Poetry

The sound of my kids voices retelling their favorite poems is such a thrill to me. The inflection of their voice adds to the words, bringing them alive and carrying me or whoever is listening into the tale. My start with poetry memorization wasn't as loved!

As a young girl of about seven or eight years, my mom MADE me memorize a poem. I believed it to be pure drudgery and would have rather spent the time reading the book from which the poem was selected in the quiet of my room. I can actually remember standing, shoulders slumped, while going through the poem line by line. The poem itself was titled 'Gathering Leaves' by Robert Frost. It was quite short (compared to those my kids are memorizing... shhhhh, don't tell them!) and when I had it memorized, she recorded me on cassette tape to memorialize the feat.

Gathering Leaves
by Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

At the time, I didn't see the point in memorizing a poem. But since parts of the poem have stuck with me all these years, I've realized that there is worth. It brings a happy picture into my mind each time I think of even the title, and I remember the rhythm of the words.

Although my knowledge of his work is small, Robert Frost has become one of my favorite poets. 'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening' has been memorized by both Dash and Angelina, and I look forward to Zeke's turn. The poem has been illustrated in this book... the pictures are stunning and completely capture the words written.