It Time Project Experience Com Sample .Net Part

Living in the Layers: A New Approach to Poetry

March 13, 2011

Benjamin Curran

University Preparatory Academy

Detroit, MI

http://thesmallnouns.blogspot.com

abo897@r.postjobfree.com

Part One: Reading Poems

My Poetry Rules:

1. Poetry has no rules

2. Poems have no accidents

3. Poetry is everywhere

4. There are no wrong answers

The Pleasures of Poetry:

Wisdom

The Self (a poem speaks directly to you)

The Anti Self (a poem speaks things you wish you could say)

Rhyme

Sounds (Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance)

Rhythm

Repetition

Structure Stanza & Line Breaks

Wordplay

Comparisons (Metaphor & Simile)

Personification

Exaggeration

Imagery

Allusion

Poignancy

Wit & Humor

Adapted from A Surge of Language by Wormser & Cappella

Ten Questions to ask about words:

1. What word intrigues you most?

2. Is there a word that confuses you?

3. What word surprises you?

4. What word seems most metaphorical?

5. Is there a word that seems unnecessary?

6. What word is most important?

7. What is the most physical word in the poem?

8. What is the most specific word in the poem?

9. What is the strongest sound word in the poem?

10. What is the most dynamic verb in the poem?

Other sample poem questions:

How many sentences is the poem made up of?

What happens in terms of structure in these sentences?

What do the sentences have to do with one another? (e.g. relationship between the second and third?)

What does this poem remind you of?

What kinds of images are in the poem?

How is punctuation used?

What tense is used?

Is it a narrative poem?

What feeling does the poem leave you with? What causes that feeling?

What makes it a complete poem?

What is personified? Compared?

What effect does the personification have? The comparison?

What sounds are repeated? To what effect?

What does the title have to do with the poem?

Are the line breaks expected or unexpected?

Are there any patterns? Does the pattern break anywhere?

Is there a point where the poem turns?

If the word is removed, what difference does it make?

What are the important adjectives/adverbs/verbs? Why is each important?

Where is the lens focused? Close? Far? Does it move?

Who is the speaker? How would you describe him/her?

Part Two: Poetry Writing

Poetry Writing Activities:

CIRCLE POEMS

A Circle Poem is about a single person place or thing. It is made up of one word lines. The title triggers the first line

of the poem. The first line triggers the second, and so on. At the end of the poem, the last line circles around,

referencing the title in some way. The goal in writing a circle poem is surprise. Try to think of unexpected connections

between your lines. Each word should be separated by an asterisk. This slows the reader down, forcing them to think

carefully about how your lines are connected.

2 WORD POEMS

Focus on the way words go together. Add the element of surprise to your pair of words by thinking of unlikely

connections.

FOUND POEMS

Poems that are created from sentences that you find, sentences that other people write and that the writer turns into

a poem.

LIST POEMS

Using a list of anything poem titles, first lines of poems, song titles, cereal names, etc. arrange them into a poem.

HAIKU & OTHER FORMS

Write poems to fit strict forms such as haiku, sestina, ghuzal, villanelle, etc.

LOSS POEMS

Write a poem about something you ve lost. You could: write a poem about the many things you have lost, a poem

about one thing you ve lost, a poem about losing a loved one, a poem that deals with LOSS in your own way.

BITTERNESS POEMS

A poem that illustrates bitterness, anger, protest or even hate.

CHANGE POEMS

A Change Poem describes something undergoing a change using one word lines. The goal is to creatively explain how

one thing changes into another.

ODES/PRAISE POEMS

Write a poem in praise of something. Odes often use flowery, awestruck and exaggerated language. (See Neruda s

Ode to My Socks )

PERSONA POEMS

Write a poem from the point of view of someone else a person from history, a fictional character, an inanimate

object, etc.

SELF PORTRAIT POEMS

Using Wallace Steven s 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, write a poem that describes yourself in 13 different ways.

VISUAL RESPONSE POETRY

Students write a poem inspired by a given image (photograph, digital image, artwork, real life situation/experience,

etc.). Comment on the item s details. Or perhaps comment on what ISN T there.

