Free VerseOnce I knew a man who gave his wifetwo skunks for a valentine.He couldn't understand why she was crying."I thought they had such beautiful eyes."And he was serious. He was a serious manwho lived in a serious way. Nothing was uglyjust because the world said so. He reallyliked those skunks. So, he reinvented themas valentines and they became beautiful.At least, to him. And the poems that had been hidingin the eyes of the skunks for centuriescrawled out and curled up at his feet.

- Naomi Shihab Nye

Love Poem

• Write a PG love poem to your mom, dad, sibling, pet, or thing that you love.

• NOT to a boyfriend or girlfriend!• MUST have a rhyme scheme that is labeled at

the end of each line• MUST be at least 10 lines of 5 words each• School appropriate!• Decorated/Illustrated

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. A

I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightB

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight B

For the ends of being and ideal Grace. A

I love thee to the level of everyday’sA

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.B

-Elisabeth Barrett Browning

Ode to Coffee

Oh, you know how I love my coffee ABlack, cream and sugar, or super frothy AEvery morning to Starbucks I do run BTo make sure that my day will be full of fun BFor if my coffee I cannot drink CI will fall asleep and begin to sink CDown in my chair while my students run wild DI love to drink coffee but didn’t as a child D