I just received my Writerly Kit, and was delighted to discover this month’s cool item: Paint Chip Poetry. Here is my first poem.
Far, far away
hot lava, fire, ember
jasmine tea leaves
lost balloon
poem- He’s sitting there beside her March 9, 2021
I sit down across from them
meet his melancholy eyes,
give him a sad smile, whisper
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
He nods, glancing longingly at his wife
before I remember,
he’s the one
who’s gone.
.
.
(RIP Rob. Thanks for the dream visit).
poem-springing March 8, 2021
Oh my!
Blue sky!
If only the promises could be true
that this is is just a preview.
Has spring finally arrived?
poem- Poetic Ballet March 7, 2021
Our words
are legacy.
Our hopes, fears, and
dreams pirouette on pages
They jeté into hearts and minds
even after we’ve returned
Á terre.
.
.
(In memory of poet Patrick Lane who left us one year ago today. A lesson I learned from him, “Use specificity in your poems. Don’t just dance, tango!”).
poem-the forecast made promises March 1, 2021
Balmy day
they said.
I shiver in my sweater, wondering
if the air in my classroom is actually warm.
Outside, clouds climb the mountain
I wish I were in front of a fire,
clutching a cup of cocoa,
wrapped in a blanket and your arms.
.
.
.
(Let’s hope spring will come soon. I am weary of winter weather).
poem- This Valentine’s heart February 18, 2021
Plugged.
Beats stop.
He drops.
Brain dies.
One heart broken
So many hearts grieve.
A Valentine’s Day massacre of our joy.
.
.
RIP Rob
poem- they’ve installed the frosted glass February 10, 2021
barriers to the outside
secrets
distance
privacy
safety
at a cost of claustrophobia
these walls close in
while we huddle
masking our smiles
nervous
hidden thoughts.
poem-i don’t want to write a poem January 13, 2021
Another demo pantoum poem written with my Creative Writing students today. This one demonstrates the power of this form, as small shifts can alter or intensify meaning. The kids weren’t in the mood to write at the beginning, but by the second stanza they were laughing and engaged as we looked for rhymes that worked.
I don’t want to write a poem today
I’m too tired to use my brain
The thought fills me with dismay
Poems make me insane
I’m too tired to use my brain
My mind is feeling foggy
Poems make me insane
My eyes are getting soggy
My mind is feeling foggy
Can I just return to bed?
My eyes are getting soggy
My heart is filled with dread
I’ll just return to bed
I’m much too tired to think
My heart is filled with dread
My life is on the brink
I’m much too tired to think
If my feelings are uncaged
My life is on the brink
The words won’t fill the page
When my feelings are uncaged
all the thoughts bring me dismay
Words will over-fill the page
I can’t write a poem today
poem-After the fatal accident January 11, 2021
There is your name
on the attendance list.
Absent: excused
Parents called in.
poem- insurrection day January 6, 2021
Today my class is learning about the PANTOUM poetry form, while in the US, protesters have broken into congress amid riots, so here’s our demo pantoum.
Throw me a line
What’s going on?
I need a sign
Sanity’s gone
What’s going on?
There’s all this shouting
Sanity’s gone
The laws they’re flouting
There’s all this shouting
Is there any hope?
The laws they’re flouting
This filth needs some soap
Is there any hope?
My heart is afraid
This filth needs some soap
A nation’s betrayed
My heart is afraid.
Will the people declare
Their nation’s betrayed?
Does anyone care?
Will the people declare
this is the sign?
Will anyone care
to throw us a line?
Shawn L. Bird 