Directions: Please peruse the following poetry reading opportunities, below. Let me know if, at this time, you may have an interest in participating. Next, please read some of my work below. I share it with you because I am going to ask you to do the same and I feel it is only fair that I do so. Also, I would like to show you my process and some of the possibilities that are out there for poets. In this blog space, please share any thoughts and reflections you have about your relationship with poetry, the prospect of writing and reading poems in class, the possibility of performing in front of a live audience, comments on the upcoming events, and comments on the work I shared with you.
I look forward to your responses,
Mr. P.
11th Annual AHS Poetry Night
Here is the flyer written by founder Harry Durso (on the right): The Robert Frost Foundation, has invited students and teachers from Andover High School to participate in a special 11th Anniversary Poetry Night at Café Azteca in Lawrence on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 7:00 PM. The event will be hosted by former AHS Teacher Harry J. Durso . The AHS Poetry Night is sponsored by LA VENTURE. Video Production is sponsored by Joe Spanos Productions. English Teacher, Eric Pellerin, will coordinate the event for Andover High School.
We are planning on videotaping this event for a later showing on Andover Public Access TV and local cable access stations in Lawrence and Methuen and on You Tube.
This is a Robert Frost Foundation event that is open to the public and is being held at a full service restaurant that is open for business during the poetry reading.
The student’s best behavior is expected.
Café Azteca is located at 180 Common Street in Lawrence and is easy to get to with off street parking nearby. Instructions and a map are also available on their web site. Although the street area outside the restaurant is supervised, you are asked not to leave valuables in your car.
Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please be aware that the content of some of the poetry performed later in the evening may have adult themes.
If you plan on eating at Café Azteca, please arrive around 6:00 PM so as to be finished before the reading begins. You are welcome to make reservations by calling Café Azteca and mentioning that you will be part of the poetry reading.
Café Azteca is open for business and food and beverages are available during the event, but the participants are responsible for their own expenses.
Students are expected to provide their own transportation due to school rules. Students should call their parents when the reading is over as this will be an undetermined time. This is a Robert Frost Foundation public event.
Other poets from the Merrimack Valley will read after the Andover High School portion of the event is over.
Students are expected to provide their own transportation due to school rules. Students should call their parents when the reading is over as this will be an undetermined time. This is a Robert Frost Foundation public event.
Other poets from the Merrimack Valley will read after the Andover High School portion of the event is over.
El Taller of Lawrence
From the website: Fueling the pulse of creativity through literacy, community gatherings, conversation and good food. El Taller offers an Open Mic from 7:30 - 11 pm every third Thursday. I am hoping to take a group on March 19th! Visit their website here.
MassLeap Youth Poetry Competition
Overview from MassLeap website: From 2012 to 2018, The Louder Than A Bomb Massachusetts Youth Poetry Slam Festival succeeded in bringing young people together across geographic, racial, cultural and socio-economic lines. LTAB (a city wide poetry slam model founded in Chicago in 2001) is a friendly competition that emphasizes self-expression and community via poetry, oral story-telling, and hip-hop spoken word. Over the course of 7 years, Mass LEAP served over 1,000 teens and educators through this festival, featuring poetry slam competitions, writing & performance workshops, panels, special partnership opportunities and professional development for coach-educators. The festival went on hiatus in 2019. Mass LEAP hosted several community conversations to help re-name, re-brand and re-envision how a youth poetry festival can better serve the unique needs of our communities. Wicked Loud Festiva will work do further de-emphasize the competition by offering more generative workshops, non-competitive open mics, themed panels and opening pathways for young people to reflect on how their writing can lead to stronger communities. Visit their website, here.
