Category Archives: Poetry

Poem: Erratic Muse

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Erratic Muse

This poem originated from an inquiry research article by Wendy T and friends, which they presented at a conference. The inquiry had to do with using GenAI for playful explorations. (see research article – it’s worth your time for the way they reflected on how GenAI might be useful and not for making art).

I popped their article into ChatPDF this morning, and chatted with the GenAI about the piece about human agency, making art and GenAI, and ended with a request for phrases and terms that it could find that I could use in a poem on the theme of the article. (you can do the same, with this link.)

I then took those terms (there were about 20 or so) and whittled them into a poem, adding AI artwork from Adobe Firefly.

Peace (and poems),
Kevin

Open Write: Five Days/Five Poems

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Words, Delayed By Snow

I joined in for this month’s Open Write at Ethical ELA (although I came a day late and stayed a day longer with my poetry writing). It was another interesting round of poetry prompts.

The open above is in the form of a Naani (Indian) poem, and a form I was not familiar with. It’s sort of like a Haiku in terms of character limitations, but a bit more open in structure. I wrote about waiting for the call on a wintry day (which came minutes after I finished writing the poem).

This next poem was prompted to rethink a person in your orbit. I had a student in mind.

Chessboard

A “why?” poem had me pondering why I write songs.

Why Write SongsThe prompt I missed and then returned to suggests using fictional characters from a book, put into some recent situation or technology theme. I used the main characters from Jake Burt’s The Right Hook Of Devin Velma, which we are reading in class, and it already has a social media theme to it.

Saving Devin's Dad

And this was another school-related poem, retold of an incident that a colleague shared.

Paper Horn Of Plenty
I look forward to next month’s five days of Open Write.

Peace (and poems),
Kevin

Roots (Still) Take Hold

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I revisited this poem last year with an art adventure with Simon, and now with Sarah and others thinking of launching a Rhizomatic Learning for 2024, I went back, and did another version. Why? The poem captures for me a moment in Rhizo14 that anchors me in that learning time, and makes me wonder at what we can do now, ten years later.

Peace (Digging Deep),
Kevin

PS — hat nod to Dave Cormier’s long tail in helping many of us to learn in open spaces … or is it his long tale?

Radio Poem

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Radio Poem

This morning’s Daily Create was to listen to the radio, and grab some lyrics, and then make a poem. I used an online radio streaming site, bounced around, and grabbed some words.

Peace (and sound),
Kevin

Gathering Poems: Write Across America (Baltimore)

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I have shared some of these poems during the days I wrote them, but I wanted to gather them together. These are all inspired by the National Writing Project’s Write Across America: Baltimore marathon. I mostly ignored the official prompts and instead, focused on the artist and their work.

Peace (and poems and place),
Kevin

Jazz Music and MLK Jr.: A Found Poem

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MLK Jazz Poem

My wife and I were at a music club last night, listening to two very fun jazz bands. One of the band leaders noted that in 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the Berlin Jazz Festival with a short speech connecting Jazz music to Civil Rights, and the power of the arts and expression. The band leader read a few lines of the speech and I was intrigued, so I found the speech this morning.

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down. – MLK Jr.

I used a section of the speech for a found poem with a blackout poem platform, for this Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Peace (and poems),
Kevin

Poetry: Clay Face

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Clay Face

Here’s another in a series of short poems inspired by the National Writing Project’s Baltimore stop for its Write Across America project. This poem is inspired by the clay sculpture work of Paula Whaley — learn more about her with this video.

Peace (smoothed out),
Kevin

Poetry: Inspired By Tintype

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Tintype Photography

Yesterday, I shared a few poems from the latest National Writing Project Write Across America Project (focus: Baltimore artists) and today’s poem is another piece inspired by that same collection. This time, it’s about Elena Volkova, who works with tintype photography on her Anacostia Portrait project.

Peace (Sitting and Waiting),
Kevin