1
00:00:00,287 --> 00:00:02,870
(upbeat music)

2
00:00:10,270 --> 00:00:12,770
-: Hi there, my name is Shelby

3
00:00:12,770 --> 00:00:15,730
and I'm a poetry teaching artist,

4
00:00:15,730 --> 00:00:20,200
and today we're just gonna sit down and write together.

5
00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:22,233
I'm really glad that we get to do this.

6
00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,333
So our theme is going to be,

7
00:00:26,540 --> 00:00:30,610
like you, I love dot dot dot.

8
00:00:30,610 --> 00:00:34,099
So you're gonna be writing about things that you love today

9
00:00:34,099 --> 00:00:36,150
and you're gonna be writing

10
00:00:36,150 --> 00:00:39,143
about what you believe about the world.

11
00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,540
And the only thing that you're gonna need

12
00:00:42,540 --> 00:00:44,630
to do this free writing activity

13
00:00:44,630 --> 00:00:49,630
is something to write with, pencil, pen, whatever you want,

14
00:00:50,340 --> 00:00:54,013
piece of paper or a notebook, something to write on,

15
00:00:54,013 --> 00:00:58,310
and in your free writing, you're just gonna get a chance

16
00:00:58,310 --> 00:01:01,700
to write sort of a spell for yourself,

17
00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:05,963
something to remind you of what you love in this world.

18
00:01:07,691 --> 00:01:10,006
Okay, well actually I need you to grab

19
00:01:10,006 --> 00:01:13,113
a couple more things for this one.

20
00:01:14,490 --> 00:01:16,690
Since we're writing about what we love,

21
00:01:16,690 --> 00:01:20,300
I want you to go find at least two random objects

22
00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:23,670
in your house that are things that you love.

23
00:01:23,670 --> 00:01:26,140
Could be anything, could be something random

24
00:01:26,140 --> 00:01:31,140
like your oldest stuffy or like a moon,

25
00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:33,980
moon stuffed animal, something like that.

26
00:01:33,980 --> 00:01:38,270
It could be barrel of monkeys,

27
00:01:38,270 --> 00:01:42,633
that's what I think I'm gonna use, or mermaid toy,

28
00:01:43,870 --> 00:01:47,230
a beautiful bell that you have laying around.

29
00:01:47,230 --> 00:01:51,640
A very special stone, maybe even just like,

30
00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:53,630
something you like to spray yourself with,

31
00:01:53,630 --> 00:01:54,920
something like that.

32
00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,060
Just anything that you love.

33
00:01:57,060 --> 00:01:59,660
So gather around a couple of random objects

34
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,120
and to get started we're gonna do a warm up

35
00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:06,270
and I want you to just look at those objects,

36
00:02:06,270 --> 00:02:08,750
just notice some things about them

37
00:02:08,750 --> 00:02:11,630
and write a couple of words on your page

38
00:02:11,630 --> 00:02:13,870
just describing those objects.

39
00:02:13,870 --> 00:02:16,130
The color, the shape, the texture,

40
00:02:16,130 --> 00:02:19,450
anything like that just list it out.

41
00:02:19,450 --> 00:02:22,277
Go for it, describe your objects.

42
00:02:22,277 --> 00:02:24,860
(upbeat music)

43
00:02:53,389 --> 00:02:56,440
And once you've just got a couple of descriptions

44
00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:57,913
of those objects,

45
00:02:59,170 --> 00:03:01,100
now I'm going to read you a poem

46
00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:03,520
that's gonna sort of be the inspiration

47
00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:04,803
for our free write today.

48
00:03:07,210 --> 00:03:11,590
This is a poem by the poet Roque Dalton

49
00:03:11,590 --> 00:03:14,680
and this poem is translated from Spanish

50
00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,730
and if you rather read it in its original form,

51
00:03:17,730 --> 00:03:22,300
in the Spanish, there is a link available on the description

52
00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:25,770
to a video of someone reading it and the text version

53
00:03:25,770 --> 00:03:28,550
and if you'd rather do the free write in Spanish,

54
00:03:28,550 --> 00:03:29,980
there's gonna be a link available

55
00:03:29,980 --> 00:03:32,513
for those starting lines in Spanish as well.

