Poetry

So my final unit in Writing and Speech (freshmen) is Poetry. I love this unit. I love to see kids come alive and "get" poetry, express themselves, and enjoy English.

Yesterday I shared a revised version of my Untitled Poem, blogged here in March, at a Poetry Jam in large group with the kids. They dug it...that was cool, although how many 14-16 year old poetry critics do you know. Once in a while it would be nice if someone really told people the truth. I envision the interaction going something like this:

Denise: "Hey Bob, wanna read my poem and tell me what you think?"
Bob: "Sure..."*reads* *looks up*
Denise: "Well..."
Bob: "It's Shit"
Denise: "Super Shit or just Shit"
Bob: "Super Shit"
Denise: *shrugs* "Well no where to go but UP."

Something that is not S.S. is a poem I like that I ran across again in a Love Poem compilation that I bookmarked some years ago.

Petronius Arbiter Translated from the Greek by Kenneth Rexroth.

Good God, what a night that was,
The bed was so soft, and how we clung,
Burning together, lying this way and that,
Our uncontrollable passions
Flowing through our mouths.
If I could only die that way,
I'd say goodbye to the business of living.