My Work
“the prayer of the smoker”
by eric pellerin
(from Merrimack Literary Review ed. by Ron Howland & Greg Waters, 2004)
dear god
it is i
a subhuman
sneaking outside
civilization to smoke a butt
the december wind
cuts my face
as do the sharp
glances of the passers by
passing judgment
with their pretty pink lungs ripe
with self
righteous indignation
having visited
the oracle who told them
you will live forever
wanna smoke with
me lord
i heard you hang
with the lepers beggars and whores
wanna slum a bit
further down the ladder
take one
lets breathe in
together
place the camels
to our thirsty lips
no filters
no lights
no ultra lights
low tar
no tar
no way
wusses
right god
quiet now
lets bring the
matches to our lips
inhale
hold it now
let tobey and
nicky work their magic on our iron lungs
hold it now
breathe it all in
ill breathe in
the endless piles of paperwork
you breathe in
the 100 years war
hold it now
ill breathe in
the computer
glitches
the long rows of
cubicles
the pimple on my
chin
the copy due by
five
the coffee four
hours cold
the paper cut on
my thumb
the pain in my
back
the clinking of
my car
the kids
screaming in my ear
the wifes
disapproving glare
the eyes staring
back at my reflection before i go to bed wondering where it all went
hold it now
you breathe in
the gift of
freewill
the murders
the rapes
the poverty
the racism
the sexism
the ageism
the thisism
the thatism
the billions who
died in your name
the planet you
created covered with hot top
the blame you
receive for all of the above while others walk away clean
the sad sulks
like me who take your list for granted and rant about my own
hold it now
together
breathe in
oblivion
hold it now
exhale
drop it
stamp it out
hold the door
2004
“white people cant dance”
by eric pellerin
watch em try
though
they cannot
hear
music
they
make rhythm n
white
blues
merely repeating
motown sounds
slave songs
drowned out
through olive presses
until the juice
loses richness
complexity
through years of
sitting in oak barrels
waiting for a chance to see the
light of day
to breathe
it is crushed
no longer
resembling grapes
pinot or sauvignon
it is only water
now
there is no way
to get drunk on manilow
or maroon 5
they say they move like jagger
they do
just
without the
swagger
of james brown
they prefer elvis
impersonating
forgetting
muddy waters
in a bar saloon
billie holiday singing
for a fix
ray charles
before pepsi ads
without a remix
they cannot dance
they cannot move
forward
you have to know
how to look
back
step
to hear
they do not know
how to
listen
they press on
sung by their own
they claim it
as their own
forgetting the
pain
they caused
to create it
apply it
to their petty
problems
then
give themselves a
grammy
give it to beatles
to buddy holly
and his crickets
to little taylors swiftly
who look like
their daughters
they are not ready
no i dont think they
are ready
for this jelly
they cant handle
jazz
unless its norah
jones
blasting from ceiling speakers
at starbucks
sipping coffee with too much cream
drown out the
flavor
with white liquids
whipped
americans
dream
without
brown sugar
cain
un abel
to open their eyes
they sip
they can swallow
nyc
in the key of alicia keys
they choke
on jay z
they just like
the chorus
ignore the verse
which describe
why nyc
is the place to be
not just the
upper east side
near sex and the city
among charlottes
and samanthas
what about detroit
chicago
need to channel gladys
aretha
ella
or go further
back
to ghana
make you sweat
so
get up
move
sing it in rounds
move your feet
whitepeople
into someone else
shoes
let someone else
do the stomping
trace the steps
created from a
world
that only offered pain
by those who cannot
hear
the music
songs about you
songs about
me
2013
“1973: dam”
by eric pellerin
they set
out to create a city on the mill
upon
foundations of imperishable blue stone
laying
granite foundation
upon a
system of canals
leading
to bodwell’s falls
there
stood a great stone dam
to
generate power
unable
to hold back the current
of
immigrants who would populate the
tall
brick mills of abott lawrence’s vision
they
were married in 1970
all blue
eyeshadow and brown polyester
walking
their first born son in a stroller down common street
past
corpus christi parish where they religiously attend service
past
tripoli’s bakery where they eat pizza
with
sweet sauce and sparse mozzarella
to where
