Friday, October 31, 2014

Poetry Friday - Address Poems



     Happy Halloween!  The poem I shared with my fifth grade classes today came from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School.  Our literacy contract this month is focused around the theme topics FEAR and COURAGE, so I found the perfect poem!  This poem, page 168 tells us, is a Poem of Address or an Apostrophe poem in which the poet/narrator addresses objects or animals as humans.  It's the perfect time to talk about personification, too.


The Fear Factor
by Sara Holbrook

I know you.
You.
Courage,
how you ask for what is mine.
How you swell in my chest,
speak up,
straighten my spine,
and whisper in my ear,
Okay, you say.
Okay.
It's going to be okay.

Read the rest of the poem on Sara's blog, here.

My class and I tried our own.  Check out mine and Maya's.  I hope to add more later, as they finish next week:

Hello, Halloween

You.
Halloween.
Oh, how you creep up 
on silent feet,
the autumn chill
trailing your
ghostly form.
You float after
children, whispering 
Beware!
Beware, you say.
Watch your back.
Bats, creepy crawlies, 
and skeletons rise up
to follow you.
A midnight
Pied Piper.
Clanking and clicking,
bones shiny with white.
Beware, you say,
BEWARE!
 
        Holly Mueller
P.S. Did you know the fear of Halloween is Samhainophobia?


FEAR

Scared,
you yell at me
demanding it to be felt
screaming in my ear
so I no longer hear
I cry and whine
you make me fragile
you follow me
I never see you
but I always feel you
when you come near
I don't know what to do
I scream I shout
nobody hears me
I sit alone
with you next to me
you scream in my ear
and I'm in a trance
making a dance
because of you.

    - Maya

Join Linda over at Teacher Dance for the poetry roundup today!

 

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful! But oh dear: I feel that I should be samhainophobic after reading your poem, Holly! (Note: you can find a printable photo-illustrated version of Sara Holbrook's poem "The Fear Factor" about halfway down the page here, along with a printable version of the "Take 5!" mini-lesson too. http://pomelobooks.com/pocket-poems-cards/ Thanks for this post!

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  2. Ha! Guess my computer poem today was kind of one of those "Poems of Address"! This does make a good exercise for your students!

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  3. Fabulous poems! I love that Maya addressed Fear - strong emotions. =)

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  4. They're all so filled with strong voices, Holly. What a beautiful crafting you and your student did. I love "oh how you creep up" and "making a dance/because of you". Thank you for sharing all!

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  5. What a great way to mark Halloween - with poetry! Love the way Maya's poem linked to yours.

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