WRITING PROMPT

Take the Leap

Quote prompt №14

I am back with a new quote, and I hope you all will participate! I have loved reading your poetry and thoughts on these prompts.

Welcome to Quote Prompt № 14!

The quote this week comes to us from the wise 13th century Persian poet, Rumi:

A voice comes to your soul saying Lift your foot. Cross over.

I came across this line, oddly (and perfectly) when I was reading the introduction to Patterns of Power: Inviting Young Writers into the Conventions of Language, Grades 1–5 by Jeff Anderson. I have chosen to use this curriculum with my 5th grade students this year, and I was doing some fun summer reading. If you are not an English teacher, you may not fully get my geeking-out behavior toward grammar lesson planning.

As I imagine, we are all feeling the anxiety of this time. As a teacher my anxiety feels doubled as I anticipate school opening next month. I have already taught two weeks of summer workshops on campus. The kids have been great. They have been mostly compliant with social distancing, keeping their masks on, and washing their hands. It is doable, especially with small cohorts of kids.

However, planning for the uncertainty and several scenarios: on-campus, distance learning, hybrid learning, sudden closures and mandates… it is all daunting.

I read a note from a nurse lately that mentioned teachers are the next front- line workers when dealing with Covid-19. I won’t get into too much of that here, but I wrote an article the other day if you want to read it:

Teachers and Childcare Workers Can Not Hold the Weight of This

We need our leaders and the community to share the load

medium.com

I do hear a voice calling my soul. It ebbs and flows. I have a lot of fear about returning to work with people full-time. I worry about staying healthy and having the energy to keep up with my teaching career. There are so many days spent thinking about the futility of everything. I am afraid, but I am willing to cross over and learn from this incredibly difficult situation.

What voice is calling your soul? What is keeping you from crossing the threshold?

Again the prompt:

A voice comes to your soul saying Lift your foot. Cross over. ― Rumi

If you would like, respond to the quote above with a poem, short story, essay, or whatever creative expression you wish. I cannot wait to see what you come up with this time! Please submit drafts to Sky Collection only, and link this post to your submission!

Because of the increased interest in becoming a writer with Sky Collection, I have new submission guidelines. If you would like to become a writer here, please email me a draft of your work at [email protected]. We welcome poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and all sub-genres!

Thank you for reading. I’m a teaching and writing mom. I write poetry, fiction, and essays in celebration of being a Mom, Wife, Educator, Writer, & Lover of Life. ❤POMpoet❤ Follow my 2020 Sky Collection Project, and subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date!

Tagging some writers, but all are welcome!