Monostitch poem

with thanks to Kim Johnson for the inspiration on Ethical ELA’s Open Write today. Kim offers the monostitch form: “a strong sense of connection between a title and a poem of one line inspires the writer to consider the relationship between the title and the word.”

And so I share an observation from today…

Heaven’s So Near

Little girl sings The cattle are lowing…preacher-Grandpa’s face is streaked with tears.

Here’s a two-line version, for good measure:

Heaven is Near
Little girl plays in the floor, singing so pure, so clear: The cattle are lowing
Preacher-man Grandpa rests in his recliner, listening, face streaked with tears.

What a poem can/cannot do poem

On Ethical ELA today Glenda Funk takes inspiration from what can a poem do? by Darius V. Daughtry. Her invitation to teacher-poets: “Compose a poem in which you celebrate what a poem can do and imagine the possibilities for more poetry specific to an issue or concern.”

In the Non-Rhyming Scheme of Things

A poem cannot
erase the past or
bring back people I’ve loved
            and lost
A poem cannot 
still the storm or
turn back tides
            of war
A poem cannot 
repair the whole world or
remake the human heart
            but it’s a start