Today being the day before Valentine's Day, we can't help but devote this Thoughtful Thursday to thoughts of love. Here are two Nikki Giovanni poems which speak of love: one of a love to which we all can relate, and the other of "grown folks" love that we'd all be lucky to have. Enjoy, and have a Happy Valentine's [...]
With Black History Month underway, and the Winter Olympics about to begin, today's Thoughtful Thursday offerings speak to the spirit of America. Here are two poems, one from W.E.B. DuBois and the other from Elizabeth Alexander. DuBois suggests alternative lyrics to a familiar American anthem, and Alexander ushers in our first Black president with a hope-filled view of America's [...]
In anticipation of Super Bowl Sunday, GCP went on the hunt for inspirational quotes from some of the Super Bowl players. We found some great quotes from two Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman. Apologies to the Denver Broncos fans, but these two players have made more than their share of inspirational quotes recently. As we noted in [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday is dedicated to Amiri Baraka, the celebrated poet, writer, teacher and political activist who helped forge the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Baraka died on Jan. 9, 2014 at the age of 79. Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones in 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. In 1968 he became a Muslim, changing his [...]
Happy Belated Birthday to Dr. King! While we as a nation will officially celebrate on Monday, let us not forget that January 15th was his actual birthday. In honor of his birthday, here are some of his many wise words. Let us all share some of Dr. King's wisdom with our sons and daughters as we celebrate his life. [...]
Baby, it has been very cold outside for much of the U.S. this week. So on this Thoughtful Thursday we were inspired to look for poems about the chill of winter. Along the way we found a beautiful poem by Robert Hayden, "Those Winter Sundays". While its title and some of its vibrant imagery evoke winter's chill, at the [...]
Season's Greetings, Everyone! This being the last Thoughtful Thursday before Christmas, we bring to you three Christmas poems by very well known poets. Maya Angelou read her poem "Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem" at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005. "Carol of the Brown King", and "Shepherd's Song at Christmas", [...]
By now you all have probably heard the sad news that Nelson Mandela passed away today at 95. Today we mourn the passing of the father of modern South Africa who was, as President Obama reminded us in his statement made just a few minutes ago, "one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any [...]
This is a stressful time of year for parents who are focused on the application process for their sons' schooling. Whether our sons are applying to pre-school, elementary, junior high, high school or college, we parents are intimately involved in the process, and trying desperately not to freak out about some aspect (or all aspects) of it. Getting your [...]
This being report card and mid term season, students are likely to be buried in their books. On this Thoughtful Thursday GCP offers poetry to console, encourage, amuse, and inspire the student in us all. Ambition Take one's adversity Learn from their misfortune Learn from their pain Believe in something Believe in yourself Turn adversity into ambition Now blossom [...]