Living Words: Poetry Workshop

PRESENTED

ATMills Park Middle School

BYPhillip Shabazz

Poet’s Name: ________________________________________

Language Arts Teacher: ______________________________

1

Language Arts Class Period: 3 4 57

2

Table of Contents

Don’t Worry if Your Job is Small by Anonymous . . . Page 3The Drum By Nikki Giovanni . . . Page 3Ars Memoria By Phillip Shabazz . . . Page 3

Monday Writing Activity: things that make you who you are . . . Page 4 Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye . . .

Page 4 We Wear the Mask By Paul Laurence Dunbar . . . Page 5

Monday Home FUN: Pick a title . . . Page 6 The Negro Speaks of Rivers By Langston Hughes . . . Page 7

Tuesday Writing Activity: Poem Map . . . Page 8

Tuesday Home FUN: Descriptive Poem . . . Page 9Meet Crystal by Phillip Shabazz . . . Page 9

Wednesday Writing Activity: Memoir Poem . . . Page 10 A Get-Together by Phillip Shabazz . . . Page 10

Wednesday Home FUN: Repetition Poem . . . Page 11Out of My Head by Phillip Shabazz . . . Page 11

Thursday: Poetry Contest . . . Page 12

Friday: Poetry Quiz . . . Page 13

Figurative Language And Poetic Terms . . . Page 14

3

Notes . . . Page 16

Don't Worry if Your Job Is SmallBY ANONYMOUS

Don't worry if your job is small,And your rewards are few.

Remember that the mighty oak,Was once a nut like you.

The DrumBy Nikki Giovanni

daddy says the world isa drum tight and hard

and I told himI’m gonna beat out my own rhythm

Ars MemoriaBy Phillip Shabazz

I come with earthy fire in artful artfiery moon in heartful heart

I go with winter wind in curly hairice flower in golden air

I come with cloudy joy in rainy rainmorning sun in painless pain

I go with bluest flow in endless streamlast night’s star in deepest dream

I come with boom and bang in stormy stormbutterfly in flawless form

I go with seaside songs in rare rainbows fading in shaded shadows

4

Monday: Writing ActivityWrite a poem about things that make you who you are. Compose the poem as if you are writing to a small circle of friends. Try to use as many words as you can from this list: In the beginning, job, gloves, thunder, rain, orange, face, fire, heart, wind, sun, moon, leaves, he, she, brown, fall, cool, trees, In the end. Limit your poem to *10-25 lines.

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weepby Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep:I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hushI am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.I am the soft star shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry:I am not there; I did not die.

5

We Wear the MaskBY PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—

This debt we pay to human guile;With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,In counting all our tears and sighs?

Nay, let them only see us, whileWe wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our criesTo thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vileBeneath our feet, and long the mile;But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

6

Monday: Home FUN Write a poem and use one of these titles:

1) I Walk Through Fire 2) I Climb The Mountain 3) I Fly The Night Wind 4) I Walk On Water

____________________________________________________

I ____________________________________________________________

It ______________________________________________________________

This ___________________________________________________________

With __________________________________________________________

And ___________________________________________________________

Why ___________________________________________________________

In _____________________________________________________________

No ____________________________________________________________

I _____________________________________________________________

To _____________________________________________________________

I _____________________________________________________________

Beneath ________________________________________________________

But ____________________________________________________________

I ____________________________________________________________

7

The Negro Speaks of RiversBY LANGSTON HUGHES

I’ve known rivers:I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddybosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I’ve known rivers:Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

8

Tuesday Writing ActivityWrite a poem based on this poem-map: 1) something you’ve lived with—an object, an emotion, a time, a place(use a simile), 2) something you’ve felt, 3) my heart, my spirit has done something (use a hyperbole/simile), 4) something you’ve done and mention the time, 5) something you made, where, and what did it do (use your imagination), 6) something you seen and did something to enhance it, 7) some music you heard, when—mention someone you admired, what that person did, 8) and something in nature you saw and what it did, 9) my heart, my spirit has done something (use a hyperbole/simile).

__________________________________I’ve lived

I’ve felt

My

I

I made

I watched

I’ve seen

I’ve lived

My

9

Tuesday Home FUN: Descriptive PoemWrite a poem that describes someone: it can be a family member, a friend, a stranger, a famous person, an imagined person, a character from a book, or a mythological figure. Include info several things that stand out about the person. **Use Figurative Language. Limit your poem to *10-25 lines.

