Last Day Picnic: Food Poems

Happy Poetry Friday! My daughter -- and children  across central Maryland -- are celebrating the end of school today. I'll be taking Julia (middle school), Robbie (high school) and my friend Michelle's son (who says goodbye to elementary school today) out for ice cream as soon as they all get off the bus.

I thought we'd enjoy the last day of school, and Poetry Friday, with a picnic today. Let's see what the Northfield third graders are bringing us to eat.

These poems come from our Food Story workshop. Our  model poem is "Good Hotdogs" by Sandra Cisneros.

Before we write, we spend a lot of time talking about favorite foods, food traditions in our families, meals that our special to our cultures, holidays and the people we love to share food with.

I love the details in Erin's poem, especially the flower-bordered plates.

Find the recipe at My Recipe!
(These are pork, but I am obsessed with shrimp dumplings, shumai.)

Erin L.
 

Dumplings

Yum! I can smell the

Boiling dumplings when

I come home from school.
I hear my mom rolling
The dough and the
Squeaking sound of the
Rolling pin.
Bang! My mom accidentally
Drops the pan’s cap. She
Picks it up and starts
To stir more meat to
Go in the dumplings. Then
The feast begins! My mom
Starts to fill up the flower
Bordered plates with the
Yummy meat dumplings.
Mmmmmmm! My stomach is
Full of eating all of those
Dumplings. I slouch in my
Chair, tired and full. Then
I go to bed and tomorrow’s
Another day.

Katie's poem had me at "chocolate."



French Silk Pie at Tablespoon.com.

Katie O.

Chocolate Pie

I can’t wait till we

Get there

I open the door

Dashing in

I smell it in the oven

I have to eat my dinner

First

So I’ll eat quickly

I munch it and slurp it

Finally it’s all done

Now it’s time for me

To blow out the candles

In the chocolate pie

I’m happy it’s my

Birthday so I get

The first slice

Now I have to

Wait till next year

But at least I’ll get

The first slice

I get back in the

Car and say see

You next Thanksgiving

But all I can think about

Is the chocolate pie

Jill and Arden are both treating us with home-made ice cream! Their poems reminded me of making ice cream at my aunt's house when I was little. We used one of those giant, hand-cranked machines that required a lot of dry ice and elbow grease. What flavor? Strawberry. I've had a love of home-made strawberry ice cream ever since.

 

Jill S.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Getting home from school

On a Friday

Choosing the best flavor

For my dad and I

Should it be vanilla

Or yummy chocolate

I choose chocolate chip ice cream

Over all the other flavors

Chocolate chip is best to me

Because I love the small, little chips

Time to get ready

To set up the supplies

Time to get the ingredients

First we mix the milk

With the vanilla

Now time to mix the other ingredients

Into the pot

Time to heat it up

Ding

It is finished

Time to mix is up

With ice and salt

We have to wait 24 hours

Until it is finished

24 hours is over now

Time to eat the ice cream

This is really good ice cream

I hope we can make it again

Arden K.

Home Made Ice Cream

Time to make homemade ice cream

Grab the bowl and the cream
Pour the cream
Drop the ice, sprinkle the salt
Kick, kick, clank, clank
More ice
Kick, kick, clank, clank
Get the bowls and the spoons
Scrape, scrape, plop, plop
Mmm…vanilla
TIME TO EAT!!



Blackberry Ice Cream from Cully's Kitchen.

Now our feast is over. Let's give the teachers one last chance to impart some wisdom. Here is poet Joseph Ross, a veteran educator, blogging about why he loves teaching:

"As a teacher of English, one has the profound privilege of reading student writing. When reading what students write, I have come to know how they think and reflect on the world, as well as what they love and sometimes what they fear. Another privilege that comes with teaching English is the opportunity to spend time with students engaged with great literature. Few experiences compare with watching a student wrestle with, and then fall in love with, William Shakespeare, or seeing a student find himself in the poems of Lucille Clifton, or learning of a student’s own confidence growing after an encounter with Henry David Thoreau. Engaging with young people over exciting and challenging literature still lights a fire inside me, even after twenty-four years."

Read the full post, "The Gifts of Teaching" at Joe's blog. Then order his brand new book of poetry, Gospel of Dust.
 
Wishing you all a wonderful summer. Teachers -- enjoy your much-deserved break. Parents -- good luck!

Today's Poetry Friday host is Margaret at Reflections on the Teche. Enjoy the view this summer, everyone.