the neon lights are bright
on route
28 broadway
they
will stop to see the damn falls
praying
it will help this colicky child stop crying
the
sound of water crashing
unfailing
waves falling into foam
juxtaposing
a scarlet sun setting behind the crumbling bricks of
his
story
her
italian grandparents sorted laundry here
stripped
to their waists handling steaming hot sheets
she took
his name which means pilgrim in france
then off
to canada to louisiana settling in lawrence
where
the name signifies nothing
ultimately
all their descendants will make missiles for raytheon
to point
at the only people less fortunate than themselves
i could
not sleep
from my
stroller
i look
at the falls
noticing
how the water transforms
sounding
like my mother’s womb
knowing
my place is swimming in a sea
where i
am at peace
they
tried to return home by turning me around
where
all i can see is smoke and brick
rows of
three story houses
with
three generations of families in each cell block
i cried
i made
them turn me around
to look
at the falls once more
at that
time my voice determined where i go
silently
seeing falls fall crash and settle
eventually
they will need to take me home
bring me
back to a reality
where i
will carry on traditions
i will
never fit in anywhere
i will
always feel poor
i will
never be manly enough
i will
always be too sensitive
too much
not
enough
i will
spend the rest of my life holding back
feelings
i never know how to express
who i am
until
someone opens a gate
unleashing
a barrage of rage
crashing
down with nowhere to fall
nowhere
to settle
nowhere
to call home
2019
“1977: A New Hope”
by Eric Pellerin
A
long time ago, in a country far, far, away,
under
the sign of Libra, Apollo gifts a baby boy
to a
family in Eastern Mass, who are movin’ on up to a place
called
Groveland, with a white picket fence, a private yard, fulfilling their destiny,
of escaping
drugs, alleyways, low performing schools, and other assorted dead ends, free
to
dream beyond their parents’ prospects; this boy on a swing-set soars, feet
pumping toward a sky full of hope.
He
doesn’t know it yet, but his only hope
to
escape his INFJ mind is born in a country far, far, away
gifted
to a family in Romania who wait in line for bread, no free-
dom
to learn, think, dream, own property, or practice religion. The only girl
of
this family will watch her father escape to Greece, work in a refugee camp,
hoping to fulfill his destiny,
immigrating
to America, praying his wife and daughter will find him in Eastern Mass, where
freedom is commonplace.
The
boy deals with the silence of this place
by arranging
his action figures from Star Wars: A New
Hope
on
the coffee table, while mom watches black and white movies. His destiny,
at
this time, is to become a Jedi Knight, unlike his father, a teacher who is
often away,
working
several labor jobs. There is a daughter, now. She shares the princess’s name,
and plays with the boy
who often
remains alone. It’s winter. Snowing. He longs to run through sprinklers, as summer
always helps him feel free.
Raised
by her grandmother, she was free
to
be herself, to play with dolls, animals, and knew this place
would
be her home forever. But it is gone. She
is gone. They told the girl
America
would be like Dallas, with horses roaming on pastures made of grain, only to
find her hopes
buried
under concreate sidewalks, discarded trash, dilapidated buildings. She thought they came to get away
from
this? Where is this land of
opportunity? Where are the starry nights
shining above the green pasture of destiny?
His
mother never thought this would be her destiny
moving
an hour away from her mother, one would think she felt free
to
live the life of her choosing. She does not.
Her mother never visits her. Castaway
from
her family to this new town, it may as well be on the other side of the world,
some place
like
France, Spain, Romania. Her husband works
three jobs and she keeps house. She is lonely, yet remains hope-
ful,
watching her stories and old films where people like her have big dreams,
beyond being a mother to a girl and a boy.
Her
mother never wanted to have this girl
her
husband wanted children, and her mother helped her fulfil her destiny
by
watching this child while she worked.
She had so many friends. They
were full of hope,
dancing,
smoking, sharing a laugh, quietly gossiping of the goings on in Romania – so young.
