[Music] not every state has a gorgeous river flowing across the top of its palm like a lifeline cutting neatly from the middle of our mitten and pouring into Lake Hiron let us today praise the Oabo River for its beauty for its abundance oh I believe it must be time to write an ode a tribute to this wonderful river that flows like a lifegiving vein across the lower peninsula of our state hi everybody I'm Jeff Cass and sometimes we just need to slow down the world and appreciate the beauty and wonder it has to offer one way to do that through poetry is to write a kind of poem called an ode an ode is a poem that praises that pours love onto whatever a writer thinks is worth praising you can write an ode to the moon an ode to the bright blue sky an ode to a favorite television show like Odd Squad or an ode to a person you really want to appreciate like a parent a grandparent or even a teacher or one of your friends you can even do what the famous poet Pablo Nuda did and write a poem to your socks when you write an ode you don't want to hold back don't be shy you want to really exaggerate and express why you love the thing you're writing about it's also good to talk directly to whatever you're appreciating for example if I'm writing an O to my eyebrows I could say "Oh furry creatures crawling across the top of my face how you protect my eyes from dirt and dust how you soak up sweat so it doesn't drip into my eyes so I cannot see oh eyebrows you are two beautiful roofs protecting my eyes from the storm oh eyebrows okay you get the picture today we want to turn our eyes with their lovely eyebrow canopies to the Oabo River the Oabo River located in the lower peninsula of Michigan is part of the national wild and scenic river systems what's so great about it what's worth pointing out that we can appreciate if you've been there with friends or family you can use your own memories of your experiences maybe you went fishing there or or camping maybe you paddled a canoe there for the first time if so you can focus on those moments when you're writing try to use the five senses so the reader can see hear smell taste or touch what you're writing if you've never been there do some research look up the Oabo River online or in a book look at the pictures maybe even watch a short film or or video clip about it what you're likely to find is that the river is roughly 138 mi long and it's known for its cool clear water and great trout fishing it's known as one of the best canoeing spots in the entire United States it holds a famous 120 m canoe race every year from from Grey Lane to Oscot it's open to the public and part of it goes through the Hiron Manasty National Forest so anyone can hike on the trails that wind next to it or even swim in it it features a lot of wildlife including bald eagles i'm going to give it a trot how does this poem sound ode to the Oabo River oh Sabo River how your delicious splash cools my sweat oh Oabul River how I love how my arms feel the good kind of tired when I paddle mile after mile through your slow twists and turns look I shout an eagle its majestic wings soar above as if I have been transported back into an earlier time before the whoosh and squeak of cars and the beep of trucks backing up before the loud symbols of explosions on television before the tiny computer tucked in my palm which every day steals hours of my attention oh Sabo River how I delight in the shade of the trees lining your banks in the steady rhythm of the paddles splashing in and out in the trout hooked to my line pulling and fighting and finally jumping in the air is scales glistening in the sun oh I cannot eat such a majestic creature no no a sabul river i must unhook his wide mouth let him free to dive back into your cool delicious depth wow there you go that poem has 19 lines you can see I've included some images I can see like the scales of a fish glistening in the sun an eagle spreading its wings or a truck backing up i've also included lots of sounds like the like the beep of that truck or my shout when I see the eagle an eagle i've included some things I can feel the tiredness of my arms or the splash of the water or the shade from a tree i didn't really use any smells or tastes in this poem mostly because I decided not to eat the fish but you feel free to use smells and tastes if they fit into whatever you're writing now it's your turn write your own ode to the Oavo River paint a picture with your words try for at least 15 lines use the five senses talk directly to the river love the river tell us what makes it great good luck thank you for joining us if you want more fun ways to practice literacy skills don't forget to subscribe to the Michigan Learning Channel and be sure to check the description below for links to activity guides resources and more [Music] [Applause]