Kinds of Poetry: Paper Dreams - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
A persona poem is when a poem is written from the point-of-view of the its subject. In this particular poem, it is from the point of view of craft papers that are waiting for the scissors to make them into different things. Share this poem come prepared with colorful paper and a pair (or more) scissors. Cut out shapes that are either mentioned in a poem or that can be easily copied by the children. To me ambitious, you can memorize the poem and recite it as you are cutting shapes out of the paper.

POEM

Paper Dreams
by Bonni Katz

...Neatly stacked in separate piles
....................we wait
.......for the shape of a stencil –
...........the press of a pencil
......................the
...............snip.......snip
......................snip
.............of silver scissors.
...................We wait
..................to become
.............lacey snowflakes
...................fat santas
........pointy Christmas trees…
.............White, red, green–
..........now we are just paper.
....................we wait
.........quietly on a dark shelf,
...................dreaming
.....................quietly
...................dreaming
.................of becoming…

EXTENSION
Have fun with the persona poem. Invite the children to find an object (anything will work!) and have them write a poem from the its point-of-view. For those who cannot find anything have a box of found items for them to pick from. With this form of poetry the imagination can run wild as they begin to think like the object!

BIBLIOGRAPHY
This poem is from:

Janeczko, Paul B. 2005. A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Illus. by Chris Raschka. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763606626.