Well, free-
dom
feels like a different word in this lonely, new country of opportunity, only to
be scorned or with no place
to
escape. She is no longer herself, just a wife, mother, servant, with no life. What
purpose does she serve, anyway?
For
now, anyway, he is just a boy and she is just a girl.
In
this place, in time, they will begin to find themselves. Their ultimate destiny,
is
to freely choose one another, to fill in the missing pieces. Yes, their chance
meeting will be their only hope.
2019
In regards to my relation with poetry I feel like it has been a very important part of me communicating for the people I love and admire. Almost every present I gifted my mom I made sure t write a poem of sorts because I know shes really into that mushy gushy emotions and stuff. And to be honest that kind of stuff kinda suits me, its one thing to just speak and say you love someone and its a different thing to say their warmth and pure sight reminds you of sunshine on a beach. Certain things expressed in poetry cannot be expressed through mere conventional speaking. I feel as though poetry is the closest one can get when expressing their emotions. I am quite open in sharing my poems and would love to share it any of these events if people from class go too, i dont want be like the only kid who goes lol. I really liked the smoking poem. Like the way you intwined the mundaness of cubicles and life and all that stuff to god and all the stuff he is related to in todays society was really cool. I liked how you essentially had someone smoke a cigarette with god. I feel like that poem could be so relatable to so many people, id ont know why that stood out to me so much but yeah.
ReplyDeleteI have always been oriented in ways that do not have to do much with the artistry of words. As an artist and musician, I find that I am able to express my feelings more easily through visual and auditory stimulation. For example, my favorite band is Radiohead, and the majority of the time, I do not have the slightest clue of the lyrics. They are very creative and mature as musicians from my musical perspective, but when it comes down to it, I do not resonate as much with the lyrics. When it comes to looking at art, I have always been more interested in works that look cool to me, or maybe evoke feelings that I cannot describe in words. When I lived in Dallas, there was a Cindy Sherman exhibition at the DMA, and in one room, there were some of the most disturbing images I have ever seen, and to this day I love seeing things that give me the same emotional exhilaration. Now, I love stories too, whether they are told through words or a screen. I would say that I like movies more than books due to the fact that there is the visual and musical stimulation that I have been conditioned to understand and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWith this, I have just been more exposed to sound and visuals more than comprehensive emotional stimulation, but I do in fact find words stimulate my emotions, just in different ways. What I find is that when reading a book, I imagine it in my head as it pertains to me, making the experience of reading more personal and sometimes more exhilarating if the author leaves enough to the imagination. I do believe that our imaginations have the greatest potential in evoking vivid, satisfying feelings. As much as I love movies and music and art, I have never felt as alive as I have in some of the dreams I’ve had. Along with this, there is so much that can be said verbally that satisfies the same unconscious being within me. I have heard many words and phrases that disturb me in ways I cannot consciously understand, but they give me that vivid, lively feeling that I strive to feel.
When it comes to poetry, a lot of it comments on societal or personal feelings and observations. I often like the deeper meanings that come from further analysis, but my own feelings are rarely stimulated in the same way, not to confuse with my feelings or thoughts toward others or certain societal issues. But, I do find these feelings ever so often. With spoken word poetry, I am able to physically hear the emotions of the reader through their voice. This is also present in singing, so while I don;t always listen to the lyrics, I do listen very much to the musicality of the voice. But, I do enjoy poetry and other forms of literary art when these feelings are evoked. I don’t think such specific poems are displayed in school very often, but certain concepts and or phrases of figurative language can very much make me feel certain ways that I desire. Typically they are very shockingly descriptive, uncanny, or “mind twistingly” imaginable. I think that I will like this unit because this class is in many ways very open ended in terms of creative writing, and hopefully I will be able to further delve into these feelings that I find so enjoyable.
