Poems of Empathy — #PoetryFriday

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)

I’m taking a break from sharing my Madness Poetry poems to ask you to go back and look at 1 or 2 student poems I shared earlier this week. I shared photos of 12 or so pairs of very brief poems related to asylum-seekers. I’m hoping you’ll pick just one or two pairs to read. I know it’s kind of a pain to read handwriting sometimes in photos. But you’ll find these 3‑line poems worth your time. I also shared my lesson plan, but all you NEED to know before reading the poems is that each pair is written to either a boat or a pencil, and the first poem is from the student’s point of view, while the second poem is from that same student imagining (if it was not in his or her experience) himself or herself in a family seeking asylum.

And for lots of wonderful poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with watercolor artist Michelle Kogan at her blog.

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6 Responses

  1. “Green Card Voices”

    “empathy”

    “Bring Me Magic”

    I’m overflowing with appreciation for your conversations with those students at the conference,
    who will forever remember the two assylum-seeking young folks, (who knows how that may positively
    affect their own paths?)
    for your writing prompts from Susan Wooldridge & for your sharing of Irene Latham’s teachings, too.
    Expecting to return to follow even more links, drink up this hopefulness from the previous posts.

  2. I was very happy to go back and read the students’ hand-written poems. How powerful they were. What an amazing day they clearly had. It was clearly a very effective lesson.

  3. I imagine the impact you made in this lesson for those students, Laura, and now this week’s events make it more powerful. “Bring me your courage and hope” is a prayer all of us need. Thank you!

  4. Laura, I appreciate your directing us back to this powerful lesson of imagination, of walking a mile in in someone else’s kayak, pencil, tent. These lessons are essential for our nation and our world to change. I’d say it takes more than magic, though–it takes work. Thanks for doing the hard work, Laura.

  5. Thanks for all that your’ve shared in this rich post Laura. Your conference, the worksheets and the dual p.o.v. poems not only taught the students about the form but carried them into another’s shoes. And that photo gallery–“Where the Children Sleep” tears you up inside and–we have so much to do for these children and families.

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