More poems
Let's read more poems! This poem is by the American writer Emily Dickinson. Read the poem 2 times out loud.
Many of us feel alone because of social distancing. Even though we may have friends or family in our house, it is easy to feel alone.
Here is a poem by the famous American writer Maya Angelou about being alone and why it is important to be together with people.
Listen and read
New Words
"Make it" = (phrasal verb) to be successful; to be happy
banshee = ghost
moan = cry
Alone
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
-Maya Angelou
Poems are not always serious! Many poems are funny.
Here some poems by the American writer and artist Shel Silverstein. He wrote many funny poems.
Something Missing
I remember I put on my socks,
I remember I put on my shoes.
I remember I put on my tie
That was printed
In beautiful purples and blues.
I remember I put on my coat,
To look perfectly grand at the dance,
Yet I feel there is something I may have forgot-
What is it? What is it?
One kind of poem that is always funny is called a limerick.
Limericks always have 5 lines.
The first, second, and third line have 8 or 9 syllables. These lines rhyme with each other.
The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other. They have 5 or 6 syllables.
They tell a funny story about a person. The first line usually starts with, "There was..."
Examples
There was an old man with a beard,
who said, "It is just as I feared!
Two owls and a hen
four larks and a wren
have all built their nests in my beard!"
There was a young man named Brian
Who rode on the back of a lion
They came back from their ride
with Brian inside
and a smile on the face of the lion.
Here is a video with more information about limericks
