"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found its words"

Robert Frost

The second quarter has always been a favorite for me as a teacher, mostly because it is when I introduce a poetry unit. Often the announcement of this unit is met with both happiness and dread. I tell the haters that it will be my personal goal to turn them around!

I vary the types of poems we read; one that creates a very emotional response is what I call "Social Justice" poems. I ask the students to name things that make them angry or emotional in some way. They list things like war, racism, immigration policies, sexism, environmental issues, abortion, bullying, and more. We read an old poem called "The Man He Killed" by Thomas Hardy:

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BY THOMAS HARDY

"Had he and I but met 

            By some old ancient inn, 

We should have sat us down to wet 

            Right many a nipperkin! 

            "But ranged as infantry, 

            And staring face to face, 

I shot at him as he at me, 

            And killed him in his place. 

            "I shot him dead because — 

            Because he was my foe, 

Just so: my foe of course he was; 

            That's clear enough; although 

            "He thought he'd 'list, perhaps, 

            Off-hand like — just as I — 

Was out of work — had sold his traps — 

            No other reason why. 

            "Yes; quaint and curious war is! 

            You shoot a fellow down 

You'd treat if met where any bar is, 

            Or help to half-a-crown." 

This leads to a discussion of war and humanity. This gets the students evaluating their own experiences with injustice, and many wonderful poems are born. Today I'll share two of these, but first I'd like to present a general reflection on poetry written by a student, Jordan Y.  It's from a poem analysis she wrote at the end of the unit, and her words made a big impact on me. Jordan wrote:

"People may think that poetry is old-fashioned, but if it really does help people stay in touch with their emotions, it may be this modern society that needs poetry the most."

I say "Amen" Jordan!

The following are two students' poems written as part of the "Social Justice" group:

Hanging Humanity The chocolate is locked in the cabinet as they try to escape they fall onto the floor The rainbows are afraid to shine And when they do the rain comes back Society makes us this way The doe have grown antlers But are still given a lesser share of prey One half of a whole heart Still seeks more love Just to find it never had any to begin with And society makes us this way Why do I own so much makeup To clog my pores and stain my face Just to be accepted By fellow hypocrites Who will always find a flaw The ones I try to ignore Society makes me this way Nagya Howze and the second:  Aleppo Children are buried under rubble As citizen run frantically through the city. The white hats push through crowds To save anyone they can. Boom! Explosions are heard left and right. Far away and right next door. These ruthless acts have changed lives In the worst possible ways. We must stand together in such a time of need. Please, pray for Aleppo. Marissa Ream  Both girls proudly read their poems in class. It's not uncommon for me to wipe a tear from my eye as students share their poems. I'm proud of their work, but mostly for them gaining an insight into their own feelings--the "thought has found its words."  Now, if the words become actions, we all can have an unmistakable optimism for our future!  This has been the debut of "Stanza Saturday'! (Thanks to Mary K. Period 5 for the alliterative title!) Coming up: A visit to a former student to begin     an exploration of future careers!