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Tag Archives: Dance
A Haiku for Robin
Robin
Pelican Project Salute
In July 2000 New Dance Horizons in Regina Saskatchewan put together a presentation for “Dance and the Child International”. It consisted of dance, song and poetry performed by about thirty young people many from Canada’s First Nations. I had the privilege of coaching and guiding them as they wrote their own poems.
This is the story of the teachers and young people involved.
THANKSGIVING POEM: HOW TO
Wanting to bring you along on the journey
THANKSGIVING POEM: HOW TO
Don’t write right away, but soon.
Watch the leaves and the light fully
Connect – allow – relax – delight.
Too quick is a tourist in a selfie,
Taj Mahal untended over left shoulder.
Wait too long and the phone will ring
Write a few hundred poems before – good and bad,
so fear of the water doesn’t keep you on shore
And how about a title throwing two shadows
(as Mary Oliver encourages)
an easy one here with movement and the season
Do not say leaves look toward the sun, an object,
but towards the rising of the sun, an event
one more evocative of motion
Note the angle of the sun,
so low on the horizon that is shines upwards
into the twisting, twirling, falling leaves,
as they lift at times in slightly gusting breeze
If pirouetting is what you see, bring the ballet in
And gratitude, of course, and on what day
A FALL MOMENT – Poem expanded – adding some angles
Poem expanded – adding some angles
A FALL MOMENT
Austin, Nov. 27, 2014
The ancient elm, shaking herself awake
releases a shower of small golden leaves
Turning each edge to the rising of sun
they dance in a small breeze ballet
Some cheekily exposing cheeks
some shyly turning away
some reaching back to momma tree
some rushing to grace the ground
some hanging in hesitant suspension
If it were not Thanksgiving day
I would be grateful anyway
A FALL MOMENT – Second try – one less line
A FALL MOMENT –
Second try – one less line
The ancient elm, shaking herself awake
releases a shower of small golden leaves
Turning each edge to the rising of sun
they dance in a small breeze ballet
If it were not Thanksgiving day
I would be grateful anyway
A FALL MOMENT – First poem – written within the hour
First poem – written within the hour
A FALL MOMENT
The ancient cedar elm next door
in shaking herself awake
releases a shower of small golden leaves
Turning each edge to the rising of sun
they dance in a small breeze ballet
If it were not Thanksgiving day
I would be grateful anyway
LUNCH COUNTER TRANSFERENCE
LUNCH COUNTER TRANSFERENCE
Sitting across from Robin
As lovely and graceful a dancer
as every you’d want to see
and highly over-valued
by a two-left-footer like me
What a pleasant surprise
through the golden shadows to see
that she likewise over-values
those who write poetry
AMELIA IN FLIGHT
AMELIA IN FLIGHT
Amelia in this life
you have had wings on your feet
Wings that have taken you skyward in dance
Wings that have taken you away from these
prairies
and wings that have brought you back
In this life Amelia
you have taught so many of us to fly
If you go on to other wings
we must go on to other teachers
and to other students
Each with the gift you have given us
Each with a sacred feather