Meet CrystalShe’s a flame in my heart,

and loves a good timeand tells me: Friday is for movies,

Saturday is for dance hall, and Sunday is for worship.

Her smile is candy to my eye.When she blushes her cheeks turn strawberry red.I’m like slow your roll, when I check her cherry lips,

and long tips on her fingernails, her skinmango with a touch of coconut.

She keeps her hair twisted like licorice, packs peppermint in her purse,

loves homemade cookies for snack.Her eyes are chunks of chocolate.

Sometimes, I just stare at them forever and lose myself for the moment.

Afterschool and homework I get on the phone and talk like a prince

into the flower of her ear. Crystal, this honey of mine, open and smart;

but sometimes she can be stuck up,like she’s a legend in her own mind,

like a Hollywood diva with a soft face that’s sometimes cold

when I hug her.

10

Wednesday: Memoir PoemWrite a poem about a memory. Choose an incident that calls up strong emotions and one which you had to face a problem. Ground the memoir in a place. Include other people, and things that stand out in the setting/situation. Say how you felt, and why. Here’s an example. Limit your poem to *10-25 lines.

A Get-TogetherMom dipped the spoon into the carton of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, and then put scoops of it in the bowls for us. “The music’s too loud; turn it down,” she said.

There was a bunch of knocks on the front door. When they saw me, here come all these girls dancing in jeans and in skirts, and wearing perfume. I smiled, but moved out of the way ’cause my boy Fred was already sniffing and trying to get up on one of them.

Balloons bounced above our heads. Rap music bumped on the box. Big-Tip laughed over a cup of cocoa with a couple of cuties. Two-Head sat with his girlfriend Donna on the couch. Bo took off his jacket to play a video game. Fred was already dancing with one of the honeys. I looked out the window at the sunset.

Mom had made a one layer chocolate velvet cake. A red candle burned like a prayer in the middle of it. I kept looking out the window. I thought about Crystal.I closed my eyes, and the words, “I wish she was here” slipped across my lips.

Excitement flew like a spaceship through the air and the rumble of rap music turned my friends into party animals, and they danced and laughed and talked and flirted like crazy.

I took a deep breath, turned around, and walked over to the cake. I wanted to blow out that red candle for good luck, and make a wish about Crystal, but I didn’t. “That’s silly. We broke up. Stop tripping,” I said to myself. “Don’t be silly.”

11

Wednesday Home FUN: Repetition PoemWrite a repetition poem, using a key word that’s repeated throughout the poem. The key word can be an object, an idea, an emotion, or some place. Try to write the poem as if you are thinking about a situation. Limit your poem to *10-25 lines.

Out of My HeadCrazy movie and cookies and popcorn spilling from a bag

crazy snack too salty to taste goodcrazy like the street and trucks and park benchin the rain and bottomless pits and sidewalks

cracked crazy from the red trolley we used to rideon Saturdays to the last stop of our blindfolded dates

crazy video and iPhone and text messagesand school and dumb history books crazy sunset

sad starlight and a bag of chocolate kissiescrazy Two Head Crazy Fred crazy mom and dadout of my head ain’t nothing but a pothole fora crazy bird that flaps its wings but can’t fly

crazy all the sweet talk in the bookstorethe hallway at school and the pancake house crazy snap shot

and tear stains from crazy laughs the waywe hid that time in a keyhole like crazy twin secrets

and moons and dimples a million miles awaycrazy mad like an idiot at you for not being there

when I held your hand and hugged you crazy goodbyetoo late to start again and bring it all back

crazy right but that’s cool.

12

Thursday: Poetry Contest!Use one of the following prompts to write your poem. Try to include simile, metaphor, alliteration, and personification in your poem. Note: Limit your free verse or rhyme poem to *10-25 lines.

Statement Poem: Write a poem about how you feel about racism, poverty, violence, war, peace, pollution, bullying, and crime. Don’t get preachy.

Time Poem: Write a poem about a time frame: the seconds, minutes, hours, days of the week, nights, months, seasons, holidays, and birthdays. Be playful with each frame of time and relate it to a real or imagined experience.

Persona Poem: Write a poem from the point of view of an animal, a place, something in nature, or a manmade object such as a bottle, a table, a lamp, a spoon, etc. Ground the poem in a setting.

