27 March 2017: "I mean, I might be way off...but I think the space represents silence." --a student in my ENGL 307 class today, as we discussed Brown Girl Dreaming, specifically a poem called "How to Listen: #10."
The "How to Listen" poems are all haiku form, and all interesting as we read about how the main character becomes a writer. This last one is different from the others as there is a gap between the second and third lines:
"Write down what I think
I know. The knowing will come.
Just keep listening."
The student who shared the observation above is one of the more quiet ones in the class. And she was sort of slow to raise her hand here and even a bit reluctant to share her idea. But her comment is so insightful: leaving space for silence is a key part of listening.
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