Like her brother, Joy is not a fan of writing poetry. School often nudges us outside of our comfort zones though, and this week's lesson required her to read several Emily Dickenson poems, then write her own nature poem in that style.
When I reviewed Joy's poetry brainstorming page, I wasn't surprised to find angsty protest poems instead of effusive reflections on the natural world:
"It's Bad or Worse, you can take your pick,
A no-win deal that makes me sick,
They want a poem,
Take this, I'll show 'em,
And that's why you're reading this limerick."
"Haiku of Doom"
I have to write an
Emily Dickenson poem.
I hate everything.
While the protest poems were amusing, they didn't exactly fulfill the requirements of her assignment. Fortunately, she managed to compose a satisfactory compromise:
"Why I can't write a Nature Poem (in Emily Dickenson style)*"
"I've got to write a poem here
About the plants and trees.
The style is Miss Dickenson's,
You know I aim to please.
But how to put the splendor of
Our planet into verse,
When every shrub and blade of grass
Is wondrous beyond words?"
"*To be clear, this is an Emily Dickenson Nature Poem about why I can't write an Emily Dickenson Nature Poem. Just in case anyone wasn't clear on that."
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