Exit Slip - Writing Poem with Constraints & Apple Cider Making, Oct. 9th

Today we did Fibonacci poem writing, followed by apple cider making. I will start with reflecting on the poem writing. 

I sometimes write poems, but only when the poem comes to me. In another word, I don't sit down and say "let's write some poems today" without knowing what exactly I want to write. And when I write poems, I don't like using constraints, because instead of playing with puzzles, I just want to put my thoughts down and that's it. 

Today's activity was definitely very different from how I usually write, it felt more like solving a math puzzle. I have encountered this idea of 'some poets prefer strict constraints because constraints helps them to write', in a first year English course. It was interesting to try this idea out today. I guess there is a spectrum in creative activities, which one end is you just want to have fun with creating something, whereas the other end is there is an exact thing that you want to express and you try your best to re-create it in reality. I am definitely more used to the latter, but I think I am gradually getting more and more familiar with the feeling of treating creative activity as a leisure. 

(By the way, I didn't really explain it during the class but this fib poem is about how the branches on the pear tree looked less dragged down when the fruits were mostly harvested.)

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The apple cider making was a lot of fun. I did both cutting with knife and chopping with the processor. It was actually a rare experience to work on something in a large group setting like this. When I wanted to cut, I asked if anybody want to change then Danielle changed with me. When I wanted to see and try some other things, again I asked, then somebody came in and covered my cutting spot (I'm having a hard time remembering who was that person). When I wanted to try using the processor, Chris gave a processor to me. It is kind of difficult to put into word, but this group work was a very positive experience, and made me wonder if this is the ideal dynamic of community/society under communism.

(The apple cider we made surprised me, I expected something more diluted. It turned out kind of amazing.)