The Writer

Let this be a lesson to me. I really need to avoid labeling my children. I KNOW this, and yet, I still do it. You know...the artistic one, the Lego builder, the overly-friendly  outgoing one.  Of course I know that they are more than any quick label.  So why do I persist in using labels so often?

I visited the school for some 3rd Grade and Kindergarten Valentine's parties last week.  Always fun.  I love to find schoolwork hanging up in their room that I haven't seen at home yet.  I discovered a gem in the hallway outside of Liam's room.  You know, he did mention this poem to me at one point, and he seemed excited about it.  I remember because he told me it was about "madness" and I thought at first he meant insanity.  (No, it's actually about Anger, but Liam called it Madness).  They were instructed to pick an emotion and then use all of their senses to describe it in a unique way.

We had a little chat about poetry, and I discussed e.e.cummings.  He hasn't read any e.e.cummings poems yet, but he LOVES the idea of not using typical punctuation/capitalization.  A man after Liam's own heart.  Liam asked me why e.e.cummings writes this way, and I said, "Well, maybe he thinks that those things distract from his message." Liam almost yelled, "EXACTLY!"  ha ha  So perhaps Liam doesn't want to water down his schoolwork with all of those pesky distractions.

In any case, I was blown away by Liam's poem.  I promise never again to label him the "non-writer."
I love this poem!!  Jim said he didn't understand the last line about the black closet, but I SO get that.
My hope is that my kids continue to surprise me and remind me never to count them out.

Oh, and by the way, I am not labeling him if I say that I happen to know for a fact that Liam's teacher typed these up and corrected the spelling, punctuation and capitalization.  Trust me.  I know this.  And I appreciate it, because sometimes, just sometimes, I find Liam's spelling, punctuation and capitalization distract me from his message.  Just sayin'...

In case the picture is too small, here is the poem:

Madness
Madness is dark red.
It tastes like too much candy.
It smells like rotten banana.
It feels hard as a rock.
And it sounds like glass breaking.
Madness is a pitch black closet.

And lest you think that Liam is becoming too dark and gloomy at the tender age of 8, just look at how much he truly loved the large sunglasses given out by a classmate as a Valentine.  Loved them!