surrounds my skin indian summer warm nights still

indian summer ready already fall fallen and air warm warmer so still

--to wait and yet hold every whisper when darkness falls leaves warm to cool fall short shortness of breath to breathe too hot to think of it all now in the midst first last in medias res touch of indian summer endures as darkness comes to air too warm to notice notice notice holds us here and will endure whisper every hold yet and wait to--

stop stopped

breathless knocked-- [closed door] no answer.

[six words]

more of this poem here on:

chandeliers 

on the 

floor 

six+ words: chantal

photo credit: chantal 

pictured house painting: third-grade student

pictured polished fingernail: abby :)

chance for the unlucky

i'll take my chance

and stirring in strong coffee eyes--

is chance, you

're my chance.

and as you know but never 'know'
in french chance means luck.




[so at least we've got that]

the many instructions on how to be josie

my students are starting their own blogs!!!! i'm not only excited but laughing and smiling out loud as i read them. here i introduce you to the many instructions on how to be josie by one of my 11 year old students who has more projects going on at once than i do! and this is one of them. an in-depth character study, josie leos, is she real or fictional? or both? or does it matter... with almost daily updates (whenever the computer is working..) posts on what it's like to be the new girl at a charter school, and josie's unique view of the world. complete with a daily haiku update, funny real-life quotes captured along the way, and beautiful poetry and short stories that this young but extremely wise wordsmith produces with ease and grace. check it out once in a while now that it's up and running, sure wish i'd done something like this when i was 11. josie could give us all some instructions....

HERE'S A PREVIEW:

ABOUT ME.

I am josie and if you already have not noticed my favorite color is orange. i am eleven and i go to my famous middle school that i am and will write about. this blog was started because of my splendid, stupendous, remarkeble, dazzling,and wonderes writing teacher LARISSA TALE who says that i need to tell someone besides her about EVRYTHING so read my blog you must read my blog(transiylvanian accent)

THIS GIRL KNOWS HOW TO TITLE HER STORIES!! 

with post titles like:

ballet, beatrix potter, and bad squash

and:

BALLET (again), BOARDS YOU JUMP OFF, BEING PRINCESS PEACH, (plus writing a speech but that does not start with B)

!!!

a daily haiku:

DIVING BOARD

see the water below

like a bird in the sky

splash in the water 




GO CHECK OUT THE MANY INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO BE JOSIE!!!

artwork: angee
writing: josie leos
tying it all together: chantal (aka larissa tale? that, you'll have to figure out for yourself!)

el view

"Nonsense wakes up the brain cells. 

And it helps develop a sense of humor, 

which is awfully important in this day and age. 

Humor has a tremendous place in this sordid world. 

It's more than just a matter of laughing. 

If you can see things out of whack, 

then you can see how things can be 
in whack."

[Dr. Seuss]

photo credit : chantal

all--

so write on the world's stage 

[six words]

photo credit : chantal

second

         


           still 

   remember last 


         august 
             turned 
   september 

          [six words]

photo credit : chantal