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