It’s Poetry Friday!
I was prompted recently to reread Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, remembering the powerful list poem near the end, “Thanksgiving List.” I remember thinking the first time I read it how uplifting it was that among all of the sadness and turmoil, Billie Jo was still able to find much to be thankful for. Out of the Dust is written in verse and is one of those books where I have many pages flagged. Each poem contributes to the story, but many of them can stand alone. One of those is “Boxes” in which Billie Jo recalls the gatherings of her life that her mother packed away. Those two poems by Karen Hesse brought to mind another list poem, “What Shall I Pack in the Box Marked Summer?” by Bobbi Katz that I used in my teaching days. Here are the beginning lines:
A handful of wind that I caught with a kite
A firefly’s flame in the dark of the night
The green grass of June that I tasted with toes
The flowers I knew from the tip of my nose
The clink of the ice cubes in pink lemonade
The fourth of July Independence parade!
…
Inspired to write a list poem about autumn, I reread my daily (almost) snippets for the last few months to recall some of the wonders of autumn I noticed and what I might pack away to remember.
Packing Up Autumn
sapphire skies aching with blue
shadows, long and lacy
days as warm as buttered pancakes
nights, cool and frosty
purple-black juice
on berry-bursting bushes
the mantis nest snug in the dogwood
that one red leaf among the brown
milkweed covered in cotton down
a sliver of moon-glow in a midnight sky
as autumn waves goodbye
Draft, 2024RoseCappelli
Ruth has the roundup today coming all the way from Uganda at her blog here. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.
Imagine the Possibilities 
I love how you went from “Out of the Dust” to “Packing Up Autumn”. We read “Boxes” this week. It’s a wonderful list poem full of so many words that set the tone. The goal for the week has been to write with tone and analyze tone. The kids noticed words like “broken” and “torn” in the list poem. List poems are great for setting a tone. My favorite line of your poem is “milkweed covered in cotton down”. We’ve been collecting the seeds from the milkweed to plant next spring. I’m happy your poem had a happier tone. Poor Billie Joe. After Thanksgiving break, I look forward to leading my students to discover her character change.
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Thanks for the inspiration to reread Out of the Dust, Margaret. I was thinking of you and your students as I read it – there is so much in that book, it could fill a year’s curriculum!
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Oh those “long and lacy” shadows. 🙂 I haven’t written my list poem yet, but I brought your prompt and samples with me. Hoping to stop by the National Writing Project writing room today and get a little bit of writing done. 🙂
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Have a wonderful time at NCTE, Marcie. I always get a bit nostalgic this time of year remembering the many times I attended. Always a great place to learn, meet new friends, and catch up with old ones.
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a gorgeous goodbye, Rose from the very first line!
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Thanks, Patricia!
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Love this. Thanks for the links and the inspiration. A perfect way to say thanks to fall and say a fond farewell.
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Beautiful list poem, Rose!! Made me wistful to see autumn fading away with the holiday rush upon us, and then winter . . . thanks, too for the excerpt of Bobbi’s poem, and mentioning Out of the Dust. It’s been years since I read it, but I do remember that at the time I was so impressed by it — now I’ll have to reread it as you’ve done.
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I proudly retain my copy of “Out Of The Dust’ purchased during my New York days. It was one of the first verse novels I curated. The Bobbi Katz poem is a beauty. As you prepare to pack up Autumn, Rose, I look forward to entering its mellow days next March. The image of long and lacy shadows in your poem is for me, so evocative.
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Thank you, Alan.
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Out of the Dust is such a wonder book. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful list poem about autumn.
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I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never read “Out of the Dust”–I’m heading to the library today! Your poem is lovely –You captured so many evocative images of fall–and Bobbie Katz’s is a delight as well. Both are terrific mentor poems. A well crafted list poem is both accessible and powerful. Thanks for reminding me of that!
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I hope you like Out of the Dust, Molly. Also see if you can find Karen Hesse’s picture book, Come On Rain! Another one I’ll be revisiting.
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Rose, your “snippets” layer to a beautiful box full of fall–from that ache of blue I know so well to that one red leaf among the brown. I guess I’m going to finally get around to reading OUT OF THE DUST–teaching K-2 I never had the right opportunity, but I do now!
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Thanks for reading, Heidi. After you read Out of the Dust, you might also enjoy the picture book Come On, Rain!, also by Karen Hesse.
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Rose, your “snippets” layer to a beautiful box full of fall–from that ache of blue I know so well to that one red leaf among the brown. I guess I’m going to finally get around to reading OUT OF THE DUST–teaching K-2 I never had the right opportunity, but I do now!
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Rose, your “snippets” layer to a beautiful box full of fall–from that ache of blue I know so well to that one red leaf among the brown. I guess I’m going to finally get around to reading OUT OF THE DUST–teaching K-2 I never had the right opportunity, but I do now!
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Rose, your poem is bursting with lush imagery. Some of my favorites:
sapphire skies
days as warm as buttered pancakes
purple-black juice
a sliver of moon-glow in a midnight sky
Gorgeous!
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Thanks, Karen!
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Rose, I love this poem, so filled with vibrant images. The blue sky, the milkweed, the purple berries – are some of my favorites. Thank you for sharing. You’ve inspired me to return to my images of Ireland and see what words I can extract from them. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing your work.
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Thanks, Carol.
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