[poetry friday] “I Am Fog” — a Poem Starter

1) If you’re a published poet with an in-print children’s poetry collection available in a printed version, and you’re interested in having a poem used in my Poem Starter series, please see my post from Tuesday!
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2) March Madness Poetry continues, and today, voting is live on the Sweet Sixteen matchups. Only eight pairs of poems to read and vote on, and if you look closely, you’ll see some kidlitosphere friends, like Mary Lee Hahn, Renee LaTulippe, Laura Shovan,?and Buffy Silverman. Read! Love! Vote!
3) This week, my poem is “I Am Fog,” from my book Seed Sower, Hat Thrower: Poems about Weather (A+ Books)
(Capstone, 2008).
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I Am Fog

I gulp headlights
blanket bridges
seep under your skin
until slices of sun
sizzle me away
–by Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

Teachers, if you’re looking for a poetry idea… 

Poem Starter: Listen to the poem “I am Fog,” by Laura Purdie Salas, and then write a poem using alliteration, where you put several words close together that start with the same consonant sound.
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Greg at Gotta Book (ahem, alliteration?) has today’s Poetry Friday roundup – enjoy!
 

42 Responses

  1. Laura:
    Love the genuine look of your videos, the enunciation, and the no-nonsense recitation of the poem.
    Some videos fall flat with self-consciousness and theatrical excess. Not yours.
    Jeanne Poland

  2. Laura:
    Love the genuine look of your videos, the enunciation, and the no-nonsense recitation of the poem.
    Some videos fall flat with self-consciousness and theatrical excess. Not yours.
    Jeanne Poland

  3. I’m also noticing the speed and variety of your on-line posting.
    Your thoughtfulness and sincerity shine through.
    Jeanne

    1. Thanks, Jeanne, for both of your comments. I am terrible at theatrical readings, though I enjoy them from other people (the ones it comes naturally for). I think, just like in my poems themselves, I have to just be me.

  4. I’m also noticing the speed and variety of your on-line posting.
    Your thoughtfulness and sincerity shine through.
    Jeanne

    1. Thanks, Jeanne, for both of your comments. I am terrible at theatrical readings, though I enjoy them from other people (the ones it comes naturally for). I think, just like in my poems themselves, I have to just be me.

  5. Gulp headlights — love it, plus the fabulous energy and word choices in your last two lines. Sizzle — simply brilliant. I had to share this one with my son. And it’s always a bonus to hear you read your work.

  6. Gulp headlights — love it, plus the fabulous energy and word choices in your last two lines. Sizzle — simply brilliant. I had to share this one with my son. And it’s always a bonus to hear you read your work.

  7. Hi, Laura. Would you recommend generating a word bank with younger students first for this lesson?

    Fog poems always remind me of visiting England as a child. Once, the fog was so dense near my grandparents’ home, my grandfather had to get out of the car and walk us down the road to his house!

    1. Sorry, Laura–your comment was gobbled up by the spam filter, and I just found it.

      I love brainstorming word lists first, and also doing group poems first before kids try to write their own. I think that helps enormously all the way through elementary school (and probably beyond, too). I’m keeping the poem starters very general so they can be applied to different ages and writing skill levels, but I think brainstorming–words, facts, sensory details, etc.–is always a great way to start a classroom poem if you have time.

  8. Hi, Laura. Would you recommend generating a word bank with younger students first for this lesson?

    Fog poems always remind me of visiting England as a child. Once, the fog was so dense near my grandparents’ home, my grandfather had to get out of the car and walk us down the road to his house!

    1. Sorry, Laura–your comment was gobbled up by the spam filter, and I just found it.

      I love brainstorming word lists first, and also doing group poems first before kids try to write their own. I think that helps enormously all the way through elementary school (and probably beyond, too). I’m keeping the poem starters very general so they can be applied to different ages and writing skill levels, but I think brainstorming–words, facts, sensory details, etc.–is always a great way to start a classroom poem if you have time.

  9. SHELLY, MARIE AND ME
    I see Shelly Sampson Smith
    Swinging from a tree,
    I hope that by some miracle
    She will look at me.
    I feel my heart about to drop
    When my dog Marie
    Starts to bark and roll around
    For everyone to see,
    Shelly looks up, smiles, then says “Would
    You like to play with me?”
    I say “Sure!” as we run towards her -
    I love my dog Marie.

    © Charles Waters 2013 all rights reserved.

  10. SHELLY, MARIE AND ME
    I see Shelly Sampson Smith
    Swinging from a tree,
    I hope that by some miracle
    She will look at me.
    I feel my heart about to drop
    When my dog Marie
    Starts to bark and roll around
    For everyone to see,
    Shelly looks up, smiles, then says “Would
    You like to play with me?”
    I say “Sure!” as we run towards her -
    I love my dog Marie.

    © Charles Waters 2013 all rights reserved.

  11. Terrific post and poem, Laura! I too am smitten with “gulp” and “sizzle.” LOVE your brief video — perfect for the classroom; an excellent way to illustrate a concept in a very manageable snippet of time. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Terrific post and poem, Laura! I too am smitten with “gulp” and “sizzle.” LOVE your brief video — perfect for the classroom; an excellent way to illustrate a concept in a very manageable snippet of time. Thanks for sharing!

  13. Laura, I enjoyed the point of view of the poem…as if fog was introducing himself to us. These words “gulp headlights and blanket bridges” really speak to what fog does upon his arrival.

    The video will be appreciated by teachers everywhere. I’d love to hear more about your process in choosing these words. Do you make lists, start with words of particular meaning and look for synonyms, or just play until you find the perfect fit?

    Thanks for sharing,
    Cathy

    1. Thanks, Cathy! And thanks for the feedback. Maybe after National Poetry Month, when I share a poem by me, occasionally I’ll post a little about the behind the scenes of the poem I use…

  14. Laura, I enjoyed the point of view of the poem…as if fog was introducing himself to us. These words “gulp headlights and blanket bridges” really speak to what fog does upon his arrival.

    The video will be appreciated by teachers everywhere. I’d love to hear more about your process in choosing these words. Do you make lists, start with words of particular meaning and look for synonyms, or just play until you find the perfect fit?

    Thanks for sharing,
    Cathy

    1. Thanks, Cathy! And thanks for the feedback. Maybe after National Poetry Month, when I share a poem by me, occasionally I’ll post a little about the behind the scenes of the poem I use…

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