Did I mention I was in school? On top of working and mothering, I decided to return to school and I am pursuing an MFA in Children and Young Adult Literature at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

     Each month I read about ten books (from picture books to middle grade to YA), write two critical essays and produce 40 creative pages. It is fabulous, amazing and A LOT. You know that phrase: writing in the margins. Well it has new, deeper and more specific meaning for me as life has gotten bigger and the margins skinnier.

     One of the books I read this month was Linda Sue Park’s Tap Dancing on the Roof. It is an illustrated (Istvan Banyai) book of Sijo, which is a type of poetry that originated in Korea. Sijo has a fixed number of stressed syllables, usually divided in three or six lines. It is like a haiku but it has more syllables and the last line is usually has a twist. Also the poems are about everyday events.

Here is one I love that Park wrote:

BREAKFAST

For this meal, people like what they like, the same every morning.

Toast and coffee. Bagel and juice. Cornflakes and milk in a white bowl.

Or—warm, soft and delicious—a few extra minutes in bed.

     At the end of the book, Park gives specific pointers for writing Sijo. Re: the last line, she she says, “ I try to think of where the poem would go logically if I continued with the idea, then I go in the opposite direction.” Re: the syllables and stress count, Park encourages beginners to work with the 16 syllable count per line. Advanced poets can try working with stress count, which is a bit more complicated. Titles are optional.

I tried the beginner variety. Here is my effort:

A is for Alice

For her very first day of school, Alice puts on a brand new dress;

Hair fixed. Shoes tied, Pencil sharp. Back Pack on. She is ready to go.

Then she climbs into bed and sets the alarm. Eight more hours to wait.

Remember The Dick Monologues of last month? (See August 26 post.) Well, the fabulously handsome Dick Singer/Songwriter SouthPaw Jones just completed his sixth or seventh CD Cruelty. Paw has a beautiful voice and, more importantly, likes to craft songs with some heft and meaning and a fair amount of words. Because of that love of words and story, Paw decided to have a CD release at BookPeople and invite friends and Dick Monologuers to read his words aloud as works unto themselves.

Probably because I was on the email list of Dick Monologuers last month, Paw extended the invitation to me to be one of the readers. I accepted. The song I asked to read was Main Street. It is near the end of the CD. A quiet song. An irreverent lullaby about disillusionmant with all things we hold sacred. It’s beautiful.

Afterwards, I sort of apologized to Paw because I read the song as a straight piece, a serious poem. Many of his songs are very, very humorous takes on life. He said it was okay.

Actually, he said it was more than okay. In email response to my thanking him for letting me participate, he said: And thanks to you, Lindsey, for participating and reading “Main Street” beautifully and sincerely!  It may be the most cruel of all the songs, because it represents a grown up me walking away from all the comforting things I was led to believe as a child.

Yep he’s sweet, smart AND cute.