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You are here: Home / Poems for Teachers / Poetry Friday: Evasive Maneuvers (by Billy Collins)

Poetry Friday: Evasive Maneuvers (by Billy Collins)

February 27, 2009 By Laura

 

I headed to southern Minnesota for two days of school visits, which went great. Part of my presentation involves sharing with kids how I was always reading as a kid, even when my parents insisted I go outside to play and get fresh air. I share a picture of me sitting up in a tree, reading a book.

Now I’m snowed in for an extra day because a ginormous snowstorm hit yesterday when I was supposed to drive home. I was driving on a highway able to see nothing in front of me except white and one dimming pair of red taillights (dimming as they quickly covered with ice). It was terrifying. Couldn’t see the road…and meanwhile, as snow was dumping from the sky, it was actually thundering and lightning occasionally too, since I was right near the border of where it switched from thunderstorm to blizzard. It was amazing. And I was much happier once I reached a safe hotel to spend the night!

I pulled out one of the books I brought with me, Ballistics, by Billy Collins. It was a Christmas gift from my husband, Randy. I hadn’t had a chance to read yet, and it was a treat to read some of it over the past couple of quiet nights. This poem in particular made me smile in recognition.

Evasive Maneuvers

I grew up hiding from the other children.
I would break off from the pack
on its patrol of the streets every Saturday

and end up alone behind a hedge
or down a dim hallway in a strange basement.
No one ever came looking for me,
which only added to the excitement.

…

And I hid behind books,
usually one of the volumes of the encyclopedia
that was kept behind glass in a bookcase,
the letters of the alphabet in gold.

Before I knew how to read,
I sat in an armchair in the living room
and turned the pages, without a clue

about the worlds that were pressed
between D and F, M and O, W and Z.

Read the complete poem here.

This poem also made me smile because Randy grew up reading the Book of Knowledge encylopedias over and over again. Which partially explains why he always wins the trivia games.

Karen at Mommy’s Favorite Children’s Books is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup today. Go check it out!

Tagged With: Billy Collins, poems, Poetry Friday, teen/adult poems

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APRIL NEWS

April is busy (which is why I'm late updating this!). Here's a bit of what I'm focusing on. In May, I'll be teaching at two different young authors conferences in Minnesota. More info here and here.

And I'm preparing a bunch of Minnesota library storytimes for this summer! I'll be visiting 3 Dakota County Libraries (MN) with storytimes centered around We Belong and self-worth and identity.

And throughout the summer, author Yvonne Pearson and I will be doing a storytime tour of all 14 branches of the East Central Regional Library system. We're presenting For the Love of Loons, a fun, interactive, and educational storytime about our Minnesota State Bird. Yvonne wrote Little Loon Finds His Voice, and I wrote Secrets of the Loon.

Hope to see you at a summer event! It's lovely to be out connecting with readers again.

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