Mandala Poetry
I have been working in schools with children and teachers in the area of poetry for over sixteen years. During this time I have researched over eighty ways to write a poem, or poetry forms. When I wrote my teachers resource book, “Patterns in Poetry” (Oxford University Press, 1996), I had only thirty forms presented and had just begun working on “Mandala Poetry”.
I created this form of poetry to help encourage non-writers to enjoy producing a poem. In fact, many children who have never been able to write a poem have created poems in mandala format in my workshops.
Children, using a particular poetry form (e.g. accumulative or narrative form) draw their poem in the circular, geometric shape of a mandala. After this ‘drawing’ process they either tell or write down their poem.
I am available for poetry writing workshops in your school on all aspects of poetry including thematic, performance and mandala poetry for both writing with children and teacher inservice.
I took the mandala form design for children to visually depict the nine aspects of Blackburn Lake explored through their poetry writing. (Artist in Residence, 1999)
“Dragon’s Claw”
Ashley Knox — Surrey Hills Primary 3R
An accumulative poem drawn firstly in the shape of a mandala.
A sharp, pointed Dragon’s Claw,
Tapped by a bright, glistening wand,
Held in the hand of a tiny, delicate fairy,
Beside a magical, crystal ball,
In a faraway forest.
“The Crocodile Moat”
Lachlan Mackay — Surrey Hills Primary 3R
A slippery, bloody dragon’s tooth,
Fell on a cracked, wooden drawbridge,
Which crushed a sparkling diamond,
That fell upon the delicate hand of the British queen,
Flicked into the crocodile infested moat.
Mandalas have fascinated mankind for centuries. They vary in their complexities as they do in their use and can be found in our architecture, such as our own capital city, Canberra, the ornate ceiling roses in our homes and stained glass windows in our churches. Whenever they are used we gain a feeling from the art form other than the initial visual impression.
The word Mandala come from one of the oldest texts known to man, Sanskrit. Translated means circle, wholeness - a complete symbol in itself. Mandalas are not just a pretty painting in a circle. A Mandala is complied of many different images shapes, patterns and colours which all convey a particular meaning. It is an ancient art form used in many different religions and cultures.
Carl Jung used mandalas as a means of accessing the subconscious mind. By contemplating a mandala a degree of insight can be obtained, They can be described as a visual story that expresses aspects of the self. Working on mandalas one can bring to consciousness some of the inner self and there is often a great sense of achievement, at times an inner peace or knowing. Mandalas are a fascinating art!
City poems with grade 5/6 at Ferny Creek P.S.
This grade was involved in a study of Melbourne and city life. I gave each student an A3 piece of paper and asked them to trace an outer circle with a compass and an inner circle of any dimension they wished. Then with the shape of city buildings and geographical area in mind, they had to rule their design with a ruler. their designs required mathematical skills and concepts to be able to implement mandala picture format. We then looked at a model for writing. The first verse which can been seen in the poem below.
Captain Cook’s Cottage by Daniela Hammer, Grade 6
A POEM OF THE CITY
I like the town
With interesting faces
An no empty spaces
Filled with queer noises
And Captain Cooks cottage
Tucked neatly away
Where eight used to live
For every new day
Reeds of the river
Ducks of the dam
Lights from the lampposts
And songs from the sand
Views over fences
All stretching far
Views of the towers
Near and the far
by Daniela Hammer Grade 6, Ferny Creek P.S