Inspiration
What words stand out to you in the texts that you are currently reading? What words seem to be encouraging you to collect them and mold them into something beautiful?
Process Pointers
Collect pieces from personal reading, such as individual words, short sentences, descriptive language, and so on that resonates with you as a reader. A good 7-10 will work beautifully for the creation of the poem. Texts that might provide beautiful language if you need some nudging: “Gate A-4” and “Red Brocade” by Naomi Shihab Nye, a favorite song, your current book, passages from The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, anything by Nikki Grimes, etc.
Play with the words, phrases, and sentences you extracted, shaping them into a poem. Feel free to add your own words and/or remove words from the original pieces you extracted.
Travis’s Poem
Grief was different.
an ocean of dark
I could not read.
I had resisted,
but soon said yes,
and felt the rush
of numbing waves.
Grief has no distance
until the morning,
when streams of light
streak the sky.
Sentences, words, and phrases from The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.
Travis Crowder, M.Ed., is a middle school English/Language Arts teacher at
East Alexander Middle School in Hiddenite, NC. He has taught for ten years and has experience in both middle and high school levels. He currently teaches 7th grade ELA and social studies, and works with the gifted and talented students in his school. He and Todd Nesloney co-authored Sparks in the Dark: Lessons, Ideas, and Strategies to Illuminate the Reading and Writing Lives in All of Us.
Finally! Borrowed lines from Learning by Teaching by Donald Murray, p140:
The truth is–
I am a Revolutionary:
doubting, questioning, challenging,
and above all,
encouraging readers
And writers
to be individuals;
welcoming diversity of contradictory voices
Your truth lives in your experience
I glory in contradiction and confusion,
The human cacophony.
The truth is —
There’s no one way to think
or write
No single standard
Writers must write of their own concerns —
Their own way.
Readers must read to read of their world,
our world —
Their own way.
Democracy is forged out of a responsible Babel
Choice breeds desire
Desire breeds engagement
Engagement breeds challenge
Challenge breeds possibility
Possibility births hope
The truth is —
I revel in hope
I am a Revolutionary,
advocating for constuctive chaos,
the creator of effective communication
You chose a wonderful mentor text and filled your poem w/ inspiration from one of our eminent Writing Teachers. Love the repetition in “the truth is” and all the truths that follow this repeated line.
Any – This is just dandy. For years and years I have found Donald Murray’s words to be inspiring, and you’ve put these words forward in a terrific homage to writing. The rebel spirit rings so clear with the “welcoming diversity of contradictory voices” and “challenge breeds possibility.” Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorites. Susie
Oh, Donald Murray! How wonderful to see his words woven with yours. I love the use of repetition with em dash: “The truth is—” and “constructive chaos” is a phrase I think should be on those Danielson evaluation framework teacher evaluation things. “Challenge breeds possibility/Possibility births hope” is really how I feel about these poems every day. I begin thinking it is not possible and have to shift my mindset. Your poem will fuel me for the week ahead for poems and for the Revolutionary’s classroom.
What do 7th graders living in a suburb of Chicago do on a Saturday night in April? Well, 32 of them have written poems inspired by Travis Crowder. I have a parallel student celebration of verse going, and their poems are powerful. Thank you, Travis.
After three days of reading, wordsmithing, and revising other people’s writing, I am wading in the cool pool of National Wildlife and the remarkable life of armadillos.
Words and phrases that seemed sort of dandy:
Tactical possums
Armadillos dig
March of armadillos
‘dillos
burrows at night
leathery armor
carapace
leap several feet
genetically identical quadruplets
more vulnerable to predators
My poem:
Endangering a Species
It was a bad day
that day,
my last trip to the lake;
I followed that old pickup too closely —
didn’t see he had straddled the ‘dillo.
I, however,
choked.
That tactical possum,
the armadillo rose up,
leapt vertically,
enough to connect his armor carapace
and my too fast chrome bumper.
I stole all his night time burrowing,
his poker games with his three sibs,
his forays onto the ribbon road to the lake,
his purlieu.
In return,
he gave me
images
I cannot shake —
the audible thwack,
crunch,
and powerful magnet that pulled my glance
to the rear-view mirror
and the indelible broken chassis
I left on highway seven.
by Susie Morice
The truncation of “‘Dillon” and “sibs” replicates the wreck. I like the onomatopoeic words, and I have a clear visual of this armadillo’s encounter w/ the vehicle.
Your poem made me laugh. It is a wonderful (but tragic) poem!
The youngest son and I loved Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books and Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. These are lines I’ve copied over the years, but I did not note the books when I wrote them. (I’ve learned to do better!)
When you break rules, break ’em good and hard
All he could do was…what he could do
The one who feels no fear is a fool
people who don’t know anything get together to pool their ignorance
one must go where one’s road leads, even when it’s a distressing road
they were disappearing over the edge of the world
a rictus of intrigued horror
there was nothing but mutual mischief
You can’t map a sense of humour
Do things
Everyone has some mess that needs clearing up.
