Provocations Poems
The following texts are collaborative poems. They are a mash-up of teacher thoughts and reflections inspired by a series of reflective prompts shared with educators across the province. It was a joyful exercise in word play to give some shape and form to the wonderings, metaphors, and insights so generously shared with us. To the fifteen anonymous authors, thank you. We hope you see yourself represented here, alongside your poet peers. Enjoy!
Feeling Community
Rediscovering humanity
Offering shelter
Drawing the circle wide
Moving from tentative to courageous
Dreaming the future
Eating blindfolded at a buffet
Mapping possible journeys
Holding a paintbrush
Inviting silence
Seeing the other
Feeling community
Knowing we matter
Exposed
Vulnerable
Truthful
Joy
Shelter from the Storm
Teaching drama is like…
Guiding water
Or dancing under a tree that is shedding its leaves.
Drama can offer shelter from the storm
It is a journey from the tentative to the courageous.
We dream the future
We touch infinity and nothing, at once.
We rediscover our humanity and ride a roller coaster with the stars.
Let’s unwrap the gifts of drama.
And if you don’t mind, please take your shoes off. Thank you!
To Feel, to Think, to Reach
Dance is…
A mapping of possible journeys
It is a foreign language that sounds familiar
To dance is
to reach inside a poem
to paint
to unlock secrets
to feel though your body
to think with your body
Sometimes to dance is to be lost in the woods
Teaching dance is a sharing of my authentic self with my students
Storied Spaces
Stories need silence
You need to know how deeply to share
And when
You need to be willing to be vulnerable
Truthful
Courageous
And exposed
Once you turn on the tap, once you share
The story isn’t yours anymore
When we share stories, we see that we walk amongst humanity’s greatest failures
everyday
We learn that we must choose to live among them and grow beyond them
We hear the hurt.
The hardest thing about sharing stories is the fear of being judged.
Everywhere
Stories are life maps,
Not thumbs or tools or complex thought
They are our collective history
Skeletal
Everywhere
The heart of our relationships with others
Stories are what connects us
Stories are big
Holding Space
To be present
To withhold judgement
To validate our students
To make room for heart connections.
Can we invite silence?
Can we encourage engagement with others?
Can we act locally so we can learn how to act globally?
Can we make space for mistakes?
For growth?
For compassion?
Can we create under any circumstances?