Art Inspired Poems #2

Here is some of my daughter’s poems from yesterday’s field trip… she is writing her own book of poetry… I think these will be a nice addition.

Art Work- Thunderstorm, 1921
Artist: Arthur G. Dove
Poem Style: OnomatopoeiaDrip

Drop
Boom
Splash
Crash
There goes a tree!
Scary
Squishy
Splat


Art Work: Pier At Blue Point, 1914 (Oil on Canvas)
Artist: William Glackens
Poem Style: Poem of the Senses

I hear in my head waves coming in for the tide.
I see gold in the sand and molting trees.
I taste the salty sea.
I feel squishy dirt beneath my feet.
I smell clean air.


Art Work: End of the Day
Artist: Chihuly
Poem Stlye: Cross Stick

Glaring glass
Laughing people enjoying it
Amazing structure
So beautiful
Stuff inside


Art Work: Untitled sculpture, 1995
Artist: Janusz Walentynowicz

I wonder why he is sleeping on rocks.
Is he cold?
Is he poor?
Where are his parents?

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Art Inspired Poems

The theme of the field trip yesterday was art and poetry. The docents escorted small groups of the children to different works of art. We would have a brief discussion about how to ‘read’ the art and then the docent would instruct the group to create a poem to describe what we saw in the artwork.

Having studied Art Therapy I have visited many museums, but this was by far the best viewing yet. These young girls had brilliant observations and ideas.

Here is a sample of some of my art inspired poems.

Art Work: Wind, 1961
Artist: Agnes Martin
Poem Style: Personification

I am a line like so many others.
I am a line wanting to curve.
I am a line straight and tall.
I am a line hidden in the wall.


Art Work- Thunderstorm, 1921
Artisit: Arthur G. Dove
Poem Style: Onomatopoeia

Boom
Clap
Zap
Ping
Splat
Crash


Art Work: Pier At Blue Point, 1914 (Oil on Canvas)
Artist: William Glackens
Poem Style: Poem of the Senses

I see the elegant ladies on the pier,
But the aroma of brunch beckons me.
I feel the mist of water on my face,
I taste the salty sea.
I hear the flags flapping in the wind,
My heart yearns to be next to the windmill.


Art Work: End of the Day
Artists: Chihuly
Poem Stlye: Cross Stick

Glimmering tails
Loud colors
Amazing creatures
Sitting
Still


Art Work: Untitled sculpture, 1995
Artist: Janusz Walentynowicz

I wonder why he is
Naked
I wonder why he is
Alone
I wonder why he is
Cold
I wonder why he is
Unknown


Art Work: Nocturnal Navigator, 1998
Artist: Alison Sarr
Poem Style: Pantoun

Lady in blue
With head looking up to the sky
I wonder what you do
Wondering why

With head looking up to the sky
Hands offering help to all
Wondering why
The burden you haul

Hands offering help to all
You guide them with your light
The burden you haul
It’s only known to the night

You guide them with your light
I wonder what you do
It’s only known to the night
Lady in blue

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A Dichotomy of Two Realities: Possibility and Homelessness Among Our Children

Do you remember the distinctive sensations of the school bus? I bet that question brought you back to a place and time when all possibilities were on the tips of our fingers; when the world was yours to have!

Yesterday, as I settled in my rigid green seat, all of the familiarity of my school days filled my senses. The pungent aromas of plastic and diesel filled my olfactory system, the steady bouncing of the seats over every tiny morsel in the road was felt throughout my body, the constant chatter of the kids surrounding me—all sent me back to a childhood far away in the recess of my mind. I sat back and enjoyed the moment as we ventured towards the museum of art.

After a few minutes passed I looked out the window to scope the landscape—in all honesty, I was searching for a deer. Somehow, I knew that a deer sighting would send a thrill of excitement through each of the children on board— leaving my daughter feeling exceptional that her mom was the one to find it, BUT that was not what I found.

My heart sank as my eyes found a bright patch of red blanket nestled between three trees not far from the freeway, but exclusive enough that you’d have to be really looking to see him. He lay there with all of his worldly possessions gathered around him; not much for a lifetime that left him gray and tired. He slept without notice from any of the people rushing to their early morning destination. That is no one but me.

I felt profound sadness envelop me. I suppose it was the dichotomy of the two realties I was witnessing; the loss of hope in this man’s weathered life beneath the red tattered blanket versus the world of possibilities at the beckoning of a new generation. How, I wondered, do you go from the bus of all possibilities to the blanket of nothing?

The shrill laughter of innocence snapped my attention from the scene beyond my window—a father in the back of the bus got a trucker to honk the horn of his big red rig. I felt relief as the children got overly excited as the bus driver announced for them to settle down. I felt myself sigh as they experienced excitement … I was relived they didn’t look at my view. I found myself handing over the glory to that son’s father to protect the moment of endless possibilities in the class of 2018.

Today we are experiencing record numbers of families and individuals being displaced from their homes. As I sat in my dichotomy on the bus, I felt gratitude that each of these children in my presence were in school and not on the streets. I felt gratitude that I had a home to offer my own children, warm food on the table, and clean clothing in their closets.

I knew from my professional mental health days that these trees were near the residential facility that housed adults with severe developmental disabilities and the state psychiatric prison. I was certain he was not from either of these facilities, but that it was obvious that he strategically lay there. A survival skill I am sure he mastered over time.

But you should know that a study performed by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty stated that approximately 3.5 million people and 1.35 million children, are likely to experience the humiliation and tragedy of homelessness in a given year.

That needs repeating—1.35 million children are likely to experience homelessness in a given year. How tragic!

