Every year, I send the same poem to my mother on March 8, her birthday. The poem is Julia Kasdorf’s What I Learned from My Mother. It is a list poem, and it begins with practical tips for life such as “...have plenty of vases on hand/in case you have to rush to the hospital/with peonies cut from the lawn” and ends with the big learning, “To every house you enter, you must offer/healing: a chocolate cake you baked yourself,/the blessing of your voice, your chaste touch.”
The speaker of this poem honors the mother with each chosen list item. We readers understand this mother, though nowhere are we told, “My mother was thoughtful.” After the last line, we are left to wonder if the mother is living or dead. Does it matter? Would the speaker remember differently if things were different now?
While this poem strikes a tone of love, “What I Learned” lines can be playful or serious, sad or curious:
I learned from my friend how to make bean soup for winter days.
I learned from onions how to let my sad old tears go free.
I learned from my dog that our backyard has thousands of smells!
I learned from my friend that forgiveness can hold anger in its arms.
I learned from the sky how to change every morning and still be me.
As poet, you may choose to write a one-person list poem as Julia Kasdorf did, or instead, you might make a “What I Learned” list in your notebook and then choose just one item to build a poem around.
Fine tune the interplay of meaning and sound of your poem by reading it aloud as you write and revise and revise again…
What have you learned? What will you learn next?
Further Reading:
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is a writing teacher and author of books for children and teachers. In person, you can find her at home in Western New York, and you can find her online HERE.
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