Elm Tree Poetry 2017: Week 2 — Day 4

Dear Elm Tree fams,

Today marked our penultimate day and easily our most ambitious: a field trip to Ellis Island! Usually by Thursday, our kids are well-versed in Elm Tree rules, having established bonds and a sense of mutual responsibility for each other, which makes it the perfect point in the week to take a trip out of the park. 

All the kids arrived first thing in the morning, minus our dear poet, Enid, who was sorely missed as we set off on our adventure for the day. We hopped on the train and headed to the ferry, where we met Rod's friend and our visiting artist for the day, Hoyce (Julia Joyce-Barry). On the train ride over, we started the kids thinking about the concept of a name, which was very much the theme of today's writing assignment. What's in a name? What does it mean to change it? What does it mean to carry it with you? (A quick little history of the name Hoyce: Rod dubbed Julia, one of his closest friends, Julio, which lead to a completely ridiculous new name: Julio Hoyce-Barry—eventually just shortened to Hoyce.) 

 

During one of our regular Thinking Times, we asked the kids to imagine what someone with the name "Hoyce" might be like. What color did the name evoke? If they were an animal, what would they be? What would they be like in their daily life? Oona practiced a little pun work and said, "she's probably very strong, because she can hoist things", while lifting imaginary barbells. Maddie said she imagined a woman of German origin (which wasn't too far off, even though Hoyce isn't her real name). 

Soon after, we untied with Hoyce and it was love at first sight! We did our classic intro (which you'll hear at the reading tomorrow at 5:00pm at Unnameable Books), and Hoyce did the same before we headed off onto the ferry, which is always an adventure onto itself. We marched up to the top of the boat, in "two straight lines, Madeline" (Romy's catchphrase), and had some snacks as we set sail on the Lady Liberty. On our way, the kids grasped onto the banister and screamed, "ahoy!!" to any boat within range (which was any boat), and most people waved back! 

 

We docked onto Ellis Island, and had a quick meeting before entering the museum. We stopped at the sign and broke down the word "immigration", asking the kids to explain to us what the word means. We broke apart its many iterations, most important of which is "immigrant". Romy and Rod didn't want to influence their critical thinking regarding our current state of affairs, but this year, our work does aim to challenge and question the personal and the political. Poets often embrace the power of subtlety; this is also very much part of Elm Tree's ethos, and we always want the kids to really notice what is overlooked. Even without us "teaching" this concept, they have figured it out on their own. As a result, examining the concept of an "immigrant" on Ellis Island felt like a way to discuss the political climate without having to get boggled down in political policy. 

 

Upon entering the museum, the first thing you are greeted by is the baggage room, which contained sectioned off historical suitcases preserved by the museum. We asked the kids to gather around and look at the luggage, and imagine the act of distilling your entire life—a home's worth of belongings; an entire family's selection of heirlooms—and place it in, sometimes, a single suitcase. Some of the kids initially described the suitcases as being extremely large, but upon careful consideration arrived at the conclusion that the moment in which a family assembles that suitcase is a moment of immense sacrifice. 

After that, the kids headed over to a digital directory of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. Some of our kiddos had family members who immigrated into New York, so we took some time to search for them. Jacie mentioned that her great-grandmother, Beatrice Schiffman, came to Ellis Island "because she was Jewish", which Romy echoed as true for her family as well. Maren's great-grandfather, Jerome Dioguardi, also immigrated just after World War II. Lyla's grandparents, the Lasovskis, also passed through! Most of the first and last names were not listed, but we were able to track down everyone's last name, and make our way to the wall to see its engraving. The kids were extremely excited to see their relatives on this wall, the history of their family collapsed into one moment. Maren held her finger to her family's name.

 

 

 

We settled under a tree—our personal favorite spot, no matter where we are—and had a quick lunch before jumping into our writing project for the day. We had the kids head back to the wall (on their own this time) with their notebooks and pencil in hand, and jot down a name that spoke to them. Some of the kiddos wanted to choose their family's name, while others picked out someone they didn't know. At first, they were confused as to what they would do with the name of stranger, and Hoyce reminded them their imaginations were sharp enough a tool to engrave the details of even a stranger. 

 

 

When they came back, we gave them a prompt to start off with it. The poem started off in the form of a letter, with "Dear (name)", followed by "I hope you / but I'm worried that". The poems really asked the kids to examine the micro and the macro, and to imagine the experience of an immigrant entering a strange land, which the kiddos are lucky to consider a home. We reminded them that they live in New York City, one of the most culturally rich cities in the world and to share this privilege with the person they're welcoming into their home. 

 

 by Audrey

 

by Ajay

 

by Lyla

 

by Oona

 

by Maddie

  

by Maren

by Annabel

by Jacie

by Gayatri

 

To close out our day, Hoyce and Rod scurried to refill all the kiddos' water bottles, while Romy read "The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi, a book which the kids loved and that we'll be finishing on Friday morning. The book chronicles the experience of Unhei, who hails from Korea and relocates to a new school in the United States, where she is initially ridiculed for her name. What is most powerful about this book is that the school children try to help Unhei come up with an American name, but in the end she decides to keep her own. This is critical because many names were changed or adjusted at Ellis Island, and we wanted to give a child's outlook on the idea of assimilation. 

 

We hopped on the ferry back to Battery Park, where we bid adieu to Hoyce after a day spent gallivanting around the grounds with her. When it was time to part, the kids ran and bombarded her with the biggest hug Romy and Rod had ever seen. They thanked her for her kindness, her humor, and her tattoos. Hoyce, in response, thanked them for their generosity and willingness to accept an outsider into their makeshift family. The essence of accepting others felt embodied by her presence and our kiddos' openness. 

 

We dedicate this blog to Hoyce, for giving us herself—in every sense of the word. She was such a magnetic force for the kids. It was amazing seeing how quickly they trusted her, how willing they were to ask her for help and have her transcribe their words for them. She is already a big part of the extended Elm Tree family. 

Thank you, Hoyce! 

 
Please refer to the email for details on tomorrow's (Friday's) reading at Unnameable Books. We really hope to see you all there, after our last day of the Elm Tree Poetry Program.

With a heavy but full heart,
Romy & Rod