Poems About Yourself and
Others
My Mom
by Matthew Oh, Grade 5
My mom takes good care of me.
She’s the gardener,
I’m the rose,
she waters me every day.
When it gets cold
she puts me in a pot
and brings me inside.
When you read Matthew’s
poem, you feel his love for his
mother throughout the poem,
but notice that he never uses
the word “love” or says how
much he loves his mom.
Instead, he compares the way
his mom cares for him to the
way a gardener cares for a
rose. When you write your
poem, look for comparisons
you can make that are simple,
but effective.
Little Old Me
by Andrew Ammerman, Grade 5
Little old me
stuck in the middle
With a nasty old sister
And an annoying little brother
Little old me
Big but small
Growing too fast
So I get my old sister’s stuff
But give it to my little brother
Little old me
Gets picked on and annoyed
So old, but so young
Little old me stuck in the middle.
This time the poet writes
about himself. Pay attention
to the repetition he uses in the
poem. Which words are
repeated? Why do you think
they are repeated? What do
the repeated words do for the
meaning of the poem? What
effect do they have on the
mood of the poem?
The Future of America
by Elizabeth Johnson, Grade 4
The future of America
Depends on me.
Reusing and recycling
Is the magic key.
Sorting out trash,
Is the thing to do,
I can’t wait for others
To do what I ought to.
I want to make America
How it should be.
I am the future;
The future is me.
This poet wrote about herself,
but this time angled her poem
to be about her impact on the
world. Think about similar
themes you could explore in
your poetry. How could YOU
make an impact on the world?
On your country? When you
get ready to write, try out a
poem with a theme like this
one.
When I look in the mirror
Who do I see?
A lot of hair, two eyes and a nose,
But there’s something else,
ME
by Alison Turnbull, Grade 4
Something under the skin
That is me.
That something comes out of me
In different ways.
It can be seen easily in my writing.
It shows in my dancing and soccer,
And in the way I dress.
I like my soft long hair and blue eyes,
But I hate the tear that I see too often,
And the missing key for math.
I hate the metal that covers
My buck teeth at night.
But all that makes me
Who I am,
And my something is Alison,
And nobody has my something.
What do you notice about this
poem? What types of things
does the poet explore about
herself?
When you get ready to write, try
using this poem as a mentor text
and write something similar
about YOU!
Walk a little slower, Father,
For I am trying to follow you.
Your many thoughts and actions
Reflect on all the things I do.
Your footsteps are not always there,
And the path’s not very clear.
Walk a Little Slower
Father
by Marisa Meizlish, Grade 8
But walk a little slower, Father,
And I will try to be near.
I know you try to be honest
And almost always true.
I don’t know how you do it
And I haven’t got a clue.
But if you would walk a little slower, Father
And try to show me the way,
This poem has a clear
message for the writer’s
father. What is that
message? What does
she mean by “walk a
little slower”?
Then I could strive to be
As great as you someday.
I know you’re often busy
And for me have little time.
But walk a little slower, Father
And I’ll make sure I’m close behind.
For someday when I’m all grown up
We might wonder where it went.
Our relationship won’t be as close
Because of time never spent.
For if I ever have a child
It will want to follow me, too.
Think about a message
you have for a loved
one. Consider writing a
poem to that person and
convey the message
through poetry.
YOUR TASK
 For this poetry lesson, you’ll be writing poems in the
style of one of these student poets. You will write at
least two different poems before publishing one to the
blog.
 Click back through the slides, paying special attention to
the text box prompts. Use these to help guide you as
you decide which direction your poetry will take today.
 Today’s poems are designed to be thoughtful. Find a
quiet place to write and go for it! 