Poetry

Many of you know, I love poetry. Mostly I love writing poetry. I never teach a unit on poetry with my first graders. Just haven't done it, I know shame on me. I have some tools now, after hearing Georgia Heard. I will be sharing poetry with my first graders, not in a unit, but as another genre, daily, 180 days of poetry will be happening in room 127!

Here is another tidbit I'd like to share, I haven't written poetry in years! I mean when I started to blog I had no idea that that was in me! I didn't even keep a writer's notebook. I just moved through life enjoying the world around me without writing what it meant to me in words. Now I have this outlet, this world of sharing the poetry within, whether you like it or not! From the beginning, a friend has said, "Have you ever thought about publishing?" Yeah, right! I checked it out, the internet gurus said, while easy to write, poetry is hard to publish. I entered a contest online at poetry.com, I received a letter on Friday. I am currently a semi-finalist. I have gone over my author's proof, signed my copywrite form and am ready to send it in. Anyone want a copy of the book that will contain my poem? Let me know! (Thank you Kirsten for encouraging me to step out.)
Here is the copy of the poem:

The Path of Sweat
By Sarah Amick
Rush of the crowd,
Feel the adrenaline building.
The warm bodies perspire at the soundof the bell.
The sweet smell of sweat appearing and glistening on the evertiring men;
Then, droplets of it explode from the forcefulness of the blows.
Sweat on sweat as bodies collide in a wire cage;
Sweat falling on a well worn mat,
Can you smell it?
Can you see that it's here?
The towel wipes the salty liquid from the face
flashed red, swollen, and battered.
The face is dripping sweat of uncertainty
Finally, it, the sweat, trickles slowly down the arm
that is raised...
Victorious!