Friday, December 11, 2020

Poetry Friday: Snow


Toto Sukiyabashi by Hiroshige, 1858


When December came, we switched the "Vintage Japanese Prints" calendar to this picture. (I never did find out who bought this calendar. It came in the mail, with no note. Thanks, if it was you! We have really enjoyed it!) This is the only snow we have around our house, here in the Caribbean, but fortunately we have friends and family in northern climes who send us photos, and in today's post I've used some of those photos to turn into poems. You may notice that a couple of my haiku include the transition between seasons, a traditional theme of haiku poetry. When I was looking for a link about this, I found this fascinating article about how climate change is affecting haiku: here.  (Stay tuned at the end for an update on teaching odes in eighth grade.)

 


 

Scene framed by branches
Snow layered on leaves still green
Road to adventure


 

Autumn’s leftovers,
Brown cornstalks line snowy paths,
Reach for pastel sky.



Flakes swirl down on fence,
Trampoline, trees, wires, and yards,
Snow swallows it all.




Gentlemen of snow,
Swathed in latest scarf fashions,
Chic carrot noses.




December

What can you say about the snow?
Certainly nothing new,
since snow’s been falling forever,
and words like blanket and coat are overused,
suggesting ways to keep warm
instead of layers of freezing wetness.
All the particularities vanish
and there’s white everywhere,
a colorless ground with the pale blue overhead.
At least, that’s how I remember it,
looking at pictures here in a place
where cold is more of a concept
than an actual felt sensation,
except when
I wake up shivering in the night
and turn off the fan.

 

by Ruth, from thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com

 

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about sharing odes with my eighth graders, something I usually do at Thanksgiving time. Now that we're back at in-person school five days a week, I decided to take a little step back into Writer's Workshop, so I asked the kids to write an ode, choosing any topic they'd like. On Friday, when they were due, I gave them a chance to share. I had picked some of Neruda's work, plus some of my own, in case nobody wanted to share theirs, but almost everyone either got up and read their own, or had me or a classmate read it. This assignment really caught their imagination, and I loved what they wrote. One student wrote two. And the student who wrote about COVID-19? I made sure to praise him loudly and publicly for "subverting the genre."


So here are their topics:

 

Brownies
French fries
Mango
Bed
Telephone
Life
Soccer
Wattpad
M&Ms
Besties
Canada Dry
Air conditioner
COVID-19
Mom
Anime
Apple pie
Naruto
Chocolate

 

Buffy has this week's roundup.

 

(Credit for snow photos: JD, JD, PD, CMB, LFB)

17 comments:

KatApel - katswhiskers.wordpress.com said...

Loving your Autumn leftovers. And your fenced picture throws me straight back to my American visit! Place - right there. I'm reminded of one of my fave pics from American snow; a sign at a childcare centre; 'SLOW / CHILDREN' - surrounded by snow. Every time I see it I read 'SNOW / CHILDREN'. I just love that image!

Can so relate to your December fan. And snort-laughed at the Ode to COVID. Of course!

Irene Latham said...

Ruth, I have similar feelings when I look at snow pictures, as snow is more of a concept where I live than an actual occurrence. :) Interesting about climate change impact on haiku! And your kids picked some brilliant topics. There is always something to be grateful for... and I sort of need to write that poem for myself "Ode to Covid." It's been a difficult year, but full of surprising gifts as well. Thank you! xo

Liz Steinglass said...

Chic carrot noses! I love that. What a great assignment to write odes around Thanksgiving. I will have to try an ode to covid also!

Bridget Magee said...

I adore your "Gentlemen of snow" pictures and haiku, Ruth. What a list of varied topics for your students' odes - and yes, kudos to the student who chose covid. There are gifts in unexpected places. :)

jama said...

Gentlemen of Snow is my favorite -- thanks for this snowy treat. Yesterday my husband was elated to see just a few, barely discernible flakes falling from the sky (he could have been imagining them). But that is how he is about snow (must be a NH thing). Great to hear your students enjoyed writing those odes (and that you're back to in-person classes!).

Buffy Silverman said...

It makes me smile to think of you writing these snowy poems in Haiti! I particularly love the autumn leftovers--we live near some farm fields, and this captures them in my mind. Great topics for your students' odes.

Linda B said...

When I read "Ruth - Snow", I had to laugh, wondering how it was going to BE. Love that you have the pictures, and that "chic carrot nose". I built a snow girl with the grand-girls a couple of weeks ago & we were shy a carrot, so used one end of a plastic bottle - a different look for sure! And I love "where cold is more of a concept/than an actual felt sensation,". Lovely comment from your perspective! Thanks for sharing about the odes, too. It's fun to read about your students' choices!

Linda Mitchell said...

What a wonderful newsy post. I love the mystery calendar and that it's your snow. Ha! And, your haiku is lovely. How fun that you get to be with students? Is Covid decreasing there? It's spiking here. Yuck!

Rose Cappelli said...

Thank you for the lovely haiku. Love the snowman!

Carol Varsalona said...

There are so many interesting poems here at your website tonight, Ruth. I really liked the snow amidst the cornstalks. I never saw that before. Do you think this combination would be a good one to close my Abundant Autumn Gallery? If you would like to share that one, I will place it in the next Gallery segment. Also, please consider one of your snow poems with photo for a Winter's Embrace Gallery.

Mary Lee said...

I'm with Linda B. I went, "Ruth -- Snow...what the WHAT?" :-)

Your haiku are all spot on, but I especially like your longer poem. I feel the same way about the moon. I SO want to write something original about the moon! I'll have to use your snow poem as a mentor text to get there.

Hooray that your students all wanted to share! I'm struggling with a lack of this desire/confidence in my student writers at this moment. We'll have to work through that!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Thank you, Ruth, for new perspectives on snow. Your longer piece subtly captures so many mixed feelings about something that's been falling forever, whether we are there to feel it or not. I hope there's a follow-up featuring the odes! How tiring it must be to switch back and forth from in person to virtual--it's one reason I hope we don't attempt to reopen. How confusing for the little ones, and from my own son I see it's hard even for teens.

michelle kogan said...

I like your "trampoline trees" so animated in the stillness of snow swallowing all… I bet tree likes it too. Interesting idea about haikus changing from climate change. Thanks for the snow journey!

Anonymous said...

I love this post, and I like snow more as an idea than as a reality! I look forward to reading your posts every week.

Janice Scully said...

The affect of climate change on haiku is fascinating, and makes sense as nature is integral to it. I found your view of cold interesting too, and I am a little envious. The idea that to you that cold is just a concept, not something you usually experience. I enjoyed your poem and the haiku.

author amok said...

Your gentlemanly snowman made me smile, Ruth. Thanks for sharing the list of ode topics from your students. The poets who wrote about brownies and mangoes -- yum! I bet those were delicious poems.

maryecronin said...

I love that your "ode assignment" sparked such a response, Ruth. And I admit I am curious about the ode to Covid 19!