A Can of Nuts
The pull tab pops, producing salty nut puffs
Transporting me to crowded markets
Bordering Waikiki beaches.
Thirty years since that high school choir trip,
Yet I still smell sea breezes that cool my skin
While flopping and failing surfing lessons.
Small ice chunks tease my tongue
Sweet collaborations of pineapple, papaya, passionfruit
Peddled outside our hotel.
I still hum harmonies
Sung under a choral shell
Beneath starry skies.
The soothing ocean swell
As purples and pinks sink into the sea’s surface
Cameras click to collect memories.
Laughing and babbling
As Fritz barters for a blanket
And nearly gets belted.
Sweet memories stored
In a salty can
Of macadamia nuts.
Freewriting
During a summer professional development hosted by the Central Utah Writing Project, I participated in a freewriting exercise: craft a personal memoir inspired by an everyday object in the room. This poem grew from that prompt.
Exercises like these remind me how small observations can spark meaningful stories — and how freewriting can fit into any subject area.
If you are feeling inspired, I invite you to try it yourself. Look around, choose an object near you, and let it lead you into a poem. Feel free to share a link to your work in the comments when you’re finished!
A Note About Summer Professional Development
I have always found summer professional development essential for refreshing my teaching skills. Over the years, I have attended AVID, Solution Tree, and other workshops and conferences that continually sharpen my practice.
This summer, as I continue building skills for classes I am newer to teaching here in Burbank, California, I am attending professional development opportunities on my own dime.
If you would like to support my efforts, even a penny or two is appreciated.
