Hello friends!
I am so sorry for my absence. I was rear-ended in September 2017, suffering major injuries to my back and neck. It has been a long road to recovery, but I feel I am finally getting there.
I hope to post more regularly again. It all depends on my pain level. As some of you know, I am also a single mom who teaches full-time, so I often come home from work without enough reserves to take care of my child in the manner I would like. So, the blog and all the other social media have slipped into the background.
Lately, my brain has been afire with poetry. I can't stop writing poems down, they just keep spilling out. I've been writing poetry since my early twenties due to some traumatic experiences in my life. I found the writing was therapy. I found I could put my pencil to the page and come up with astonishing things, some beautiful, some ugly, that I didn't even know were in my head. When I finish, I am often surprised when I reread what I've written. And, it is the BEST feeling--so hard to describe--like I'm letting my mind slowly (or furiously) unfold all kinds of intricate layers I didn't realize existed. It really is a feeling of freedom and of relaxation--once it's on the page, I can let go. I am often quite exhausted afterwards, especially if I write several at a time.
In my workshops, I always say, "writing is generative." The above describes a bit of what I mean. When we let students write, across the curriculum, in all subjects, and for personal reasons, we are inviting them to not only own new information in a personal way, but also to discover their questions, their inner thoughts that, for many, don't unveil themselves without putting the pen to paper.
I wrote a Facebook post the other day and ended it with this hashtag: #yourlifeliesinyournotebook. I instantly loved it! I truly believe in the power writing holds to change lives, to unveil our own lives to us.
I have many stories of how I've witnessed this with writers--even as young as first grade. I shall take some time to write them down and share. But, I'm in a rush to get to a school meeting. I'm back to work full-time.
One last word, I rarely, rarely share my personal poems with anyone. I have hundreds since I've been writing them for over 30 years. They are scattered about my house, in this notebook and that notebook, in sealed boxes never again opened from moves across the country, inside closets, inside cupboards. I was hoping to find time this summer to search some of these notebooks out, to record the poems on my computer so I'd have them rediscovered and actually together in a place I can find. Haven't done that yet. ;)
Maybe I'll take a risk and share some poetry here. If you know my work, you know I've already published books of poetry for children. But, personal writing, writing that comes from the gut, has been safely locked away...for my eyes only.
In fact, here's one I quickly wrote this morning (not personal, so easy to share). Still in draft form. Still needs work...
I am so sorry for my absence. I was rear-ended in September 2017, suffering major injuries to my back and neck. It has been a long road to recovery, but I feel I am finally getting there.
I hope to post more regularly again. It all depends on my pain level. As some of you know, I am also a single mom who teaches full-time, so I often come home from work without enough reserves to take care of my child in the manner I would like. So, the blog and all the other social media have slipped into the background.
Lately, my brain has been afire with poetry. I can't stop writing poems down, they just keep spilling out. I've been writing poetry since my early twenties due to some traumatic experiences in my life. I found the writing was therapy. I found I could put my pencil to the page and come up with astonishing things, some beautiful, some ugly, that I didn't even know were in my head. When I finish, I am often surprised when I reread what I've written. And, it is the BEST feeling--so hard to describe--like I'm letting my mind slowly (or furiously) unfold all kinds of intricate layers I didn't realize existed. It really is a feeling of freedom and of relaxation--once it's on the page, I can let go. I am often quite exhausted afterwards, especially if I write several at a time.
In my workshops, I always say, "writing is generative." The above describes a bit of what I mean. When we let students write, across the curriculum, in all subjects, and for personal reasons, we are inviting them to not only own new information in a personal way, but also to discover their questions, their inner thoughts that, for many, don't unveil themselves without putting the pen to paper.
I wrote a Facebook post the other day and ended it with this hashtag: #yourlifeliesinyournotebook. I instantly loved it! I truly believe in the power writing holds to change lives, to unveil our own lives to us.
I have many stories of how I've witnessed this with writers--even as young as first grade. I shall take some time to write them down and share. But, I'm in a rush to get to a school meeting. I'm back to work full-time.
One last word, I rarely, rarely share my personal poems with anyone. I have hundreds since I've been writing them for over 30 years. They are scattered about my house, in this notebook and that notebook, in sealed boxes never again opened from moves across the country, inside closets, inside cupboards. I was hoping to find time this summer to search some of these notebooks out, to record the poems on my computer so I'd have them rediscovered and actually together in a place I can find. Haven't done that yet. ;)
Maybe I'll take a risk and share some poetry here. If you know my work, you know I've already published books of poetry for children. But, personal writing, writing that comes from the gut, has been safely locked away...for my eyes only.
In fact, here's one I quickly wrote this morning (not personal, so easy to share). Still in draft form. Still needs work...
POEM! 8/1/19
I tell my head
No
No!
There is not another poem there
lurking
ready to spring
ready to strike
like a tiger
holding back all its instincts
waiting to jump
with all its tenacity
with all its force
waiting for the words
to explode
out of my head
and
onto the page.
No!
I don’t have another poem in my head.
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ReplyDeleteNice One!
ReplyDeleteYour journey looks like quite the rollercoaster, but it's great to hear you're on the mend. Life's whirlwind certainly keeps us on the ground, especially when juggling teaching and being a single mom. Your passion for poetry is wonderful! It's amazing how words may reveal hidden levels of our thinking. At this time, I'm worried about my academic journey. I am looking for someone who will help me with my corporate governance law assignment help and management in the UK. Somebody knows about this topic so please let me know.
ReplyDelete