56
00:03:35,850 --> 00:03:38,647
This poem is called "Like You."

57
00:03:41,537 --> 00:03:46,033
"Like you, I love love, life,

58
00:03:47,827 --> 00:03:51,734
"the sweet smell of things,

59
00:03:51,734 --> 00:03:56,734
"the sky-blue landscape of January days.

60
00:03:59,397 --> 00:04:01,957
"And my blood boils up

61
00:04:01,957 --> 00:04:04,157
"and I laugh through eyes

62
00:04:04,157 --> 00:04:07,863
"that have known the buds of tears.

63
00:04:09,357 --> 00:04:12,720
"I believe the world is beautiful

64
00:04:13,757 --> 00:04:18,757
"and that poetry, like bread, is for everyone.

65
00:04:20,177 --> 00:04:24,067
"And that my veins don't end in me

66
00:04:24,067 --> 00:04:29,067
"but in the unanimous blood of those who struggle for life,

67
00:04:30,587 --> 00:04:34,637
"love, little things,

68
00:04:34,637 --> 00:04:37,423
"landscape and bread,

69
00:04:38,307 --> 00:04:41,247
"the poetry of everyone."

70
00:04:45,770 --> 00:04:48,053
So inspired by Roque Dalton,

71
00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:53,490
you all are gonna write a poem that is sort of based

72
00:04:53,490 --> 00:04:55,233
off of Roque Dalton's poem.

73
00:04:57,390 --> 00:04:59,510
So the first line that I want you to write

74
00:05:05,460 --> 00:05:10,460
is like you, I love love, life, the sweet smell of,

75
00:05:15,410 --> 00:05:17,540
and that's where you fill in the blank.

76
00:05:17,540 --> 00:05:20,660
What's the sweet smell that you love?

77
00:05:20,660 --> 00:05:21,523
Go for it.

78
00:05:22,644 --> 00:05:25,227
(upbeat music)

79
00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:55,850
Now we're gonna keep going.

80
00:05:55,850 --> 00:05:57,990
And I want to encourage you to try to bring in

81
00:05:57,990 --> 00:06:01,060
some of those description words from our warm up

82
00:06:01,060 --> 00:06:02,360
with the objects

83
00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,603
since those are objects that you love.

84
00:06:06,270 --> 00:06:11,270
Next line, I laugh like dot dot dot.

85
00:06:11,830 --> 00:06:13,710
What do you laugh like?

86
00:06:13,710 --> 00:06:17,070
And it might even be cool if you picked a random word

87
00:06:17,070 --> 00:06:21,030
from your list and it might sound sort of unexpected

88
00:06:21,030 --> 00:06:25,490
and surprising like I laugh like a barrel of monkeys,

89
00:06:25,490 --> 00:06:30,140
I laugh like the softness of a teddy bear,

90
00:06:30,140 --> 00:06:31,940
go for it, what comes to your brain?

91
00:06:32,836 --> 00:06:35,419
(upbeat music)

92
00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,883
Okay, next line, let's keep writing.

93
00:06:55,910 --> 00:06:59,723
I believe the world is.

94
00:07:00,629 --> 00:07:04,030
What's the first thing that comes to your mind?

95
00:07:04,030 --> 00:07:09,030
I believe the world is true, wild, real, kind, hard?

96
00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,024
Whatever comes to your brain.

97
00:07:17,024 --> 00:07:19,607
(upbeat music)

98
00:07:31,690 --> 00:07:36,133
Next line, I believe that poetry is like,

99
00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,810
what do you wanna compare poetry to?

100
00:07:39,810 --> 00:07:42,010
Maybe it's one of the objects on your table.

101
00:07:43,078 --> 00:07:45,661
(upbeat music)

102
00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:06,440
Next line, poetry is for, who is it for?

103
00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:09,800
Is it for the bells?

104
00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,660
Is it for the fields?

