This Andrea Gibson's "Letter to the Playground Bully"

Andrea is a poet who uses her voice to effect social change. She is a poet to watch.  :)

Love the VOICE on these two!!!!

Some Team Performances for Your Perusal :)

 

This is Just Jamal and The Urban Legends Slam Team from Ottawa.

Cool Blog

Check out this blog I found with tons of great ideas for writing prompts! :)

http://ofkells.blogspot.com/

Canada Writes - Valentine's Day Twitter Challenge

Canada Writes - Valentine's Day Twitter Challenge 

i watched my mother's heart beating
i watched on the screen of the ultrasound machine
And there were sounds the pump, pump and a liquid gush amplified a rhythm she lives
she lives
her heart alive and pumping
beat after beat
the muscle compressing and expanding her heart
my mother's heart
alive
i recalled that sound
the warm rhythm life giving
i had heard it before this heart
i remembered how i listened and felt my own heart beating
double time in succession to hers my mother's heart 
i nestled
and listened      to my mother's heart        beating

With Regards to Love

I took this photo some time ago.  A bit cliche I think, but I was rather pleased with it.  Sunsets and beaches, couples gazing upon horizons; images conjuring romantic visions of love.  I like that stuff, sometimes.

Love draws contemplation. Allen Ginsberg saw it as a dirty sunflower near a railroad track. Shakespeare's  Romeo observed its oxymoronic complexities, while Emily Dickinson, perhaps, found it in solitude. 

Students at Moscrop, and in many highschools across the country are at present discovering the results of their Matchmaker quests.  We love, love and yet it often evades or troubles us.

It is a worthy subject though.  I recently asked my Facebook friends to answer the question, "What advice would you give students about writing a love poem".  Their answers were varied and are still coming in. Many say to avoid cliche, and to forget about words like "baby" and "soul".   One friend mentioned that you should never send a love poem until you've had it previewed by a near and trusted friend.  Others are writing in to tell me about the first time they fell in love.  I for one, still reflect fondly on the time Ross, my grade three playmate, built a blanket tent and we knelt beneath it to listen to records.    I think  my favourite piece of advice though, was a comment credited to Barbara Adler, who says, "Don't write about how it is, write about how it could be".


Whatever you write, write it with unembarassed verve! Give it heart and guts ~ enjoy!