Definition Poem: Write a poem in which you define something. Include its features, nature, actions, strengths, weaknesses, and meaning. Compare it to something else to highlight your point of view. Ideas: friendship, life, peace, happiness, truth, trust, fear, anger, love, or joy.

Relationship Poem: Write a poem that involves the relationship you have with people in your life, living or deceased. Ground the poem in some advice or a gift given, or things said to you that stuck.

Observation poem: Write a poem whereas you observe something in nature. Include things that stand out about this thing, what it does, and what it makes you think. Ideas: the sun, rain, a mountain, a meadow, a tree, grass, a rose, a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake, a star, the moon, the beach breeze, define friendship, life, peace, happiness, truth, trust, love, a volcano, or snow.

Face poem: Write a poem about kinds of faces in the world. Give each face a character type, personality, color, shape, size, features, and meaning. Put yourself in the poem.

13

Friday: Poetry Quiz1) Limit your poem to *10-25 lines. Choose one of the following titles:

You and Me In Times Like These Fires I Kept A Day In Life Four Diary

EntriesThese Things Happen The Magic City Kid On

The Ice

2) Use one of the following quotes (epigrams) or subtitle:

Know yourself and to yourself be true. You can’t judge a book by its cover.Get up and try it again.Time gives good advice.When in doubt, take charge.

3) Use at least ten the words in your poem:

sing you treesgrass look out window fenceeyes lifehomegirl hands found dog hope secrethope

red shadow leaves air coolguydusttearsorange blossomsblue smile friendhairdaystainfrostroad

placefar awaylostvoicenightworryrungood moondoorwalls starsneedle up downsmileold fast food

happyrottenthunderbreathcrazyfastshoulderabove my headkeyrainclouds phonesleeppopcorn chocolatecharm

4) Use at least five of these figurative language devices in your poem.

Simile: The sea gleamed like a giant sapphire in the sun.Metaphor: Her eyes are diamonds in the moonlight.Alliteration: Rachel ran a rowdy softball team.Personification: The leaves complained about the pollution.Hyperbole: I could sleep for a whole year.Idiom: Just what the doctor orderedAllusion: He was a real Romeo with the ladies.

14

Irony: The traffic cop got his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets.

Figurative Language & Poetic TermsSimile is a figure of speech which compares two unlike things, by using the words like or as. Example: The Dead Sea gleamed like a field of sapphires in the sun.

Metaphor is a figure of speech which compares two unlike things without using the words like or as. Example: Her eyes are diamonds in the sunlight.

Alliteration is the repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or three words. Example: Wide-eyed, we waited for the door to open.

Personification is a figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. Example: The leaves complained about the pollution.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. Example: She’s sneezed about million times.

Idiom is a phrase that refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known through common use. Examples: see eye to eye, under the weather, it’s raining cats and dogs, piece a cake, slow your roll, on pins and needles, flew off the handle, toot your own horn

Allusion is a figure of speech, in which one refers indirectly to an object or circumstance that has occurred or existed in an external context. Example: He was a real Romeo with the ladies.

Irony refers to a difference between the way something appears and what is actually true. Example: The traffic cop got his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets.

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to set the mood or add music to a poem. Example: Johnny went here and there and everywhere.

Theme is the main idea of a poem.

Tone is the mood created in a poem.

Scene is the place where an incident in real life or fiction occurs or occurred.

A narrative poem tells a story.

Rhymes are words that sound the same in a poem.

Voice is the poet's style and the quality that makes his or her writing unique.

15

Verse is lines and stanzas in poetry.

A Couplet is two lines of verse. It is the simplest form of poetry.

Character is the dramatization of a character’s actions, words or thoughts.

A line is a group of words in a stanza.

A stanza is a group of lines in a poem.

Free Verse is poetry without rules or rhyme.

Rhythm is the beat in a poem.

A lyric poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. It does not tell a story.

Plot refers to the drama of a character, situation and conflict.

Structure means how the poem is set out on the page.

A Line Break is the end of the line of a poem.

Pattern is where the lines of a poem are used (as in rhyme or syllables) to form an image to illustrate the poem's theme or subject.

Repetition is using a sound, syllable, word, phrase, line, stanza to pattern a poem.

Word Choice is when the poet uses words that are specific and accurate.

Details advance the features and ideas of a poem.

Imagery is what the words of a poem make the reader 'see' in their imagination.

Meaning is the way a reader interprets a poem.

16

Notes:

17