Writing a List Poem based on "A Note"
Beginning with "Life is the only way," write your own list poem using "A Note" as a model. Your poem must use the same (with minor variations) number of words and structure as Szymborska's. Use what you learned this week to compose a stronger poem.
Try to find a rhythm to the words you choose (note the number of syllables as well as the number of words). Be careful to punctuate exactly the same way and be aware of how the poet has used punctuation to divide and compare ideas. Post a copy of your poem to the blog before coming to Wednesday's class.
Be prepared to do a recital of your poem (please practice ahead of time!) and speak for one to two minutes on the process you followed and any difficulties you experienced. Marks will be assigned as follows: quality of poem—50%; recital—25%; remarks on process—25%. Marks will be entered as a Unit Test, so do your best!
NOTE: Check your formatting carefully after copy and pasting your poem. You'll need to add spacing. Try to have your poem look exactly the same as the original handout if you can!
30 comments:
Another Teacher’s Note
Life is the only way
to meet students in class,
greet the ones who come first,
begin the day;
to try my best,
or fail in some way;
to mark work
from everyone who came;
to believe in the best,
struggle again,
to find ways to show all possible mistakes.
A beautiful experience
to savour just one more time
a graduation held
with the students I’ve taught;
and if only once
to question a choice of test,
end up changing everything once again,
forget my key in the slot;
and to laugh with all the people who shared time;
and to keep on with teaching
something essential.
—Brad Hyde; 11th version
A Note
Life is the only way
to drive a car on roads,
see trees on sides back away,
keep high speed;
to be a wind,
or disappear in the air;
to feel fly
in my imaginary mind;
to forget any worries,
relax a while
to calm down my fragile and restless heart
A wonderful moment
to escape from daily boring life
on a happy journey
without stubborn boss and husband;
and if only once
to floor the gas pedal hard,
end up missing control and soul out of body,
lose consciousness in the seat;
and to feel extreme pain after awakening;
and to keep on with knowing
someone important.
Nature’s Gifts
Life is the only way
to sail around the ocean,
enjoy the scent of pine trees,
experience nature;
to be a fish,
or dance under soft water;
to find the truth
from everything it’s not,
to find your happiness,
follow your dreams,
to remember to have wishes.
An extraordinary chance
to reminisce for a moment
a thought about God
that makes my heart smile;
and if only once
to encounter a barrier,
make sure to dissect the causes,
wonder about the beauty of nature;
and keep reminding ourselves He loves his creatures;
and to keep knowing
someone important.
Life is the only way
to share ice creams in winter days,
enjoy the shivers in the wind,
purge my mind;
to be a child,
or smooth her unkempt hair;
to enjoy fun
from everything it's not;
to hide inside imaginary forts,
tense our senses,
to get ready for next fierce assaults.
A wonderful time
to remember for an instant
the goofy songs
with giggles and out of tune;
and if only once
to fall into the guilt,
end up sunk in one self-doubt or another,
lose my patience over mediating quarrels;
and to hope teaching them love that will last a lifetime;
and to keep on cherishing
something important.
A Note
Life is the only way
to jog in a windy day,
catch your breath by adjusting,
footstep is heavy;
to cross Moody Park,
or round Burnaby Lake;
to think surrendering
from the beginning to the end;
to pant with the effort,
climbing rapidly,
to feel the heart pumping in the chest;
An occasional moment
to remember a song’s fragment
a music rang
in my mind with joyous rhythm;
and if only once
to want to give up,
regret to leave the warm and comfortable room ,
exhausted through the whole body ;
but to insist on running in the bad weather;
and to keep on with doing
something important.
A Note
Life is the only way
to travel on the road,
hold your breath to the beauty,
burst into tears;
to be a river,
or watch it down to the sea;
to feel peace
through the darkness to the dawn;
to choose a destination,
clench the wheel,
to start a journey of all possible adventures.
A marvelous chance
to remember once again
a blessed trip
as the best way to encounter oneself;
and if only once
to lose sense of direction,
end up depressed in one lonely night,
lose my faith in the endless road;
and to stop feeling the world with my heart;
or to pick up the pace going
somewhere promising.
