Ms. P's Place
AICE ENGLISH GENERAL PAPER
2020-2021
Mrs. Portuondo
Poet-Tee Project
The Wild Kingdom of Words
By: Marjorie F. Vargas
Line One
Choose a general feeling, emotion or concept related to your theme. (See emotion lists here ).
Line Two
Find an animal/object that personifies the word
“Is a”
Line Three
Select a phrase that describes how this animal/object moves/behaves
Line Four
In what environment does this animal/object move?
Line Five
Complete the exercise with a phrase that answers either of these questions:
What effect does the animal/object have on others?
What makes the animal/object move/behave the way it does?
Here are two examples to help you get started—
Anger Serenity
Is a snorting rhinoceros is a manta ray
Raging at a helpless target gliding atop the ocean floor
That stands quivering in the underbrush rippling and tickling the sand
Frozen in terror wind echoing softly, muffled up above
Sheila Portuondo, 2012
Haiku is a verse form invented by the Japanese. It’s deceivingly simple (3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables).
The magic of a good haiku lies in the power of suggestion. A haiku must
~ reference nature,
~ be written in present tense,
~ draw a comparison to our lives,
~ and offer closure at its end.
solitary gem
poised soft on a lonely leaf
precious gift of rain
Kevin Portuondo 07
Comparison Poem
-
Read the poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth
Swift Things Are Beautiful
Swift things are beautiful:
Swallows and deer,
And lightening that falls
Bright-veined and clear,
Rivers and meteors,
Wind in the wheat,
The strong-withered horse,
The runner’s sure feet.
And slow things are beautiful:
The closing of day,
The pause of the wave
That curves downward to spray,
The embers that crumble,
The opening flower,
And the ox that moves on
In the quiet of power.
2. Think of two contrasting natural elements that share a common trait, such as the land and the sea, the sun and the moon, mountains and rivers, etc. Write a stanza for each modeled after the poem.
​
Mighty things are beautiful:
Gorillas and lions, white-bellied whales
And thunder that blasts
Hearty and hale
Forests and oceans
A mountain top peak
The linebacker’s shoulders
The pelican’s beak
And meek things are beautiful:
Lilies with drops of the drizzling rain
And breezes that drift
‘Cross the fields of the plain
A butterfly’s wings
The ballerina’s feet
And the orange setting sun
O’er the river so sweet
Sheila Portuondo, 2010
Ask Nature
First, choose a topic from the list below or make one up that fits with your theme. Then
ask questions and answer them from nature’s point of view.
I asked the . . .
moon mountain fire
stone air well
stars desert breeze
sun ocean day
sky rainbow clouds
trees shadow island
wind earth tides
forest rain valley
night rocks coal
granite flowers diamonds
galaxy shore river
I asked the desert to welcome me
It lifted a red, tufted mesa straight into the cobalt sky
I asked the desert to be my friend,
It ran with hot dry winds across the pinions for days.
I asked the desert for its secret.
It opened its heart of hearts to stillness.
I asked the raindrops to cool me. I asked the tide to comfort me.
They pittered; they pattered She rocked me to sleep
They showered on me. with a rhythmic lullaby.
I asked the raindrops to help me. I asked the tide to play with me.
They filled up my well She tagged my tiptoes “it” before
Thundering through the dark clouds. she slipped away.
I asked the raindrops to leave me. I asked the tide to cleanse me.
They went up to heaven Her salty tears floated my
And left a glorious blue sky. worries away.
I asked the tide to protect me.
She waxed and waned to
shield me from harm.
I asked the tide . . .
I asked the tide . . .
Sheila Portuondo, 2010
E-Yeh-Shure
From I Am a Pueblo Indian Girl
(New York: William Morrow & Company, 1939)
Every age in history and every corresponding culture has shaped its own definition of BEAUTY. The full-figured women in a Rubens painting from the 1600s have been replaced by the reed-thin models of the twentieth century. Avocado and gold were once the rage for interior design. Now mauve and teal are in vogue.
What do you find beautiful? Describe your images of beauty as you pattern this poem: (Note: Don’t be afraid to alter the pattern to fit your own poetic style.)
Beauty is seen
In ____________________________________________________________________ ,
The __________________________________ , the ____________________________ .
Or ___________________________________________________________________ .
Beauty is heard
______________________________________________________________________ ,
____________________________________ , _________________________________ ,
Or ___________________________________________________________________ .
Beauty is in yourself,
__________________________________________ , ____________________________ .
That ___________________________________________________________________
In _____________________________________________________________________ ,
In _____________________________________________________________________ ,
And even in _____________________________________________________________ .
Example:
Beauty is seen
In a grandparent’s smile
The clarity of a snow-melted stream the eyes of a trusted friend.
Or the fog settling over a city at sleep.
Beauty is heard
In laughter shared,
A cardinal’s morning song, the wind sighing through the redwoods,
Or the hush of the surf on a moon-drenched beach.
Beauty is in yourself,
Your words, your thoughts
That go unspoken.
In your work,
In your dreams,
And even in your tears.