POETRY BY KIDS

POETRY BY KIDS

Franco, Betsy ed.  Things I have to Tell You.  Cambridge, Massachusetts:  Candlewick Press.  2001.  ISBN  0763610356

SUMMARY:  This book is a collection of poems written by girls twelve to eighteen years of age. The girls tell their own stories which are captivating in what they have to say and how they say it. More than thirty uncensored poems are accompanied by Nina Nickles's photographs, which capture the various moods  of adolescence. Teenage girls write about their hopes and dreams, relationships, heartaches, and strengths.  The book and the wonderful pictures are an enlightening glimpse into a teenager’s perspective.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:  In this collection of thirty-four poems, young women express their feelings and emotions.  The poems are accompanied by black and white photographs which do not illustrate individual poems, but are like a teenager’s photo album.  The girls discuss all the emotions relevant to today’s adolescents.  Most teenagers will see themselves in these well-written poems.  Teenage girls will relate to the emotions that these teenagers’ voices evoke. Some of the poems follow traditional verse with rhymes, whereas others are free verse, but all the poetry portrays the emotions of the writer. This book, written by real teenagers is a wonderful addition to any poetry collection.  I was amazed at how well the poetry is written. I hope these girls continue to write because they can truly touch others by what they have to say.  The book has a Table of Contents, an Author’s Preface, and at the conclusion, an Author’s Acknowledgements section.  I recommend this book for grades 8-12 because of some strong language and adult themes.

POEM EXCERPT: 

I’m Sayin’

By Mahogany Elaj Foster, age 16

“Yo!

I would be a liar

If I was to say I didn’t care about all of the madness

I mean sure I think about the future of my peers

And all of the young’uns

I think about the lies that have been fed to them

And I think about all the ones who just sat there and ate it all up.

MMM, man I’m sayin’!

Why spend up all of your time abiding by social rules?

Why spend up all of your time following trends and fads?

Why spend up all your time thinking about what people are thinking about you?

Why try to appeal to the masses?

Why not go out on a limb and be who you want to be?

What if one day you decided to wear your hair nappy?

Sport your tribal colors?

Throw up your fists?

Quote Malcolm X and Martin Luther King,

Read Nikki Giovanni and Angela Davis,

Dance the dance of Mother Africa,

Greet people in Swahili!

Be STRONG and PROUD,

While being honest and trusting,

And Hard-working.

Yo! Is there a way?

Is there a way?

Man….I’m Sayin’!

EXTENTION ACTIVITY:  A fun activity after reading the book would be to have students pick one of the poems to illustrate.  Since the poems are accompanied by photographs which do not represent the poems, students could illustrate the poem of their choice.  They could also present by reading their poem, showing their illustration, and explaining their illustration. 

RESOURCES:

Franco, Betsy ed.  Things I have to Tell You.  Cambridge, Massachusetts:  Candlewick Press.  2001.

Images by Google Images.