Student: This class sucks. It’s boring. All we do in here is read and write and talk. And I have no idea why I’m failing. I can’t find my pencil. Could I borrow a piece of paper? When can we watch a movie? Oh my god, I just got a text and I have toContinue reading “#154: A Dialogue?”
Tag Archives: poetry
#150: Sick Dog (an Abecedarian)
At 3 in the morning, no Barking, but an old dog fails the attempt to Climb the stairs, Drops back down: Early, the dog is sick. Fuck. Shit everywhere, God awful stench, Holding back my own retching, In every room of the main floor, I’m Juggling paper towels, disinfectant, Kitchen linoleum scrub, Livid, trying not toContinue reading “#150: Sick Dog (an Abecedarian)”
#146: Ode to Pablo Neruda’s Odes
Ode to Pablo Neruda’s Odes The socks, the book, the storm, the fallen chestnut, the watch, the tomato, laziness, Pablo’s odes are tropical fish in a tank, darting back and forth, reaching for sky, coming up for air, going down deep for sunken treasure, the nourishment of the mundane. When the ordinary gets the special treatmentContinue reading “#146: Ode to Pablo Neruda’s Odes”
#145: Flying by the Seat of My Pants
Flying by the Seat of My Pants It’s Easter, and I’m flying by the seat of my pants, winging it, making it up as I go along, which is, really, what I’ve been doing all along, each day, each moment: flying by the seat of my pants. Bonus Commentary: I improvised this silly little poemContinue reading “#145: Flying by the Seat of My Pants”
#142: This School Year Has Not Been, Thus Far,
On this second day of National Poetry Writing Month, compliments of the prompt for the first day on the http://www.napowrimo.net website, a poem of negation, a poem that describes a thing in terms of what it is not: This School Year Has Not Been, Thus Far, soft and cuddly, a baby blanket; warm and inviting,Continue reading “#142: This School Year Has Not Been, Thus Far,”
#140: I Was Raised By. . .
Another mentor text, this time the one we used with our freshmen, to inspire poetry about who or what we credit for “raising” us. The wonderful thing about using a mentor text, learning explicitly the moves of a writer we admire, is that all the 14 year olds end up writing these lively, effective poems.Continue reading “#140: I Was Raised By. . .”
#139: Another Random Autobiography
We’re kicking off the school year by introducing to students this lovely thing we call a “mentor text.” We look closely at a piece of good writing, observe its various moves and strategies, and then write our own piece of good writing inspired by the mentor text, mimicking as best we can the moves ofContinue reading “#139: Another Random Autobiography”
#139: Writer’s Camp
I’m going to camp. I’ll be alone most of the time but at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and at least once every evening, I will be surrounded by friends, writer friends, people who know me and who share the dream and the drive or the dream of the drive or the drive of the dreamContinue reading “#139: Writer’s Camp”
#138: A New Stupid Smart Phone
1. Stupid, perhaps. But I bought a new iPhone today because my wallet case broke, you know the one, the wallet case I bought two years ago to hold my i.d., some cash, and a 3G phone I bought for $50 that was already two years out of date. The old phone was fine, still,Continue reading “#138: A New Stupid Smart Phone”
#137: Blog Spam
I often get comments on my blog posts that read almost and sometimes exactly like this: “I am genuinely delighted to glance at this bloig postѕ which consists of lots of valuable information, thanks for providing these kinds of data,” apropos of absolutely nothing. I’m puzzled. Is this the deliberate work of a real person, a realContinue reading “#137: Blog Spam”
michael jarmer 