A Note
Life is the only way
to dance in the wind,
feel the snowflakes melting on your nose,
Awaken with warmth;
to be alive,
or search for its meaning;
to find life
inside a drop of rain;
to wander into the wild,
open to possibilities,
to seek what mother nature has to offer.
An extraordinary chance
to remember a face
you once held dear
in the reflection of the lake;
and if only once
to fall on your knees,
end up lost from one path or another,
find your strength in the snow;
and to follow Polaris shining above the sky;
and to keep on searching for
something important.
A note
Life is the only way
to learn to write a poem,
muse on the stanzas,
free my mind;
to be an eagle,
or spread its flying wings;
to tell sense
from everything it’s not;
to follow rhythms of my heart,
find new strengths,
to seek the key of all possible beauties.
An extraordinary chance
to remember for a moment
a choice made at a fork in the road of life;
and if only once
to stumble upon a stone,
end up exhausted in one dessert or another,
lose my passion for continuing,
and to wander to other things at the table,
and to keep on with writing
something important
Life is the only way
to live in wet weather Vancouver,
blow warmth breath in the rain,
damp on shoulders;
to be an umbrella,
or shelter from the rain;
to know importance
from the first rain after the summer;
to learn a new etiquette,
considerate of others,
to carry an umbrella with all possible days.
An extra ordinary chance
to remember the wild nature
on a block road
see the reclining tree trunks;
and if only once
to struggle with the power outage,
light up a candle to have a romantic moments,
forget about an uneasy feelings;
and to feel a coziness in the dark with blankets;
and to keep on with dreaming
something important.
A Note
Life is the only way
to be held in your arms,
feel the rhythm of your heartbeat,
catch the love;
to be a butterfly,
or to be free as one;
to be strong
when fear finds you;
to forget the fear,
fly as high,
to find the secret of life in nature.
A wonderful moment
to remember all the joy
we had together
close up my eyes try not cry;
and if only once
to think of losing you,
end up with broken heart inside me,
lose hope in finding you again;
and to wonder if it’s time to change my direction;
or to keep on searching for
someone important.
(110_words)
A Note
Life is the only way
to ski down a hill,
feel the drum in my chest,
afraid of height;
to join my family,
or wait in a cafeteria;
to be blind
when sky is so bright;
to catch my family,
down the bottom,
to go as fast as I can without falling.
A wonderful moment
to remember the scenery
we sat together
on a quad chair lift to the top;
and if only once
to lose control and fall hard,
end up losing one ski and hurting my back,
lose my passion for skiing;
and to swallow my tears back as I get up;
and to keep on with skiing
something important.
Life is the only way
to look into the meteor,
glare your eyes on air,
fly on tear;
to be a star,
or reflect its fiery flare;
to tell joy,
from everything it’s not;
to travel through the milky way,
cross the summit,
to land my soul on the farthest day;
A marvelous chance
to remember for a moment
a heartbeat pounds
with a distance getting close;
and if only once
to appear in the space,
end up glowed in one round or another,
misled your way in the sky;
and to carry a mission impossible with your eyes;
and to keep on not missing
something important.
A Note
Life is the only way
to feel her warm love,
lose my breath to her touch,
rise and fall;
to be a fool,
or love her until death;
to be free,
when i fall into abyss
to forget the pain,
wash it all away,
to find the strength to pick her up again.
An interesting time
to reminisce for a moment
the time we wasted
that was a blessing and a curse;
and if only once
to make the same mistake
give it all away to feel your love again
lost myself in on the way;
and to save myself before I dug too deep
and to keep on living for
something worthwhile
Life is the only way
to meet my lovely kids,
reach my limit every day,
accept our destiny together;
to be your maid,
Or to be your god;
to know your need
from everything that’s not;
to step on scattered LEGOs,
bear unbearable pain,
to know, for you, it was worth it.
