A Word or Two...
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • All Kids Can Write

Poetry - control in the midst of chaos...

3/16/2020

 
Picture
The very first form of writing I can remember falling in love with is poetry. I started writing poetry when I was in elementary school, and continued dabbling in verse through college. It is such an accessible way to express emotion, ideas, life, everything. And, there is something controllable about the form of short verse - which appeals to me right now as I don't feel in control of much of anything else! I have tried writing prose - completing 3 manuscripts of middle grade fiction - none of which are published. I always find myself blocked at the revision stage. I struggle to be able to wrap my head around revising something that is over 100 pages long. And, so, those beautiful little stories sit in a manuscript drawer, unrevised and unedited and unpublished. Maybe one day...

A few weeks ago, I found myself drawn back to the idea of poetry. And, now that our lives have been so dramatically changed, I am inspired to capture some of what I'm feeling in verse. 

Coincidentally, I am working on writing a Poetry Unit of Study for my district, K-5. The serendipitous nature of this situation is not lost on me.

So, today I tried to write my first poem. Here it is...after a few revisions. It may not be perfect. But, just as I never expect my students' work to be perfect, just to reflect their best effort, I am giving myself the same grace. 

Isolation

Outside my window
It is dark
Except for the reflection
Of my face staring out into the shadows of 
Pre-dawn solitude.

My gaze, defying the 
Backyard distances, approaches and stands
On the windowsill of a neighbor’s kitchen that is
Filled with warm, yellow light and the 
Imagined aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and
The embracing chit-chat of Monday breakfast - 
Connecting us.

At a time

When we must

Not connect

Except through gazes darting across isolated backyards hidden 
In darkness.


Christy Weisiger 3/16/2020

I will check back in with you all as this journey continues. Anyone who would like support for a student writer at home, please reach out! What a gift it would be to the world if our youngest writers capture their lives in this moment!!

Take care and be safe!

#allkidscanwrite



Comments are closed.

    Why write?

    I once heard the story of a writer who caught her own reflection in a window. She realized that once she moved past that window, the moment of her reflection would be lost to her forever.

    And so it is with all of our lives. 

    Writing is catching a life moment in words... keeping it visible to be remembered, to be cherished, to be learned from.

    Preserving it forever. 

    That is why I write.

    Archives

    September 2022
    June 2022
    August 2021
    June 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    December 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    Agents
    Authors
    James River Writers
    Revision
    SCBWI
    Story
    Writer
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.