What Learning Leaves: New Edition

By Taylor Mali

Called "a ranting comic showman and a literary provocateur" by The New York Times, Taylor Mali writes eloquently and entertainingly about his experiences in and out of the middle school classroom. Bob Holman, the man who brought the poetry slam to New York City, calls Mali's poems "clear, funny, appealing, accessible. And smart." "What Learning Leaves" includes many of Mali's greatest hits, including "Like Lilly Like Wilson," "Totally L Whatever," and "What Teachers Make," which has been viewed on YouTube over five million times and is called "the most forwarded poem in the world."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Write Bloody Publishing
• Release date: Oct 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781938912276

Taylor Mali

TAYLOR MALI is a spoken word poet, teacher advocate, and game designer from New York City. Mali is a four-time National Poetry Slam champion and one of the original poets to appear on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. The author of five collections of poetry and a book of essays on teaching, he is also the inventor of Metaphor Dice, a game that helps writers think more figuratively. He lives in Brooklyn where he is the founding curator of the Page Meets Stage reading series at the Bowery Poetry Club.

Book preview

What Learning Leaves

a collection of poetry

by Taylor Mali

Write Bloody Publishing

America’s Independent Press

Austin, TX

writebloody.com

Copyright © Taylor Mali 2013

No part of this book may be used or performed without written consent from the author, if living, except for critical articles or reviews.

Mali, Taylor.

2nd edition

Originally published by Hanover Press, 2002

ISBN: 978-1938912-27-6

Interior Layout by Lea C. Deschenes

Cover Designed by Bill Jonas

Proofread by Melinda Aguilar

Edited by Derrick Brown

Originally edited by David Martin

Type set in Bergamo from www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com

Printed in Tennessee, USA

Write Bloody Publishing

Austin, TX

Support Independent Presses

writebloody.com

To contact the author, send an email to [e-mail]

MADE IN THE USA

for Rebecca Ruth Tauber Mali

1964 – 2004

What Learning Leaves

Next stop

That’s me at the front of the subway train

with my face pressed up against the glass,

watching as every oncoming red light

goes green then slides on past.

My hands are cupped round my eyes,

and my back is to the rest of the car.

If I block out the light from where I am

standing, I can see just as far

as the bends in tracks will allow me.

Silent whistle or unlit beacon:

here I am at the front of the train,

staring forward as if I were seeking

the color and texture of darkness,

or how a broken heart becomes whole,

the here and now of the future,

the exact size and shape of the soul.

There are others who do as I do:

who stand here and strain to see.

Granted, they’re usually 10 years old,

but that doesn’t bother me

because I have my back to the subway car

and my face pressed up to the glass.

And every red light will eventually change

to green, then slide on past.

Three-hole punches

First day of school

This is it, the most important moment,

the original transgression.

If this were writing, this would be the opening line

(except you’d be able to go back

and change it if you didn’t get it right).

If this were love at first sight,

this would be the moment you bumped into each other,

the night you began your mutual confessions.

It’s time to recalibrate and revise

the rambling digression of summer eyes

and focus on a more decorous expression—

say, the red and yellow leaves of trees

that have scattered themselves all over the lawn

with abandonment and indiscretion.

With abandonment and indiscretion

be like early autumn air and freshen.

Because school is now in session,

and you know the old expression,

you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

What learning leaves

My children have all gone home,

leaving me with nothing to do

but grade, plan, record, worry,

and call their parents.

Jenny’s mother ends the conversation by telling me

that I seem like the only teacher who understands

that learning is fun,

that it should leave you feeling refreshed.

I look around my room and think,

in the parlance of the sixth grade, Na-ah!

Learning is tiring, frustrating, often boring,

and as for feeling refreshed, their blood sugar levels

are so low by three o’clock that the only thing

my students have the energy to do

is beat each other up and scream.

Refreshed is not on the list of what learning leaves.

What is

Reviews for What Learning Leaves

[sunnyburke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you have not read anything by Taylor Mali or even heard of Taylor Mali, then you need to read this book right away! Thsi man is a genius when it comes to spoken word and if you ever get the chance to hear him live, do it! He used to be a teacher and a majority of his poems reflect his experience with children or as an educator. This is why I can relate so well to his poems. He also has a way of writing that hits you so clearly and moves you in a way that is inspiring. He is such an amazing writer!