Remembering When

As a child I was immersed in doll play as many young girls my age were. When I moved into my first home and had children I displayed a few of the dolls my sister and I played with and the ones that my mother had during the 1940s. One doll, lovingly called Corky, became a faithful companion for my daughter. As time went on, Corky and the other special dolls left their cozy abode to be preserved. They wait patiently for the time when another little girl will love them as much as my sister,daughter, and I did.

This month, Laura Shovan created a new challenge, the 2016 Found Object Poem Project. Laura's Day 6 image that you see to the right caught my interest. It reminded me of the dolls with the beautiful eyes, lashes, and moveable parts of my childhood. I honor the memory of those types of dolls and my daughter's beloved, Corky, with my following offering to Laura's poetry collection. 

Sometimes poetry allows the writer an opportunity to vividly recall memories from the past. While it is important to be expressive and create in a non-digital world, it is equally important to be inspired to compose in the digital playground. I find both platforms and multiple writing tools are essential elements of my process.

At the onset of today's writing session, I began by carefully observing the photo prompt offered by Laura. Next, I wrote down a few words, crossed some out, and connected thoughts using pen and paper. 

Since I like to work in other dimensions, I switched to a digital platform and redesigned the layout of Laura's original photo. This step, using the PicMonkey tool, allowed for another layer of creativity to flow. The photo design that I created below led to a refinement of the draft of the poem.

Remembering When

Sweet friends and confidantes,

your friendly faces

remind me of doll days

when my mother and I

lovingly designed

your tea time clothes.

Now, you sit on dusty shelves

stripped of your dignity,

mere remembrances of

another era, a time gone by

when little girls adored you.

Who will call you their own?

©Carol Varsalona, 2016 

Because it is fun to create digitally, I took the enhanced photo and added a few more layers. Then, I tried out different backgrounds and overlayed the poem that I wrote to create this postcard-like digital composition. I am hoping someday in the future when Corky comes out to play, a little girl will read what I wrote and wonder about tea time from the past.

 

Turning my attention to the classroom, I recognize that in the digital playground creativity is nurtured and honored as a way to compose. Modeling the above process for students may entice them to write and try out different digital platforms to showcase their writing.

Tomorrow is DigiLit Sunday so I not only offer this post to Laura Shovan but also to Margaret Simon who rounds up the bloggers for the DigiLit Sunday community here.