Saturday, April 30, 2011

Poems with Comparisons


Tree Locket
by Amy LV

Poems with Comparisons

Students - when we compare one thing to something else, it helps our brains and souls take a mental leap.  By placing two different things near each other, two things which share some quality, a reader can see a connection and understand a new idea or image more clearly.  Metaphors (comparisons between two things) and similes (comparisons using the words like or as) deepen and enrich our words.  

In these poems, you can see where I have compared different things.  In some, you may notice just a brief comparison.  In others, you may see the comparison carry throughout the poem.

from December 2010


from June 2010


from October 2010


from May 2010


Here are a few more poems with comparisons.

Pine Bride

Students - when you walk around and observe things in your life, try to make a practice of comparing the things you see/hear/feel/taste/smell to other things.  This is wonderful for your writing, and will also be enormously helpful to you  as you try to explain ideas in other areas such as math and science.  See things in terms of other things.  Feel things in terms of other feelings.  Let your senses cross!

I had planned to write about comparisons today.  And then a writing heroine of mine, April Halprin Wayland, wrote about them yesterday.  Don't miss her post - Metaphors Be With You.

Many thank yous to fifth grade poet Deontae and her librarian Mrs. Jone Rush MacCulloch (Mrs. Mac) of Silver Star Elementary in Vancouver, WA.  Once again, Mrs. Mac's students sent original poetry postcards to anyone who requested one this month.  Mine just arrived yesterday, a perfect way to end National Poetry Month.  I am tickled, and this poem will hang above my desk as inspiration.  (Or maybe I should put it down low for our dog Cali to see!)
 


I imagine that Deontae's clever and playful poem was inspired by Joyce Sidman's thoughtful and whimsical book THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS, inspired by William Carlos Williams's poem "This is Just to Say."


Last year I was fortunate enough to receive one of these student poems too!  There are so many wonderful ways to spread poetry around the world.  I do love receiving poetry postcards!

Below is the completed list of this month's poetry posts.  I hope that you will find them useful to you, and they will soon be kept in the sidebar.  For now, The Poem Farm is taking a brief break for at least a chunk of May as it finds its new direction.  

Poetry Revisits and Lessons from April 2011

April 1 -   Poems about Poems
April 2 -   Imagery
April 6 -   Free Verse
April 9 -   Poems about Science
April 10 - Rhyming Couplets  
April 11 -  Riddle Poems 
April 12 -  List Poems 
April 13 -  Poems for Occasions
April 14 -  Concrete Poems
April 15 -  Poems about Food
April 16 -  Quatrains
April 18 -  Alliteration
April 19 -  Poems about Sports
April 21 -  Family Story Poems 
April 22 -  Poems about Nature
April 23 -  Repetition
April 25 -  Concerns Poems
April 26 -  Mask Poems
April 27 -  How-To Poems
April 28 -  Word Play Poems
April 29 -  Silly Poems 
April 30 - Poems with Comparisons

Please look in the right hand sidebar for all kinds of recommendations for wonderful poetry places to visit.  I will be back soon, and hopefully with a new good plan.

Thank you for visiting throughout this month and year!

(Please click on POST A COMMENT below to share a thought.)

3 comments:

  1. Hi Amy,

    So many poetry gifts you have given to us. I am catching up on some blog reading and hoping to get back in the writing groove. Your comparison poems and the blue sky day we enjoyed have my wheels turning (I am especially fond of The Locket and the Pine Bride.) Loved yesterday's Poetry Peek too - such great ideas.

    Enjoy your well deserved May break. Looking forward to whatever the future brings. Take care.
    ~Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was inspired by Sidman's book. I was pleased that some decided to write the response as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. WHEW! Happy April, Happier May, Happiest Poetry Month-Year-Life!

    ReplyDelete