Poetry Everywhere Collection:

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RESOURCE	GRADE LEVEL	MEDIA TYPE
After Love, by Maxime Kumin In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Maxine Kumin reads her poem, “After Love”, which describes a quiet moment after love-making shared by two people in a long marriage.	9-12	Video
After Making Love We Hear Footsteps, by Galway Kinnell In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Galway Kinnell reads his poem, “After Making Love We Hear Footsteps”, which depicts the magic of love and family connection.	9-12	Video
American Smooth, by Rita Dove In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Rita Dove reads her poem, “American Smooth”, which describes the effort a couple makes to complete a ballroom dance, and the lyrical state of being they achieve.	7-12	Video
American Wedding, by Joseph Millar In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Joseph Millar reads his poem, “American Wedding”, in which he feels the significance of embarking on a marriage as he heads to his daughter’s wedding reception.	7-12	Video
Aunties, by Kevin Young In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Kevin Young reads his poem, "Aunties", in which he gives life to memories steeped in the Deep South.	7-12	Video
Belle Isle, 1949, by Philip Levine In Philip Levine's post-war poem, "Belle Isle, 1949," two strangers meet, swim, and part, exploring themes of connection, boundaries, and where we come from. This video segment comes from Poetry Breaks.	7-12	Video
Blackbottom, by Toi Derricotte In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Toi Derricotte reads her poem, “Blackbottom”, which describes a black American family’s drive through their old, segregated neighborhood, left behind when they moved to the suburbs.	9-12	Video
Brian, Age 7, by Mark Doty In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Mark Doty reads his poem, "Brian, Age 7", which was inspired by a drawing taped to a drugstore window.	7-12	Video
Calling him back from layoff, by Bob Hicok In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Bob Hicok reads his poem “Calling him back from layoff,” which describes the emotionally fraught phone conversation between a manager and a laid-off worker.	7-12	Video
Daddy Long Legs, by Ted Kooser In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Ted Kooser reads his poem, "Daddy Long Legs", in which he contemplates a spider he sees scurrying across the basement floor.	7-12	Video
The Dancing, by Gerald Stern In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Gerald Stern reads his poem, "The Dancing", which moves from pleasant memories of the poet’s childhood to the horror of World War II.	7-12	Video
Dust, by Dorianne Laux In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Dorianne Laux reads her poem, “Dust”, which explores the classic conundrum of “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”	7-12	Video
Exploring Contrasts in "The Lanyard," by Billy Collins In "The Lanyard," by Billy Collins, the speaker remembers a gift he made for his mother. This media-rich lesson helps students explore how contrasting images in a poem can create meaning.	7-12	Lesson Plan
Exploring Selected Haiku by Issa Discover the haiku of Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa. This media-rich lesson examines the format, humor, and nature of haiku by Issa. Students analyze various haiku and write their own.	7-12	Lesson Plan
Facing It, by Yusef Komunyakaa See the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial wall in Washington D.C. through the eyes of war veteran and contemporary poet Yusef Komunyakaa. In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Komunyakaa reads his poem "Facing It."	7-12	Video
The Floral Apron, by Marilyn Chin In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Marilyn Chin reads her poem “The Floral Apron”, which describes an old woman teaching young girls traditional Chinese cooking in their new home in America.	7-12	Video
Forgetfulness, by Billy Collins In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Billy Collins reads his poem, "Forgetfulness", in which he tackles the subject of aging by taking us on a journey through the loss of memory.	7-12	Video
For What Binds Us, by Jane Hirshfield In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Jane Hirshfield reads her poem "For What Binds Us," which uses the images of forces that bring things together, whether nails rusting into a wall, or the connections between people—as a way to examine love.	7-12	Video
The Gate, by Marie Howe Explore themes of death and birth in this autobiographical poem by Marie Howe. In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Howe reads her poem "The Gate," written after her brother's death.	7-12	Video
