A Room Can Say Only So Much

A Room Can Say Only So Much
by Cody, 8th grade

The messy room says neatness and order are not important
And the closed blinds say light is not welcome
The autographed footballs say he's a fan
And the jet fighter model on his desk say he's creative

His picture para-sailing shows his bravery
The camouflaged wall color says he has things to hide
The big closet says he's stylish
And the baseball hats say his hair is always 'bad'

The radio shows he has a love for music
The fireman's helmet says he's supportive
The mini-bank shows he is protective
But, he has another room, too

The big bed shows he loves to sleep
The captain's badge says he's a leader
And trophies in his room say he's an athlete
But the room does not make the man.

A bonus...

Rap versions of Chaucer's poetry?
Yes, it's true! But check out Babasword and hear for yourself.

The New Year Always Brings Us What We Want

From New Year's
By Dana Gioia

The new year always brings us what we want
Simply by bringing us along to see
A calendar with every day uncrossed,
A field of snow without a single footprint.

~~

I'm not sure where you can read the rest of this poem...I think it's from Interrogations at Noon.

Here's a link to Gioia's The Lost Garden.
And here's a funny bit from Gioia's Money:

Money. You don't know where it's been,
but you put it where your mouth is.
And it talks.

Making Fire In Our Hands

Oranges by Gary Soto is a great poem about young love.

From Oranges

I peeled my orange
That was so bright against
The gray of December
That, from some distance,
Someone might have thought
I was making a fire in my hands.

Read the rest of it here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poetry "How Tos" from About.com

How To Memorize a poem

You memorize because you have to, the poem was written for you & you must make it your own, step-by-step you learn it by heart...

How To Unblock! Write first time, every time!

A list of suggestions to get you writing poems again when you're blocked. About Poetry Guide Bob Holman has lots of ways to unblock, tap your poetic springs, get the poems flowing, write first time, every time.

How To Get started submitting your poems for print publication

A simple step-by-step outline to help you manage the process of submitting your poems for publication.

How To Locate the text of a poem

A simple step-by-step outline of how to find the text of a poem on the Net when you can only remember one line.

Poetry by Alphonse Mucha, a Czech artist who lived from 1860-1939.

Welcome Yule!

A Winter Solstice poem by Susan Cooper, the author of The Dark is Rising.

The Shortest Day
By Susan Cooper

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!