Troubled Woman

Students read Troubled Woman by Langston Hughes.

Troubled Woman

She stands
In the quiet darkness
This troubled woman
Bowed by weariness and pain
Like an
Autumn flower
In the frozen rain,
Like a
Wind-blown autumn flower
That never lifts its head
Again.

After discussing Hughes's use of simile, students write their own poem modeled on Troubled Woman. Poems generated by this model include:

The Junkie by Steven Wong* *award-winning
He staggers
Into alleys of illusion
This wind-blown junkie
Angled by craggy veins
Like a
Helpless tumbleweed,
Like a
Crumpled, rain-streaked sheaf
Of yesterday's News.


The Old Man by Deborah Varner

He sits
In the stillness
Of his room
This old man
Crippled by
Age and loneliness
Like an
Aged tree
That can produce no fruit
Like the
Last living tree
In an eroding field.

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

A Winter Song

Students read the following poem by William J. Harris

A Winter Song

If I
were the
cold weather
and people
talked about me
the way they talk
about it,
I'd just
pack up
and leave town.

Using A Winter Song as their model, students wrote the following poems:

If I Were by Betty Adams

If I were a Brillo pad,
I'd scrub away all the scum of the world.

If I were an eraser,
I'd erase away poverty and war.


If I Were by May Yip

If I were the wind,
I would howl away hunger.

If I were the rain,
I would rinse away sadness.

If I were the sun,
I would melt all man's troubles.

Ali

Students read the following poem by Lloyd M. Corbin:

Ali

Ali
Is our prince
Regal and Black
A glass that could fall
but never break
A flower without rain
that could never die
Ali
Is our prince

Examples of poems written by students modeled on Ali include:

Bruce Lee by Frank Tchou

Bruce Lee
Is the master
Elegant but strong
A tiger with sharp senses
ever ready to strike
A nuclear power plant
of potential energy
Bruce Lee
Is the master
of martial arts

Ghandi by Matthew Vargese

Ghandi
Was a leader
Flexible but firm
A guiding light
that never dimmed
A small shivering voice
that storms never silenced
Ghandi
Is still a leader

Lydia by Margie Saez

Lydia
Is my momma
Magnificent and majestic
A rose that lives as long
as eternity in relentless beauty
A mountain that reaches into the blue horizon
that could never be stuck down
Lydia
Is my momma

Mother by Shu Chen Chiu

Mother
Is candlelight
Warm and bright
A glow of love
that flames forever
A torch in the tempest
guiding us past night
Mother
Is candlelight

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.

Fog

Students read Carl Sandburg's poem Fog http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1791.html. They also listen to him reciting the poem http://poetlaureate.il.gov/sandburg.cfm. After a discussion of Sandburg's use of imagery, students write their own poem using personification. Among the poems generated by this model is the following:

Earthquake by Kim Lam Ng* *award-winner

The Earth roars
and shakes
his mighty body,
opening a huge mouth
to swallow whole cities
like a man his morning eggs.
He wakes, yawns, settles back to sleep,
leaving us to our trembling prayers.

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