I am having a hard time excerpting this poem; it's short, so follow the link and read the whole thing. Ilse Bendorf takes exception to Holden Caulfield's advice: "Don't ever tell anybody anything." She moves on to describing some things we should say, like
if
your mother looks radiant in violet
you should tell her, or when a juvenile
sparrow thrashes its wings in dustpiles
and reminds you of a lover’s eyelashes,
you should say so
but then she explains how we are boats, but also islands, but also pirates...
This is a wonderful poem, given to me by my daughter; please just go here and read the whole thing, OK? And when you get done, go here, to Linda's home at Teacher Dance, and see what everyone else has for today.
As for me, I have the day off, All Saints' Day, and although I have a stack of grading to do, I also plan to read some poetry today, and who knows? Maybe I'll even write some. Happy Poetry Friday!
2 hours ago
11 comments:
I like "even if we fall into the sea — we are boats, remember?"
An interesting poem that I will have to read a few times to take it all in.
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your day!
I'm so glad you introduced me to this poem, Ruth! I love both its tone and its message. And good for you for taking time today to enjoy reading AND writing poetry (even if it was only 5 words).
Great poem, Ruth. I love the idea that we are "Each other’s anchors, each other’s buoys,". It is a good way to view our relationships. Thanks for sharing. =)
Love hearing that your daughter shared this with you, and I will share it on to the older students of our school, Ruth. It is full of a strong voice, very up front about the message: "but we are also boats, our secrets flares,/pyrotechnic devices by which we signal
there’s someone in here we’re still alive!" Thank you, and hope you enjoyed your day!
LOVE it! Especially this:
"even if we fall
into the sea—we are boats, remember? "
Wow. Just wow. I love this poem. Immediately turned around and sent it to a sixth grade teacher friend. And I agree with you, it would be hard to excerpt. Hope you enjoyed your day off and got a few words written!
So much to love about this poem - from the craft of it to the sentiment.
I love it. Ditto what everyone else said.
:-)
Ruth, I understand a certain speechless swoon over this poem, and it's moreso for that your daughter shared it with you (I'll be passing it on to Daisy). Do we like it because it's passionate and positive as well as beautifully uncrafted? I'm thinking Billy Collins meets Gerard Manley Hopkins. Thank you.
This is staggeringly wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing and so nice that your daughter brought it to your attention!
Such a treasure of a poem. A wonderful gift shared by your daughter with you, and now you with us, and beyond! Thank you.
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