C HARA CTERISTICS
OF
F REE V ERSE P OETRY
NO SET LINE LENGTH
NO SET RHYTHM
NO RHYMING PATTERN
WAY OF CONVEYING IDEAS AND FEELINGS
CAREFULLY CRAFTED WORD PICTURE
Copyright 2004 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Image © 2004 JUPITERIMAGES, and its licensors. All rights reserved.
A B AD DA Y
BY
AT
S CHOOL
GABE AND DORI JONES
I had a bad day at school, Ama,
A kid called me a "Dirty Mexican,"
When I answered him in Spanish,
The teacher hit my knuckles with a ruler,
I heard the whoosh of air,
I braced for pain,
There was a crack and my knuckles stung,
"No Spanish!" was all my teacher said.
I got into a fight with a big kid,
He tripped me,
He made fun of me,
The teacher broke us up,
As I walked alone to the office,
I spat to get the taste of dirt
Out of my mouth.
That kid tripped me.
Why wasn't he punished?
Ama, do I have to go to school tomorrow?
Copyright 2004 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Image © 2004 JUPITERIMAGES, and its licensors. All rights reserved.