Friday, February 19, 2016

Pouring the whole of itself into each moment

Because children grow up, we think a child's purpose is to grow up. But a child's purpose is to be a child. Nature doesn't disdain what lives only for a day. It pours the whole of itself into each moment. We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last.
~Tom Stoppard


More poem-song matches today! I used Laura Shovan's The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary as my starting point.


I matched Tyler's "My Song" with NeedToBreathe's "Brother" featuring Gavin DeGraw. Not because they are the same, but because Tyler could really use someone to be his shelter.

October 14
MY SONG
Tyler La Roche

New kid, new kid,
what’s your name?
Are you cool
or are you lame?
Wild as a bear
or calm and tame?
New kid, new kid, new kid.

Big guy, sky high,
where you from?
Mansion, farm,
or city slum?
Are you smart
or are you dumb?
New kid, new kid, new kid.

Red head, white bread,
Why are you here?
Your lunch smells funny
and your accent’s weird.
How about you
disappear?
New kid, new kid, new kid.



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I made the next match because there was something about Ben's about-to-bust-loose rhythm in "Percussion Poem" that made me think of Moncayo's Huapango.

September 5
PERCUSSION POEM
Ben Kidwell

Every time
I try to write a poem,
the pencil goes
scritch a scratch.

My pencils
tick a tack
drumbeats
on my desk.

My feet boom
badoom
the floor
like a heartbeat
always moving.

My words
take up a rhythm
like the wind
blowing outside.

Scritch a scratch
Tick a tack
Boom badoom
Outside outside


How can I write
when everything around
makes an interesting
sound?



Thank you to Laura for giving me permission to share her poems here!

***********

Donna at Mainely Write has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Donna!

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing more spot-on multi-media match-ups. On its own, I especially found the first poem matching itself up in my mind with Barbara Cohen's "Molly's Pilgrim." God bless you! Thank you!

Author Amok said...

Oh, Tabatha. Thank you! I love "Brother." It's such a wonderful song for Tyler's character. I can imagine him singing this as a duet with Mark.

Linda B said...

You introduce me to such wonderful music, Tabatha, and this time I get to read two of Laura's wonderful poems, too. I am really looking forward to her book.

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

How wonderful to finally get a taste of Laura's book, and enhanced by your musical pairings no less. Lucky day!

Margaret Simon said...

Thanks for sharing two of Laura's poems. I can't wait for the release. Your match ups amaze me. You have such an amazing knowledge of music.

Violet N. said...

I love these Tabatha. And thanks too for giving us a glimpse into Laura's book.

Carol said...

I love these song poem matchups. And I can't wait to read EMERSON STREET. Should I admit that each poem brought to mind a particular kid in our current sixth grade class???

Heidi Mordhorst said...

I agree--finally to get under the cover of Laura's book! That orchestral piece was very exciting, and both music matches were pretty spot on,I think. (Daisy's fine but maybe it was a short sharp shock of virus--took longer to recover than I expected, but she's fine now and kicking SAT butt this morning.)

Bridget Magee said...

Oooh, great pairings and we get to see a bit of Laura's book! Yay!

Catherine said...

Wow! Both of these pairings are perfect, Tabatha. "Brother" is such a powerful song, and you're right. It does sound like Tyler needs "someone to be his shelter." And watching those violin bows dance across the strings in perfect synchronicity is mesmerizing. Thanks you for sharing, and for giving us a preview of Laura's new book. Can't wait to read it!

Joy said...

Tabatha,
I'm so enjoying your pairings project. What fun. And thank you for introducing me to some new music.

jama said...

Thanks for once again broadening my musical knowledge. Nice to see another poem from Laura's new book. :)