Virtual Poetry Class

As you may well remember, we have been working with the Islesford School once a week on poetry writing and I just have to say, we have some fabulous poets in our midst.

Each week we start our class reading a poem together. We discuss what confuses us or bothers us about the poem and also what speaks to us. We also end up making connections between the poem and our own lives which often leads to inspiration in our writing.

As you can see, working with Islesford almost quadruples our writing class population plus we get another teacher! (not to mention we really like them a lot!)

I couple of weeks back we read the poem "Where I am From" by George Ella Lyon and it really inspired the kids to write poems about the places they are from. There are just too great not to share.

I am from the dinner time candles

From the tick tock of the clock and wish wash of the washing machine

I am from the wooden railing with a rotten seam

(the seaside view and salty seaside smell)

I am the crab apple tree that never fell

The wild lupines that never cease to grow

I’m from whipped cream ‘n’ cookie cake and the big wide shoe

From Daw Daw and Papa

I’m from the loud ones with secrets

The quiet ones who know them

I’m from “never give up” and “try your best”

And the rock ‘n’ roll of the past

I’m from holiday gatherings

I’m from snow blistered Alaska and sea smoked Monhegan

Rich spices and meals from scratch

From personal tragedies

And impossible miracles

What hasn’t been captured through a lens

Floats through our memories

- Dalton B.

I am and will always be

I am from the sharpie and from the paper and the walls covered in posters

I am from the mess of my room and from the smell of the markers I use

I am from the soil of the chestnut tree whose long living arms still greet me to this day

I am from the "Settlers of Catan" and left out of the curly hair of my ancestors

I am from the jazz hands when I was excited and from the "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" I am from the guns and explosions of my video games

I am from the powder of the snow and the crashes of the ski hill

I am from the beats of music and the rhythm of the tune

I am from the aliens and their enemies

I am from the the books of plot and excitement

I am from Alaska, home to the eskimo, the Mighty Quinn