Special Showcase: Ekphrastic Poetry from Council Grove Jr-Sr High School

Kansas was the first state to completely close its school buildings. This drastic shift from face-to-face teaching to digital lessons was a shock for everyone, and it required a lot of quick creativity.

Tina McIver, ELA teacher at Council Grove Jr-Sr High School, had to transform her regular English courses and her Creative Writing class. Creative Writing, a class that is normally very high-energy and interactive, had to be reduced to videos and Google Slides.

Mrs. McIver decided to try out something new with her students. After doing intensive research into ekphrastic poetry, she launched a series of lessons that would ultimately end in each student selecting a piece of artwork to use as the basis for an ekphrastic poem. The video “Vincent” by Don McLean  was used as an introductory piece for the lessons.

From there, students analyzed figurative language and word choice in other poems and spent some time “visiting” art museums (virtually) to get an idea of what type of artwork they enjoyed. Then, they selected a piece of art and got to work.

Over the course of the next week, students met virtually with Mrs. McIver to discuss their poems and consider modifications and edits that might make the poems even better. Finally, students combined their poems with the artwork and finished their submissions.

A Rose, by Thomas Anshutz (USA) 1907

A Woman and A Rose 

She stares out the window,
Not because it makes the lighting better,
But because everything out there
Is much more interesting
Than the dull thoughts of a painter
Who only refers to women as flowers.

A rose! 
She hopes you mean the dress.
She can see the resemblance.
It’s stiff, prickly,
And highly overrated.
She prefers daisies anyway.

Never before has she felt so trapped
In her own home.
But alas,
It’s not her house, 
But her father’s.
At least the chair is comfortable.

What she would give
To be out the window, down the road,
And off! 
On a grand adventure.
That’s what all the books say, anyway.

What she would give,
To travel the world.
To learn,
To read,
To write.
And she’s sure she could
Paint better 
than this man.

But every day she finds herself 
Back in this house
Of gold and of red.
It’s quite exquisite,
Really,
She should think herself lucky.

Lucky to have this life,
Lucky to be drawn 
By this man.
Who can’t tell the difference between 
A woman,
And a rose.

Carissa

​Carissa (15) likes cows and Chris LeDoux.

Water Lilies, by Claude Monet (France) 1919

The Beauty of Lilies


Lily pads glisten.
                                 Lavender and blush petals float silently, in peace.  
                                                                                 The light of a full day shines bright.     
    Lily pads, petals, and lush flowers glow from below.                                                    
                                                                                                 The frog’s crooooaaak. The wind 
slowly swishes across the sparkling water. 
                              A willow drapes over the pond, leaves sweep the water. 
                                                                                                     Ripples dance across the water. 
Dusk sets in. 
            Soft silk lilies close for the night, to reopen in the sun when birds peeeeep, 
                                                                                             And the water sees the light of day.

Eden

Eden (16) loves the beach and raspberries.

A Cup of Tea, by Mary Cassatt (USA) 1881

Her Facial Features

Fake smiles circling the room
With “Good Afternoons” 
And friendly gestures 
Cheeky kisses and handshakes

Pinky up,
With a white teacup.
Ruffled pink and white dress.
Striped black and grey chair. 

Someone is watching her.
But, she is thinking of something else
Perhaps about the party? No.
Perhaps about her husband? No.

Curly headed and slightly slouched down,
next to a tray of flowers
she sees the butler staring. 
Giving him “The look,”
she notices 
something.

Fake smiles run the room
With “Good Afternoons”
And friendly gestures 
Cheeky kisses and handshakes

She is thinking of her great life,
full of potential and possibility.
Knowing she will live her life, 
to the fullest as she can. 

Michelle

Michelle (16) likes ranching and photography.
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Daniel in the Lion's Den, by Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish) 1614-1616

The Last Meal

Well, this is it
I'd never thought that I 
Would find myself in the lion's pit.

I don't belong here in this vile hole of death
I didn't do anything, and the worst part:
There's no way out.

These majestic, yet ferocious, cats aren't paying too much mind yet
But a few are beginning to circle each other,
 just outside of the crisp sunlight pouring in.
Perhaps they are fighting over which will get to finish me off.

Only if that hole was a bit closer, then I could get the freedom I deserve
But it’s just out of reach. I have tried everything, but it's no use.
I am screaming for someone to help me, but no one cares.

As utterly terrifying as this moment is
I can only wonder,
What was the last thing I drank?
Or the last meal I had? I can't remember, but I bet it was great.

But now that there is virtually no way out, 
The only thing crossing my mind is
That I'm about to be the last meal I'll ever attend.

Kaleb

Kaleb (16) likes anime and his friends.
​