Weirdly enough I find what I hear here - a mix of condescending,
self-flagellating, and a tweed mix of holier than thou. Gosh. I don't know
what goes on in Australia or the UK, but, at least, here in the States we
have variously good programs of poets working in the schools - of which I
used to do a bunch, in fact, led the start of the first program here in
California. Among the work I have much read over the years, Dominic's
"cloudy" example is a cartoon of a quite ancient history - and the prejudice
against boys doing it and getting recognized for a hot hand/tongue is kaput
- too.
Stephen V
Blog: http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
> Hullo clouds, hullo sky...It's still the same old story, as time goes
> by...poetry is uterly weedy & wet girly stuff as any fule kno.
> mj
>
> Roger Day wrote:
>
>> Oh dear, you must have suffered.
>>
>> On 11/14/05, Dominic Fox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> It starts in infant school.
>>>
>>> You get everyone in the class to say a word - it will usually be an
>>> adjective - that could be used to describe a cloud. Joe says "soft";
>>> Brandon says "fluffy"; Adam says "up in the sky"; Kieran says
>>> "thunderstorms!", and so on. You write the words on the whiteboard,
>>> then you make a poem called "Clouds":
>>>
>>> Clouds are soft.
>>> Clouds are fluffy.
>>> Clouds float up in the sky.
>>> Clouds make thunderstorms!
>>>
>>> That is what making poems is: the search for adjectives and attributes
>>> to associate with some object. Everyone's contribution is included.
>>> The resulting confection is lispily enunciated by the tallest girl in
>>> the class at one of those school assemblies to which parents are
>>> invited. Everyone claps appreciatively.
>>>
>>> Dominic
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> http://www.badstep.net/
>> http://www.cb1poetry.org.uk/
>>
>>
>>
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