I’ve been writing a small poem each day in October using the Inktober prompt for the day. For yesterday’s word, splat, I went to a favorite inspiration post: “141 Ways to Play, Process, Stretch, Express, Disrupt Words and Form”. I randomly chose one from Andy Schoenborn. It was to write a story in 100 one-syllable words, and then add line breaks and enjambment to make a poem to help the reader pause.
Instead of a 100-word story, I wrote a prayer. It breaks my heart each day to see such effort to get school back to “normal”, when some parts of normal weren’t all that great.
A Prayer for School Change
How can things change
so much? We were just fine,
and then we weren’t. Splat,
like a moth that hit
a fast car, school stopped. Now,
we try to pick up
the cracked and rent
bits
and put them back
as they were.
But,
can we just stop
and find a new way?
A fine way to be
in this world.
Please,
Lord, help us give voice
to kids who do not yet
have one. Help us make
rules that just give
life. May the kids be free
to catch a glimpse of
who they can be.
So be it.
On another note, Blooket came through and added Hoor’s name to their computer system:
Amen. The old school normal wasn’t a good normal for many. We should all be making this prayer for change a reality.
Thanks for this post. How did this resource escape my notice? Love the 100 word prompt and how you made it work as a much needed prayer for our times. Today as I consider gratitude, I am grateful for this community that has allowed me to meet you when in real time, that would never have been possible.
Denise, what a heartfelt and sincerely shared prayer! To be able to breathe, to discover, to read, to question without fear of hate. School indeed could be a better concept and way of learning. Beautiful!
Interestingly, the anti spam word I had to type in was “thrash be.” The universe is listening.
Amen and amen!
Hi Denise, I’ve been thinking about this very thing. Strangely, I feel like a moth or a fly, on the outside, watching, now that I’m retired – but it feels as if the pandemic has provided this opportunity to ‘do over’ well…and we’re missing the opportunity. I like these lines especially,
“can we just stop
and find a new way?
A fine way to be
in this world.”
May the kids be free
to catch a glimpse of
who they can be.
Amen and amen.
Preach! (Or should I say pray.) When the pandemic began I thought we might have the perfect opportunity to let go of some of the parts of education that really weren’t working for children, but it seemed those were the first to get picked back up. I will continue to hope that we can find our way.
Also, thanks for the resource! I had no idea.