This week was our second workshop of the “El Taller” series. Our focus was poetry.
It started something like this:
“Everyone has ten pieces of paper; papelitos.”
“Imagine I have magic glitter in my hand. Now I give a little bit to everyone; to you, and you, and you, and… So you all have this magic glitter in your hands, right? Imagine you are just as small as that glitter. Plus, since it is magic you are magic, too. The wind comes, a nice breeze. What happens? It takes you, no? Imagine it. Imagine the wind just carried you away, your little self the size of glitter. Do not forget you are magic. This breeze can take you anywhere; another place, another city, country, planet, universe, anywhere. Now on your first piece of paper write where you have traveled to, where has the wind brought you.”
The workshop continued with this story and prompting questions until everyone recorded something on each of their ten papelitos. Then everyone had to rearrange their papelitos into an order they liked. From there it was all about writing; taking what was written on the ten pieces of paper and transforming it into a story or set of sentences or anything the kids wanted. At the end of the workshop we shared. At first only two folks wanted to share, but once they read almost everyone wanted to share, too.
I will forever continue to fall in love with young people and the things they write. They are magic. Below are some of the photos from the taller and at the bottom is a poem I wrote in reflection of it all.
Escarcha Humilde
Todos somos escarcha
Todos somos esa cosa que brilla
En el sol
O cuando no hay
Todos somos un día llovioso
Descalzo
Sentiendo el lodo entre los dedos
Sin miedoTodos somos escarcha
Volando por primera vez
Imaginando sin limites
Lo que pudiéramos lograr
O donde podríamos ir
Si fuéramos escarchaPero no somos
Escarcha
Nosotros somos mas brillante
Nosotros somos voces
Susurrando
Nuestra esfuerza
En el oído de lo demás
Nosotros somos la creencia
Antes que hemos aprendido a creerEsto
Esto se llama volando por primera vez
Solo que no tenemos miedo
Nosotros nacimos para hacer esto