All she could do for all of them was be herself
People don’t want to see what can’t possibly exist
YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN’T TRUE
Melinda — Gosh, that is a real collection of ideas to ponder. The line “people who don’t anything get tougher to pool their ignorance” is a real powerhouse! And “people don’t want to see what can’t possible exist.” Good lines! I like how your poem “breaks the rules!.” Susie
Wonderful that you collected your inspiration lines w/ your son. I want to shout “amen” to “people who don’t know anything get together to pool their ignorance.” Also love the line” you can’t map a sense of humor.”
On Survival (Inspired by Kristin Hanna’s The Great Alone)
Survival is a choice.
The sturdy-
Stubbornly remain,
Standing strong in the storms.
The strong-
Thrive,
Thrusting roots into rocky soil.
The dreamers-
Live deeply,
As splashes of color against a grey world.
The lovers-
Refuse to fade and die,
Leaving their fingerprints on tender hearts.
All–
wrest a life from this harsh landscape,
choosing to dance until the world blurs,
and to survive.
I don’t know the BOK that’s your inspiration, but your poem makes me want to read it. So many people have a fatalist approach to life. I agree “survival is a choice.”
This has me thinking that students could write a poem like this about their current book to use it to entice new readers.
I wanted to make clear which words were borrowed to create something new. The bullying scene was the essence if the passage in the book, but I brought some personal memories into it. I feel like I collaborated with Zoboi against her volition, though.
I found another poem! These lines are borrowed from Sarah Donovan who wrote this great book entitled Alone Together, which she signed to me “You are beloved! Live and Love in Verse!” at last year’s NCTE Conference in Houston, TX:
Live And Love
I say a silent prayer –
Lowering my body
Faith is ambivalent,
humbling
Like squeezing blood from a stone,
Fidgeted in fear
Every sound resonates
This moment when I ask:
What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
I smile, suddenly aware:
I have to live.
– Kim Johnson, fan of Mary Oliver and Sarah Donovan
Beautiful! I love Sarah’s book. The minute I brought it to my classroom — eager student hands grabbed for it. Great addition to every classroom library!
Thank you, Kim. I am happy.
A lovely tribute to Sarah. Love the inclusion of the Mary Oliver poem.
So beautifully rendered. I love the word choice.
Kim – This is so lovely. I always get filled up when I read Mary Oliver. We will all miss her. And I’m new to Sarah until this week. But now I know I must get that book! (Thanks to Sarah!) This April challenge has turned out to be such a treat!!!
Thank you Kim and Susie. Mary Oliver has helped me through some dark times. I always go back to her question “what will you do with your one precious life?” Indeed, life is precious, and I want to experience it anew every day —which is why I love poetry. It helps me see and be.
My poem is inspired from Chapter 1 of Rick Reilly’s new book Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.
“Golfing with Handicap 45”
Spending a day in a
Hyperbole hurricane
87 miles away
Sounds better.
A Macy’s parade
Float of a lie:
“I’m a winner.”
It’s Crazy Town preposterous
A lie over the top.
Take a certain license
With truth like
Bowling with bumpers.
A total asshole with no character:
Lies 16
Incompletes 2
Confirms 0 and
A nose so long
He could putt with it.
? for Glenda’s poem! A’hole in one! Oops…this is a Hole in One.
This numbers reveal how logic eludes this person who can put with his nose. Clever verse, today, Glenda. This must have been especially fun to write.
Such spot-on descriptions. Love this!
I enjoyed the alliteration throughout your poem! Sounds like an interesting read.
Glenda – This made me giggle. You’ve captured sentiments that fit so aptly and have me visualizing that nose putter. Ha! Good fun on a Saturday night! Thanks, Susie
Such an interesting occurrence is happening to me as a reader. I want to swim in your words, but I am conscious that they may be inspired by the prompt or may be a different inspiration or may be a combination of both. I have to train my readerly mind to accept the verse as is…I am thinking about the literal and figurative strangers at my door and how/if I welcome.
BORROWED LINES
I’m having trouble today
Borrowing words that were chosen by somebody else
And written to perfection,
For I am overwhelmed by the phrases I love
In their original intent.
On my nightstand are three books
Any one of which could provide
Poetic inspiration to most people:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Dead Lions by Mick Herron
The Overstory by Richard Powers.
But plunging my hand into that pool,
Disturbing such order and beauty,
Would be like the chopper which recently landed
Its entitled occupants
Into the middle of a rare California poppy field.
I have to pass.
Ooh, I love those last lines referencing the poppy fields. Such a vivid and apt comparison of disturbance.
I was in the same boat today! I couldn’t change Rilke except in the sentence about Rome to merge two sentences. I love the way your honesty made the poem so perfect! I have had students who thrived on found poetry and wrote beautiful ones. Yours is also beautiful!
