Texas poet laureate Karla K. Morton visited Texas High School on Wednesday as she travels the state sharing her poetry and prose in the Little Town, Texas Tour.
Known as the Poet Warrior, Morton, a Denton resident, has criss-crossed the state since June 2009. She created the tour upon her appointment as laureate to raise appreciation for poetry.
Sporting her cowboy boots, each emblazoned with a Texas star, she performed her poem “Becoming Superman” from the book bearing the same name.
“Confident, hands on your hips, flawless tights, your cape, restless in the wind, wearing the colour you know brings out your eyes, stronger, faster, ready to leap,” Morton said as she mimed a cape blowing in the wind.
Victor Wedding, a junior, said he had not heard poetry like Morton’s and that he enjoyed her performance.
“It was interesting, to say the least. She’s a little bit eccentric, but I like that she’s got a style all her own,” Victor said, adding he can relate to Morton’s poems.
“I rather like ‘Becoming Superman.’ It just seems I am not much of an outgoing person by nature, and it makes sense,” he said.
Morton encouraged the students to write. She said text messaging and e-mail are not ideal ways to share heartfelt moments with another person.
“Guys, you can’t lose the written word,” she said as she picked up “Wee Cowrin’ Timorous Beastie,” her original Scottish epic poem produced as a book/CD project with Canadian composer Howard Baer. “I worry that your grandchildren will never find a box with your love letters.”
She encouraged the students to print the things they write with cell phones, iPods and other technology.
“Write, write, write. Go out and make your mark on the world.”
Morton said she’d always wanted to be a poet laureate and never gave up the dream even after more than 20 years of rejection letters. She said she had so many rejection letters she could wallpaper her two-story house in them.
Morton said her book “Redefining Beauty” helped her work through a cancer battle. She encouraged the students to use writing as a way to work through difficulty.
Quoting Robert Frost, Morton said, “All poetry begins with a lump in your throat.”
“It’s OK to get in touch with those feelings and it’s OK to write those things down. If it’s a tough emotion, instead of putting your hand through a wall, write it on the paper. The paper will take it. The paper will take it.”
Morton’s long-term goal for the Little Town, Texas Tour is to create and publish a book with selected student poetry and art from the Little Town, Texas Poetry and Art Contest.
“I’m writing a poem about each place I go,” Morton said. “I’m breaking new ground and doing things no other poet laureate’s been able to do.”
The contest is open to all schools that are part of the tour. E-mail [email protected] by Dec. 31 to participate.
Visit Morton’s Website at kkmorton.com for more information.
Known as the Poet Warrior, Morton, a Denton resident, has criss-crossed the state since June 2009. She created the tour upon her appointment as laureate to raise appreciation for poetry.
Sporting her cowboy boots, each emblazoned with a Texas star, she performed her poem “Becoming Superman” from the book bearing the same name.
“Confident, hands on your hips, flawless tights, your cape, restless in the wind, wearing the colour you know brings out your eyes, stronger, faster, ready to leap,” Morton said as she mimed a cape blowing in the wind.
Victor Wedding, a junior, said he had not heard poetry like Morton’s and that he enjoyed her performance.
“It was interesting, to say the least. She’s a little bit eccentric, but I like that she’s got a style all her own,” Victor said, adding he can relate to Morton’s poems.
“I rather like ‘Becoming Superman.’ It just seems I am not much of an outgoing person by nature, and it makes sense,” he said.
Morton encouraged the students to write. She said text messaging and e-mail are not ideal ways to share heartfelt moments with another person.
“Guys, you can’t lose the written word,” she said as she picked up “Wee Cowrin’ Timorous Beastie,” her original Scottish epic poem produced as a book/CD project with Canadian composer Howard Baer. “I worry that your grandchildren will never find a box with your love letters.”
She encouraged the students to print the things they write with cell phones, iPods and other technology.
“Write, write, write. Go out and make your mark on the world.”
Morton said she’d always wanted to be a poet laureate and never gave up the dream even after more than 20 years of rejection letters. She said she had so many rejection letters she could wallpaper her two-story house in them.
Morton said her book “Redefining Beauty” helped her work through a cancer battle. She encouraged the students to use writing as a way to work through difficulty.
Quoting Robert Frost, Morton said, “All poetry begins with a lump in your throat.”
“It’s OK to get in touch with those feelings and it’s OK to write those things down. If it’s a tough emotion, instead of putting your hand through a wall, write it on the paper. The paper will take it. The paper will take it.”
Morton’s long-term goal for the Little Town, Texas Tour is to create and publish a book with selected student poetry and art from the Little Town, Texas Poetry and Art Contest.
“I’m writing a poem about each place I go,” Morton said. “I’m breaking new ground and doing things no other poet laureate’s been able to do.”
The contest is open to all schools that are part of the tour. E-mail [email protected] by Dec. 31 to participate.
Visit Morton’s Website at kkmorton.com for more information.