Responding to Poetry: Ode to Michelangelo's Bones - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
Art goes hand-in-hand with poetry. Poetry can beautiful describe a specific work of art, view art in a new way, and to learn a new way to meet an artists. This poem, written by a child of an unknown age, simply describes what a famous sculptor did. Prepare for this poem by finding other poetry books about art like Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art compiled by Jan Greenberg, Celebrating America: A Collection of Poems and Images of the American Spirit compiled by Laura Whipple, and Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art compiled by Belinda Rochelle, and artists and books with great colored photographs of works of art.

POEM

Ode to Michelangelo’s Bones
By Joe DeLeon

Many years ago
Michelangelo
Released men
From rocks.

EXTENSION
In connection with this poem, share with the children of who Michelangelo is and show photographs of his work. Also, have the children find an artist that they like and, after learning about them, have them write a bio-poem about the artist. Have the children find a specific work of art that they like have them write a poem about that artwork.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
This poem is from:

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2000. Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poems. Illus. by Ahsley Bryan. NY: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollinsPublishers). ISBN: 0688161936.