Poetry Lesson: In Our World

Remember: this was originally used as an example for a beginning writing class and is in no way a polished poem. Since some writing classes expect students to be creative with poetry, this is a way you can encourage your child to branch out in writing and attack poetry in a different way. I have found it to be an excellent avenue to creativity for students of all ages and backgrounds.

This particular exercise I have often used with students of all ages, was to set up a table full of regular day objects such as cleaners and such, and ask them to create a poem using the names of the products. This can make for some very creative and insightful poetry and allow students freedom to explore poetry as well. Note: this exercise can be used in many different learning environments.

Oftentimes, in both the teaching and learning of poetry, neither the student nor the instructor are either particularly moved to go above and beyond the average ABAB rhyme scheme in poetry. In staying within safe boundries, the student is cheated of the opportunity offered by non traditional poetry to touch and inspirte the writer in ways not often found. Not only useful in an English/Literature venue, the objects can always be changed to items found along roadsides and those words woven into an environment themed poem. To go one step further, the instructor can take students to a trash littered area and ask the students to walk about taking pictures of various debris about. After returning to the classroom, the student would be given the images and told to create an environmentally themed poem using the debris within the image. This causes students to look past mere objects and see how they affect their world.

This exercise is not just for poetry but would also work well for those courses that want to make the point that items can be viewed in several different ways as can our world as well.

HOMEMAKER

If I were cleaning up the world

I'd scrub off the graffiti passed as literature

And recycle the filth that passes for lyrics

into Bounty and blessings,

all in the name of art.

I'd Ajax the minds of Howard Stern and such,

And I'd Vanish the profanity from mouths of the innocent.

I'd Cheer up the homeless in the world.

And let the Tide wash away the filth on cable T.V.

I'd Shout out the blood on the hands of terrorists

And I'd Pledge to Wisk away the dingy grey of war.

Don't forget discussion of the poems after their presentation. That opens the door for fantastic discussion of the use of words as well as their relevance to the world and how individuals fit into the mix as well. As an assignment to follow this in class work, invite students to choose 6-8 items from their homes and write another poem using what they learned in this lesson.