A wonderful opportunity
to remember all the moments
you fought
for a seat on my lap;
and if only once
to feel helpless to protect you,
rush into the hospital crying hard and wondering,
lose confidence on parenting often;
and to stop talking with the ugly one inside of me;
and to keep my head up for
something precious.
Life is the only way
to study knowledge in school,
take out books from my backpack,
start the day;
to try to do better,
or lose my confidence;
to work hard
from everything it’s not;
to believe in my teacher,
struggle one more time,
to do my best to correct all my mistakes.
An excited experience
to remember every moment
a presentation held
with my nervous mood;
and if only once
to give up after failing,
end up defeated by the fear inside my heart,
lose my passion for learning;
and to wonder if I can travel through time;
and to keep on with studying
something important.
(108words)
A Note
Life is the only way
to do my daily homework,
no matter like it or not,
rack my brain;
to be a learner
or squeeze word by word;
to taste life
from every piece of work;
to recall the old times,
share in paper,
to reach the most of all possible perfect.
An exciting moment
to remember for a while
a great idea jumped
from my exhausted mind;
and if only once
to get stuck on a word,
end up losing my patience for continuing,
goes blank when facing a test;
and to struggle with sentences before it’s too late;
and to keep on figuring out
something unique.
（110 words）
Life is the only way
to walk trails in the forest,
listen a bird’s chirpings,
take a breath;
to be a tree,
or make shades for people;
to feel free
from everything it’s not;
to climb up the mountain,
control the pace,
to enjoy the sense of accomplishment.
An extraordinary chance
to remember for a moment
on top of the mountain
after long hard walking;
and if only once
to give up climbing up,
end up missing the top and the wide world,
lose my willingness for challenging;
and to think how much I am a vulnerable person;
and to keep on walking for
somewhere important.
Note for a Adventure
Life is the only way
to listen to the waves at quiet nights,
breathe deeply on the middle of Sea,
catch rhythms of deep water;
to be a whale,
or squeeze under the black water;
to be blind
when covered by dark;
to avoid the stress,
dawdle in views,
to seek the secret of the enormous Sea;
A marvelous chance
to remember a wild fawn
on a mangrove forest
with daylight fading away;
and if only once
to think if it’s attack by storm,
find the save Canal to stop the boat in windy night,
forget about the natural monster;
and to feel shivering on chilly wind as I descend;
and to keep on searching
something important.
--Roxana Khan,
(remembering the year of my journey: December 2007)
A Note
Life is the only way
to wake up each day,
catch the perfect sunrise,
blink with lights;
to be a bird,
or watch it fly high;
to know loss
from past’s childish mishaps;
to meet different people,
greet with smile,
to make every single moment memorable.
An exceptional chance
to cherish for quite awhile
a connection made
with a shake of hands;
and if only once
to forget life’s main reason,
end up running in circles or treason,
lose hope in all things beautiful;
and to inspire other’s before time runs out;
and to keep on wishing
someone important.
- Mariel Madrigal
A Survivor Note
Life is the only way
to run under the rain,
escaping from the agony,
breathe out pain;
to be a slave
or fight until last beat;
to tell vows
from everything it is not;
to stand up against crime,
fear of duress,
to pursue liberty for all of mankind.
An extraordinary anger
that fills the heart with despise
of promises been made
by selfish regime;
and if only once,
have the courage to speak up,
end up losing their beloved family,
refuse to accept injustice;
and to seek freedom from powerful tyrants;
and to keep on searching for
a glimpse of bright hope.
A Note
Life is the only way
to get captured in sights,
catch the memory of where or when,
rise on wings;
to be an eagle,
or soar with graceful ease;
to tell globe
from everything it’s not;
where dust never raises,
the light of rays,
in the sweet-scented sensuous air.
An extraordinary chance
to come out of your strife
a communication said
the secret of my life;
and if only once
to lift up my eyes,
up over it’s crosses and graves or otherwise
future is a sheet of blank paper;
and to follow life on the landscape of more frank;
and to feel it not looking
something beautiful.
