 Welcome Poetry Friday friends! Thanks so much for visiting the ridge this week. Whispers from the Ridge is now on Facebook, too! Be sure to follow me there if you like. If you're looking for more poetry, visit Laura's welcoming space, Writing the World for Kids. I have been trying a few new things in my work as a teacher and literacy specialist this year. I must admit, it's been challenging. Each day, I felt like taking a step back. It would have been easy to do for sure. I found myself focusing on all the things that were not going as I had planned. What I had envisioned in my mind, wasn't there in my work. The fact that I couldn't see the next step to get me closer to my goal, really discouraged me. Then I remembered a phrase that has been bubbling up lately, start with the end in mind. Of course! I realized it was because I could see the end in mind that I was able to keep going without giving up in the first place. That's when I started to name all the gems that were already shining hope into the future of my work. I began to ask "What's there?" This poem is centered around this question. Just as I was focusing on the patterns and structures that were already in motion with what I was trying to accomplish, this poem does the same. See if you can find the patterns in the form and devices in my poem as you read it.  Invitation to Write:What if we all looked for what is there rather than what is not? Sometimes, whether we intend to or not, we tend to focus on what is not going as we wanted or as we hoped. Instead of mining for what is there, we end up digging ourselves into a hole of doubt that can often seem too deep to climb out of. Whenever this deficit thinking starts creeping into your life and eventually finds its way into your writing, try asking yourself, "What is there?" Take an appreciative lens by noticing and naming your strengths. When we look for what is there, we launch ourselves out of the hole and into a sea of endless possibilities.
9 Comments
What is there in your poem is deeply lovely. For me, I have been trying to write poems, and in editing, take a moment to think about why it matters. Why does this poem matter to me and have I put that in my poem? In my early posts, I found I was saving why a poem mattered for the commentary around it. Then I started trying to put that into the poem itself. I don't know if I'm succeeding, but it's part of my current process. Hearing your process made me think about my own. We are all on a journey, and that is the fun of it. 9/29/2017 02:53:09 pm
Such inviting, strong imagery, Kiesha - I like the interplay of action/activity and slowing down/appreciating. Thanks for sharing! 9/29/2017 03:27:45 pm
Your poem brings me peace. As a school librarian I have seen the change from New Year's Eve of school year to anxiety over not being able to do "it" all the way "it" should be done by colleagues who are teaching and working their hearts out. Not every teacher....but a couple who just care so much they want to give their students the best. One broke down and cried in the library this week over this. Your poetry brings me peace...such lovely peace in this time. I know teaching and learning is hard work. I know that it's still worth it. Beauty is still there. Hugs to you and all you do and all you do it for. 9/29/2017 04:30:14 pm
I want to sink into the peace of your poem and stay awhile to soak up all that is there. Thank you for the reminder to breathe and to pay attention to and be grateful for the pieces that are there. 9/30/2017 05:05:27 am
There is such rich and varied imagery in this, Keisha. You have created a depth of feeling and imagination. 'wisps of washboard clouds' is particularly vivid/beautiful. 9/30/2017 10:19:01 am
Kiesha, I love your calm, beautiful poem. So soothing! You might want to check out Kate Coombs' forthcoming book of tanka, Breathe and Be, too. http://amzn.to/2xJNhrG Poems have such great power to change our mindset, and I love the story behind your poem. 9/30/2017 07:09:08 pm
Kiesha, you created a truly reflective poem that brings visualization to the forefront. The images you shared brought me back to the whisper of summer in the fall breeze. The tone was soft, dreamy, and peaceful. 10/1/2017 10:53:21 pm
Good idea to look at "what is there!" I love the movement in your closing lines and where they magically take you, the feel like a bit of magical realism, "The sky is an ocean
Mary Lee Hahn
10/5/2017 05:12:36 pm
Ahh...your poem relaxes me just in the reading of it! Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWelcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge. 
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January 4 Sylvia at Poetry for Children 11 Kat at Kathryn Apel 18 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect 25 Tara at Going to Walden February 1 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference 8 Laura at Writing the World for Kids 15 Jone at Check it Out 22 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge March 1 Linda at TeacherDance 8 Catherine at Reading to the Core 15 Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe 22 Rebecca at Sloth Reads 29 Carol at Carol's Corner April 5 Karen at Karen Edmisten* 12 Irene at Live Your Poem 19 Amy at The Poem Farm 26 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink May 3 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup 10 Liz at Elizabeth Steinglass 17 Michelle at Michelle Kogan 24 Dani at Doing the Work That Matters 31 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading June 7 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche 14 Laura at Laura Shovan 21 Linda at A Word Edgewise 28 Buffy at Buffy's Blog |
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