts and ideas? I love to journal, this is what I do.
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I love poetry because of how endless it makes the brain look. You can go on and on with poetry. When I am down or feeling depressed, I write my feelings out in poetry. This kind of helps me get over the bump in the road. Excellent post!
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