LOVE THAT DOG PROJECT

Pattern the poems (The Red Wheelbarrow, The Tyger, etc.) that are included in the story. Visit

http://bookclub21.wikispaces.com and click Love That Dog for more.

WORDLE POETRY

Step One: take words from a poem of your choice. Step Two: Create a wordle at wordle.net. Step Three: Give that

wordle to students and have them use all or some of the words in an original poem. Students can also make their own

wordless to share with the class.

BOOK SPINE POEMS

Similar to a list poem gather three or more books whose titles can fit together in a poetic way. Arrange them in

order in a pile and take a picture of their spines. Voila! (For more see 100ScopeNotes.com)

MULTIMEDIA POETRY

Turn a famous poem into a movie that incorporates text, images, and sounds. Or do the same with an original poem.

Use a program such as iMovie (Mac) or PhotoStory or Movie Maker (PC).

What if questions for revising poems:

What if the poem were longer/shorter?

What if more/less metaphor is used?

What if one moment in the poem is expanded?

What if more detail is used?

What if the poem begins at a different place?

What if the poem changes its point of view?

What if the verb tense changes?

What if more adjectives are used?

What if more strong verbs are used?

What if all abstract/subjective words are deleted?

What if all the senses are used?

What if the soundscape is intensified/lessened?

What if form is used?

What if the architecture (stanzas) changes?

What if more/less punctuation is used?

What if appositives are used?

What if line lengths change?

What if syntax is changed?

What if fragments are used rather than complete sentences?

What if questions are asked in the poem?

What if the ending changes?

Poems to Pattern:

This is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams

Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee

This Place by Eloise Greenfield

Afraid So by Jeanne Marie Beaumont

Between Walls by William Carlos Williams (poetry walk)

Things to Do if You are the Sun by Bobbi Katz

You Can t Have It All by Barbara Ras

Lullaby for a Daughter by Jim Harrison

Finding Poems on the Web:

www.poetryfoundation.org

www.poets.org

www.writersalmanac.org

http://thesmallnouns.blogspot.com

The Best of My Poetry Bookshelf:

Title Author/Editor

The Dream Keeper Hughes, Langston

An Invitation to Poetry Pinsky, Robert

The Anthology: Poems for Poetry Out Loud Stone, Dan and Young, Steven

Poetry Speaks Who I Am Paschen, Elise

Falling Down the Page Heard, Georgia

This Same Sky Nye, Naomi Shihab

Poetry 180 Collins, Billy

180 More Collins, Billy

The Tree That Time Built Hoberman, Mary Ann

Adobe Odes Mora, Pat

Neighborhood Odes Soto, Gary

This Place I Know Heard, Georgia

Hailstones & Halibut Bones O Neill, Mary

The Random House Book of Poetry Prelutsky, Jack

The Flag of Childhood Nye, Naomi Shihab

The Time You Let Me In Nye, Naomi Shihab

A Child s Anthology of Poetry Sword, Elizabeth Hauge

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Dunning, Leuders, and Smith

Honeybee Nye, Naomi Shihab

Heart to Heart Greenberg, Jan

Fly With Poetry Harley, Avis

Honey, I Love Greenfield, Eloise

Poetry for Young Children series Various

Teaching Resources:

Tsujimoto, Joseph. Teaching Poetry Writing to Adolescents

O Connor, John. Word Playgrounds

Wormser, Baron and David Cappella. A Surge of Language

Koch, Kenneth. Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?

Poems Used in the Presentation

The Layers by Stanley Kunitz Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

I have walked through many lives, I ask them to take a poem

some of them my own, and hold it up to the light

and I am not who I was, like a color slide

though some principle of being

abides, from which I struggle or press an ear against its hive.

not to stray.

When I look behind, I say drop a mouse into a poem

as I am compelled to look and watch him probe his way out,

before I can gather strength

to proceed on my journey, or walk into a poem's room

I see the milestones dwindling and feel along the wall for the light switch.

toward the horizon

and the slow fires trailing I want them to waterski

from the abandoned camp sites, across the surface of the poem

over which scavenger angels waving at the author's name on the shore.

wheel on heavy wings.

Oh, I have made myself a tribe But all they want to do is

out of my true affections, tie the poem to a chair with a rope

and my tribe is scattered! and torture a confession out of it.

