Season's Greetings!

To The Students in Room 114...

Enjoy the FESTIVE SEASON
Have fun resting at home.
Where sleigh bells and slippers silhouette snow
All led by holiday gnomes.
May Santa stuff your stockings,
May pudding fill your spleen.
I cannot wait to see your smiles in 2015!!!

                  Sally

            PSYCH!

      It is my birthday
I am forty-five years old
      I feel seventeen

             Sally

                                                                           HOPE

                                 When the world is falling apart, fellow humans on a bender,
                                There is nothing more impactful than a few nights on Pender.

                                                                             Sally

Pender Island

                                                                    Our Beach

                                                            We took the small path
                                                      and wove our way up the bluff
                                                             There we saw Heaven

                                                                           Sally

Good Evening,
    I was up at 6:00 this morning popping Spanekopitas into the oven so I'd be ready for our post-show pot luck. Liam's Shakespeare camp came to an end today with a brilliant performance of Romeo & Juliet. Then, after a picnic on the beach, we got to go back and watch the pros do it in the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. What an unforgettable day, and another great experience at camp (Liam's 5th season). It also brings my little daily writing spree to an end (Sun of the Beach 2014). Recalling how challenging it is to write an original poem every day, I will be going on a hiatus as I tie up loose ends and prepare for a short family vacation. We will be travelling to Pender Island for a few days in August so stay tuned, I will be writing poetry and posting them daily while we are on our trip. Thank you for reading... Stay Safe!
                                                                     


                                                                Liam

Shakespeare would be mind-blown if he saw what kids like you are doing with his work.

Observing your fervency was genetic deja vu, conjuring the memory of my own youthful ardor.

Nurturing your passion has been an honour, but consider the baton passed. It's all yours baby!

                                                                    Sally

  Daria's Baby Shower

    Recalling the joy,
throbbing anticipation,
   and incessant pain.

            Sally

A Dog's Life

Between the war in Gaza
and the Teacher's Strike,
I wish I were anything
but human.
Feeling lobotomized by the
Criticism
Amoralism
Acumen!

Mortified by appalling
Terror
Lies
Deceit
It's not worth the
Power
or Comfort
If we treat
each other
like meat.

I'd give up my
bed
and the roof
overhead
for a
Dog's House,
or the life of a
mouse,
to be
ANYTHING
but human!

Sally

          That Guy

He tripped on the wheel
of his Safeway shopping cart
then crumpled forward
cursing his fate, and barking
at anyone who'd listen.

               Sally

            Teenagers

                 AM
    Delightfully Chipper
Walking  Working  Waiting
Kids  Teams  Activities  Rain
 Calling  Yelling  Stomping
       Suddenly Morose
                 PM

                Sally

A Day to Remember

By 8:00 I was racing about
Chopping multicoloured peppers,
Dicing onions, and creating an
Exquisite Corn chowder.
Finally, I managed to leave home to
Galavant to Mira's house.
Happily, I arrived an hour later to reside
In the company of delightful ladies.
Just what the doctor ordered.
Knowing these visits are far and few between we
Laughed, and lounged all afternoon
Making the most of our time.
Nourishing our spirits, and savouring each glorious moment.

                Sally

                               Son

Seems like yesterday that I held you in my arms
Stunned by your perfection.
Seeing you bloom in your Lord of the Flies world,
Stick in hand, seeking out the next adventure.
Striving to make sense of everything, while
Secretly wishing Hogwarts were real.
Saving me daily, just knowing that you're mine.
Sally

Bliss
Great
Bowling
With my kids
Two Games Ten Pin
I bowl with two hands
It's me who wins both sets
No one really cares
Being Goofy
Giggling
Sunday
Fun

S
a
l
l
y

                          In Pemberton

With mixed feelings, emotions, and heartfelt relief,
I celebrated his safety and lamented their grief.

