THE NEW DOMESTICITY
P oet ry of the
The the
NEW DOMESTICITY
Season
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By Julianna Lawson
“October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths. Anne reveled in the world of colour about her. ‘Oh, Marilla . . . I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.’” October is a beautiful month in the Pacific Northwest, too, and I believe Anne of Green Gables, although a fictional heroine who hailed from Prince Edward Island, would heartily approve of our seasonal display. The autumn sunlight is slanted and gentle now, while the landscape fairly shocks the senses with its exquisite hues of crimson and orange. As “autumn’s fire burns slowly along the woods,” we, like poet William Allingham, have nature’s vivid reminders to pause and delight in the poetry of the season. Autumn is a wonderful time of year to introduce and encourage a love of poetry in our children, simply because children are naturally so in tune to the changes around them: the stunning leaves, whirling winds, pelting rains, dancing whirlybirds, chirring squirrels, and plump pumpkins serve as visual cues which beg for poetic commentary. But, perhaps you’re wondering how to go about slipping poetry in between the laundry and the potty training? Let’s consider reading, writing, and listening as we glean a few simple ideas for adding lilting lyrics to our homes, on even the most prosaic of days.
Reading
I once read that “every day should have a poem in it.” A very practical way to do this is simply to read poetry books aloud, just as one would read any other story book. At bedtime, quiet time, mealtime, or in the waiting room, grab a favorite volume and enjoy just one poem a day (unless, of course, the kids beg for more).
Strategic choices will whet your child’s appetite and increase their desire for rhyme and rhythm. My daughter and I still laugh over James the “very small snail,” who, according to A.A. Milne, took a compass on his journey . . . across a brick. The language of Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” is so memorable that I still refer to my sons as “beamish boys.” I’ve collected several poetry books over the years, and some of our favorites include “A Child’s Garden of Verses,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry,” selected by Louis Untermeyer, “A Child’s Book of Poems,” illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa, and “Favorite Poems Old and New,” selected by Helen Ferris. When my children were especially small, we enjoyed the durable board book, “Eloise Wilkin’s Poems to Read to the Very Young.”
Writing
The thought of writing poetry, both for the parent and child, may seem daunting. But, here again, I recommend finding simple ways to delight your child with language. Edith Nesbit gives inspiration in her book, “The Railway Children.” We read that the children’s mother “always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions.” A “funny piece of poetry” may be a limerick tucked in a child’s lunchbox, a rhyme slipped under a pillow, or haiku waiting on the bathroom mirror. Encourage your child to share words on paper, too. Use the season as inspiration, and invite your child to write about anything from the bright colors and silly jack-o-lanterns to football games and favorite hot cocoa drinks.
Listening
Poetry is a very sensory experience, meant to be both heard and seen. As you read poetry to your child, don’t be afraid to continued on next page
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Vancouver Family Magazine • www.vancouverfamilymagazine.com • October 2019