tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post4470171583969816938..comments2023-12-13T03:19:15.138-08:00Comments on The Drift Record : Poetry Friday: From Bombs to Books - This Day in HistoryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-44158415888969710142009-04-25T21:49:00.000-07:002009-04-25T21:49:00.000-07:00work in such isolation, and it's heartening to hea...work in such isolation, and it's heartening to hear how our work goes out into the world. Oh, the idea of a kid being inspired to write a poem because of something of mine that he's read - is there ANYTHING lovelier in the world than that? Well, maybe my two-year-old grandson picking a dandelion bouquet for me. Still, it's very very nice. Thanks. <br /><br />And by the way, just about everyone in my family is a teacher - my mom taught fifth grade for years and years. I don't think there's anything that takes more heart and soul. Several of you are teachers - library media specialists, elementary school teachers, working, retired - I raise a glass to you! I think you're heroes.Julie https://www.blogger.com/profile/12811523890920763782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-22920312620233843282009-04-25T13:34:00.000-07:002009-04-25T13:34:00.000-07:00Julie,
I had never read that poem by Komunyakaa b...Julie,<br /><br />I had never read that poem by Komunyakaa before. Thanks for leaving it in the comments.<br /><br />I was introduced to his poetry when I paticipated in the Favorite Poem Project's first summer poetry institute for teachers in 2001. One of the videos they showed us that touched me most was of a Vietnam veteran reading Komunyakaa's poem "Facing It" at the Vietnam War Memorial. It really brought back memories of the 1960s and 1970s. I lost a very dear friend in that terrible war.Elaine Magliarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09829330276633865868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-66985843957554839102009-04-25T05:37:00.000-07:002009-04-25T05:37:00.000-07:00Julie,
You have inspired me. Today I will write a...Julie,<br />You have inspired me. Today I will write about peace.<br /><br />Just so you know, yesterday you inspired one of my fourth graders. All year long, we've been stopping everything for the last hour on Friday to read poetry. IMAGINARY MENAGERIE has been in my collection all year long, but just yesterday it got the attention it deserved. Two of my best readers performed "Gargoyle" without telling us the title to see if we could guess what the poem described. (we could!) Then they read the one about the sphinx. Snigdha turned to me and said, "I think I'm getting an idea to write my OWN poems about mythological creatures!" Your book went from invisible to mentor text in the course of about 10 minutes! Thank you for joining me in the classroom yesterday and in the days to come!Mary Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078793537148794310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-48473641456389193072009-04-24T13:12:00.000-07:002009-04-24T13:12:00.000-07:00Great reminder about the project. I sent mine in ...Great reminder about the project. I sent mine in on March and hope many are sending poems in!Kelly Polarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10968381456100611120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-35284445146830317742009-04-24T11:56:00.000-07:002009-04-24T11:56:00.000-07:00Elaine - yes, I read HIROSHIMA in college, too - a...Elaine - yes, I read HIROSHIMA in college, too - and found it heartbreaking. Hersey really brought it down to real people and their stories...gosh, I think I'll re-read it.<br /><br />And I'll look for the Merriam poem, it's unfamiliar to me. Thanks. I love Szymborska but don't know that particular poem so will look for it. Do you know Yusef Kumanyakaa's work? This poem in particular: <br /><br />We Never Know<br /><br />He danced with tall grass<br />for a moment, like he was swaying<br />with a woman. Our gun barrels<br />glowed white-hot.<br />When I got to him, <br />a blue halo<br />of flies had already claimed him. <br />I pulled the crumbled photograph<br />from his fingers.<br />There’s no other way<br />to say this: I fell in love. <br />The morning cleared again, <br />except for a distant mortar<br />& somewhere choppers taking off. <br />I slid the wallet into his pocket<br />& turned him over, so he wouldn’t be<br />kissing the ground. <br /><br /> —Yusef KomunyakaaJulie https://www.blogger.com/profile/12811523890920763782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-52598899420591091802009-04-24T09:45:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:45:00.000-07:00Julie,
Did you ever read John Hersey's HIROSHIMA?...Julie,<br /><br />Did you ever read John Hersey's HIROSHIMA? It was fascinating and chilling at the same time. I wrote a research paper on the subject when I was in college.<br /><br />One of my favorite anti-war poems was written by Eve Merriam called "Fantasia." It's just one sentence--but says so much. Another is Wislawa Szymborska's "The End and the Beginning." Szymborska is a poet whose poems I can read over and over again--and they never lose their punch.Elaine Magliarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09829330276633865868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552083088916942937.post-3360213600193205552009-04-24T02:11:00.000-07:002009-04-24T02:11:00.000-07:00I am so glad you posted about this! I sent in my p...I am so glad you posted about this! I sent in my poem already. It is a wonderful project and I can't wait to see the final book!Andromeda Jazmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12355192738014962965noreply@blogger.com