105
00:08:12,660 --> 00:08:15,790
Is it for the fighters?

106
00:08:15,790 --> 00:08:17,880
Who do you think poetry is for?

107
00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:19,192
Write it.

108
00:08:19,192 --> 00:08:21,775
(upbeat music)

109
00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,093
And as you keep writing,

110
00:08:35,070 --> 00:08:39,430
your next line is I live for.

111
00:08:39,430 --> 00:08:41,630
What do you live for or who do you live for?

112
00:08:42,506 --> 00:08:45,089
(upbeat music)

113
00:08:55,150 --> 00:08:56,230
All right, next line

114
00:08:56,230 --> 00:08:58,670
and this is gonna be a little repetition,

115
00:08:58,670 --> 00:09:01,743
kinda repeating the start of the line for emphasis.

116
00:09:02,730 --> 00:09:06,893
I live for those who struggle for.

117
00:09:07,850 --> 00:09:10,700
Those who struggle for freedom?

118
00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:13,790
Those who struggle for another world?

119
00:09:13,790 --> 00:09:17,800
Those who struggle for joy?

120
00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:19,880
Those who struggle for games?

121
00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:24,173
Whatever it is, who do you fight alongside?

122
00:09:25,548 --> 00:09:28,131
(upbeat music)

123
00:09:43,610 --> 00:09:46,080
And now to finish it off,

124
00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,250
I want you to add any last image that's in your brain,

125
00:09:50,250 --> 00:09:54,267
any one more thing from one of your objects

126
00:09:54,267 --> 00:09:58,490
before writing the poetry of everyone

127
00:09:59,550 --> 00:10:01,330
so that your poem is gonna end

128
00:10:01,330 --> 00:10:03,280
the way that Roque Dalton's poem ended.

129
00:10:05,522 --> 00:10:08,105
(upbeat music)

130
00:10:13,740 --> 00:10:16,380
Okay, we did it, you did it.

131
00:10:16,380 --> 00:10:19,920
You did a free write, you did a form of magic,

132
00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:24,090
it's amazing, and I wish I was with you

133
00:10:24,090 --> 00:10:27,860
because I would definitely be asking you to share with me

134
00:10:27,860 --> 00:10:29,380
but only if you wanted to.

135
00:10:29,380 --> 00:10:32,780
And right now I'd suggest that you go and share this

136
00:10:32,780 --> 00:10:34,310
with whoever you're around

137
00:10:34,310 --> 00:10:35,720
or call someone on the phone,

138
00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,083
share with them this poem that you just wrote.

139
00:10:40,020 --> 00:10:40,980
And in that spirit,

140
00:10:40,980 --> 00:10:44,120
I'd like to share my poem with you if that's okay.

141
00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:46,043
If it's not okay, you can always turn the video off,

142
00:10:46,043 --> 00:10:47,583
you make the rules.

143
00:10:49,842 --> 00:10:52,723
Like you, I love love, life,

144
00:10:53,810 --> 00:10:57,713
the sweet smell of a slightly burnt toast.

145
00:10:58,910 --> 00:11:03,803
I laugh like the wild flop of a mermaid I once met.

146
00:11:04,690 --> 00:11:09,690
I believe the world is whole, just whole.

147
00:11:09,950 --> 00:11:14,950
I believe poetry is like a smooth stone in my palm.

148
00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:20,033
Poetry is for creatures,

149
00:11:21,250 --> 00:11:25,030
I live for the memories of mothers,

150
00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:30,030
I live for those who struggle for our true names,

151
00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,943
the poetry of everyone.

152
00:11:34,580 --> 00:11:37,100
Thank you so much for writing with me.

153
00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:41,160
Again, my name is Shelby and I'm just really grateful

154
00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,610
that you're out there somewhere loving, laughing,

155
00:11:44,610 --> 00:11:48,800
believing, writing, it's a really brave thing to do

156
00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,360
and I'm sending my magic to you wherever you are,

157
00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:53,210
have a great day.

158
00:11:54,826 --> 00:11:57,409
(upbeat music)