We began class with a few rounds of Rapid Fire Questions, where one student was timed for 30 seconds and asked to respond to a string of random questions about themselves with the first thing that came to mind. Then, working in that same vein, we continued our work with mash-up poems, referencing the same news articles from last week (Prince, The Hawks and a Lifestyle piece on Alzheimer’s, ‘Highway to Heartache’) This time, we modeled our work after the interview- style poem, ‘Q&A’ by Pasha Malla and Jeff Parker from their book Erratic Fire, Erratic Passion: The Poetry of Sports Talk.
The poems in Erratic Fire, Erratic Passion are all mash-ups with invented language which may speak more to the truth than the fragmented language of the actual interviews. We talked a little bit about the use of new language and its purpose. Why create it? What happens when our private thoughts become public by making a ‘comment’ to the press? In the poem, ‘Q&A’ based on an actual pre-game interview with Coach Greg Popovich, the Questions are used as white space and the Answers are created to help us imagine what the question might have been. Poetic devices of repetition, alliteration and humor are used as well.
Fiction and truth can blend together to create a new reality in these poetic, Q &A sessions that follow. In the following poems we may guess which of our three subjects is speaking and in what situation our poets have placed them. Enjoy!
Ms. Taylor, 8th Grade
1st Period
Highway to Heartache
Kiera S.
Q:
A:Not this. I thought of a nurse, teacher, actress, but not this.
Q:
A: My songs aren’t windows, they’re mirrors. I made them to reflect me, but everybody looks at them in a different angle and sees different things. Maybe they see themselves, maybe they see people close tot hem. Who knows? Only them.
Q:
A:People don’t ‘inspire’ songs, the loss of people does. I’ve suffered these losses, and my songs are going to reflect that.
Q&A: Coach Q
Molly O.
Q:
A: I’m extremely proud of the boys. They saved their best for nearly the last, and turned despair into delirium.
Q:
A: Nervous? Of course, I’m nervous. I have no clue what’s going to happen tonight. We have two great teams, both playing some of the finest hockey of the season, trying to save themselves. I think this could go either way.
Q:
A: It’s a testament again to our experience and to the guys who haven’t been here too long to really buy in and play the right way. I have faith in the boys. I think if they all buy in and play fair, whatever happens tonight, I will be proud to call them my team.
Q&A
Will F.
Q:
A: What do you mean?! Of course I am, but I wouldn’t understand you to get that.
Q:
A: I think of it as if it were a wolf and a deer, one wolf might run into trouble, but a pack, they’re unstoppable.
Q:
A: Yes, we’ve earned it, of course we have. No, I don’t mean it like that, I mean how do you feel of what you have. Answer that.
Q&A
Joel S.
Q:
A: The Hawks saved the best for nearly last. It provides a great advantage.
Q:
A: We felt defeated when we were losing, but then we saw all the people and remembered all the people back home counting on us. This inspired us to struggle for them.
Q:
A: The game is going to be exciting. It will be a measure of their skills and ours, and perhaps we can secure our victory yet again.
Ms. Taylor, 8th Grade
3rd Period
Q&A
Miranda G.
Q:
A: All I can say is, that I’m surprised. I tried my hardest. If that’s not enough. What is?
Q:
A:Follow your dreams. If yo can dream it, you can do it. Don’t listen to those who say you can’t.
Q:
A: Its the people who said I couldn’t that drove to me to achieving what I do.
Q&A
Marie K.
Q:
A: Yeah, we were all worried about the outcome. We knew it was only a matter of time.
Q:
A: We were all really big parts of the process, we couldn’t have done it without one of the team.
Q:
A: I’m relieved, you know the adrenaline is still pumpin. Yeah– hopin’ it lasts until Monday’s game.
Ms. Taylor, 8th Grade
6th Period
Q&A
Yesenia B.
Q:
A: Now that I’m older, I’ve suffered those losses.
Q:
A: I rage against the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease and now it took my father’s life. It made my music better.
Q:
A: As a heartache, finding the right kind of love.
Q&A
Michael K.
Q:
A: It was hard. Harder than a rock.
Q:
A: It never stopped. I knew we were going to get them at one point.
Q:
A: Yes. I think it shows how we are pushing and wanting that beautiful win!
Ms Taylor, 8th Grade
7th Period
Q&A
Claudia M.
Q:
A:Yes, the suits were unmoved and chair bound, but I didn’t get to where I was today by forcing my music upon people.
Q:
A: I was always on the lookout for new artists to champion. I loved finding new talents in the music business and helping them get started.
Q:
A: Yes, I admit, get misty-eyed when talking about Mavis Staples. I worked with her in the late 80s and early 90s, and I always found myself tongue-tied in her presence. She said I was helping her, but really she was helping me.
Q&A
Hanna M.
Q:
A: My clothes, my style, my guitar, I think my purpose is what is most different about me.
Q:
A: Because I’m not scared of what people think, I’m different because I have not limits.
Q;
A: I was so different by not carrying around the burden of living up to expectations the way my peers have.
Ms. Taylor, 8th Grade
8th Period
Q&A
Kareem B.
Q:
A: We were behind 2 goals at intermission. Then we drank Gatorade.
Q:
A: I don’t know if the Gatorade helped us or not but we scored 6 goals and only let one in after we drank it.
Q:
A: I would say that if you want to score 6 goals then maybe buy some Gatorade.
Prince
Jessica A.
Q:
A: Hm. Yes, well I got very misty-eyed because she wrote me letters of encouragement, which I appreciated so.
Q:
A: Do you like what you see? I say, what I want to say, not what people want me to say. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with turning your microphone stand into a dancing partner. I cannot comprehend what you could possible mean. And I believe my humor compliments my songs.
Q:
A: I read these letters at the top of my fame, but how indignant of you to have a vacant mind! No questions? Well, I shall not live to such expectations. Thank you very much!