How shall the heart be reconciled

to its feast of losses? They begin beating it with a hose

In a rising wind to find out what it really means

the manic dust of my friends,

those who fell along the way,

bitterly stings my face. 805 by Emily Dickinson

Yet I turn, I turn,

exulting somewhat, This Bauble was preferred of Bees

with my will intact to go By Butterflies admired

wherever I need to go, At Heavenly Hopeless Distances

and every stone on the road Was justified of Bird

precious to me.

In my darkest night, Did Noon enamel in Herself

when the moon was covered Was Summer to a Score

and I roamed through wreckage, Who only knew of Universe

a nimbus clouded voice It had created Her.

directed me:

"Live in the layers, Happiness by A.A. Milne

not on the litter."

Though I lack the art John had

to decipher it, Great Big

no doubt the next chapter Waterproof

in my book of transformations Boots on;

is already written. John had a

I am not done with my changes. Great Big

Waterproof

Hat;

John had a

Great Big

Waterproof

Mackintosh

And that

(Said John)

Is

That.

Dreams by Langston Hughes How to Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam

Hold fast to dreams Don't be polite.

for if dreams die Bite in.

life is a broken winged bird Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that

that cannot fly. may run down your chin.

It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.

Hold fast to dreams You do not need a knife or fork or spoon

for when dreams go or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

life is a barren field

frozen with snow. For there is no core

or stem

or rind

or pit

or seed

or skin

to throw away.

We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks

Pool players.

Seven at the Golden Shovel. Across The Back Fence by Tracie Vaughan Zimmer

We real cool. We Mr. O'Brien

Left school. We (red brick house

across the back fence)

Lurk late. We tries to train his grass

Strike straight. We not his dog to fetch

or his son Paul to pitch

Sing sin. We but one million blades of bluegrass

Thin gin. We to behave!

Jazz June. We Twice a week

Die soon. he cuts it down

whips back the edges

blows the cuttings and

sweeps the strays.

He even

claps his shoes

like dirty chalkboard erasers

[Popcorn Can Cover] by Lorine Niedecker out in the street

so the whiskers of grass

Popcorn can cover can't follow him home.

screwed to the wall

over a hole I know I shouldn't

so the cold but when the puffs of dandelions

can t mouse in appear in our yard,

I twist their rubbery stalks and

blow the seeds

light as snowflakes

across the back fence.

Rootless by Michelle Brittan Psalm by George Oppen

Like a net my fingers skim Veritas Sequitur

tap water, cleaning mung bean sprouts

the way you showed me. In the small beauty of the forest

The wild deer bedding down

From my palm I find the whole That they are there!

ones, fetal curvatures with scalps

blossoming on tiny yellowed skulls. Their eyes

Effortless, the soft lips

My nail bisects the vertebrae Nuzzle and the alien small teeth

from primordial tail, roots Tear at the grass

cast away in the sink.

The roots of it

Though I never learned Dangle from their mouths

the purpose, it's a habit that reminds me Scattering earth in the strange woods.

of a time you let me in. They who are there.

Their paths

Nibbled thru the fields, the leaves that shade them

Famous by Naomi Shihab Nye Hang in the distances

Of sun

The river is famous to the fish.

The small nouns

The loud voice is famous to the silence, Crying faith

which knew it would inherit the earth In this in which the wild deer

before anybody said so. Startle, and stare out.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds

watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek. This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams

The idea you carry close to your bosom I have eaten

is famous to your bosom. the plums

that were in

The boot is famous to the earth, the icebox

more famous than the dress shoe,

which is famous only to floors. and which

you were probably

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it saving

and not at all famous to the one who is pictured. for breakfast

I want to be famous to shuffling men Forgive me

who smile while crossing streets, they were delicious

sticky children in grocery lines, so sweet

famous as the one who smiled back. and so cold

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,

or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,

but because it never forgot what it could do.

Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee Afraid So by Jeanne Marie Beaumont

Alligator pie, alligator pie,

If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die. Is it starting to rain?

Give away the green grass, give away the sky, Did the check bounce?

But don't give away my alligator pie. Are we out of coffee?

