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Thursday, November 1, 2012

ELECTION DAY POEMS

For the last Poetry Friday before Election Day, I thought I would share some poems form Janet Wong's DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE.

One of the things I love about this book: Janet's disclosure in the Author's Note,"I am not into politics."

Neither am I! And yet here is the wonderful collection of poems about politics.


Janet graciously agreed to allow me to share two of the poems here:






SEED SPEECH

by Janet Wong

If you think

of words
as tiny seeds
that take root
and hold
this earth together

then you see

why it matters for us
to scatter even our smallest
thoughts out there,
to make our voices
heard --

There are no stupid questions.

And, yes:
there might be simple answers.

The birds are chirping:

more seeds,
more seeds!


OCCUPY THE TV

by Janet Wong

I can't wait for the election

to be over, to be done.

This president selection:

99% no fun.

The cable TV coverage

occupies too many channels

With nonstop blah-blah-blabbing

by some not-so-expert panels.

They should call these things "Duh-baits,"

the way those guys are baited

Into acting so ridiculous

they seem uneducated.

I think they must be smarter.

They simply must know more
than they're showing us - say what?
You and me in '24?


:)

Good stuff! And don't miss the Discussion Guide, which, in addition to many other great ideas, includes this prompt:


Get Out the Vote!
What would you say to convince someone that his vote counts? 

And guess what? That's exactly the question I asked non-political me when the editor at Scholastic's Storyworks asked me to write an Election Day poem. Here's what I came up with:




Thank you, Janet! Happy voting, all. And don't forget to visit Donna at Mainly Write for Poetry Friday Roundup!


26 comments:

  1. Some great poems that adults need to read, as well as children! Thanks for sharing, Irene.

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    1. Those might be my favorite kind of poems - the ones for adults AND children. Thanks for stopping by, Matt.

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  2. I love your election day poem, Irene. I would love to see that printed in newspapers and posted at polling stations to remind people to take a deep breath, make the best choice, and VOTE.
    When we lived in Atlanta, a group of us would take the kids out for breakfast and then we would all head to the polls together. We would make a big deal of voting to show the kids how important it is.

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    1. Katya, what a neat thing to do with the kids! This year I have for the first time a kids old enough to vote on his own... exciting! Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. Wonderful election day poems. I sent my absentee ballot yesterday, and now I'm looking forward to it all being over!

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    1. Oh, Ruth, I am SO WEARY of all the talk talk talk! Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. I like how you balance thoughtfulness and the consideration of the teeming world with imagining the future. Great poem! Also love the humor and insight in Wong's poems. What a great collection!

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    1. I, too, love the humor and insight in Janet's poems. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  5. These are all super! I'm glad I haven't seen any of the debates.

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    1. Catherine, I wish I could say you'd missed something important by not seeing the debates. Alas..... Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Another non-political poet here, but I enjoyed this banquet of election poems nonetheless. Perhaps we should force candidates to debate in rhyming couplets - it would get them to stop and think before speaking.

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    1. Renee, I think your debate in rhyming couplets idea is a winner! At least it would be FAR more entertaining... Thanks for stopping by. xo

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  7. I, too, am not into politics. And I feel slightly guilty about that, especially at election time. But I love all three of these poems! More seeds more seeds! And I love the last three lines especially of yours, Irene. Just lovely.

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    1. Yes, Laura, more seeds more seeds! Love what Janet did with that poem. And I share your faint sense of guilt... it passes pretty quickly though. :) thanks for stopping by! SO excited to meet you at NCTE!!

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  8. I agree with Katya, Irene. Your poem is terrific. Thank you for promoting the idea that it's not just all about us. Our decisions affect our neighbors at home and abroad. I like the idea of reading the names and forgetting the candy-wrapped slogans to "make the best choice in the space between breaths."

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    1. Thank you, Joyce! I think it's easy to take our freedoms for granted... but you know, the whole falseness of all things political doesn't help. It all feels like a show... but! MUST VOTE. Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. Irene- I have Janet's book and have been sharing the poems with my students. And, it's always so much fun when our Storyworks mags arrive and I see one of your poems! Scholastic always pairs your poems with the great pictures!

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    1. What a treasure you are, Linda! OF COURSE you've been sharing Janet's poems! And thank you for spotting my poems in the magazine -- you are so right about how they pair the poems with art that really makes it pop. I love it! xo

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  10. I love Janet's book, & have shared it all over the school. The second one, though written well before, is rather prescient concerning the debates, isn't it? I love your poem, & the way it ends, your voice heard, without a word! It is always a surprise to me to hear that some don't vote. I wish they would realize what a gift it is. Thank you Irene!

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    1. So happy you've been sharing these poems, and I was amazed by the timing of the debate poem too! Goes to show it's pretty much the same picture every go around... which is sad. But yes, we do have a voice. Must use it! Thanks for stopping by, Linda. xo

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  11. you know my family is divided... like the Civil War our Wed. breakfast can ignite to heated words...and like my family my opinions are strong but unlike my family... I do not believe that just because I have strong feelings about something means that you have to agree with me... my right to believe, vote or stand up for something or someone ends where your right start. We all just want a stronger America

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    1. Probably most of us have families divided! All the more reason we should be thankful we have the opportunity to vote... yes to a stronger America!

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  12. The right to vote is something not to be taken lightly. I love your last lines " your voice is heard without a word"! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks, Donna, for stopping by! Happy writing to you!!

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  13. I agree with Donna -- love those last lines!!

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    1. Thank you, Mary Lee. Looking forward to meeting you in person at NCTE. Getting close!!! xo

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