                                Sally

          For Josh

He told them he was joining the army
to protect his Homeland.
How could they say no.
Times were peaceful.
They looked at him
in awe of his bravery
and did what any
good parents would do.
They professed their
love, admiration and support.
They sent him off
with his name sewn
onto the back of
his boxer shorts.
He left knowing
without a doubt
that his family
loves him,
that they are with him,
and they will miss him
horribly.
Then a war broke out.
Now he stands on enemy land.
The echo of his
family's love
remains impenetrable
and unwavering amidst
the shouts of war.
While his parents
wait desperately
to hear news of his safety,
yearning for their enemy to
"...love their children more than they hate us." (Golda Meir)

Sally

Konichiwa!
     I am off to yet another spectacular beach, to bid farewell to a colleague of mine who is moving to the other side of the country. Here is a little acrostic in her honour.

So long sweet Melissa

Hope Toronto treats you well.

A great big loss to all of us

Like a tortoise with no shell.

Our love and thoughts go with you to this chapter in your story.

May your future be fantastic with nothing but pure Glory!


                                          Sally

Fully Meeting Expectations

Furrowed brow,

sweat collecting on upper lip.

Speed-walking,

looking for a hook.

Things change

Times change

Stay on top!

Research it

Google it

Tweet it

Know what you're talking about.

Support

Scaffold

Encourage

Dovetail 

Practice clarity

Patience

Repetition

Be comforting,

kind.

Set boundaries and

enforce them.

NO CELL PHONES!

And...

Get the work done.

Move from A to B.

Enrich

Enlighten

Accurately Assess

Expertly evolve kittens to cougars.

Be prepared to

Work Hard,

Be a Role Model,

A spokesperson for

Education.

Expect... 

Disrespect.

Anticipate being

Utilized

Wielded

Maneuvered and

Manipulated by 

Government Employers.

Looking at the

history of

Canadian Politics

they are 

merely mirroring 

the leadership style

of our first

Prime Minister's

Pacific Scandal.

Followed by countless

Dishonest others...

We are the country of

coke snorting

publicly drunk-

driving Premiers...

So why NOT

destroy Public Education?

It certainly means

the government is

Fully Meeting Expectations.

Sally

                       Curious Strangers

Intensionally selected is a smile across my face,
to invite another's greeting and to leave me with a trace
of curious human fellowship, a sister or a brother,
a quick verbal connection, though we do not know each other.
Like the feeling that arises when you help a stranger out.
Returning a lost bootie or a warning heads up shout.
Though we are not related and wont likely meet again,
I love to smile, entice Hellos, from momentary friends.

                                Sally

Hello...
     I spent my first glorious day on the beach particularly drawn to the ocean life. I love Haikus, as they represent many words, thoughts, and musings in only three lines. After four pages of scribbles... this is what I came up with.

      Fate in Gravity

    The catfish and trout
re-schedule their date, as the
   tide hijacks their lunch

               Sally

Summer Greetings

Hello...
    Is anyone still out there?
   Am I still here for that matter?
   By the looks of my blog, one could deduce that I have disappeared completely.
   Based on the last post, one might conclude that my Grade 12 English students had nothing inspiring to share...
    NOT TRUE!
    If you have followed the journey of this blog, you will know that I began a new job this past September. I went back to my original roots of teaching Theatre and English in a public high school. What drew me to this particular school is the fact that it is a Fine Arts school that houses Grades 1-12. The building is a living miracle. I felt engulfed over the past year, and encouraged to flourish amongst the most inspiring of artists.
   With the rekindling of my inner Theatre-Junky, my poetry writing definitely became my less utilized form of creative expression, and with three kids and a husband to care for, it was hard to believe that I ever managed to write daily poems on this blog.
    However, with summer upon us, and my youngest munchkin's Shakespeare Camp running next week, I am back! I will be spending two weeks on the beach unleashing the words within. With a Teacher's Strike, Political Hypocrisy, a new KING SIZE bed, being the parent of the Lower Mainland Junior Improv. Champion/Macbeth the Miraculous Flautist/Chef Dezzy Flay-King of International Cuisine... I have many stories to share. So stay tuned (this time I wont disappear for 7 months) for the next two weeks of...

              Sun of a Beach- A Collection of Reflections from Sally
                                                              (July 14th-27th 2014)

 
     
        I am looking forward to sharing, and thank those of you who continue to read.
                                                                 
                                                                        CHEERS!
                                                                            Sally