A Powerful Photo-Poem Combination

      

        Mignon Self  created the poem shown below. When  not writing poems or creating artwork, this outstanding educator teaches art, grades 7-12, at the Round Rock Opportunity Center, Round Rock, Texas. 

       Together, Self's poem and the accompanying photograph can provide inspiration for classroom discussion that leads to the creation of imaginative written compositions. But that's not all. Considered separately, either the poem or the photo can inspire students to exchange ideas and express them in writing.

      Feel free to use this  poem and/or  photo in your classroom. You can copy and paste the poem, and you can right click on the photo to copy it. If you do so, I'd love to see the results for possible inclusion in Reflections.

    

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Buddha

           Quiet Entities

When there are quiet times,  

Thoughts in between crowded spaces in my mind,

I think of the entities that bind the time in packages

Wrapped with colored twine.

Bubbles, spheres of rainbows floating in the air.

Laughter, sounds from happy children playing.

Butterflies, minimus drifting softly in the golden wind.

Violets, blooming vivid among the greenery lie.

Kisses, a touch of love from deep within.

Glances, eyes that sparkle to say, "I'm here!"

Wine, the soothing taste that tickles as it goes down.

Clean sheets, crisp rough smells of speckled drops of sun.

Stars, shooting through the evening skies.

Hands that hold the secrets of the brownie's past.

Sunlight drifting dots of dust giving life,

The entities of a crowded mind.

                                            Mignon Self  

Poem Copyright © 2010 by Mignon Self        Photo Copyright  2010 by Hank Kellner

         There's Still Room for More 

        At this writing, I've received poems and/or photos from thirteen students, eighteen teachers, and fourteen others for possible publication in Reflections. With a total of more than one hundred poems and almost as many photos, that just about completes the collection.

        Even so, there's always room for a few more entries before I end the project and intensify my search for a publisher. If you'd like to contribute work and haven't received the Guidelines for Submission, please contact me promptly at hankpix(at)yahoo(dot)com.

 

Write What You See

Although Cottonwood Press was acquired by Prufrock Press recently, Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is still in print. You'll find it at Prufrock Press's website, in bookstores, at Amazon, and at many other Internet sites. This thought-provoking collection of black-and-white photography is accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts to motivate students. Includes A CD-ROM of all photos and writing prompts. Grades 7-12 $24.95.

        "This book will launch  a thousand essays. Never again will students complain, "I don't know what to write about."

                                  Derri Scarlett, English faculty, Bismarck State College

 

 

 

        

        To date I've received more than 100 poems for possible inclusion in my upcoming anthology, Reflections. Submitted by teachers, students, and others, these poems range from pithy haiku to eloquent odes. Here's a poem I received from eighteen-year-old Rose Scherlis, a student at Beacon High School, Newton, Massachusetts. Her teacher is Doug Holder.
        In addition to "Skateboarding," Rose submitted two other poems  titled "The Dog with No Name" and "The First Morning."
        If you would like to submit poems for consideration, please contact me at hankpix(at)yahoo(dot)com for guidelines. I welcome submissions from students, teachers, and others.
        By the way, Reflections isn't one of those buy-the-book-after-we-publish-it deals. Rather, it's an anthology designed to be used in the classroom. My goal is to provide a series of poems and photos that will serve as inspiration for class discussions and follow up writing activities.

Skateboarding

Sometimes I skate,
Glide, soar, weave, jump,
Duck under heavy, mournful branches
Decorated in fragile autumn leaves
Like so many brilliant orange faeries
Until I reach my destination:
An abandoned bridge to read under,
A coffee shop or candy shop,
Or just an empty lot to carve across.                                                                   
Sometimes I skate
As fast as I possibly can
Until the world blurs into a colorful blend
Of distractions, possibilities, ideas.
Until day turns to night and,
Sunsets sparkle across the horizon like
Vivid necklaces of pink and red.
Until I lose track of time,
Lose track of everything,
Lose track of myself.
Sometimes I skate.

Write What You See

Although Cottonwood Press was acquired by Prufrock Press recently, Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is still in print. You'll find it in bookstores, at Amazon, and at many other Internet sites. This thought-provoking collection of black-and-white photography is accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts to motivate students. Includes A CD-ROM of all photos and writing prompts. Grades 7-12 $24.95.

        "This book will launch  a thousand essays. Never again will students complain, "I don't know what to write about."

                                  Derri Scarlett, English faculty, Bismarck State College

Poetry Is Alive and Well

      Judging by the many excellent submissions I've received for possible inclusion in my upcoming anthology, poetry is alive and well in the nation's classrooms.
      Here's an example by eighteen-year-old Kristen Dawn Wilson, a student at Allen County Scottsville High School, Scottsville, Kentucky. Kristen's teacher is Lisa Logsdon. The photograph is by Julia Stein, a recent graduate of Blake High School, Silver Spring, Maryland. Julia's teacher is Kerri Blankenship.

Destroying the Walls

I was trapped there.
Trapped in the nothingness.
Trapped behind the walls
that were built to guard my heart.
I was my own prisoner,
ignoring my own screams,
lost in a fictional land,
trapped in disillusioning dreams.
Last night I awoke
from the fire in my soul,
and each thought fed the flame.
The walls had to go.
With my bare hands.
with my healing heart,
with this new anger,
I tore those damn walls apart.
Now I feel.
Now I weep.
Now I scream.
Now I run.
Now I fly.
Now I escape,
ridding myself of both
sorrow and hate.

        At this writing I've received 103 submissions for possible inclusion in my upcoming anthology, Reflections. If you and/or your students would like to submit work, contact me at hankpix(at)yahoo(dot)com with the words Poetry Guidelines in the subject line of your e-mail. Please don't submit work without having read the guidelines. The deadline for submissions is 10/30/10.

Write What You See

Although my publishing house, Cottonwood Press, has been sold to Prufrock Press, the book is still available at www.amazon.com, elsewhere on the Internet, and in bookstores everywhere. What's more, you can ask your school or public librarian to order it for you.

        Write What You See is a collection of photographs and writing prompts for the classroom. The book presents 99 black and white photographs accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts to motivate students. In the book I provide not only my own suggestions for using photography in the classroom, but also ideas from real teachers across the country who have used photography successfully to inspire writing. At just $24.95, Write What You See includes a CD-ROM. Order today!