Although, this study was done in 2007, I wonder if that number has gone up with the foreclosure and economic crisis within our country. In a time where we, as a country, can suddenly request 1.5 BILLION dollars from a budget to fight a flu ‘epidemic’, how come we cannot afford to keep children from being displaced out of their homes? How can this man be sleeping under a tree on a misty morning unnoticed by so many?

In a recession many things are possible. One thing I have learned from my former career is that the homeless person usually doesn’t signify an uneducated man or woman wandering the streets threatening society. Instead it is usually someone highly educated that has lost a job, experienced mental illness or succumbed to alcoholism. They really are no threat other than ‘a sore eye’ for the viewer.

But what if we become more than the viewer? In a recession, that could happen in an instant; you, me, or worse yet, our children sleeping homeless under that tree.

As a nation of hardworking men and women we should be outraged that bank executives are getting a reported $70 billion in bonuses while innocent families are losing their homes displacing children across the United States.

This isn’t just a problem of a time that will come to pass—the effects of home displacement or homelessness will cause a backlash within these children’s psyche causing more issues down the road.

Many families, like my own, have been forced to one income in the advent of a child with a disability. We pray daily that the remaining income isn’t dissolved through downsizing because of the financial crisis. We try to focus on optimism and cut back to stay afloat. We have limited resources to help our children recover from this numbing diagnosis, so it is hard to imagine that we can contribute to this other crisis occurring within our midst.

However, there are resources available to these individuals and families on a local and national level. Find out what you can do within your means to help bring aid to those in need. A small act of kindness to nurture the essence of possibility within our children and grandchildren is immeasurable.


The Columbus Coalition for Homelessness has a list of Ohio and local resources.

Housing Vouchers Are Critical for Ending Family Homelessness.

Promising Strategies to End Family Homelessness.

National Calition for the Homeless.

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Recipe of the Week: Gluten Free Orange Beef and Rice

1 # Partially frozen iron steak, thinly sliced.

Marinate for an hour in the refrigerator in:
Juice of 4 Clementines
1 t Garlic Powder
1 t Salt
½ t Black Pepper
2 TBL Cumin
Zest of 1 Clementine
1 TBL Better Than Bouilion Boulioin
¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ cup Tamari Sauce

Flash meat in hot pan

Add:
1 cup water
3 cups Freshly Chopped Broccoli Tress
1 White Onion quartered
1 can Chestnuts
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes

Serve with steamed white rice or rice noodles.

Can easily substitute tofu or chicken in this flavorful dish.

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At What Length Would You Go For Your Child?

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A Moment in the Park: Do our children remember before they were? Do they remember other souls?

We all needed to escape the many pressures of life. We packed our water bottles, put on our hiking boots, and headed to the park. We all seemed to instantaneously absorb all the energy nature had to offer.

For a day, the jungle gyms were just manmade three dimensional works of art decorating the park in the distance; primary colored abstracts that did not beckon. Instead, freedom filled the children as they ran through the field of dandelions. The bouquet they created made you wonder why anyone wanted to rid such beauty from their yards; each individually picked after careful consideration.

The river was high and her force rushed the canoes past us as the girls ran giggleing up the bank. They stopped to climb a tree, skip rocks across the river and smell different wild flowers. Their spirits were definitely being filled by the many attributes of nature.

As we ventured forward, Sahara stopped and abruptly turned around. We all turned to see what else nature was offering her spirit today.

We were stunned to see this elderly lady being pushed in a wheelchair.

Without hesitation she walked up to her and said, “Hi!” They immediately became enamored by one another. She placed her little hand gently on the woman’s hand and walked beside her.

I was amazed at the calmness, the eye contact, and the verbal exchange; all things foreign in the world of autism. But somehow, in this moment, all of the constructs vanished and they merged together offering (without expectation) what the other needed.

The woman beamed at the innocence of a four year old, while Sahara beamed with the wisdom of an eighty-four year old. The chattered together… I am sure that somehow this woman was able to understand the jumbled words that flowed from Sahara. As they parted ways the woman quietly said, “I am sure I will bump into you again.” Sahara smiled and said, “ba-bye.”

A moment suspended in the timeless nature of the park ended. The girls walked ahead of us on the path as we were left in the quiet wake of a moment we were sure had been cosmic; a moment where two souls either reunited or united, maybe both.

There was a chemistry that made even the most skeptical understand that somehow we are all connected and have possibly known each other in another time and place. I wonder if anyone else notices these moments with their children.

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Simple Steps to Improve Your Air Quality

It is not a secret that the air we breathe is more contaminated now than ever.

Here is a thought:

Look at the horizon and up into the sky... Do you see smoke stacks? Power Plants? Jets? Trails of pretty white smoke?

Now look down the road in your communities… Do you see cars? Lawn Mowers? Chimneys?

Have you ever thought about where the vapors, smoke and gas go? It has to go somewhere —it does not just magically disappear.

I suggest that we are inhaling all of this pollution with every breath we take and that they are lacing our foods as they settle across our farms. I also suggest that these particles are being trapped within our homes.

If everyone made an effort to change a few things they do the air quality in your home could improve. I have found that taking small simple steps will help prevent or clean up the residue left behind. Here are some suggestions that you can consider doing to make the air you breathe healthier.

1) Walk or ride your bike to local activities.

2) Car Pool to work or school.

3) Use a push reel mower to cut your lawn. (lawn mowers emit more toxins than a car.)

4) Open your window in each room at least 5 minutes a day.

5) Use a hepa filtered vacuum cleaner.

6) Invest in an air purifier for your home and office.

7) Add folage indoors... plants help clean the air.

9) Use non-toxic cleansers.

8) Remove your shoes before entering your house to eliminate contamination from the bottom of your shoes.

10) Knowledge is power... There are valuable products designed to fight against this pollution and free radicals... research them and start using them.

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