Directions: Take the images of the poem and draw what you see, then explain what is

happening in the stanza..

Naomi Shihab Nye, 1952
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You cant order a poem like you order a taco. ________________________
Walk up to the counter, say, Ill take two ________________________
and expect it to be handed back to you ________________________
on a shiny plate.

Still, I like your spirit.

Anyone who says, Heres my address, ________________________
write me a poem, deserves something in reply. ________________________
So Ill tell a secret instead: ________________________
poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, ________________________
they are sleeping. They are the shadows
drifting across our ceilings the moment
before we wake up. What we have to do
is live in a way that lets us find them. ________________________
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Once I knew a man who gave his wife ________________________
two skunks for a valentine.
He couldnt understand why she was crying.
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I thought they had such beautiful eyes.
And he was serious. He was a serious man
who lived in a serious way. Nothing was ugly ________________________
just because the world said so. He really ________________________
liked those skunks. So, he re-invented them
as valentines and they became beautiful.
________________________
At least, to him. And the poems that had been hiding ________________________
in the eyes of skunks for centuries
crawled out and curled up at his feet.
________________________
Maybe if we re-invent whatever our lives give us ________________________
we find poems. Check your garage, the off sock
in your drawer, the person you almost like, but not quite.
________________________
And let me know. ________________________
Directions: Find five places that you find poetry and explain why it is beautiful to you.
What makes it poetic and beautiful to you?

1.) I find poetry in my __________ because

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2.) I find poetry in my __________ because

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3.) I find poetry in my __________ because

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4.) I find poetry in my __________ because

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5.) I find poetry in my __________ because

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