By exfordy (Brian Snelson) via Wikimedia Commons
CRAZY
It's a crazy life --
I'm stuck in a zoo.
What else can I do --
I'll laugh!
It's a crazy life --
I have no real choice, but
I've still got my voice, so
I'll laugh!
It's a crazy life --
I can't spread my wings,
I've no freedom: that stings.
I laugh?
It's a crazy life --
look me right in the eye.
Can't you see that I cry?
It's no laugh.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013
From Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind):
Don't laugh
this could be you
stuck here with me
inside this zoo
where all we do
is prance and wait
for someone else
to navigate
we situate
ourselves, here,
while dreaming only
to disappear
I fear, though,
we're here for ages
tossing words
across our cages.
- the podcast: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1nv8LMwFVET
©Kevin Hodgson, 2013
From Carol (Carol's Corner):
Some things
are not
supposed to be.
Parrots,
even laughing parrots,
are not
supposed to be
trapped
in wire cages.
Moviegoers
are not
supposed to be
trapped
in theaters
hiding as
their worlds implode.
Six-year-olds
are not supposed
to be trapped
in school bathrooms
"waiting
for the good people
to come."
Celebrants
are not supposed
to be trapped
in a rain
of bb's and broken glass
blood pooling around them.
And none of us
are supposed
to be trapped
in a world
where we are
the audience
always waiting
for the next act
in an
endless tragedy.
Some things
are not
supposed to be.
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
The theme of my 2013 National Poetry Month Project is
"Common Inspiration--Uncommon Creations."
I will be using the media to inspire my poetry, but I am going to invite my students to use my daily media picks to inspire any original creation: poems, stories, comics, music, videos, sculptures, drawings...anything!
You are invited to join the fun, too! Leave a link to your creation in the comments and I'll add it to that day's post. I'll add pictures of my students' work throughout the month as well.
Apologies from the subconscious mind that picked the recent images. It actually thought this one was funny until it started writing the poem.
ReplyDeleteDon't laugh
ReplyDeletethis could be you
stuck here with me
inside this zoo
where all we do
is prance and wait
for someone else
to navigate
we situate
ourselves, here,
while dreaming only
to disappear
I fear, though,
we're here for ages
tossing words
across our cages.
- the podcast: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1nv8LMwFVET
Kevin
-Kevin
Mary Lee,
ReplyDeleteI loved your poem. Sometimes all we can do is laugh.
To celebrate two years of posting a children's poem each day on my blog, I'm giving away a POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL t-shirt. If you'd like the shirt, visit my blog at www.poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com
JOY
I thought it was funny too, until I read your poem. Made me think of Ivan.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Ivan and Ruby...
DeleteSome things
ReplyDeleteare not
supposed to be.
Parrots,
even laughing parrots,
are not
supposed to be
trapped
in wire cages.
Moviegoers
are not
supposed to be
trapped
in theaters
hiding as
their worlds implode.
Six-year-olds
are not supposed
to be trapped
in school bathrooms
"waiting
for the good people
to come."
Celebrants
are not supposed
to be trapped
in a rain
of bb's and broken glass
blood pooling around them.
And none of us
are supposed
to be trapped
in a world
where we are
the audience
always waiting
for the next act
in an
endless tragedy.
Some things
are not
supposed to be.
(c) Carol Wilcox, 2013
Mary Lee,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the poem and enjoyed it so much I read it twice! I especially enjoyed how you had connected your poem to a multimedia source. In my 2 years so far in college (working towards becoming a teacher) we have been encouraged to think outside of the box and incorporate different uses of technology. I really think that using media to inspire your poetry is not only creative but a good way to connect to many current events and bring a sense of real-life to your poetry. I also really like how you are giving your students an opportunity to work off the of the media you have chosen. I think it is so important and valuable for students to be connected to current events and especially current media. I can't wait to hear more of your poems!
Sincerely a very inspired future teacher,
Amanda
Thanks for your note, Amanda! I'm SO glad you found my project useful/inspirational. If you read the first week of posts, you'll see how I'm also connecting this in my classroom to teaching students to be good digital citizens and not take/share/use media from the Internet unless it the media is licensed as Creative Commons.
Delete