I spent today catching up. Most of it was digital. It is interesting how much email built up, but I was productive today. This poem by Charles Simic spoke to me. Children wonder and hold the world in awe. Adults lose track of the beauty of mystery. I am not sure what next week holds. Perhaps, I will write poetry. Although I relied on the words of others, noted that many of these poets were new to me and that was transformative. I spent time wisely.
Go inside a stone
That would be my way.
Let somebody else become a dove
Or gnash with a tiger’s tooth.
I am happy to be a stone.
From the outside the stone is a riddle:
No one knows how to answer it.
Yet within, it must be cool and quiet
Even though a cow steps on it full weight,
Even though a child throws it in a river;
The stone sinks, slow, unperturbed
To the river bottom
Where the fishes come to knock on it
And listen.
I have seen sparks fly out
When two stones are rubbed,
So perhaps it is not dark inside after all;
Perhaps there is a moon shining
From somewhere, as though behind a hill—
Just enough light to make out
The strange writings, the star-charts
On the inner walls.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Gorgeous poem.
Thank you Genie.
What a profound perspective of life. To just “be” … *whatever*…. To ponder what it means to simply be that which we are… I can understand why this poem spoke to you. Thank you for sharing it with others so that it can speak to them, too.
It certainly is a profound perspective. You are welcome and thank you,
Stones are magic. So is this poem!
They are and it is. Thank you Valerie.
Hi Ivon, First of all, I want to thank you for being so supportive of my blog posts. This poem is very deep and beautiful. You mentioned that perhaps you might write poetry some day. I encourage you to do that. I’m certain when you do – your words will be inspiring, too. (See, I created a rhyme for you!)
Judy, thank you for the reciprocity, the rhyme, and the encouragement. It is all most apprciated.
You may like this Celtic Bard on WordPress:
http://lornasmithers.wordpress.com/
Thank you Alex. I checked it out and the imagery, both poetic and visual, is breathtaking.
Dear Ivon,
I have nominate you for the Shine On award, please check at
Congratulations!
Warm regards,
mei
Thank you Mei.
This is lovely. You do poetry so very much justice.
I know what you mean about digital time consuming. But it’s such a great feeling to be creative at the end of all the duty, I do know that.
Beautiful 🙂
Thank you. I find poetry, others and mine, has created a new creative space for me to function within. The digital piece is merely a vehicle to getting it out there.
A digital vehicle is the way to go these days, zero petrol, and can be very nice looking – as in your case 😉
Beautiful poem.
It is one of those intriguing ones that invites the reader into it.
Wonderful poem!
Thank you Wendell. It just said so much to me on Saturday as I read it. I could not pass it up.