elfchen

Universe of possibility

/ Fran Haley / 20 Comments

Children
we realize
behind those eyes
lies a universe of
possibility

My granddaughter, Micah, age 2.

As educators, writers, human beings…let us not fail to see the value and potential of every child.

Let us not fail to help them see.

With thanks to two fellow Slicers in the daily March challenge:

Margaret Simon, for continous inspiration with the elfchen or “elevenie” poem form; and Thomas Ferrebee, for the phrase “universe of possiblities” in his post yesterday, describing a Chilean rhubarb plant.

With special thanks to my precious Micah-roni for exponentially expanding my universe, and who spent all day Tuesday with me, which explains the brevity of this post.

*******

Composed for Day 6 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers

February elfchen poem

/ Fran Haley / 2 Comments

Today on Ethical ELA’s Open Write, my friend Margaret Simon invites fellow teacher-poets to compose elfchen, also known as “elevenies,” poems of eleven words. Margaret says that the basic elfchen rules can be found on Wikipedia; she shares these guidelines:

Line 1: One word
Line 2: Two words about what the word does.
Line 3: Location or place-based description in 3 words.
Line 4: Metaphor or deeper meaning in 4 words.
Line 5: A new word that somehow summarizes or transforms from the original word.

This is a first for me, never having attempted an elevenie before. Although I love forms with word and syllable counts, the seemingly-simple, enchanting elfchen proved deceptively difficult!

February Elfchen Chain

February
gray desolation
brightened by bluebirds
and sudden pink blossoms
overcoming

winter
gusting winds
squeak naked branches
against each other, awakening
desire

greenness
seeps imperceptibly
to the edges
Nature revels in pre-season
preparation

One of my bluebirds, February 10, 2024.