Friday, August 24, 2012

Poetry Friday -- Poetry is the Main Line



"...I always loved English because whatever human beings are, we are storytellers. It is our stories that give a light to the future. When I went to college I became a  history major because history is such a wonderful story of who we think we are; English is much more a story of who we really are. It was, after all, Miss Delaney who introduced the class to My candle burns at both ends; /It will not last the night; /But, ah, my foes, and, oh, my friends— /It gives a lovely light. And I thought YES. Poetry is the main line. English is the train."



This is an excerpt from the prose poem "In Praise of a Teacher" by Nikki Giovvani. The entire poem can be found at The Writer's Almanac


Dori has the Poetry Friday roundup today at Dori Reads.



7 comments:

  1. If Poetry is the main line, and English is the train, thn txtng is th cboose.

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  2. Wonderful poem to read as so many start the new school year. All Aboard!

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  3. It's always inspiring to read other's memories of a teacher's influence. Our job is so important, isn't it? Thanks, Mary Lee.

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  4. Love this. Thanks for sharing, Mary Lee. We were discussing college major options with our high school senior yesterday - advising our son to major in his passion. (I was a happy English major!)

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  5. Great pick for the new year, Mary Lee! (I was a happy English major, too, Robyn!)

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  6. Lovely memory, and taken so much farther than just a sweet memory, taken to understanding. I love that.

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  7. I was a happy lit major, too.

    I was inspired to write better poetry by a crabby, pedantic high school teacher who took one look at my writing and called it 'juvenile'. He also gave me my first book of e.e. cummings poems. He was quite a character.

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