More Trouble With Poetry

Coincidence? I think not.

Richard wrote a blog entry about poetry yesterday. I won't paraphrase, go read it yourself. But I printed it out and took it to school to share with some of my students as it was particularly apropos.

The day before yesterday, one of my advanced art girls brought me a poem that she wrote and wants to illustrate.

Her poem was horrible. I had just last week read some of her journal entries that were brilliant. When she's writing for "no one", she is fresh and interesting and creates some beautiful images. When she writes "for someone", she trips into trite. She rhymes and is boring and it almost made me angry after I'd already seen what she's capable of. She invited a critique so I told her it was boring. Yes, gang life is bad, yes, you regret it, yes, now you're locked up here and it sucks. You and every other kid in the building. Blah, blah, blah. I already KNOW that.

I told her her poem needed to tell me something I don't already know. I told her it needed to show me her transformation. And that she needed to transform ME, too.

How easy is that?

That's the trouble.