Sometimes it seems
these trees court the sky;
their threading evergreen plumes
woo the driest blue.
Sometimes it seems,
the hills glow coral
as if some alien incident
bathed them in chemical luminescence,
sprayed from bottle-shaped ships.
Sometimes it seems.
creatures dream
in smoke that billows and balls
out the chimney across the street.
Sometimes it seems,
birdsong still screams through
silence, once scarce,
as our heartbeats echo the girls.
Brenda Warren 2013
Process Notes:
After the first stanza came, I decided to use the same process for the remaining stanzas until all the words were in place. I started with “sometimes it seems,” then looked out my window for inspiration. This writing activity might show up in my classroom if I need a “filler” activity. Teachers use fillers when a lesson runs short and we need to “fill” time with a quick activity. This one provides practice in figurative language and sentence structure. Each stanza is a complete sentence, beginning with an adverbial clause. It will deepen my students’ understanding of adverbs. Teacher me diagrammed two of the stanzas already. My students can diagram their sentences for an extra point or a trip to the classroom treasure chest.
We placed our macaws with the Montana Parrot and Exotic Bird Sanctuary this past week. My students know that it was a rough decision for me. The last stanza is dedicated to Sadie and Sophia. Len and Thyra drove the girls to the sanctuary, and were delighted with the girls’ responses to their new home. They took to the people running it immediately, and seemed intrigued by their new flock. They will stay there for a while, and eventually will go to new homes. This final stanza will give my students a concrete example of what I mean when I say, “Write what you know.”
I did not use the word “rare” as scarce provides consonance. I also reworked the final stanza without the word “term.”
Visit The Sunday Whirl.
undercaws 