April is National Poetry Month. At school that means several teachers ask me to "do a poetry book talk" for their classes. Somehow, I do not feel I do justice to poetry in fulfilling their requests. I choose an assortment of books, dependent upon the grade level with whom I am speaking. We talk about collections that are written by a poet and those that are a compilation of poems by many poets. I read selected poems to them and highlight others. Today the most popular books were Oops! by Alan Katz, Falling Down the Page by Georgia Heard, and Song of the Water Boatman by Joyce Sidman. I pass the poem in this photograph whenever I park and walk to my favorite bookshop and cafe. It is stamped in the concrete on a street corner in St. Paul, part of the Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk program. I have never been a good dancer, but I love the image.
what a world it would be if all sneakers might have a kiss of tulle every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteCheck out St. Paul's information page about it. There are sidewalk poems all over the city!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me of these poems-in-concrete (as opposed to concrete poems!). I must go see them! Maybe with you!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sure you do a wonderful job of introducing kids to poetry.
I love being surprised by these sidewalk poems when I find them. What a great idea someone had.
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