The Best of Border Voices: Poet Laureates, Pulitizer Prize Winners & the Wisdom of Kids Book

Dedication     iii
Table of Contents     v
Preface     xiii
That Happy Plunge     xiii
Into Uncertainty     xiii
In the Experiment     xix
A Lesson Plan on Magic and Poetry     xix
In the Experiment: Excerpts from A Creative Diary, 2005-06     xxii
Student Poems     1
Grade 1     3
Smoke     3
If I Was Homework     3
The Grain of Water     3
Grade 2     4
Guitar Remembers     4
Uncle Mark's Telescope     4
Behind My Eyes     5
Grade 3     6
Poetry Rain     6
The Spider     6
An Old Crying Man     6
Rainsteps     7
Poetry     8
The Doll's House     9
Dear Mom     9
In-Your-Heart Rainbow     10
Ode to a Turkey     11
I Am Ashley     12
A Suitcase Full of Chocolate     12
Grade 4     14
My Grandma     14
Hurricane Alex     15
Poetry     15
The Wind Is a Wonder     16
Tortilla Magic     16
Nasty Icky Lima Beans     17
No Color     17
Poetry     18
A Leaf     18
My Uncle, My Aunt and I     19
Grandfather Lorenzo     19
Couch Football     20
Cactus Flower     20
On a Clear Night     20
Talkative and Boasting "B"     21
Oso Temblor     22
Earthquake Bear     22
Poetry in Flight     23
I See     23
Peacock's Dream     24
I Used to...But Now     24
Road Voice     25
The Brown Leaf     25
Abel     26
My Heart     26
Grade 5     27
My Family     27
Dances of the Dead     28
Darkness of Loneliness     28
Jumping History     29
Old White Shoe     29
The Gift     29
The Horse of My Dreams     30
The Kipah     31
Dust     31
To a Mouse     32
The Pencil Sharpener     32
The Sea     33
Grade 6      34
Is It Wise to Live in Del Mar?     34
Seeing My Sister     34
The Sea of Whispers     35
Memory and Mind     36
Peace     36
Mystery Meat     37
Grade 7     39
Grandpa's Car     39
Rhythms     39
Confidential     40
La Nina del Pueblo     42
The Girl from the Country     42
Sombras Enojadas     43
Angry Shadows     44
She Told Me Not to Go     45
Swimming in Paper     45
War     46
Kiwi     47
Candle     47
Eternity Is Too Short     48
Soul Music     48
Afghani Volcano     49
The Last Piece of Chicken     50
Curiosity Keeps Calling     50
Leaving     51
Road to Hope     52
Just a Petal     53
How to Reach Happiness     54
Grade 8     55
My Family     55
Answers from the Mountain     56
What It's Not     56
Don't Tell     57
Basketball     59
Masks Abstract     59
There's Time for Math Tomorrow     60
Coral     62
Lao-tzu     63
Snowboard Love     64
Apparent Shapes and Colors     65
Family Collage     66
Adam's Hands     66
Don't You See?     67
Equality at School?     68
Sidewalk Lost     69
Black     70
Blue Anger     70
Grade 9     71
Smiling Jack     71
Popcorn     72
A Wave     72
Only What It Wants     73
Sky of Dreams     74
The Burned Doll     74
I Used to Be     75
Funny Tongue, Sad Eyes     76
Mother     76
Grade 10     78
A Walk Through the Neighborhood     78
To Be in Love with a Leaf     80
Secret     81
I Am a Star     82
The One Who Is     83
Grade 11     85
Reflection     85
Sun in Florence     86
The Letter     88
Grandfather     89
Ridley Road     90
Comezon de Paz     91
The Itch for Peace     91
My Grandfather     92
Grade 12     93
The Melody of a Memory     93
Soy el Viento     93
I Am the Wind     94
My Dearest Buddha     95
Ice     97
Nobody Special     98
Shattered     98
Poet-Teachers     101
Wisteria     103
The Sign     104
Es cribir for you     106
Museum Vessels     107
When I Come Back     108
Ode to The Bay     109
The Talents I Didn't Get     110
Water & Bloom     112
Divorce     113
Monarchs     114
Exuviating Light     115
The Beijing Bell Temple     116
For Lucia     118
The trunk     118
Untitled     119
Truckers' Tongue     120
Crestwood Summit     121
The Day's Peak     122
Volunteers     123
Dog Hill     126
Intimations     128
Popule Meus: Improperia Reproaches     129
There's a Strange Light That Occurs     131
Temple Bell     132
A Bouquet for Her Birthday     133
While at Fisherman's Wharf     135
In Monterey     135
Two Poems     136
By Dr. Catherine Yi-yu Cho Woo     136
Minute     136
Don't Really Mind If I Never Wake     136
Major Poets     137
Francisco X. Alarcon     140
Sabrosa bendicion     143
Delicious Blessing     144
My Kind of Day     145
Mi dia favorito     145
Cuatro estaciones en un dia     146
Four Seasons in One Day     147
David Antin     149
Regarding a door     151
Alberto Blanco     153
Caballo A La Luz De La Luna     156
Horse by Moonlight     157
Eavan Boland     158
The Blossom     160
Marilyn Chin     162
Unrequited Love     164
Billy Collins     166
Yellow Berries     168
My Heart     169
Jayne Cortez     171
The Mambo Lesson     173
Robert Creeley     174
At Creeley's Grave      177
Sad Advice     178
Glover Davis     179
Beneath Venetian Blinds     181
Lawrence Ferlinghetti     182
The Bird     184
Dragon's Teeth     185
Amy Gerstler     187
Dining     189
Tsunami     190
Dana Gioia     192
Money     194
Galway Kinnell     195
Crying     197
Steve Kowit     198
The Blue Dress     200
Philip Levine     203
Innocence     205
Genny Lim     208
A Hip Invention     210
Sandra McPherson     213
One Way She Spoke to Me     215
Fred Moramarco     217
Padres 94: A Diamond Vision     220
Familiar Sensations     221
At the Garage Sale     222
Naomi Shihab Nye     224
Jerusalem     227
Sharon Olds     229
The Prepositions     232
The Unswept     234
Robert Pinsky     235
If You Could Write One Great Poem     238
What Would You Want It to Be About?      238
Leroy V. Quintana     239
Padrino     241
Adrienne Rich     242
Messages     245
Dreamwood     246
Luis Rodriguez     248
The Cockroaches I Married     251
Gary Snyder     254
Instructions     257
Instructions (early draft)     258
Gary Soto     259
Field Poem     262
Berkeley Dogs     262
Mark Strand     265
Lake     267
Ken Waldman     270
Treble Choir Was Her World     273
A Happier Doctor     273
Sherley Anne Williams     275
I see my life     278
Acknowledgements     281
Index by Poet/Illustrator     285
Index by Title     285
Index by Poet Teacher     291
Index by Teacher     293
Index by School     296