For those of you who are new to this world, today is Poetry Friday. This is the day that a guest blogger points to all things poetry. It is quite a list; check it out at Robyn Hood Black's site. There, you will hear about a plethora of poetry activities, including Laura Salas' work. Laura is highlighted at The Poem Farm, where she has once again inspired my poem of the day.
Laura describes an "ode" style poem that she wrote about the process of a book becoming a book. This poem gives pause to ALL of the people who go into making a book: author, editor, publisher, reader. To learn more about the process of book making, check out my favorite non-fiction site, Wonderopolis. Laura challenges students to try their own "This is a book" style poem. Here is my attempt:
Round and Round
By Melinda Harvey
This is the rain drop
all liquid and wet
that fell from the cloud
as precipitation.
This is the run off
that skims over the earth
absorbing minerals and salt
to drop elsewhere.
This is the soil
that drinks up the wetness
storing the ground water
underneath in an aquifer.
This is the sun
heating up the pond,
lakes and oceans
turning water to vapor.
This is the air
filled with evaporated drops
including transpired liquid
from plants and trees.
This is the cloud
that provides a cold rest
to the water droplets
as condensation takes over.
This is the rain drop
all liquid and wet
that fell from the cloud
as precipitation.
Clearly, we are learning about the water cycle in school right now. Check out my Glogster about land at water to see the major concepts of this unit! You can write this style of poem about any topic really. Many of you are just returning from vacation. Why not pay tribute to the elements that made your vacation so memorable? For those of you just starting vacation, reflect on what you are anticipating during your respite. Choose a topic and give this tribute/ode style a try!
