Recently at Yale Elementary, we have been experimenting with various forms. We did, however, take one week off from experimentation to return to a thematically based prompt. What could draw us away from our wordplay you may ask: Mother's Day.

Using the rather straightforward narrative poem, "What I Learned From my Mother" by Julia Kasdorf, we asked ourselves both individually and collectively what have we learned from our mother(s).

Kasdorf writes "I learned from my mother how to love / the living [...]" and "I learned that whatever we say means nothing, / what anyone will remember is that we came." The poem is a melancholy one insofar as much of what Kasdorf has learned from her mother is how to console the living when they are confronted with loss; ultimately, this might be the greatest lesson many of us have learned from our mothers, however. With their unique combination of compassion and fortitude, mothers teach us how to go on living even when dying comes easy to the places we inhabit.

I hope you enjoy reading what more we have learned from our mothers. May you and yours be well.

Mrs. Fleming's Class (8th grade)

Love for my mother
Ikenna M.

My mother is precious to me
like a jewel to be stolen by a thief.
She taught me how to love, caring, respect
like a mother bird returning to the nest.
Like a bird being taught to fly
my mom makes my heart soar sky high.
She taught me how to be a man
now I'm not a baby like my dad.
She bathed, changed, fed and cherished me
now I do to her like a king worships
a god.

M.O.M.
Mitchell J.

I learned from my mother
to love myself before any, to
have high self-esteem and to get
the green if you know what I mean
I learned to always work
hard and to treat people with
respect I learned a lot from
you [people come and go but
you're here to stay] in my heart

What I Learned from my Mother
Tony E.

I learned from my mother
how to become a man
how to do what you got to
do whenever you can.
Do this do that it kind
of made me mad but now
that I think about it I
am kinda glad. Because some
kids don't have a mother
so I'm going to enjoy every
moment like it is no other.

Ms. Tillery's Class (7th / 8th Grade)

What I Learned from my mother
Tashiara W.

I learned from my mother
how to get along with people.
I learned from my mother
how to cook, and bake cake.
I learned from my mother
don't hang out with the wrong
crowd.
I learned from my mother
be by yourself and not with a
crowd.
I learned from my mother how
to be respectful.

My Mother's Love
Xena S.

As I learned to love my
self first, As you took me by my
hand for my first step, as you read
me bedtime stories to ease the sleep.
My mother's love is as sweet as
can be. My mother's love has made
me who I am to this day. My mother's
love has taught me to be independent not
dependent. My mother's love has taught me a home cook meal
is better than any other love. My mother's love has taught
me so many things, I can't explain.
My mother's love has taught you
only have one mother so you should
make it last. My mother's love has
taught me "what happens in the dark
comes to the light". My mother's love
is indescribable and unexplained.

The Direction I Learned from my Mother
Michell U.

The Direction I learn
from my mother to love
myself before the other.

To save up instead of
spending to hand.

What I
learned from my mother
if I have any kids, don't
spoil the kids but use the rod.

The direction I learned
from my mother, is don't
be stuck up, but still come
out the cover.

What I learned from my mother
is if you got the time to
believe in others, you got
the time to believe in yourself.

She read me bedtime stories
tucked me in at night so tight, and didn't
let the bed bugs bite.

She told me whatever I do in the dark
comes to light.

She help me with my 1st steps
I thank her for all her help.