I am very excited about this poetry unit. I consider myself a writer, in fact I am going to major in english with a concentration in creative writing. Although I just relatively recently got into poetry, I have enjoyed it. I have gotten one piece of poetry published, the piece is titled "A Windowless Office". According to Ron Howland's son Justin Howland (an English teacher I assume you know at the school) told me it gave him William Carlos William vibes, which is both a compliment and critique. Anyways, I am currently working on a number of poems. I would happily start a new one from scratch to build during the next few classes, but I have never done spoken word poetry. I've never preformed it. I am shy when it comes to that type of thing, believe it or not. Anyways, I would love to hear you preform your spoken word poem! It seems like it is a lot of fun and at the same time powerful. All of the poems you shared with us (and I assume the rest of your poems are too) are very raw, venerable. I think that speaks to you as a person and as a writer. I love all of them. I'm excited to see my writing develop even more during this unit, although I hope to not get too personal in my poems as sometimes I get wrapped up in a single topic when I am writing. Hopefully you can steer me away from that and I can widen my creative scope.
ReplyDeleteTo me, I don’t see poetry in a very positive light. First off there is that bad stereotype about how poets are sad and always are alone and also that it’s just a way to vocalize your sad thoughts. In middle school, I dealt with a death in my family and began struggling with severe mental health. At this time as well I had to do a poetry project for English class about a book we read based on The Dust Bowl time period. I didn’t hold back and I kept with my raw emotion. My teacher really enjoyed my work and so did my family and other people around me. From there on I was told to use poetry as a coping mechanism. It made me mad that that now I was seen as the broken girl who wrote poems about her feelings. I didn’t want to be labeled as more of the depressed girl I already was. I didn’t want teachers, my mom or relatives to give me that face of pity. I didn’t want to be pictured with a permanent raincloud over my head. Most of the poetry I wrote was because I had to, and in that sense, it was submitted to contests and I was published twice in Apple Sauce. It didn’t feel like an accomplishment, because of course, the poems were about real stuff, stuff people don’t like talking about, that I don’t like talking about. And yet I was being rewarded and applauded for being “so brave”. I hated it. And now, here is where I stand with poetry, is only the deep sad stuff popular? And in that sense am I supposed to write all the deep dark stuff and then be met by people who don’t understand and have never had to deal with it say they’re sorry as if their easy life was the reason for my chaos. Stop confusing pity with your attempt at empathy. But I hope this unit can help me find a new perspective on poetry and make me actually enjoy writing it.
ReplyDeletePoetry to me is the fine art of writing, that when done by the masters is beautiful and meaningful, but when done by the infants of writing is sappy and pathetic in its attempts. Like fine art it intimidates the average person, chases them away with it's haughty importance and wine-sipping, smoke-blowing, suit-wearing 'professionals' that mastered in arts and keep to themselves in a close knit group. Personally, I feel to low to indulge in their likes, not good enough to create something of meaning and beauty, a self-proclaimed writer chirping how she understands the meaning, has felt the impact when, in fact, she has not. I feel this way about all writing in fact, though poetry remains the Vincent Van-Gogh's of writing. I can never write a novel, essay, or poem of any quality to attract and be meaningful to another. And as I tell myself such I can't help but make such true: I lose the ability to create flowing language across artificial white screens; lose the ability to understand what goes where, what quote that sentence needs; fear to read over the work I created as I know it will only produce feelings of disgust; panic in the face of my future, throwing myself to a career of writing and imagination.
