If I let it, all it takes is a phrase, a word to spur me on to write poetry.
This line, swimming in an ocean of unknowns, from Elisabeth Ellington’s poem spoke to me. Leigh Anne’s poem about her little corner of the world inspired Elisabeth to write.
My students and I are similar this way. We hold on to the poets around us. They support us. We use a word, structure, an idea to give us confidence. Then we can let go of the edge and swim in the deep end.
Floaties
Swimming in an ocean of unknowns
as if I know what will happen
I’m holding on.
Moving in the turbulence,
exuberance spills
and bounces voices around the room.
Words jump, and we grab
scatter
and let thoughts grow between
as they settle on the page.
Thank you, Laura Purdie Salas, for the Poetry Friday Round Up on Writing the World for Kids.
To Read To Write To Be 
I love that – “swimming in an ocean of unknowns”. It’s what keeps us learning, isn’t it?
I like the idea of thoughts settling between words on the page. Beautiful poem.
This is just beautiful. I sometimes take a word or phrase from another poet’s poem and use it to build a completely different poem of my own, too. Nobody else would notice it, but it’s like a little lifeline tethering us together–exactly what your poem shows.
Ah, thank you! When I do something like this I wonder, am I doing the right thing? To hear you do this as well, supports me so much as at teacher and a writer.
“We hold on to the poets around us. They support us. We use a word, structure, an idea to give us confidence. Then we can let go of the edge and swim in the deep end.”
This is also a poem — one you live beautifully!
That is so spot on with how I feel about this blogging community. We hold each other up. Then we can go to the deep. Thanks for being one of my floaties.
This is so beautiful, Julieanne! I especially love the last stanza and those words settling “on the page.”
So beautiful! Love this idea of the ways in which we support one another. I am often inspired by literature and other poems/phrases/words… I keep a notebook of favorite phrases. Often I will put that info in an epigraph so others can also go visit the well where I found inspiration — and also to honor the person whose words inspired me. Thank you for sharing!
I’m not surprised you were inspired by that lovely line – and I adore what you did with it.