Images

The second chapter of Poetry Matters by Ralph Fletcher talks about how to create image filled poems.

I love this chapter because I always think the poetry that our class creates during the chapter is amazing.   The chapter starts with a quote from another poet about how poems are like snapshots.  I love this idea of poems as snapshots.  After we read the first section of the chapter, I shared a poem by Carl Sandburg called "Plowboy" with the class.

PLOWBOY

After the last red sunset glimmer,
Black on the line of a low hill rise,
Formed into moving shadows, I saw
A plowboy and two horses lined against the gray,
Plowing in the dusk the last furrow.
The turf had a gleam of brown,
And smell of soil was in the air,
And, cool and moist, a haze of April.
I shall remember you long,
Plowboy and horses against the sky in shadow.

I shall remember you and the picture
You made for me,
Turning the turf in the dusk
And haze of an April gloaming.

We have looked at this poem before but today I think the class was able to look at the poem as a snapshot.  The line, "I shall remember you and the picture you made for me," is exactly what I want the students to learn.  The world is filled with amazing images and if our authors can see these images and take mental snapshots they can write about them later.  When it was time to write, I showed the class an image of snow.  The class knew they could use the picture to help spark their writing or use their own mental image to create a poem.  

Here is just some of the writing the class shared with me today:

"every kid is playing in the bitter wind,

fingertips, ears, noses and toe tips all cold"

Love the choice of toe tips!

"As the last snow flake falls

trees are covered with snow.

They look like white monsters

running on the road"

Using a simile before we even talk about similes.  Do not worry we will talk about similes tomorrow.

"Dawn is here 

white as could possibly be

white blankets covering the dark shadow of the trees"

Love that start.  

"When the birds don't sing

when the squirrels are not in the yard

when the trees are covered in powder seats of white

                 we all know

Soft parts of clouds have fallen from the sky

and onto the world"

Again another start that just blew me away.

I cannot wait to see where we keep going with these images poems.

Hope you are all having a great week.