A Note to Myself
Life is the only way
to enjoy the nature's bounties,
sit in the heart of nature,
enjoy its limits;
to be a child,
or enjoy in mother's lap;
to narrate experience
from the past;
to undertake responsibilities,
lost in liabilities,
to induldge in the unending explorations.
Some special moments
to reminisce for a life time
a good deal made
with the like- minded crowd;
and in one birth
to try hand on revelation,
hidden inside the recesses of soul,
consult once yours inner instincts;
and to look inside the heart's deep needs;
and to move from known to unknown
once a lifetime.
A Note
Life is the only way
to be a gardener,
sweat into clothes under the sun,
turn over the earth.
to make a plot,
or let plants wildly develop;
to know the nature
control every harvest;
to look for new species,
highlight my arch,
to expand the spring colour on the path.
A daunting moment
to remove a camellia
beside the cedars
that's a memory of your neighbour;
and if only once
to give up after failing,
end up blossom to fill up your paradise,
lose your passion for disaster;
and to wonder if it's time to store your shovel;
or to keep on growing
something you love.
life is the only way
to walk in the garden,
smell the fresh flowers,
touch the dew;
to be an eagle,
or watch it soar high;
to whisper softly
even in the traffic noise;
to wander on the trails,
see the colors,
as new buds bloom into young flowers.
Those special moments
which last a lifetime
of happiness and smiles
under the open skies;
and to see someone
with a happy expression ,
exchanging cheer with unspoken words,
forgetting my plan for the day;
and with the Sun guiding my dreamy time;
and to keep off the mundane
for something more precious.
Life is the only way
To enjoy your warm presence,
Feel the loving arms around me,
Melts my heart;
To mourn rapid departure,
Or celebrate life;
To envision memories
From dawn to dusk;
To accept the reality,
Reduce the denial,
To pray for strength to calm us.
A painful moment
To tempt us once again
Christmas just around
Hope the broken hurts gets mended;
And if only,
To come back,
End up giving all my love,
Lose my busy schedule;
And learn your good virtue before leaving;
And to keep on cherishing
Something important.
98 words
A Note
Life is the only way
to breathe in a fresh idea,
Turn on the inspiration in your head,
See the bulb bright;
To be accomplished,
or learn from mistakes;
To look for ideas
from any single task;
To quest throughout life,
Find nuggets of value,
To search for growth of confidence and pride.
A wonderful moment
To remember the past lessons
of learning continuously
Without expecting the outcome exactly as dreamed;
And If only once
To give up after failing,
End up as a broken-winged bird inside you,
Lose my voice the the world;
And to feel frustrated in front of the people;
Or to keep on learning
Something inspiring;
A Note
Life is the only way
to get lost in the maze,
feel left behind the people,
scream to sea;
to be a bird,
or catch it without hurt;
to move on
from everything it hurts;
to learn from past,
make no mistake,
to be smart in the future life.
A painful moment
to remember all the time
the stupid decisions
that I made long time ago;
and if only once
to make a right decision,
end up without regret would be great,
wander around to seek a destination;
and to make up my mind before it’s too late;
and to keep going with twice thinking
something important.
“A Note”
Life is the only way
to wake up in his arms,
feel his breath on my face,
warm and cool;
to be a mother,
or love soul piece until death;
to feel pain
from everything it’s not;
to sleep with open eyes,
dream for peace,
to make their future bright.
A wonderful opportunity
to remember all the feelings
baby movements
for food in my stomach;
and if only once
to feel helpless for my sweet heart,
to make a decision not to marry him,
lost my hope for study;
and to confuse if it’s big mistake in life;
or to keep going with family
something precious.
Sarjeevan kaur English 12 am
Here I Am
Love playing catch with my older brother in the garden beside over childhood house, crying and
arguing with my younger sister for candies in front of mom at the neighbor shop, going to school with our heavy packs on our bicycles, those feeling shows to wonderful memories of childhood.
Loved those streets I use to play, but now I can’t find my way.
Loved my parent’s arms held me strong, it always felt that nothing could go wrong, but now they are far away.
Look at life as a rainbow; make a beautiful color in the life and just go.
- 100 words (February 2016; English 12 student)
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