Do as I Say, Not as I Do

A quick little ditty after today's advising activity, meant to inspire classmates to keep our campus looking respectable. The poster reads, "Pick up after yourselves, you little piggies!"

 

Irony

The classroom

stands empty;
Homeroom is done.
The doughnuts
are eaten;
C Day has begun.
The poster
half-finished;
Twelve little dears,
have left
behind remnants
for next-hour peers.
The message,
my darlings,
meant to inspire,
meant to ignite
a campus-wide fire...
The lesson,
apparent to
all but my crew -
Take pride in
your campus!
Oh...not us...you!

- Mr. Wilson 2/28/13

Student Poems

On January 15th, I blogged about a student assignment using Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and themes from The Outsiders as inspiration for original poems. Students were also to pair their poems with a visual element. Here is a sample of the art they created:

Truth in the Face of Loss

Upon the loss of a wonderful friend. Sometimes the knowing doesn't help the hurt.

This pew uncomfortable is,

however cushioned it may be.

The plan, unknowable, all His;

Slight solace to a heart heavy.

Conflicted so, the spirit cries,

bruised by mortal tragedy;

Pained queries hurled at Paradise -

returned to sender, quietly.

There is no ease in this release.

Cruel misery finds some relief

Knowing that her hurt has ceased.

Yet, bound we still by racking grief.

How do I sing to thee, O Lord,

of your greatness, through this pain?

This suffering seems no reward

to those still tethered to this plane.

Love left behind surrounding us,

Questions from the heart at hand…

Unanswered. Told it must be thus -

His Will we cannot understand.

Inconvenient. Be it so,

A truth we must humbly abide;

To live - to deal with all life’s woe.

To die – in Heaven’s grace reside.

And this, a chance to celebrate

Daughter, wife, and mother; His.

But even in her reborn state…

This pew uncomfortable is.

© Jeff Wilson, 2013

And...

I have games to play

and dragons to slay

and friends to make

and rules to break

and lessons to learn

and respect to earn

and a penchant for tomorrow.

I have chances to take

and giants to wake

and bills to pay

and truths to weigh

and calories to burn

and corners to turn

and a smile for every sorrow.

I have children to teach

and castles to breach

and flavors to marry

and secrets to bury

and tests to fail

and fences to scale

and a story of flesh and bone

I have mirrors to face

and monsters to chase

and poems to write

and doubts to smite

and choices to choose

and nothing to lose

and a journey to call my own

© Jeff Wilson, 2013