Slice of Life: Using Poetry to Think About Characters #SOL21

The book club was reading Stand Up, Yumi Chung!  We were in a breakout room talking about the character and what was happening in the story.  The conversation shifted to the character’s inner thoughts at those moments of truth. 

The inner conversation is the motivation and the true obstacle, shares T.

Yeah, the argument with yourself is always the hardest, agrees M.

The author doesn’t always tell you that part, adds S.

There is a pause in the conversation.  I notice H is writing. 

After time passes, I ask, Do you want to share what you are writing?

H holds up her drawing of a seesaw. 

She adds, I am thinking about that seesaw structure we talked about in writing. It’s like the character’s mind is in a seesaw at those moments.  Trying to decide.

Oh, I see what you mean.  We read some poems with that structure.

Now the other group members are nodding. 

That’s an interesting idea,  I respond. You have me wondering if I could think about Yumi and write a poem that reflects how those conversations typically go in her mind.  How the seesaw poem could reflect who she is as a character?

That would be cool!

Let’s do it, agrees T.

Heads are nodding and we set off to try something I have never done before.  I decide to give it a go alongside them.  Here’s my poem:

Since I am joining with two broken arms, this slice was drafted using a combination of speech to text and loom to capture the audio.