Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Dove

There is only one page left to write on. I will fill it with words of only one syllable. I love. I have loved. I will love.
~Audrey Niffenegger



Dove by Tim Green


The Dove
by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Out of the sunshine and out of the heat,
Out of the dust of the grimy street,
A song fluttered down in the form of a dove,
And it bore me a message, the one word—Love!

Ah, I was toiling, and oh, I was sad:
I had forgotten the way to be glad.
Now, smiles for my sadness and for my toil, rest
Since the dove fluttered down to its home in my breast!

*******

Have you heard about having a Poetry Escape Room? Sounds like something students would really enjoy! Here are more escape room ideas.

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

19 comments:

jama said...

Love both the quote and the poem, Tabatha. Thanks for the link, too. An escape room sounds wonderful. :)

Anonymous said...

How softly and gently those words flutter down, from The Dove.

Robyn Hood Black said...

Lovely. And - that is innovative, a poetry escape room! This teacher must be a favorite. (I'm too claustrophobic to want to try the whole Escape Room thing, but kudos for creativity!)

Linda B said...

"I had forgotten the way to be glad." It's a lovely poem, small thing, important, too. I'll have to return to check on those 'escape' rooms-intriguing! Thanks, Tabatha!

Tabatha said...

Thanks, all! Robyn, I'm not sure you are too claustrophobic, just because the only time I've ever done one was in my kitchen! And the ones I'm talking about would be done in a regular classroom. They are puzzle-solving games, rather than actually being trapped anywhere.

Robyn Hood Black said...

Ah, well, I could handle that then! Especially if I lived close enough to do one in YOUR kitchen! ;0)

Robyn Hood Black said...

PS - Today's Poem-a-Day from poets.org is "Beyond the Years" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. :0)

Kay said...

I love it all--quote, photo, poem. And the escape room looks like a blast!

Molly Hogan said...

The photo is the perfect accompaniment to Dunbar's poem, which is lovely. Thanks for sharing!

Matt Forrest Esenwine said...

The world would be a better place if more people had songs like that fluttering down into their breasts.

author amok said...

Although Dunbar doesn't use the word "peace" in this poem, I feel it implied here -- settling into the speaker's heart and mind.

Michelle Kogan said...

"The Dove" is gorgeous Tabatha–what a grand poem to read in February, for love, for getting through whatever, and for "remembering to be glad," Thanks!

GatheringBooks said...

I have so many of Audrey Niffeneger's novels - but I have yet to read any of them. I do know her The Night Bookmobile - did you know about that? It's a graphic novel that she illustrated herself - blogged about it here:
https://gatheringbooks.org/2013/04/03/the-night-bookmobile-by-audrey-niffenegger/ - pretty creepy stuff. Nothing like the declaration of LOVELOVELOVE in this beautiful post. :)

Tara said...

Such a wistful poem, Tabatha. I am so intrigued by the idea of a poetry escape room - definitely plotting one for March, our dreariest and most hard to get through school month. Thank you for sharing!

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

There's something so comforting about that last line—a release and relief, a peaceful sigh.

Brenda at FriendlyFairyTales said...

So much depends on the white dove arriving just where it should. An escape room sounds like a sanctuary. Are you escaping from or to? Is there a bit of divine in being alone? Perhaps that's the divine in us all.

Ruth said...

<3

Donna Smith said...

I would have to make that poetry escape room more than what they describe! I want a little place to go...then do the work there maybe. But it sounds more intriguing than it is! I used to bring sheets from home and put them on the student tables to make reading tents some days. I guess that's what I was picturing!
Love this poem.

Jane @ www.raincitylibrarian.ca said...

We've actually done an escape room style program at the library, but never with a poetry theme - what a fun way to help students look at poetry with fresh new eyes!