Poem in Your Pocket

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. I was so excited to celebrate until I saw that....

·      My student teacher is in take-over and I’d be testing students.

·      We had an 11:10 dismissal.

·      We had an assembly in the morning and 2/3 of my students wouldn’t even come to my room today.

So, I celebrated in a different way today. I shared my students’ poems from their poetry unit with teachers in my building. One of those students, Sophie, gave me permission to print her poem here to share with all of you. I loved this poem because it showed me that even when you don’t think that students are listening to the many lectures – discussions - you have with them, some of them are. Thanks Sophie! J

True

This is not

Just a poem

But a story

Of a life

Scared of reality.

Always buried

In the rough

Until the day

She thought

“Why Not?”

To finally be noticed.

She dropped it all.

Friends that didn’t fit anymore

Clothes gone out of style.

Grades she worked so hard for

Went in the trash pile.

She watched
And watched

Then the same she did

Until she finally

FINALLY! Blended in.

Then just as quickly

Pushed away

Buried in the rough

Again.

It’s truly sad

She doesn’t know

It isn’t really so.

All the glitz

The glam

The pampering

Won’t make it so.

Be yourself.

Have your own.

Never give up

Your identity.

For anyone

Or Anything.

All will be well.

It will work out.
Don’t let life hurt.

There’s nothing wrong

With having lots of friends.

But there is

When you’d sacrifice anything

                                       For it.

Be a leader

Not a follower

Or a copy-cat.

Make your own decisions

Don’t let their opinion

Influence you.
They won’t always lead you

To

True.

Written by Sophie

Fifth Grade

March 2012