ReplyDeleteI don't try to produce sympathy, perhaps unknowingly trying to produce a bit of pity, though I'd hate any who dared to give me it. Instead I've come to a realization through my ranting, in my rush to get back to reading my book, that I no longer much care about anyone's opinions. Because as I stare at the poem that makes up my screen saver and fall deeply in love with the words I had produced one late night, as I recollect everyone's unimpressed reactions at what I'd produced, I have realized that to write in general -from the core of your mind and the ache's in your chest- is not for the pursuit of the approval of others, but ultimately to fill yourself with pleasure and life that only writing can ultimately give.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I can remember genuinely writing poetry (not just an acrostic poem with my name for health class) was in seventh grade. I wrote a series of poems about the progression of my shyness through the years. I was very proud of my work yet I didn’t continue my poetry writing. Years later, I attempted to write after being inspired by the moving works I had read. Like I often do with my writing, I spent hours trying to pick the perfect words to craft what in my mind had to be mind-blowing and unique. Giving myself very little time and wiggle room for improvement, this pressure makes the task impossible. This puts me in a frustrating cycle discouraging me from the art form. I struggle with the same pressure to pick the perfect words avoiding any rough drafts when I write generally. But with poetry, I have higher expectations trying to use fewer words to say more. I truly enjoy reading poetry and I have always wanted to be able to be proud of my work. I know it just takes practice and some relaxation to achieve this. Even more daunting than writing poetry is reading it aloud. I already struggle giving straight-forward presentations in class let alone reading a work so personal and vulnerable in front of people. I’m not going to lie, that sounds like my nightmare. I am excited to work more with poetry so I can improve and learn to appreciate the art form even more deeply. Though reading it aloud brings me not excitement, only dread. But I know pushing myself outside my comfort zone helps me grow and hopefully will push me to produce a work like I never thought I could.
I really like writing poetry, it is words unabased, no rules or barriers. It can be a direct reflection of what is in my mind. For my poem, I want to write about the recent change in the process of applying for asylum but from the perspective of an immigration officer. I think this will be a challenge because I want it to be powerful and I don't want the fact that it is poetry to make it seem less serious. Doing this is poetry also has its advantages though because it allows for more emotional connections which is what this issue of immigration is really about: empathy. I liked your poems and I have some questions for you about them: why write about the things you chose to write about? Why no punctuation? Who have you shared these with besides us? Also I’m sorry that you feel you will never fit in anywhere. I hope you are happy anyways.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a book of poetry in english class in 8th grade and they were all funny poems, like I wrote an ode to animal puns entirely in animal puns. My mom thought this was revealing of some amazing talent and she gave a copy of this book to all our relatives for christmas that year which was a confidence boost for me I think. I am a little hesitant to write poetry because I haven't done it in a few years. Still, I’m excited to try. I’d be happy to go to the Open Mic Night at El Taller to watch the acts and get some food!
Poetry has always been a part of English class but I have never really pursued it outside of class hours. I can’t find it to be the writing form for me because I don’t really understand it but hopefully with this unit I will be able to appreciate the beauty of poems. While some poems are really nice to listen to and the imagery is very pretty, the task of having to make my own is very difficult for me. I can never really find the right layout or words of a poem. I much prefer just reading other people’s poems. Especially finding a topic of a poem is very difficult and I never know what to write about. I like poems which make focus on the simple things like that plum poem because I like poems that appreciate the little things.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t had a ton of experience with poetry during high school or elementary school. Really, what I think about when poetry comes to mind is a haiku - which I know I need to extend my literary branches just a little more. I think I’ve always been scared to write poetry because I’m scared I will get it wrong, but I don’t think there is a “wrong” to poetry. I’ve read many different poems before and especially the ones I heard from Louder Than A Bomb changed my mind as to what a poem “should” be like. I’ve realized that it can be anything about anything - whether it’s about something controversial or a very serious topic or something as simple as an object in your everyday life. I think poetry is a great way for one to express themselves and get their thoughts out - I find that poetry can also be used in music, which we have also seen by some of the poets from “Louder Than A Bomb” have become involved in music as they grew up. Although I find poetry kind of confusing and still worry I’m doing it wrong, I am excited to see how my poem comes out and what can come from it for me.
