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Sharing Things Loved

J's Art teacher has assigned the class an interesting activity. Each student will choose a partner and a poem for this project. They will each create a visual of the poem they have selected. The partner will read the poem while the they hold up their visual and then they switch. I thought this was a great way to introduce poetry appreciation using art as the vehicle.

She asked me to help her choose her poem and I took the opportunity to share some of my favorites with her. Most she did not quite understand yet or thought would be hard to depict visually - but Derek Walcott's Midsummer, Tobago clicked with her right away. It was a moving experience for me to able to share something so close to my heart with her. We talked about my favorite lines and the how Walcott evokes nostalgia ever so magically

 Days I have held,
days I have lost,

days that outgrow, like daughters,
my harbouring arms. 

Ten years from now, when J is all grown up and out in the world, I may remember the day we first  read Walcott together and how it was a fresh strand in our bond.
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