I wrote the following poem after Valentine's Day in 2011, and today promises to be more of the same. The middle school hallway is already strewn with rose petals and earlier in the week I heard seventh grade girls bewailing the ways of seventh grade boys. It's going to be one of those days.
Valentine Poem
In the courtyard
Outside the eighth grade English class
On Valentine's Day
Two senior girls are holding armloads of red roses.
Sadly I am not one of the senior girls
Or even one of the eighth grade boys staring at them
But instead the teacher of the English class
Standing in the front of the room
And droning on.
How can I compete with the graceful flower-laden goddesses?
How can anything I have to say on Valentine's Day
Interest an eighth grade boy
When such girls exist
And when other girls exist
For whom one might buy roses,
At least in theory?
And how can a poem about love
Rival love itself:
This real girl in the next seat
Smiling secretly
At the thought
That some of those roses
Might be for her?
Ruth, from thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Here's today's Poetry Friday roundup.
7 hours ago
6 comments:
Good luck! I can imagine that it is hard for a poem about love to rival love-drama!
Teenage hormones on Valentine's Day - what a great topic to write about. Enjoy your day with love-struck 8th graders!
Oh, the angst of middle school love!
Oh, the torment!
For teacher, too.
My middle schoolers seem unfazed by love, at least in school. Yet it may be because we just finished our huge display of learning last night. Now we are off for a week's vacation. Perhaps the roses will appear tomorrow? Wonderful to see your poem of young love, Ruth.
Your blog post title is PERFECT!!
Luckily, in my 5th grade class, it was mostly about the sugar, though there were some girls from another 5th grade class walking to the bus with a grocery store bouquet of carnations.
Thank goodness for a long weekend to let the flames die down!
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