I started Early—Took my Dog, by Emily Dickinson See an animated version of Emily Dickinson's poem "I started Early—Took my Dog." This video segment from Poetry Everywhere uses animation to illustrate Dickinson's poem about the sea.	7-12	Video
Lake Echo, Dear, by C. D. Wright In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, C. D. Wright reads her poem “Lake Echo, Dear”, which presents familiar people and items through an unfamiliar lens, almost like they are appearing in a dream.	7-12	Video
The Lanyard, by Billy Collins Explore the power of memory, irony, and ordinary objects. In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Billy Collins reads his humorous poem, "The Lanyard," about a childhood gift he made for his mother.	7-12	Video
Mother's Day, by Daisy Zamora In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Daisy Zamora reads her poem "Mother’s Day," which she addresses to her three children.	7-12	Video
One Boy Told Me, by Naomi Shihab Nye In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Naomi Shihab Nye reads her poem "One Boy Told Me." A "found poem," "One Boy Told Me" is a collection of things that her son said to her when he was two and three years old.	7-12	Video
A Partial History of My Stupidity, by Edward Hirsch In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Edward Hirsch reads his poem "A Partial History of My Stupidity," in which the narrator of the poem having "rushed out into the evening”, as he does “most nights”, finds himself wrestling with his demons.	7-12	Video
A Passage to India, by Walt Whitman In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, the playwright Tony Kushner reads an excerpt from "A Passage to India," celebrating the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal and the opportunity it presented to connect civilizations.	9-12	Video
Selected Haiku by Issa Learn more about the Japanese form of poetry known as haiku. In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, the poet Robert Hass reads a short collection of amusing, often ironic haiku by Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa.	7-12	Video
Slow Dance, by Matthew Dickman In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Matthew Dickman reads his poem “Slow Dance,” describing a moment of intimacy at the end of a party and the train of thought it unleashes in the narrator.	7-12	Video
Stone, by Charles Simic Can a simple stone inspire human yearning? In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Charles Simic considers the appeal of this inanimate object as he reads his poem "Stone."	7-12	Video
Success, by Ted Kooser In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Ted Kooser reads his poem, “Success”, which is an answer to those friends who wonder how he deals with his sudden fame as a poet.	7-12	Video
Tornado Child, by Kwame Dawes In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Kwame Dawes reads his poem “Tornado Child,” a physical and spiritual description of a woman who bears the power and pays the price of being a force of nature.	7-12	Video
Touch Me, by Stanley Kunitz In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Stanley Kunitz reads his poem "Touch me," in which he reflects upon the cycle of life.	7-12	Video
Turtle, by Kay Ryan In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Kay Ryan reads her poem “Turtle,” both a description of the creature’s formidable limitations, and an invitation to a deeper understanding of patience.	7-12	Video
What Kind of Times Are These, by Adrienne Rich In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, poet Adrienne Rich reads her poem "What Kinds of Times Are These," a poem of place and politics.	7-12	Video
Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper, by Martin Espada In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Martín Espada reads his poem “Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper”, which reminds us of the countless nameless, faceless workers whose efforts go unacknowledged and uncelebrated.	7-12	Video
Why Are Your Poems So Dark?, by Linda Pastan In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, Linda Pastan reads her poem "Why Are Your Poems So Dark?," in which the poet re-examines the meaning of the word "dark" and the connotations it evokes.	7-12	Video
The Wild Old Wicked Man, by William Butler Yeats In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis reads the poem "The Wild Old Wicked Man" by William Butler Yeats, in which Yeats looks at life, death and love through the eyes of an old man.	9-12	Video
won't you celebrate with me, by Lucille Clifton Explore themes of identity, race, and gender as contemporary poet Lucille Clifton reads her poem, “won’t you celebrate with me” in this video segment from Poetry Everywhere.	7-12	Video
Yesterday, by W. S. Merwin In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, W. S. Merwin reads his poem “Yesterday,” a reflection on a conversation between two men, in which the narrator has been accused of not being “a good son”.	7-12	Video