“Disturbing such order and beauty…” That was my thought about books that first popped into my head. I thought about using phrases from “Advice for Future Corpses” and then remembered the audiobook I’d downloaded last night. It’s not great lit but is a fascinating read. And since I wrote a found poem a few days ago, I wasn’t initially excited. I like how you made a poem about your response to the prompt.
I love the honesty, but also the way your words and sentences are stitched together like pieces sown into a beautiful quilt. This is a beautiful poem.
The struggle is real! Sometimes words are so perfectly penned it is difficult to disturb them. I enjoyed reading your poem.
Jackie — Oh, you struggled the same way that I did. And you wrote a great piece in your own way. I love this. And ending it with the “chopper… in a rare California poppy field” fit that very invasive feeling of using someone else’s words. Well done! Susie
When a stranger appears at your door
No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy
Feed him for three days
Your plate is waiting
Rice? Pine nuts?
Before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
or where he’s headed
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea
Your plate is waiting
He’ll have strength enough to answer
Or, by then you’ll be such good friends
You don’t care
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
Sentences, words, and phrases from Red Brocade by Naomi Shihab Nye
My response above to Glenda was supposed to go to you, Michelle.
This poem gave me a warm, cozy feel. It seemed really comfortable and homey to invite a stranger -to-become-friend into the kitchen while you prepared food.
Words from Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet:
To Be An Artist
Go inside yourself. Discover the motive that bids you write.
Draw near to nature. Depict your sorrows and desires.
Express the images that surround you – your dreams, objects of your memory.
Try to raise the submerged sensations over that distant past of your childhood.
Explore the depths whence your life wells forth.
Seek for the depth of things.
Live for a while in books and learn from them what seems to you worth learning – but above all, love them.
Have patience with everything that is unsolved in your heart and try to cherish the questions themselves.
It is a matter of living everything.
Love your solitude.
Be glad of your growing into which you can take no one else with you.
Your solitude will be your home and haven even in the midst of very strange conditions, and from there you will discover all your paths.
There is not more beauty in Rome than anywhere else but much beauty in Rome because there is much beauty everywhere.
Go into yourself and meet no one for hours on end.
Be alone as you were in childhood.
Think of the world which you carry within yourself. Pay attention to what arises in you.
Be without resentment.
Be glad and comforted.
To love is good: for love is difficult, and the fact that a thing is difficult must be one more reason for our doing it.
Be brave in the face of the strangest, most singular and most inexplicable things.
You must not be frightened when a sorrow rises up before you.
Most people get to know only one corner of their room.
Do not observe yourself too closely.
Do not derive too rapid conclusions from what happens to you; let it simply happen to you.
Do not think that the man who seeks to comfort you lives untroubled.
Find patience enough in yourself to endure
and single-heartedness enough to believe.
Let life happen to you.
Conduct yourself carefully and consistently.
May the year that lies before you preserve and strengthen you.
-Kim Johnson
Thank you for sharing! The line “Go into yourself and meet no one for hours on end” really spoke to me because as an introvert and a writer, I feel I need time to myself to really create. This line really captured the importance of solitude in the creative process.
I so enjoy connecting in this virtual space with fellow introverts!
This is so good. I’ve been thinking about the inherent loneliness of writing, the release necessary when releasing writing into the world. I especially like the line about beauty in Rome and the way it reminds us to look for beauty in every place.
♥️ Travis Crowder’s found poem on grief and his source is one of fav Joan Didion writing. Many in grief’s throes will find inspiration in Travis’s poem to push grief. Thanks for this gift, Travis.
Borrowed lines: tiny pocket, striped shirt, small folded green paper, falls to the ground, minionettes laughing, finger swirling around temple, mind -controlling trick, shut my eyes, throw up my left arm with the Invisible Bracelet of Submission, I’ve crushed them (Zoboi, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, 34-5)
Poem:
In the tiny pocket of my favorite striped shirt
I carry my Invisible Bracelet of Submission,
but when I see the hallway minionettes’ eyes
beaming in my direction,
swirling fingers around temples,
whispering loca,
their lasers trigger tears.
Before I can put on my bracelet,
safety screens lower.
I’ve been hit!
Affliction
drips into my tiny pocket,
activating Invisible.
Tiny pocket tingles.
Safety screens lift.
Bracelet grips wrist.
I throw up my left arm.
Invisible Bracelet of Submission.
I’ve crushed them!
The phrase “Affliction drips into my tiny pocket, activating invisible” got me thinking about how often people try to hide things they are going through form the outside world. We tuck away pain or difficulty so we appear brave and strong. The final line “I’ve crushed them” makes me think that the speaker has opened up and shared their real vulnerability.
Oh, I just love what you did here. I wasn’t sure how to “borrow,” and this us such a fantastically clear model. Thank you. I’m off to try….
I’ve seen these “hallway minionettes.” Such a strong image. I like the way you constructed a new poem by combining borrowed words w/ your own memories. This would be fun to do w/ students.