TEAM Englewood – Week 3
I like using Jack Gilbert’s “Michiko Dead” in the High School classroom because it’s powerful and short, uses only one image, and doesn’t mention what the image represents anywhere except the title. It’s a quick way to teach the function and emotional power of poetic images.
For the workshop, I ask the students to list the 10 most important things to ever happen to them, good or bad or imagined, and then write a poem about one of them without mentioning the event if the can.
Ms. Dube
7th Period
Julian
“Graduation”
a slave being free from work.
people screaming with joy.
getting your freedom papers from
your master.
you and other slaves being free
from work, and rules.
being able to not have to wear
slave clothes anymore
able to move to the rest of your dreams
a slave being free.
Sabrina Y.
Death of someone you really love,
is like wolves eating at your flesh.
It hurts, pain, sorrow, and sadness.
It’s like your heart sinked.
It’s like losing the things that really made you!
It hurts, it shatters you into pieces
like a glass with no meaning.
Racheal M.
I lost the best thing happen to me
my little sister, step sister Novermber 2nd 2013
She’s my birthday tiwn, my heart
my everything. With her not
around it’s real sad by me
being the only child but I have
to learn to stay strong
everything happens for a reason
then I was blessed with
a god sister.
8th Period
Nadia U.
“First Heartbreak”
The feeling I feel is like getting
punched in the stomach. It hurts so
bad. Cry, cry all day and all night.
Missing the times that filled my life
with so much joy. It gave me life. Sick
to my stomach. I wanna throw up ohh
noo noo I’m a big girl and big girls don’t cry.
Depression hits me like a baseball to
a bat, the rush so fast and it hurts so bad
dark night with all the memories
flowing through my head.
Daniqua W.
“My Angel”
My angel…
My angel is there for me
My angel has faith in me
You make me mad
You brighten my day
You’re like an on and off switch
Sometimes I don’t like you
But all the time I love you
You like a piece of me I will
never let go.
I trust you like a nun trusts God.
I love you like a mother loves
her newborn.
I protect you like a father SHOULD
do his daughter.
You are the person that understands me
You make me laugh
You help me when I cry
You know me better than anybody
You are my biggest headache
But through it all I don’t know what
I would do without my angel.
