Poems and Poetry- Shel Silverstein

When children and adults think about poems, they think about those bittersweet singalong tunes or stories that caught their attention at school or home. Whether it be nursery rhymes, folk tales, jump-rope rhymes- or even haiku's and sonnets- poems have a special place in people's hearts. Used as a way to pass on stories and remember certain events, "poetry is a memorable structure for language. It is a precise form of language with intense feeling, imagery, and qualities of sound that bounce pleasingly off the tongue, tickle to the ear and leave the mind something to ponder" (Temple, 2015).

Poetry first began many centuries ago, but it continues to be used today. Adults and children alike enjoy poetry because it is popular and catchy, but also traditional in many forms. According to Temple (2015), "we need poetry to help children celebrate what is clear, precise, beautiful, artful, and true in our language." This is important because by using the many forms of poetry - sonnets, limericks, haiku, concrete and nonsense poems, diamond, and others- students are being asked to follow specific patterns to create the desired result. This gets students to think about what they want to say, to give deeper meaning to their poem. When students are asked to do a free verse poem, students have a little more liberty to write what is on their mind without following poetry rules. As educators and parents, it is essential to allow students to practice writing poetry because it can be used as a method to present a compelling message or meaning through words. These words can be used to pass on to future generations. It also allows students to write about something different and unique than from their regular reading and writing at school or home. Reading and writing poetry is not used as much in the regular curriculum, so having it once in a while, gives students the chance to express their inner poet.

An author who is loved by many children and adults is Shel Silverstein. Shel Silverstein has written many books about poetry, including drawing his cartoons, and writing and singing his songs. Silverstein's books are considered to be classics for many readers. One of the best bestselling children's poetry book that Shel Silverstein wrote was "Where The Side Walk Ends." This book includes a collection of Silverstein's poems throughout the years. Within the text, students can imagine the stories, due to Silverstein's creative cartoons that follow along with the poems. Right on the first page, Silverstein has the poem "Invitation," where he writes about welcoming readers into his poems. This is wonderful for children because it invites them to read on and continue through the book.

A variety of different poetry forms are exposed to students for reading poems of all types. Concrete poems are seen in "The Fourth," where small and bold words are expressed about the Fourth of July. In "The Farmer and the Queen," (p. 32), we see an example of dialogue poems because "two or more voices are represented in the poem to be read by two or more people" (Temple, 2015). Lastly, in "Where The Sidewalk Ends," Silverstein makes sure to follow the ABCCCDEAFFFAFFFA rhyme scheme. He also makes sure to include figurative language throughout because he wants to tell his readers to never give up on their imagination or the creative part of them. By adding figurative language, he gives life to his words such as "the sun burns crimson bright, to cool in the peppermint wind, the dark street winds, and bends…" Here Silverstein is giving his readers the power of reading and letting them know that it is okay to stay creative and thinking like a child. He wants everyone to remember to never give up on imagination.

In conclusion, poetry is a fantastic form of literature and writing that needs to be used in the classroom, at home, with families and everywhere. It is centuries old and has a beautiful meaning to many, young and old.

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

-Melissa