As April marks both the start of a new MLB season and Poetry Month, I submit a work that my best bud and writing partner, Ryan Graybill, created with me last year when no games were happening. We alternated top and bottom of the the frame for 9 innings of haikus, and I love rereading the results! Game on for a new challenge this year!
Below is the poetry only, but check out the full post at Ryan’s blog and this link.
it was impossible to find little moments to write about or big moments to reflect upon
I didn’t learn anything at all from this community of writers
I wasn’t inspired or moved to laughter or tears every single day
there is no chance that I would do this again next year
Come back tomorrow, April 1st, and I will tell you the real truth 😉
Big thanks to Ona onathought.wordpress.com, my school coach who invited us into this opportunity, and theapplesinmyorchard.wordpress.com, my welcome wagoner for their support, as well as all of the many of you who came to read and write and respond along with me.
Carpe Fabula (Seize the Story!), Dustin
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
no joke today I overcame some serious hurdles shots were fired spears were thrown discs were launched despite the voice none of this was passive!
for real today there was running around at full speed passing the baton when needed jumping up and over and into whatever brought safety needing to grab necessary food and water when possible despite the sound of it none of this was really dangerous!
the truth goes around and around at a track meet where the oldest events in sports history happily played out on a gorgeous day while a was an official for throwing events (and really did dodge some close throws!)
no joke for real the truth is it was great to get back to the track – to feel back on track – bruises and all!
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
On this cold and dreary Monday morning at school, I needed a little pick-me-up to start my classes. So, I simply asked for some good news, and the students dutifully delivered. I heard of trips and family reunions, pets and vaccinated grandparents, new video games and Easter preparations. They looked back on the weekend and ahead to coming events, but we didn’t dwell on life a year ago. Turns out, exactly one year ago is when I first fell for Some Good News.
After undetermined numbers of sleepless nights and endless zoom meetings each day, March 2020 was the beginning of one long purgatory. On March 29th I woke pre-dawn once again, worried about that dark cloud that had taken over the world. Fear, loss, and missed opportunities seemed to never end while dominating the equally never-ending news cycle. While scanning through my newsfeed on Facebook, I happened upon this simple and perfect youtube video. It was John Krasinski and his self-produced Some Good News show. I will undeniably admit to laughing, smiling, and crying tears of emotions that I didn’t know were pent up and waiting for an outlet. 5:00 AM ugly cries can be very cathartic ways to start the day 😉
Clearly I wasn’t alone. That video is now up to 18.5 MILLION views, and the following weeks continued a rise of hope and joy and goodwill. SGN highlighted first responders, restaurants, missed high school proms and graduations, missed weddings and celebrations, all while mixing in lots of submitted good news from world citizens everywhere. Wow, if you want a time capsule of the determination and goodwill and sacrifice and passion and promise that last spring created, SGN captured it.
And that also means that any day I face in this season – the good, the bad, and the ugly – will be bearable, and lifted up by asking that simple question, “What is some good news to share today?” Sure enough, the sun was shining brightly by the time I left work for the day.
“No matter how tough life may get, there is always good in the world.” – J. Krasinski
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
A friend and I just had lunch with my neighbor, and the stories were flowing. My neighbor has long been a fun person to talk with, and having lunch after a long time of no in-person gatherings was a treat. We traded topics from trivia to baseball cards to sports to food to movies, and more. Stories flowed freely of meeting athletes and celebrities, travel, and hopes for the future. We asked prompting questions, reacted at the appropriate times, and egged him on from one story to the next. How wonderful to hear old familiar tales to me and some surprising new ones! How fortunate to have a generous storyteller across the street!
It does remind me, however, that I am often the story audience instead of the narrator. I love stories; they are a key part of my profession and my interest. And yet, when the moment arrives, I am generally not the center of the story, but the sidekick or set-up man. I am fine with this role. It is comfortable for me, and easier than digging into my history and memory bank for the perfect scenario to elaborate eloquently upon request. I tend to skip and shorten moments, or mix up facts and details, or fail to set up the big punchline. Sometimes I am disappointed in this lack of ability, but some days I am satisfied to store away stories for another day.
And now, I am more and more prone to record them as a slice for my day! Storytelling in my own way, to those of you willing to sit down and read it (or maybe just for myself). Hope you enjoy your next meal and the company you are with, and the tales that are told and heard along the way!
Carpe Fabula / Seize the Story
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
Thinking of some changes in my life over time, and came up with this format. The first is a reflection of youth, and then young adulting, and now the current middle ages that allow me to look back!
I once was the remote to control the channel, and then the controller of the remote, and now the finder of the remote control!
I once was the yeller at the referee, and then the ref, and now the occasional grumbler at the ref.
I once was the snowball fighter, and then the snowball builder, and now the snow shoveller.
I once was the week long tent camper, and the the car camper, and now the cabiner!
I once was the tree puncher, and then the tree climber, and now the tree pruner.
I once was the taxi rider to events, and then the taxi service, and now the designated driver.
I once was the procrastinator of tasks, and then the procrastinator of classwork, and now the procrastinator of bills and taxes!!
I once was a wanter, and then a wanderer, and now a wonderer…
Piano echoes down the hallway Cello supports and leads Have we entered a hotel lobby Or is this a celebration of music In our school In our hearts A tale as old as time* Captivating our imaginations Creating peace and respite From the rush and chaos to come
Appreciative applause abounds!
*Three lovely Disney songs, including my fav from Beauty & the Beast, by two amazing ladies
I cheated and watched a video today. It may be the first time all year. That should make you scoff, because it’s a half-truth. I have played youtube clips galore, recorded read alouds, brain break dances, trivia and much more. But this was the first actual half hour “show” that went on the big screen for kids from me.
It was worth it – I needed the mental break, the not shouting through a mask, the not feeling like I had to put on a performance for the 6′ x 6′ gridded audience. Turns out there is a lot less drama in class when a drama is playing on the screen!
Best of all, the video was totally connected to our lessons and themes of the week, and I brought the literature along to go with it. We have been doing inquiry and animals, including the wondering of who could be the new “ruler of the animal kingdom.” Today, we listed some more animals, and then I read from Graeme Base’ Animalia, which has long been a personal favorite. I have a ginormous wall mural that I usually show Kindergarten and usually hang on the wall (I did neither this year). The book is an alphabet walk through the animal kingdom with abundant alliteration to keep readers alert.
In 2007, creators also happened to make a short series of animated episodes about Animalia (from Australia, just like Base). As all on screen versions do, they took liberties with the source material, but there are certain themes that always rise to the top of the first two episodes. First, it asks what ifs like: “what if animals had human ability to communicate and use technology? what if humans were mythical creatures to them, like unicorns to us? what if something new is introduced to a foreign world? These are related wonderings for our inquiry, and also for our classroom community building. In fact, the library is the heart of Animalia, and inside is the core, a giant crystal that holds their powers of communication and community. As spores of the core break off and blast around the land, parts of the animals abilities to cohabitate peacefully erode as well. There would be much to gain from the whole series, but there was lots of engagement, discussion, and interest from today’s first (and likely last) episode.
This was, in my personal and profession opinion, a worthwhile exception!
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
