M6: Poetry by Kids

M6: Poetry by Kids

Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets

Ivana Marmolejo

 

Bibliography

Bryan, Ashley, and Naomi Shihab Nye. Salting the Ocean. New York: HarperCollins World, 2001. 

Summary

Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets is a collection of beautifully written poems by ordinary children. Over a span of twenty-five years of working with students in schools, Naomi Shihab Nye has collected poems from her students in grades one through twelve to create this anthology. 

The beginning of the book includes A Note about the Poems, a table of contents organized into four sections, an introduction, and letters to readers and poets. Each poem includes the name of the student who wrote it. There are also some illustrations by Ashley Bryan throughout the book. 

Analysis

Readers of all ages will enjoy reading the poetry in this book. There are poems written by all ages that touch on a wide range of topics. Some topics include sadness, loneliness, dysfunctional families, animals, music, seasons, love, depression, loss, dreams, the mind, crying, laughing, growing up, the inner self, plants and trees, parents, grandparents, and much more. 

A poetic device used in a poem called “My Dad” is an extended metaphor. The father in the poem sails throughout his son’s life like a boat, whether asleep or awake. “I think he falls asleep by listening/ to the waves hit the hull of his imaginary boat/ and the sail clanging against the mast/ I love my father I know he will/ fall asleep and never awake/ but I will be happy because he/ will still be sailing in his lake/” The tone of this poem is somber. This book of poetry covers many emotional poems that students can relate to on various subjects.

Another poetic device used is repetition. The poem is called “In the Morning.” “i wake up/ 5:30 a.m./ before my mother/ before my brothers/ before my sisters/ i wake up/ 5:30 a.m./ to a silent house/ in a silent room/ to a silent morning/.” The student author’s use of repetition gives the reader the sense of redundancy of every morning and her feelings of insignificance in the home when she doesn’t capitalize the “i” in her poem. 

Students can relate to many poems in this book that they will enjoy. They will appreciate that these writers are students just like they are, who live ordinary lives but who wrote exceptional poetry. 

Excerpt and Use

Charm to Bring Back the Past is an example of a powerful poem that can bring up many emotions and talking points for students. I’d like to have a discussion using the questions below.

1. Which older relatives do you wish would come back from the past?

2. Has the past been kind to you? Why or why not?

3. What good things from the past do you want to come back?

4. What do you think it would “cost” to bring back the past?

5. Why do you think Martin wrote about the past in his poem?

6. What figurative language does Martin use in his poetry?