Poetry 2013 – Vol. 1

Welcome

Welcome to The Font poetry page. Here you will find a wide range of poetry relevant to the interests of language teachers.

 

This edition

To illustrate the range of poetry we publish in The Font, this inaugural edition opens with two pieces by writers (one present, one past) who provide hope and inspiration to all teacher-poets who would much rather put down the chalk for good and pick up the quill full time instead: Taylor Mali (What Teachers Make) and D H Lawrence (Last Lesson of the Afternoon). We then take wry look at modern lesson plans with Taylor Mignon. See what he has to share in Haiku, Hacky Sack and Fluxus Synathesia. We close with Almighty, a 'poessay' by English student Ryosuke Saeki.

We hope you enjoy this edition. Please comment on any of the poems if you wish. We also hope you are inspired to submit to The Font yourself.

Glen Edmonds (poetry editor) & The Font team

 

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE ~ TAYLOR MALI

In this rousing performance piece, Mali explains with passion the importance of the underpaid, underrated job of teaching. This is a spoken word poem that all junior high and high school teachers in particular will relate to. Check it out on YouTube:

What Teachers Make

Mali, an ex-teacher, is one of the impressive few who succeed in making a living out of poetry and associated work. Find out more at http://www.taylormali.com/

 

LAST LESSON OF THE AFTERNOON ~ D H LAWRENCE

At the other extreme from Mali's What Teachers Make is Lawrence's 1913 poem Last Lesson of the Afternoon. Here, Lawrence nails burn out. Some things never change.
 

Last Lesson of the Afternoon

When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?

How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart,

My pack of unruly hounds! I cannot start

Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt,

I can haul them and urge them no more.

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No longer now can I endure the brunt

Of the books that lie out on the desks; a full threescore

Of several insults of blotted pages, and scrawl

Of slovenly work that they have offered me.

I am sick, and what on earth is the good of it all?

What good to them or me, I cannot see!
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                                              So, shall I take

My last dear fuel of life to heap on my soul

And kindle my will to a flame that shall consume

Their dross of indifference; and take the toll

Of their insults in punishment? – I will not! –

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I will not waste my soul and my strength for this.

What do I care for all that they do amiss!

What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of this

Learning of theirs? It all goes down the same abyss.

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What does it matter to me, if they can write

A description of a dog, or if they can't?

What is the point? To us both, it is all my aunt!

And yet I'm supposed to care, with all my might.

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I do not, and will not; they won't and they don't; and that's all!

I shall keep my strength for myself; they can keep theirs as well.

Why should we beat our heads against the wall

Of each other? I shall sit and wait for the bell.

 

HAIKU, HACKY SACK AND FLUXUS SYNASTHESIA ~ TAYLOR MIGNON

In this entertaining, surreal work, Taylor shares an idea for an innovative, humanistic lesson, and leaves readers wondering how much serious lampooning is wrapped within the whimsy.

Haiku, Hacky Sack and Fluxus Synathesia

If only i could teach the favorites

Haiku and Hacky Sack

Combine both for a special seminar

Each time you kick the bag

You say a line: haiku sack

Hacking and haiku lecturing

Surliest Paul what's his name Eluard

Wrote haiku like verse in French

The wind rolls a spliff, woah dude

Or simpler, each member calls out

Random concrete particulars

If you can do a rainbow

Kicking the footbag over yr head

Back and forth with each foot

While uttering a yugen laden image

Then yr Dr. Haiku Hack King

Conduct as Fluxus performance

Use heavy balloons instead

for a light classroom workout

  

 

 ALMIGHTY ~ A POESSAY BY RYOSUKE SAEKI

'Poessay' is a neologism coined by its inventor, English teacher John Pereira, to denote a short form of writing which combines elements of the poem and the essay. The poessay has generated a lot of discussion, and although it has its critical detractors, is popular with students. My own view is that the best poessays are epigrammatic, and exploit rhetorical features common to that kind of poetic expression. In Almighty, for example, student Ryosuke Saeki deploys basic grammar and vocabulary in parallelism that is impressive from an elementary learner.

 

Almighty

Birds

can fly

but

I

can't

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I

can

use

chopsticks

but

birds can't

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He can

run quickly

but

she can't

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She can

sing well

but

he can't

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No

one

is

almighty