Kindness Twists Us Open
Last week, I had a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of dozens of poets and songwriters from the South Education Center, where I am in residence alongside teaching-artists Sagirah Shahid and Brian Laidlaw. With supporting funds from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, we were able to print a gorgeous anthology designed by the one and only Mary Austin Speaker.
In every anthology we print, readers can find a collection of “poem recipes” that help explain how the poems were written and how anyone–especially teachers of neurodivergent students–can write their own. Here is a recipe from Sagirah Shahid for writing a poem about kindness:
Read Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Kindness.” Unpack the ways in which Naomi shows the nuances and complexities of kindness. Next, talk about what kindness means to you personally. How does kindness show up in your life? What are some examples of kindness in your own life? Who was kind to you and how did they show you kindness? How do you show kindness to others? Make a list of these examples of kindness-in-actions. This list can be words you associate with the actions described or things you noticed about the environment while kindness was in-action. Afterwards, pick 3-5 words (nouns or verbs) from Naomi’s poem that you want to learn more about (or that you gravitate towards) and incorporate these words in your own poem about kindness. If possible, use these words as a simile starter kit. Can you use these words to make a comparison about what kindness in-action looks or feels like? Feel free to use the refrain “Kindness is like ____” to get yourself going.
And here is one of my favorite poems in the anthology, written by one of my favorite poets, KL, who will be publishing a chapbook with Unrestricted Editions this spring.
We all, despite a host of righteous angers, want to sing a song about kindness. So many things–even Taco Bell–need it. And sometimes poetry has just the right balance of charm and crunch to bring it forth.
Trumpeting,
Chris