Poems, Immigrants, and Literacy

My granduncles and aunt - NYC 1925
at the base of the Statue of Liberty
after immigrating from Kassabella in what 
is now Slovakia.


Looking back, I realized that I have been writing poetry for sixty plus years. I have been teaching the art of writing poetry for forty plus years. I can sincerely say that poetry is an intricate part of my life. But what has poetry done for me or those in my life?

First, poetry gave me a voice when everything around me was telling me to be silent. Then, poetry took me to places I would have had difficulty getting to on my own. Finally, poetry became my art, the way I painted a world that was too confusing, too complex, so beautiful that mere words couldn't capture the emotions. 

Today, as we near the end of the 30 Poems in November challenge, I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to teach my students the joy of writing poetry. Always, I am awed by their ability to use a language that is foreign to them to express such deep emotions in such a beautiful way. Poetry allows them to be heard! 

Click the link below to support my continued efforts to bring literacy to our students at Center for New Americans through the  30 Poems in November Challenge,  https://cnam.org/civi/pcp/info/?reset=1&id=701 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hyacinths to Feed Thy Soul

Image
As we progress through Poetry Month, I have been reading many of my old poetry books. Some are journals into which Momma placed her favorites poems, which are now my favorite poems. One of my absolute top ten poems is: If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft, And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left, Sell one, and with the dole Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul. This beautiful verse was written by MOSLIH EDDIN (MUSLIH-UN-DIN) SAADI (SADI ) , who was a major Persian poet of the medieval times. It is just one of the many beautiful verses in his book Gulistan ("The Rose Garden") . (Photo Credit) ~~~~~~ Also from Gulistan, is the verse which visitors find at the entrance to the United Nations Hall of Nations. It reads: Human beings are members of a whole, In creation of one essence and soul . If one member is afflicted with pain, Other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, The name of human you cannot
Read more

Words as Balm - Words as Pain

Image
My mother, bless her, gave me many solid ideals upon which to base my life. One of her favorite bits of advise was, "If you don't have something good to day, don't say anything." You see, words, regardless of what the nursery rhyme states, do hurt. They can literally maim another person's spirit, integrity, and mind. Alternately, words can be the balm that heals the spirit, builds the integrity and comforts the mind. While we may have all the intentions in the world of saying something good, I have learned that sometimes, what we say can either be mistaken or said in a careless way that unintentionally hurts others. I know this first hand, because, as my mother told me, I had chronic foot and mouth disease (F&M)...in other words, I was constantly putting my foot in my mouth by saying things that I shouldn't. As an extremely inquisitive child, I wanted to know why people had crutches, why our skin was different colors, why some people didn't have clean
Read more

Grandchildren Connections - Guest Post

Image
 Today, I have the honor of sharing a guest post with the author of I Can't Wait to Love You Forever, Patricia Eckerman Ambas.  I highly recommend this book both for the content and the illustrations. I wished I had a copy of it way back when I was raising my girls. Patricia is a talented writer. I hope you enjoy her post. Grandchildren Connections Grandparents are powerful forces. The ones who can be the second parents, but more of the love and fun, and less of the discipline. Not even close to being a grandmother yet, I consider myself close to the source of what grandchildren want (as a beloved and loving granddaughter myself) and raising three children who have a close connection with both sets of grandparents. I have two tips to share with you that can begin to cultivate a stronger relationship with your grandchildren.  One of the reasons I’m sharing on this topic is that I’m finding some of my biggest book fans are grandparents. They love buying my books for their grandchildr
Read more