My Love

Students read the following poem by Ono No Yoshiki:

My love
Is like the grasses
Hidden in the deep mountains.
Though its abundance increases,
There is none that knows.

Poems generated by this model include the following:

My Love by Tonya Silver

My love
Is like a quiet stream
Forever flowing over stones and twigs.
Though many see its surface sparkle,
No one knows its torrential depths.

For Tito

Students read the following excerpt from For Tito by Sandra Maria Esteves:

For Tito

you, macho machete,
are all the fine conga rhythms
played in the street, in parties, in spring
all the beautiful vibes of la playa sextet
washing up against the palms in the hairs of my back
turning my blood into salsa
and filling me up inside to swell
with who I am

you, macho paciencia,
are the star of my aqua sea

Poems generated from this model include the following:

For Tony by Maribel Juanrez

you, sexy man,
are the strings of my guitar
playing the chords of my heart
echoing my body in tune
strumming my soul with song

For Andy by Li Chui

you, clear crystal,
are the primrose stars
in the shadowy grass

you, eternal light,
are the surge
of deep music

For Danny by Melanie Myers

you, my masterpiece,
are all the fine art
charcoaled on the canvas
of my consciousness

are all the prize paintings
framed forever
hanging in the gallery
of my heart

Your Hair

Students read the following poem by Eve Merriam:

Your Hair

Your hair
is a web
of Japanese silk
for me to
weave my fingers through

After discussing Merriam's use of metaphor, students write their own poem using Merriam's as a model. Poems generated from this model include:

Your Eyes by Robert Morel

Your eyes
are jade jewels
from the Orient
into which I gaze
for silent secrets.

Your Lips by Mary Lightbourn

Your lips
are sugar
of Jamaican cane
for me to slowly
nibble my way through.

When You're Away

The following poem by Eve Merriam serves as a model:

When you're away
I'm a single shoe

pockets without a coat

a hat

and no head to up it on.


Among the student poems this model generated are:

When You're Away by Bruce Hall

When you're away

I'm a faceless clock

a marching band without a beat

a violin

with no strings
___________________

When You're Away by Simone T.Reyes

When you're away

I'm an ocean without waves

a night without a moon

a prayer

without a God