ReplyDeleteI have always struggled with poetry units in school. Everytime I learned about poetry in elementary and middle school, I found little enjoyment in it. I have never really enjoyed writing poetry because I think that it can put you in such a vulnerable state. I also have issues with the structure of poetry because it doesn’t really feel natural to me. However, I have enjoyed the poems that we have read in class this year. The “Poems of the Day” that we have read have opened my eyes to different types of poetry. Additionally, in my creative writing class this year, we learned about prose poems which are less structured than traditional poems. I hope that with this unit I am able to be more open to the idea of poetry. I would like to enjoy this unit and not dread over like I have in the past. Seeing Louder Than a Bomb has showed me how important poetry is to some people and even if this unit doesn’t lead me to something like that I would like to go into it with an open mind.
ReplyDeleteMr. Pellerin your poems are amazing. The two (1977) and (1973) about you and your wife really get me in my feelings. It's makes me very happy that you found someone you can write poetry about, because truly that's the dream. As for my relationship with poetry, it's pretty average. I don't really like writing them, but when you hear one that strikes you to your core I get goosebumps. I remember last year in British Literature when we were watching the Bronte biography film and we heard the actress playing Emily Bronte read the poem The Prisoner (with some of High Waving Heather mixed in) like Charlotte I was stunned and couldn't believe what I'd just heard. Moments like that which you remember for weeks and weeks and even a year later, those are the poems that affect average poetry people like me. The poems in Louder Than a Bomb were also like this, which is what made it such an incredible documentary. With some poems, you get that one shivery feeling every once in a while. But in Louder Than a Bomb, almost every poem hit you. I still remember nearly every poem, and every poet. The power and effect they had is incredible, and I hope I can get even a fraction of that passion into poetry, because to be able to write a poem is already incredible enough.
ReplyDeleteI have always used poetry and writing to vent. Its very hard for me to put my thoughts and feelings into spoken words, so poetry is a way for me to organize that and help me solidify how I feel. I wouldn't say I'm great at poetry, I can get a few good ones out of my 3 am writing sessions, but its very rare when I write one that I truly enjoy. I like to use poetry to vent because its made to be over exaggerated and very intense, and more often than not, thats how my emotions are. Im very excited to be able to share my writing in an environment where I feel safe and supported. Im also very excited to see other peoples writing styles and topics that they chose to write about. Im hoping that listening to others will further inspire me to write more.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved reading poetry, but discovering more modern poetry has opened my eyes to it more. I often write down my thoughts when I want to vent, and I’ve more recently found that poetry can be an interesting way to do that too and I’m interested in writing poetry in my free time. I feel that the best poetry topics will come naturally, and I worry that writing for class may not be the type that I want to write. It is a good opportunity to experiment with different types of poetry though, rather than strictly writing about things from deep in my mind.
ReplyDeleteAlso I loved reading your poems! The descriptions in the first two caught my attention. In “the prayer of the smoker,” there were so many vivid pictures running through my mind as I read it. For the second poem I really enjoyed all of the references you made, especially the line “no i dont think they are ready for this jelly,” which made me laugh. I also love the irony of the fact that you, and AP english teacher, include no grammar but line breaks. It adds character to the poems.
Personally, I have never enjoyed writing poetry. I find it to be impossible to start, and most of the time simply end up feeling lost. However, this does not mean that I don't enjoy poetry. I actually very much like reading/listening to poetry, as long as I'm not being asked to analyze it on a test. I dislike trying to break down poetry for meaning as it seems more subjective, and it is tough trying to find the “right” answer. I would be open to writing poems in class, but am not particularly thrilled about the prospect. I am decidedly less thrilled about having to read them out loud, but would probably be fine with this, depending on how personal the poem I end up writing is. The one thing I feel that I would not be able to do is perform a poem, especially in front of a live audience, such as in a slam poetry style. The events listed seemed interesting, and I would definitely be willing to go and listen, but not to perform. About the work you shared with us, I want to say first off that I am grateful for how open you are with us, in class, as well as through these poems. It is not something that many teachers can say they do, but it makes it a lot easier for me to open up as well. My favorite one out of the four you shared was “the prayer of the smoker” - I thought it was very well composed, and conveyed the message of what smoking means to you very well.
