"Heartsongs"
April is national poetry month and tomorrow is "poem in your pocket day" at my school. Last week I started thinking long and hard about a poem that I could keep in my pocket for the day that elementary school students would enjoy and appreciate. Did I want to go the whimsical route with Shel Silverstein? Did I want to be profound and find an age appropriate Langston Hughes piece? Would choosing a basic Robert Frost appeal to everyone? Then I remembered a few books that I had on my shelf in my room. The first of these books, which I received for Christmas circa 2002, is called "Heartsongs", and was written by 11-year-old Mattie Stepanek.
I remember the night I fell in love with Mattie. I was babysitting late one night when I fell asleep on the couch. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, keeping an ear on the girls upstairs and an eye on the driveway. Being late at night, the TV show I was sort of watching turned into CSPAN and a guest speaker, not much younger than I was at the time, was speaking at a small conference. He had perfectly round glasses on, similar to those of John Lennon, and he was permanently bound to a wheelchair. Although, this didn't look like a normal wheelchair, it looked more like some high-tech space machine for such a small child. Mattie spoke of his life, and most importantly, of his love for peace and poetry. Mattie was diagnosed with Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy, or DMM, which is considered a category under Muscular Dystrophy. What this means is that Mattie's mitochondria- the "powerhouse of the cell" are faulty, and do not provide him with the energy he needs to live and grow.
Mattie always knew his life would be short but from an early age Mattie had an uplifting spirit. He desired to be a "peacemaker" and began writing poems at age 3. Mattie's first book, which he also illustrated, was published in 2001 and a number of other books have been published since then. That night on the couch I found tears in my eyes and I was instantly inspired. I grew very attached to Mattie and his story and would watch him speak on Oprah and Larry King. Each time he spoke, I cried, moved by his strength and determination.
Mattie was inspired by Jimmy Carter and never let an interview go by without speaking of his idol. He always said he wanted to provide peace the way Jimmy Carter did. Mattie had a close friendship with Oprah and admired her humanitarianism. All of his poems are inspirational, and many speak of love, God, and heaven. Mattie's story has stuck with me for a long time, but his books have been untouched on my bookshelf for years. After flipping through them again I was reminded of how special life really is and decided to make another strong effort to live by the words spoken so sincerely by Mattie- "peace is possible!" Sadly, Mattie passed away in 2004 at the age of 13.
While brainstorming on a poem to read to the school and after remembering these books that sat on my shelf, I knew I had to read one of Mattie's poems. Inspiration can happen at any age- Mattie was inspired by Jimmy Carter and other peacemakers while just a child, and he inspired so many other people to create peace, to "play after the storm", and to "think gently, speak gently, live gently." Mattie said the things that were the most important to him were, "praying and playing, and celebrating life every day in some way." These are words spoken by a child who touched the lives of so many people. I will read part of the poem "Heartsongs" to my class tomorrow, and I will keep Mattie's strength, strong will, and peaceful inspiration close with me always.
I remember the night I fell in love with Mattie. I was babysitting late one night when I fell asleep on the couch. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, keeping an ear on the girls upstairs and an eye on the driveway. Being late at night, the TV show I was sort of watching turned into CSPAN and a guest speaker, not much younger than I was at the time, was speaking at a small conference. He had perfectly round glasses on, similar to those of John Lennon, and he was permanently bound to a wheelchair. Although, this didn't look like a normal wheelchair, it looked more like some high-tech space machine for such a small child. Mattie spoke of his life, and most importantly, of his love for peace and poetry. Mattie was diagnosed with Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy, or DMM, which is considered a category under Muscular Dystrophy. What this means is that Mattie's mitochondria- the "powerhouse of the cell" are faulty, and do not provide him with the energy he needs to live and grow.
Mattie always knew his life would be short but from an early age Mattie had an uplifting spirit. He desired to be a "peacemaker" and began writing poems at age 3. Mattie's first book, which he also illustrated, was published in 2001 and a number of other books have been published since then. That night on the couch I found tears in my eyes and I was instantly inspired. I grew very attached to Mattie and his story and would watch him speak on Oprah and Larry King. Each time he spoke, I cried, moved by his strength and determination.
Mattie was inspired by Jimmy Carter and never let an interview go by without speaking of his idol. He always said he wanted to provide peace the way Jimmy Carter did. Mattie had a close friendship with Oprah and admired her humanitarianism. All of his poems are inspirational, and many speak of love, God, and heaven. Mattie's story has stuck with me for a long time, but his books have been untouched on my bookshelf for years. After flipping through them again I was reminded of how special life really is and decided to make another strong effort to live by the words spoken so sincerely by Mattie- "peace is possible!" Sadly, Mattie passed away in 2004 at the age of 13.
While brainstorming on a poem to read to the school and after remembering these books that sat on my shelf, I knew I had to read one of Mattie's poems. Inspiration can happen at any age- Mattie was inspired by Jimmy Carter and other peacemakers while just a child, and he inspired so many other people to create peace, to "play after the storm", and to "think gently, speak gently, live gently." Mattie said the things that were the most important to him were, "praying and playing, and celebrating life every day in some way." These are words spoken by a child who touched the lives of so many people. I will read part of the poem "Heartsongs" to my class tomorrow, and I will keep Mattie's strength, strong will, and peaceful inspiration close with me always.
"I have a song, deep in my heart,
And only I can hear it.
If I close me eyes and sit very still
It is so easy to listen to my song.
When my eyes are open and
I am so busy and moving and busy,
If I take time and listen very hard,
I can still hear my Heartsong.
It makes me feel happy.
Happier than ever.
Happier then everywhere
And everything and everyone..."
-Mattie Stepanek
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