"And so it begins" LJ Idol Exhibit A Week 11

[eeyore_grrl]

We bought a house. Which is twelve kinds of crazy. We're hoping to move in about 2 weeks. Oh, we're also getting married in about a month. So that adds another few kinds of stressy-crazy. Both awesome-tastic things, but, dude, there are things I just didn't consider. Really? My bridesmaids all consult me on which shoes they wear? I had no idea. Also...

		Ownership



and so it begins
the packing and the boxes
	the trash and the stress

the moving
	(and the moving
		and the moving)


oh wait, i’m in california now
don’t forget the termites


and so it begins
the termites search for dead trees
but find only houses
	
wood frame houses on concrete slabs
such yummy food for little ‘mites
gnawing at my window frame
	breeding in my walls
	breaking down my house tiny bite by tiny bite

we’ve taken the trees and offer our houses for supper

and so it begins
the carnival is coming to town
with a big tent full of poison 
killing all, killing
		    killing

and today
       today 
      i don’t feel so bad about death

And a video rendition of me reading it can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feudQYuHCVk&feature=youtu.be


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This has been and entry for week 11 of LJ Idol Exhibit A. My topic was "And so it begins..." Read the other 10 entries here http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/639904.html. Then voting starts Monday night.

Comments

:)

[sleepygrl79.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy for you and your little family!

You continue to make me more of a fan of poetry!

Re: :)

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

Poetry is usually taught poorly in school with only the "classics" available in the classroom. And i'm not dissing the classics, but there is so much MORE out there. There is a lot of fantastic contemporary poetry that falls by the wayside, even though it is often more accesible to the non-English majors in terms of language and content

I also think most poetry should be read aloud. It brings more to the listener when you hear and see it. While, for fiction and non-fiction prose I find it easier to read in my head and my brain wanders off if I am only listening.

Re: :)

[tatdatcm.livejournal.com]

I think this is why I never got that into poetry. I wish that there had been more variety in schools when it was taught and I hope that is slowly changing.

I like your poetry a lot, but it definitely adds something when I watch the accompanying video.

Re: :)

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

When I teach poetry I do not start with the classics. Shakespeare or Tennyson aren't the best introduction to most teenagers. I usually decide by interests in my class and what I have around so the kids have some hook to interest them in it. We build from there.

Thanks for liking it. I do try!

Re: :)

[cobalt-00.livejournal.com]

Who are your go-tos for poetry? In high school I remember starting with Elizabeth Barret Browning... and falling asleep shortly after.

I like hearing these out loud - the line about the carnival made me laugh.

Re: :)

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

I'm an Atwood, Piercy, Plath kinda girl myself. When teaching the kids I tend to teach Etheridge Knight near the start and that usually goes over well. Because of a common experience. And I have a collection that came with a cd of various writers. Langston Hughes is a good next step.

When I student taught "regular education" and had a bunch of suburban kids I had a bunch of sports poems that went over really well even though I, personally, found them boring.

If I have a lot of spanish speaking/bilingual kids Pablo Neruda is good for the parallel language texts and content.

My poetry is all packed away. There are more, lesser known, poets that I love and aren't coming to me by name at the moment.