Introduction: Sometimes people write poetry to express how they are feeling inside. Other people read books and relate their experiences with the story. This is a poem written by Nikki Grimes. It's in the form of a letter to an author and is called Dear Author. The writer of the letter expresses how the author has affected his/her life.
Dear Author
When my father died last year,
Somebody threw a switch and turned me off.
I couldn’t breathe. Or cry.
My family wondered why.
Months passed, and they figured
I must be okay. But they were wrong.
I leaked sadness everywhere I went.
No one seemed to notice or understand.
Until Lotus, the girl in your last book.
She was also drowning deep inside.
Some nights, I’d crawl between the pages
of that novel and hide for hours.
The two of you made all the difference.
I just thought you’d want to know.
Sincerely,
Grateful
(p. 16)
Extension: Have students discuss or write about how they would deal or have dealt with a difficult situation. Would they read books or write poetry? Would they do something different? These can be shared on a voluntary basis. Students could also write a poem-letter to an author who has influenced them.
Grimes, Nikki. 2006. Dear author in Thanks a Million, 16.
No comments:
Post a Comment