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Poetry Friday is with Catherine at Reading to the Core
Happy Birthday, Billy Collins! His 76th birthday was on March 22nd.
I introduced my students to the poetry of Billy Collins with this poem, The Trouble with Poetry. The poem gives good advice about writing poems.
“The trouble with poetry is…
it encourages the writing of more poetry…
the longing to steal,
to break into the poems of others
with a flashlight and a ski mask.”
I asked my students to steal a line and write their own poem.
The trouble with reading poetry is
that it’s so fun to read you can’t stop.The trouble with poetry is
that you are to sit in the dark room
and wait for a flame of idea to pop up.The trouble with poetry is
that Mrs. Simon makes us look for
what the poem means which is super hard.The trouble with poetry is
thinking about ideas which is like hitting
yourself in the head with a rock.The trouble with poetry is
that sometimes people steal ideas
and don’t give credit.The trouble with poetry is
that you think your idea is bad
when it is really good.The trouble with poetry is
that you can have a writer’s block.The trouble with poetry is
that you have to read it out loud to find mistakes.by Andrew, 4th grade
Poetry Fills Me With Joy
Making me Float Above The Clouds
Like A Hot Air Balloon Soaring Above
After Being Filled With Hot Air
Like A Plane Being Filled With Fuel
And Taking Off
Like The First Letter Of Each Of These Words
Trying To Soar Off of The Screen
poetry fills me with sorrow
making me sink below the ground
like a balloon being popped
and crashing in the sea
like a plane crashing and burning
like the letters of this poem
trying to sink off the screen
By Kaiden, 6th grade
Billy Collins sarcastically expresses the feeling I get when I read poetry, and the reason I read poetry with my students. Poetry breeds more poetry. And I can’t think of anything better that a poem might do. Thanks, Billy Collins, for encouraging my students to steal a line and try their own hands at writing poems.
“ And how will it ever end?
unless the day finally arrives
when we have compared everything in the world
to everything else in the world,
and there is nothing left to do
but quietly close our notebooks
and sit with our hands folded on our desks.”
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, this is what I am doing today! I’m “break into the poems of others”!
I loved each word here, but especially Kaiden’s format of comparisons in the same poem including the letters with caps vs without.
Just so you know, some words were used from your poem to use in the new Scavenger Hunt today! http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com/2017/03/poetry-friday.html
Billy Collins is one of my favorite poets! I did not realize it was his birthday – it is information I will be sure to pass on
tammysreadinglife.wordpress.com
Love Billy Collins and love these amazing student poems. You are experiencing the art and joy of teaching. Enjoy it!
I broke into the poem of another with a pussy hat and esprit today. Snicker.
I like that you’ve shown your students that poems are more than just reading them, that you can “break in” and try something new. Great to read their poems!
What a great conversation to have with students: the trouble with poetry! I love their responses, so many of which ring true for me as well. And Kaiden’s poem, those letters sinking… beautiful! Thank you! xo
How dare you to “make them look for what the poem means!” That made me laugh. I am always amazed at the work you do with your students. And I can’t wait to see what Donna is doing as well! Good luck this weekend!
Using “mentor poems” to provide scaffolding for students is, I have found, an excellent way to get students to make a connection to a poem, and then “revise” to make it their own. Your students show that rewriting can be an approach to expressing their own ideas for what a poem means to them. The sixth grader’s work shows a great deal of insight into what you can do with a poem. Good work, teacher!
“The trouble with poetry is
that Mrs. Simon makes us look for
what the poem means which is super hard.” – YES oh my goodness, this is speaks to my school days experiences with poetry – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! 😉 It makes me laugh to see that some things never change. 🙂
Great mentor poem! I’ve never read his poetry. I will have to check it out!
I always leave this blog knowing how fortunate your school & students are, Margaret. Appreciations for this visit with Billy Collins – can’t get enough of him.
Hooray for poetry in the classroom!
My favorite lines….make me wonder what being a grown up writer really is? These students of yours have the same thoughts and questions and “grumps” that I do!
But I love,
“The trouble with poetry is
that Mrs. Simon makes us look for
what the poem means which is super hard.:
And,
“The trouble with poetry is
that you have to read it out loud to find mistakes.”
It’s like Andrew is inside my head!
Andrew is on to truth here:
“The trouble with poetry is
that you have to read it out loud to find mistakes.”
Yes, happy birthday to Billy Collins! I love this idea, Margaret, and may have to “break into” it. Your students did a fine job with their poems. I really love Kaiden’s floating “above the clouds.” Thanks for sharing!
A couple of my favorite bits from Andrew include: “The trouble with poetry is/
thinking about ideas which is like hitting/yourself in the head with a rock.” and
“The trouble with poetry is/that you think your idea is bad/when it is really good.” (Maybe you can’t tell what’s good or bad because it’s like you’ve been hitting yourself in the head with a rock? Time for a break!)
I’m also struck by the wonderful imagery of Kaiden’s letters trying to leave the screen, whether happy or sad.
The trouble with poetry is it never stops! I love what you and your students did with the inspiration of Billy Collins.
What a fantastic post! Thanks to you and the young poets for sharing.
Andrew’s observation jumped out at me:
“The trouble with poetry is
that you are to sit in the dark room
and wait for a flame of idea to pop up.”
Glad you were patient, Andrew – terrific writing!
Wonderful poems by your budding poet students Margaret, thanks for sharing them with us, and Billy Collins’ inspiration! It would be fun to see how their poetry influences their other writing.
I love that line about thinking, like hitting yourself in the head with a rock. Some days I feel the same way!
I enjoyed reading Andrew and Kaiden’s poetry today, Margaret. Kaiden had an interesting format. It is amazing to me how much these students are digging deep into the thoughts and craft.