National Poetry Month: 14/30: “Speak, Soot & Spit”

 

Poetry friend, Sara Holbrook pops into Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s Poems are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing in All Genres within the Writers Craft Beginnings and Endings section. Holbrook invites young writers to “End with a Surprise.”

 

Here is Sara’s poem from the book:

 

“Brave”

 

Red means stop.

Look both ways.

I am not afraid.

 

Sleepovers.

School bus rides.

I am not afraid.

 

Escalators.

Wiggle teeth.

Thunderstorms.

Roller coasters

Movie monsters.

Scraped-up knees.

I am not afraid.

 

SPIDERS!

 

Sara sets the reader up here. One, two. Summary. One, two. Summary. Five, Six. Summary. Then, WHAMMO! A sense of shared fear and trepidation.

 

In Sara’s piece we see:

 

anaphora with the repetitive phrase: “I am not afraid.”

implied irony for the lack of fear met with the purposefully-capitalized SPIDERS!

 

Let’s see what we might do with Sara’s model as we continue to present our subject, James Castle:

 

 

“Speak, Soot & Spit”

 

Dust is silent.

It’s all around.

It’s a part of me.

 

Water whipers.

I am of the water.

It’s a part of me.

 

Letters.

Numbers.
Family

Figures.

This shed.

This room.

It’s a part of me.

 

SPEAKING!

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