It's Almost April -- Get Thee to Some Poetry

Busier than the December holidays, and just as much fun, National Poetry Month begins on Sunday, April 1.

There is so much going on this month. For me, April truly is a frenzy of writing, teaching and parenting. Here is my top ten list of literary activities:

10) Passover and Easter
Our family will be celebrating both, and both religious celebrations have a literary element. Every year my husband, his parents, and the children attend their church's Passion Play. I make a small Seder for the family, where we read and revisit the story of the Jews flight from slavery Egypt. (And I make Miss Jennie's ah-mazing Matzo Candy. The Matzo is just there to hold the chocolate toffee.)


9) On the parenting front...
My son and I will spend National Poetry Month training. We are competing in a Warrior Dash in May. This means that after a long (10 year) break, I am back to running. How is this literary? We get free Viking hats to wear at the run. I will be singing from Wagner's Ring Cycle as I hurdle over the fire pits. Singing is one of my favorite ways to embarrass the children.


8) An Die Musik Reading, Baltimore
April 28, 8 PM.

Michael Salcman, LPR's Art Editor and one of my poetry mentors, is performing his poems set to music. I am really looking forward to "Songs of Salcman."

Michael Salcman

7) Blackbird Poetry Festival, Howard Community College, Columbia, MD
Thursday, April 26, 10 AM - 9:30 PM
Keep a poem in your pocket or the Poetry Police will ticket you. Really. This festival includes free afternoon events. There's also an evening reading with Kim Addonizio -- tickets are required.

6) Conversations and Connections Writers Conference, Washington, DC
Saturday, April 21
I've never been to this annual conference before, but it's supposed to be great for networking. I'm signed up to do "Speed Dating with the Editors." Also look for me on a poetry panel, "Tell It Like It Is: Narrative Poetry in Today's Market" with Holly Bass of Busboys & Poets, Melanie Henderson of Tidal Basin Review, Shakeema Smalls of the student-run Amistad journal and Kim Roberts of Beltway Poetry Quarterly.

5) Poetry Residencies
Maryland State Arts Council's Artist-in-Education Program
I have been teaching for MSAC for ten years! This month, I start two poetry residencies. The first is at Swansfield Elementary in Columbia. The students and I will be doing workshops on portrait poems, song parodies (great for teaching rhythm and rhyme), and we should be receiving some poetry postcards from Jone McCullough's classes in Washington state. By the end of the month, I'll be doubling up. Swansfield ES in the morning, heading to Northfield ES and the third grade in the afternoons.

4) CityLit Festival, Baltimore
Saturday, April 14, Enoch Pratt Free Library -- Doors open 10 AM
The journal I edit, Little Patuxent Review, will have a table at this great annual festival. II am so excited about this year. Thomas Lux! Edward Hirsch! LPR has a reading at 11:30, featuring some of our contributors to the recent Social Justice issue AND the winner of Pratt's poetry contest -- a partnership with LPR -- will have his poem unveiled in the huge front windows of the library. Big congrats to Joe Ross.

Joe's poem will be displayed in Pratt's enormous front windows.

3) Yoga Workshop for Writers
Saturday, April 28, 12 PM
I am joining novelist and certified yoga instructor Danuta Hinc in leading this workshop, specifically designed for writers and other artists. We'll be doing yoga, guided meditation, and writing or sketching. The key is using yoga as a basis for opening ourselves to the creative source. You can sign up in advance through Coreworks, Columbia.

2) Poetic Formal, Village Learning Place, Baltimore
Thursday, April 26, 6:30-9 PM FREE
Some time ago, I got a crazy idea that we should do a Poetic Formal. You know, read form poetry while dressed in formal attire. And by formal attire, I mean Beastly Bridesmaid gowns and Bad Blue Tuxedos. Poets Shirley Brewer, Clarinda Harriss, Bruce Sager and I are "chaperoning" the formal, which includes prizes for your ensemble and an open mic. Thrift store couture is encouraged but not required. How cool is it that our event is listed at www.Poets.org?

And my number one literary activity...

1) Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC

My 12-year-old Bard Buff is on spring break next week. I have never been to the Folger Shakespeare Library and NPM is the perfect time for a literary girls' day out. (We're also hoping to go see Into the Woods at Baltimore's Center Stage.) Maybe this summer, when we visit the U.K., we'll check out a play at the new Globe theater.

All this month, Author Amok will host poets writing in about their favorite, tried and true, or strangest writing habits. I'll post the full schedule tomorrow. Happy April!