Is this going to hurt?

Alligator stew, alligator stew, Could you lose your job?

If I don't get some, I don't know what Ill do. Did the glass break?

Give away my furry hat, give away my shoe, Was the baggage misrouted?

But don't give away my alligator stew. Will this go on my record?

Are you missing much money?

Alligator soup, alligator soup, Was anyone injured?

If I don't get some, I think I'm gonna droop. Is the traffic heavy?

Give away my hockey stick, give away my hoop, Do I have to remove my clothes?

But don't give away my alligator soup. Will it leave a scar?

Must you go?

Will this be in the papers?

This Place by Eloise Greenfield Is my time up already?

Are we seeing the understudy?

There is this place I know Will it affect my eyesight?

where children go to find Did all the books burn?

their deepest feelings Are you still smoking?

they look behind the trees Is the bone broken?

for hiding wants and angers Will I have to put him to sleep?

bashful joys Was the car totaled?

this place is quiet Am I responsible for these charges?

no shouts may enter Are you contagious?

no rolling laughter Will we have to wait long?

but only silent tears Is the runway icy?

to carry the feelings Was the gun loaded?

forward in waves Could this cause side effects?

that wash the children Do you know who betrayed you?

whole Is the wound infected?

Are we lost?

Lullaby for a Daughter By Jim Harrison Can it get any worse?

Go to sleep. Night is a coal pit

full of black water

night's a dark cloud

full of warm rain. Between Walls by William Carlos Williams

Go to sleep. Night is a flower the back wings

resting from bees of the

night's a green sea

swollen with fish. hospital where

nothing

Go to sleep. Night is a white moon

riding her mare will grow lie

night's a bright sun cinders

burned to black cinder.

in which shine

Go to sleep, the broken

night's come,

cat's day, pieces of a green

owl's day, bottle

star's feast of praise,

moon to reign over

her sweet subject, dark.

Things to Do if You are the Sun by Bobbi Katz

Let planets loop around you.

Be Earth's very own star.

Keep things warm enough for people.

Keep things cool enough for penguins.

Slip away to end the day.

Light the moon at night.

Let people and animals sleep.

And at the crack of dawn,

wake up the world!

You Can t Have It All by Barbara Ras

But you can have the fig tree and its fat leaves like clown hands

gloved with green. You can have the touch of a single eleven year old finger

on your cheek, waking you at one a.m. to say the hamster is back.

You can have the purr of the cat and the soulful look

of the black dog, the look that says, If I could I would bite

every sorrow until it fled, and when it is August,

you can have it August and abundantly so. You can have love,

though often it will be mysterious, like the white foam

that bubbles up at the top of the bean pot over the red kidneys

until you realize foam's twin is blood.

You can have the skin at the center between a man's legs,

so solid, so doll like. You can have the life of the mind,

glowing occasionally in priestly vestments, never admitting pettiness,

never stooping to bribe the sullen guard who'll tell you

all roads narrow at the border.

You can speak a foreign language, sometimes,

and it can mean something. You can visit the marker on the grave

where your father wept openly. You can't bring back the dead,

but you can have the words forgive and forget hold hands

as if they meant to spend a lifetime together. And you can be grateful

for makeup, the way it kisses your face, half spice, half amnesia, grateful

for Mozart, his many notes racing one another towards joy, for towels

sucking up the drops on your clean skin, and for deeper thirsts,

for passion fruit, for saliva. You can have the dream,

the dream of Egypt, the horses of Egypt and you riding in the hot sand.

You can have your grandfather sitting on the side of your bed,

at least for a while, you can have clouds and letters, the leaping

of distances, and Indian food with yellow sauce like sunrise.

You can't count on grace to pick you out of a crowd

but here is your friend to teach you how to high jump,

how to throw yourself over the bar, backwards,

until you learn about love, about sweet surrender,

and here are periwinkles, buses that kneel, farms in the mind

as real as Africa. And when adulthood fails you,

you can still summon the memory of the black swan on the pond

of your childhood, the rye bread with peanut butter and bananas

your grandmother gave you while the rest of the family slept.

There is the voice you can still summon at will, like your mother's,

it will always whisper, you can't have it all,

but there is this.

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