Good morning! I'm excited that you are visiting this page and might write a poem today!
We will use Gwendolyn Brooks' fun and pointed 13-line poem “Speech to the Young. Speech to the Progress-Toward” as our mentor poem. It is a poem that gives ADVICE to people. Keep that in mind as you think about what advice you might give to someone.
Notice that she begins by identifying those needing her advice:
“Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers…”
Notice the buoyant word inventions she gives to gloomy people:
Sun-slappers!
Harmony-hushers!
Next, she delivers the nut of her advice within quotation marks:
“Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night.”
Her poem closes with encouragement to those who are ready to consider her advice:
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.
Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.
Her final line “live in the along” is a re-statement of the advice delivered in the quotation marks earlier, but with an edge.
I invite you to mimic GB’s form as closely or as loosely as feels right to you today. Or write the OTHER poem that needs to be written today 
Process
I like to use a two-column table when writing poetry based on a model poem. This helps me return to the original and note rhythms, hyphens (!), line breaks, and sounds that inform my own poem craft.
Here is what my poem looks like juxtaposed with GB’s.
| Speech to the Young; Speech to the Progress-Toward By Gwendolyn Brooks Say to them, say to the down-keepers, the sun-slappers, the self-soilers, the harmony-hushers, “Even if you are not ready for day it cannot always be night.” You will be right. For that is the hard home-run. Live not for battles won. Live not for the-end-of-the-song. Live in the along. | Speech to My Husband; Speech to the Fret-Drawn By Allison Berryhill Say to him, say to the knot-twister, the weather-worrier, the scorpion-minder, the half-empty-glasser, “To worry is to tear at, to gnaw on, to drag about with one’s teeth.” Your bite cannot masticate the unknown into submission. Unclench your jaw. Loosen your smile. Release the bone. |
Glare at her,
ReplyDeleteBe unyielding in your stance,
Stay by the weak and weary,
Like an unforgiving angel,
Justice incarnate,
Molding like clay,
Never staying the same.
Ignore the temptations she promises,
The lies and deceit,
Since among the sleep,
She'll stab your eyes.
Never give in,
To her silver-ladened tongue.
For it is meager nickel,
To your golden one.
Stand by your rights,
Protect the rights of those around you.
They cannot defend themselves.
And even as your carcass hits the pavement,
Continue to shield the weak and feeble.
Against her endless tirade,
Because every storm has its eye,
And the calm is a mere facade.
Don't give in.
Never forgive.
Until your dying breath.
Even if it seems like everyone stands against you for your views.
Remember to remain true.
And protect those around you.
From the bigotry and hate of an aged time.
Since no one else will.
Ariel, I hear your voice as a defender of the weak. Wonderful. I especially loved this sequence:
DeleteTo her silver-ladened tongue.
For it is meager nickel,
To your golden one.
Speech to Gymnasts; Speech to the Performance-Worriers
ReplyDeleteBy Nicole Middents
Say to them,
say to the hand-shakers,
the nervous-pacers,
the stomach-twisters,
"Don't think about what could go wrong,
focus on what will be good"
You have been working
on this for so long.
Take a deep breath,
Calm down the shaking,
And salute.
Your final line "And salute" brought a huge smile to my face!
DeleteI love how you followed the mentor pattern to create these original labels
"the hand-shakers,
the nervous-pacers,
the stomach-twisters"
I hope that as you GIVE this advice, you can also take it!
Say to them,
ReplyDeletesay to the worriers,
the minders,
the philosphers,
Like Einstein said,
"Life is like a bicycle, to stay balanced you have to keep moving forward"
We sometimes worry too much about our future
You've been thinking about that too long
Clear your mind,
Stop your worrying,
And just keep moving forward.
Parker, Do I hear you talking to yourself in this poem? It's good advice. Moving forward is half the battle. I'm so glad to see you writing each day!
Delete
ReplyDeleteSpeech to my siblings; speech to the followers
By Dante Hedrington
Say to them,
Say to the first-finder,
the self-seller,
the purposeful-pupil,
the crowd-starter,
the start-of-many,
“Don’t aim to be perfect, aim to be better than yesterday.”
You will find in yourself what you seek in others.
Start it yourself.
Be the best you.
Only you can change.
Wow, Danté, I love hearing your advice to your siblings (the followers). Your advice is awesome. Start with yourself; simply try to be better than yesterday. You don't have to be the best. Just the best YOU. Keep writing.
DeleteSay to them,
ReplyDeleteSay to the racing minds,
The jittery hands,
The bouncing legs,
“You have no reason to worry, so pick up your head”
And as you pick up your head
Look at the shining sun
At its radiance, working hard to keep us alive
Clear you mind of any insecurities,
Of any doubt or unrest,
And let your mind fill with sunshine
As you take a running head start towards the edge,
And fly
Addie, you took OFF with poetry in this! I feel your energy, and I CHEER you on your way! FLY!
DeleteA speech to Speech
ReplyDeleteSay to them
Say to the kind eyes,
The strict face,
The helpful coach,
The ecstatic parents,
Don't be worried
Try not to show how
Much you are shaking
Don't stutter and
State your words carefully
Say to them
With meaning
What you need
Them to hear
Mary, as a (former) speech coach I felt the resonance of your message. I love how the poetry form condensed your ideas into this tight, meaty poem.
Delete