Where I found the freedom to write a poem

Hi everyone,

I’m in beautiful Petoskey, MI right now for a short vacation, but I read something so wonderful the other day that I wanted to share it with you right away.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Delightful is the best word I can find to describe it.  The book is written in a series of poems, but it’s not a book of poetry; it’s a short novel.  I’m not even going to attempt to do justice to how endearing the book was by trying to give a synopsis.  All I’ll say is that it is a MUST READ for teachers and any students who don’t “get” poetry or don’t think they can write it.

For anyone interested though, here is the description from Amazon that does a decent job:

“With a fresh and deceptively simple style, acclaimed author Sharon Creech tells a story with enormous heart. Written as a series of free-verse poems from Jack’s point of view, Love That Dog shows how one boy finds his own voice with the help of a teacher, a writer, a pencil, some yellow paper, and of course, a dog. With classic poetry included in the back matter, this provides the perfect resource for teachers and students alike.

“I guess it does
look like a poem
when you see it
typed up
like that.”

Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Ms. Stretchberry, won’t stop giving her class poetry assignments — and Jack can’t avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns he does have something to say.”

I am one of those people who just don’t feel like they “get” poetry.  I was so inspired by this book though that I found myself writing a poem to thank the author.  I think students will get the same sense of inspiration and freedom.  Encourage them to give poetry a try…or try it yourself!

Thank You

I’m sure you hear this all the time:

I Loved! Loved! Loved!

Love That Dog

 

I am a teacher

I can type

I use big words

(sometimes)

I don’t know

why you’d want

to hear

from me

 

Although I feel

more like Jack

than Ms. Stretchberry

 

Poems

Scare

Me.

Especially writing

them

 

I don’t want my name on it

but I want you to know

how much I liked your book

 

So I’ll sign

 

Sincerely,

Sarah

 

What books or ideas do you love for poetry, either personally or for students?

 

Remember to like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and share us with your friends!