Tinikling Between Two Wor(l)ds: Recent Episodes
Katreena Tolentino
This is not meant to be a one-way street with me as a “sage on stage.” My goal is to share a poem that will inspire others to write.
Each episode will include an original poem, a brief discussion or interview, and a prompt for the listener.
This was made for you, for me, for us.
For today, I want you to think about the most important life lesson you learned. It could be from experience, an elder, a friend, a teacher, or anything in between. It could be about friendship, money, love, failure, death, hope, or countless other themes. Share your insight, wisdom, and values. I hope to learn from you.
Now, let’s take a moment of silence.
In fact, let that be our focus this week. Sit with silence. Reflect on a time when you had to be silent. Was the moment uncomfortable, peaceful, painful, hostile, or a mixture of emotions? Was it ceremonious, voluntary, or forced? Was it political, religious, personal, or accidental? Were you alone? Some moments with tension and silence revolve around death, goodbyes, longings. Explore wherever the silence leads you.
For this week, I want you to think about a lesson you learned (or taught) while at school that did not involve academic standards. Through that experience, you might have developed character, self-awareness, pride, confidence, or some other attribute. Those are the moments that make my job worthwhile. As Lola Ida used to say, “Teaching is not just a profession; it is a mission.”
Now, it is your turn. I want you to think of something that is missing from the classroom. If you are choosing something tangible, do not make a supply list. Focus on one item: tissue paper, markers, flexible seating. It could be something more abstract: a course (art, home economics, woodwork) or even subject matter (SEL, diversity, financial literacy). Whether a student, teacher, parent, or visitor, your observation matters. Why is that item or topic so important? What are the possibilities when it is accessible in the classroom?
Season 1 will continue Friday, February 3. I look forward to releasing episode 16 next year. Until then, have fun and keep writing.
CDK: Either they could write about how they have faced a similar hurdle in their life where they struggled with self confidence, or how they would approach someone else going through this—like a close loved one.
KT: I think that would be an interesting spin-off.
CDK: I would like the listeners to respond to how they would approach—say a loved one or just a friend—going through a hurdle in their life, battling self-confidence, and low-self esteem.
This week’s prompt is about confidence. Too much of it can lead to hubris, ignorance, and pride. Too little can result in low self-esteem, doubt, and even depression. For your writing, pick an extreme. Life is all about balancing the thin lines between two words, but the reality is we often lean one way or another. The journey is worth telling and exploring.
This week, I want to focus on the sound of language. Students often assume that poetry has to rhyme. When they only consider words by matching the ending sound, their final poems are often limited, forced, and corny. That’s where lessons on alliteration, assonance, and consonance come in. The repetition of sounds can either be a vowel or consonant that is placed at the beginning, middle, or end of words. Have your writing explore one or more of these literary devices.
Rather than focusing on the content of this poem, my challenge for this week is to go back to the basics. This poem centered around CVC words and simplicity. Have the majority of your writing include simple CVC words. Enjoy exploring a childlike voice with wonder, amusement, worry, or any other strong emotion. Have fun.
With that said, I want you to describe something that you learned from an older generation. This might be a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, neighbor, colleague. Try to be specific. For instance, if you are going to talk about cooking, then focus on a certain dish. Try to recall what happened that exact day down to the “little-big” moments. I am curious if your story will focus on a certain game, food, art, skill, hobby, or something else I didn’t expect.
AK: Write about a time where you realized that you are the only person in your life that is permanent. Because that’s an important realization to have. And, I feel everyone should have that realization.
For this week, explore a topic or style that captures you. It does not have to be biographical or true. It can delve into science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and so forth. You do not have to be the center of the writing, but I want the piece to reflect your interests and imagination.
For this week’s prompt, I want you to think about style or format. Specifically, palindromes. I suggest that you start small by attempting only one stanza to flip. However, if palindrome poetry sounds too intimidating, you can try a different approach. Instead, you can use as many words that are palindromes within your writing. To get you started, here are a few: Anna, civic, kayak, level, madam, mom, noon, racecar, radar, refer, rotator, sagas, solos, stats, tenet, wow.
The goal is to have fun and try something new.
As mentioned, our gathering was not only a sharing of his story but of history. For this week, I want you to retell a story that is not often included in the history textbooks. It can be your own story or from someone you know—sibling, cousin, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, neighbor, friend.
Focus on one specific moment or event. War, immigration, emigration, discrimination, acculturation, death, accomplishment, contribution.
Feel free to interview others and/or conduct research that might help to better understand the time period.
I want you to think about a time when you did not feel included. Describe the setting: home, park, playground, school, classroom, church, temple, cafeteria, table, store, street. What caused your feeling of alienation, difference, and/or discomfort? Was it a person (or group of people), a sign (or other form of print), or a norm (such as a status quo)?
Tell your story. You might shed light on a microaggression or a blatant/intentional act. Either way, someone reading your writing might relate to a similar circumstance while others might learn something they did not know or notice. Conversations can lead to understanding and clarify misunderstandings. Your words have power.
LL: So, my prompt for your listeners is to think of a person who has impacted your life in a positive way--that you see as your hero.
For this week, I want you to focus on an important cultural aspect you want others to learn or better understand. It can center around a particular food, custom, celebration, dance, etc. Is the item or ritual symbolic of something else? Are there any misconceptions? How will you carry this tradition to future generations?
Create a poem where you are answering a question: What does it mean to be ____? You can focus on a noun: an athlete, a nerd, a sister/brother, a cousin, a friend, a Catholic, a Muslim, an atheist, an outcast. Or, you can focus on an adjective or state of being: invisible, lonely, happy, depressed, objectified, seen. You might want to consider turning it into a group poem where, like the original version of this project, the title becomes a transition between each speaker.
This was a fun poem to create because I was passionate about the topic and vision. Having a finite amount of topics and stanzas provided me with structure. My challenge for you is to anchor a group of things that have some sort of connection–three branches of government, four horsemen, five stages of grief, five food groups, seven days in a week, seven deadly sins. If possible, personify one of those categories and have that character encounter (or embody) a misunderstanding, unlikely hero, victim turned vigilante, or some other concept. For example, imagine the five food groups as siblings while highlighting the insecurity of your main character (one of the categories).
Near the end of the poem, I describe myself as a bridge. Many of us had to assume that role at some point; therefore, I want you to write about a time in which you served as a link between two ideas/concepts/people/moments. Maybe you were a translator in the literal, cultural, or generational sense. Describe how you had to navigate the meeting, appointment, transaction. Or, perhaps you will explore a coming of age theme that links your old and new self—growing out of something and transforming into something/someone new. It could also focus on something more abstract (like a moment or an idea).
Explore your two worlds through words. Jump in and out of the cultures/ideas/perspectives. Was it a burden, honor, privilege? How did it shape you?