Inspiring Writing Through Poetry

 

        Poetry is a powerful art form that can be used to express and even explore different emotions. I choose Jim Daniels's American Cheese (Poem 028) and Cecilia Woloch's Slow Children at Play (Poem 112) to help inspire writing. The two poems are presented in a light-hearted story telling approach through poetry, which is why I think they are a perfect example to show any students. Poetry seems to be a daunting idea for many students whenever it is mentioned. So, showing them examples of how poetry can be fun is a good way to get your students excited to engage in writing their own poetry. 

        Daniel's poem does a good job of selecting a topic, American cheese, and using it to express emotions through storytelling. This poem can be inspiring for young writers as it showcases how personal experiences, even something as small as cheese, can hold a deep meaning and transform into wonderful poetry. Daniel's poem is a good way to showcase how powerful exploring memory, identity, or even family can be in evoking emotion through imagery. This poem is a wonderful example of how writers can capture complex emotions in simple, everyday moments.

        On the other hand, Woloch's poem does a nice job of inspiring writers by creating a sense of nostalgia. The poem uses the example of rushing adults and slow children to explore the complexities of relationships and moments. Through the use of imagery and rhythm, this poem invites readers to capture the fleeting moments in life that typically go unnoticed. 

        My hope in showing students these poems is that the typical feeling of nerves and dread regarding poetry can be lifted off their shoulders. Poetry doesn't always have to be a difficult puzzle that must be constructed when writing and understanding it. It is possible to express and explore emotions through poetry without all the complexities. By showing these poems to students, I hope it can show them that poetry is what you make it and it's not something they should be afraid to write and explore on their own. 

Here is a link to the website where you can access the below poems and many more! 

https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/

Poem 028: American Cheese

At department parties, I eat cheese
my parents never heard of—gooey 
pale cheeses speaking garbled tongues.
I have acquired a taste, yes, and that's
okay, I tell myself. I grew up in a house
shaded by the factory's clank and clamor.
A house built like a square of sixty-four
American Singles, the ones my mother made lunches
With—for the hungry man who disappeared
into that factory, and five hungry kids.
American Singles. Yellow mustard. Day-old 
Wonder Bread. Not even Swiss, with its mysterious
holes. We were sparrows and starlings
still learning how the blue jay stole our eggs,
our nest eggs. Sixty-four Singles wrapped in wax—
dig your nails in to separate them.

When I come home, I crave—more than any home
cooking—those thin slices in the fridge. I fold
one in half, drop it in my mouth. My mother
can't understand. Doesn't remember me
being a cheese eater, plain like that. 

—Jim Daniels

Poem 112: Slow Children at Play

All the quick children have gone inside, called
by their mothers to hurry-up-wash-your-hands
honey-dinner’s-getting-cold, just-wait-till-your-father-gets-home-
and only the slow children out on the lawns, marking off
paths between fireflies, making soft little sounds with their mouths,
ohs, that glow and go out and glow. And their slow mothers flickering,
pale in the dusk, watching them turn in the gentle air, watching them
twirling, their arms spread wide, thinking, These are my children, 
thinking, Where is their dinner? Where has their father gone?

—Cecilia Woloch