ReplyDeleteI feel that poetry is an important form of literature, but it is not treated as such. Going back to the Billy Collins poem about poetry from the beginning of the year, I feel that in school, we do not embrace poetry. All we are focused on is trying to understand the meaning. If we applied the same logic to actual books, we would miss so many other facets about the book. That is why this unit is interesting to me. I have not written poetry since eighth grade for a project. I feel that with the knowledge I have accumulated in the last four years, I could write much deeper poems than I was writing in middle school.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure about how I would feel performing in front of a live audience. I know for a fact, that I would not be able to bring the same energy and tone that the poets in “Louder than a Bomb” did. But, maybe if I others I knew were around me, I could probably perform in front of a live audience.
To me, poetry is something that has always intrigued me, but I have never really dove into it. I've written poetry in school whenever it has been assigned. Every time I've enjoyed it but I guess I've always been to lazy to pursue it in my free time... After watching the louder than a bomb movie I am inspired to write more recreationally. Poetry can be fun AND therapeutic. It is a perfect way to express your inner self while also remaining in touch with your creative side. I really admire how the poets were able to turn tragedies in their lives into works of art. I am feeling inspired
ReplyDeleteI have been writing poetry for as long as I have known how to. I don’t mean good poetry, I mean the type of poetry you scribble on a piece of notebook paper and flush down the toilet days later because you are just so embarrassed by the idea of anyone ever reading it. The type of poetry you write because you feel like it, and days later returns to, only to find that it was complete trash. But recently, I have become more accepting of these types of poetry, the kind that I will type into my phone on “notes” and disguise as something else so that no one will ever find it, “groceries,” “cake recipe,” the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteI have become more okay with the fact that I am not perfect, and never will be. I have found that rather than flushing poetry down the toilet, or simply deleting it from existence, I should rather cherish its existence. Sometimes I wonder how it would feel to have the teared up pieces of notebook paper in which I vomited all my middle school feelings into. I have taken many measures to erase the person I used to be, but writing always makes me feel like that little kid again, pondering for hours about rhymes that would make the words on paper sound like music when recited inside my head. And I think I am finally ok with admitting that.
I’m not sure why I’ve struggled so much to write this blog post. It seems quite simple: what are your experiences with poetry, and how are you feeling about writing your own poem? I initially was inclined to be entirely negative. In fact I started writing this a few days ago: I’ll be frank: I’ve never liked poetry. Since elementary school when we had to memorize the different types and styles of writing poetry, I did not understand the point of writing it in the first place. But now, having written a poem, I must admit to being glad to have done so. Poetry is a form of art that offers an open forum for free expression, and I had fun playing with that. I was struck with inspiration for my poem while texting a friend about a daily occurrence at Bright Horizons daycare, where I work in the toddler room. The center is located in close proximity to a railroad, and everytime the train goes by, everyone stops what they are doing and runs to the door to try and see the train… even though the train is not visible from inside the classroom. I was telling my friend how I thought this was absolutely adorable and wished I could be so easily excited nowadays, when I thought of the poetry assignment. I am happily of a more positive opinion now with regard to poetry. I still do not enjoy reading and analyzing others’ work, but I certainly did enjoy writing my own.
ReplyDeleteI have read and analyzed poems the last two years in your English class but I don't quite remember writing them. I don't write much poetry, even though I really like to. Poetry is kind of hard for me to write, but I really love reading other peoples, like a lot of my friends are into writing poetry and I'm really glad they let me read their writings. It's hard for some of them to speak about their emotions or specific events that happen to them and them writing about it and me reading it gives me a chance to understand at least a little bit of how they are feeling. You can use poetry as a way to vent and I like that. I also love the poems you have written. My top two favorite are 1973 and white people can't dance.
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