Kiara Shanay Lee
I had this crazy idea to start teaching Psalm, my 5 year old daughter, about poetry. Turns out, the idea was not so crazy after all.
I started out by asking her about the word “poem” itself. “Have you ever heard of the word ‘poem?’” I asked her. She said she had and that all poems rhyme. Since she knew so much already I went with it and let her lead the way.
“Not all poems rhyme, but some do. Can you think of any words that rhyme?” I asked her. She went off to the races. Before I knew it, she had several words on paper and they all rhymed. She was having a ball and most importantly, she was so proud of herself.
She was excited. She was so excited. And ready for more.
She asked me to read some poems. And that we did. We read a few but among them, she had a favorite — “Blues” by Langston Hughes.
When the shoe strings break
On both your shoes
And you’re in a hurry
That’s the blues
When you go to buy a candy bar
And you’ve lost the dime you had
Slipped through a hole in your pocket somewhere —
That’s the blues, too, and bad!
I read it. I read it again. And I read it again. I read it over and over, per her request. She giggled. We discussed it. She liked the way it rhymes and what he was talking about (I’m sure at first the only word she really heard was ‘candy,’ with her 5 year old self).
“I want to write my own poems” she said.
And then I thought about it. This girl has been “writing poems” for a while now, actually. All the jingles she comes up with, her little remixes to particular lines in songs, the silly little sayings she creates. All of it is a form of poetry that I am blessed to have fill my home each and every day, I just hadn’t given it a literary term — yet.
To all my fellow mommas out there: we are among some of the world’s greatest creatives — our own kids. Sure, they don’t articulate like Langston Hughes — yet. Maybe they don’t center the deep thoughts and challenges of Maya Angelou and others — yet. But that child-like banter, those wild, illustrious stories they tell and those silly things they do with their words — it’s all art and it’s all worthy of note, right now. It’s worthy of giving them the time, space and attention to develop their skills, right now. It’s never too early to start. Ever.
Before I started teaching my 5 year old daughter about poetry, I asked my mom “do you think she’s old enough for this?” She simply replied “why not?”
That’s the attitude we need.
Why the F not?
We have to stop limiting these little giants among us. They are small but mighty. They are young but full of so much potential. They will be bigger tomorrow but they are still so so bright today. Let their unabashed brilliance shine now before the world attempts to dim it later.
I am so excited to see what’s to come for my little poet.
She always tells me, her teachers, her family and anyone who will listen that she wants to be a writer like her mommy, but little does she know, her mommy wants to be mighty, just like her.
Whether you’re a writer, a painter, an actress, or if you don’t consider any fancy titles for yourself – you are a creative. No matter who you are, to some degree, we all create and we all need space to take care of every part of ourselves. I hope The House of Psalm Magazine inspires you to take good care.
Dr. Kiara Shanay Lee | Editor in Chief, The House of Psalm Magazine
IG: @thehouseofpsalm @kiaraleewrites | kiara@thehouseofpsalm.com
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