Module 5 Poetry Break New Poetry

Module 5 Poetry Break New Poetry: Two Love

Poems for High School Students
Poetry 5663
Diana Stephens

“Hello, Love”
By Michael Dowell, age 17
From Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers
Edited by Betsy Franco

Introduction: April is poetry month, and April is spring. They say the love bug strikes in the spring. Is anybody here in love? Is anybody here out of love? Do any of you write love poetry? In “Hello, Love,” is this guy in or out of love?

“Hello, Love”

Hello, my old “friend,”
Been a while since
You were here last.

I know why you’ve come,
And I’ll ask you to leave me.

I know you’re a delusion,
Conjured by a fickle one.
Who knows not what
She wants.

You light me up falsely,
Butterflies I haven’t felt
Since a November years ago.

Warping me,
Like I’m drunk, lying
In those leaves again,
Asking for you,
Assured I really want you.

“Well,” I’ll say to you now,
“you’ve whirled me around enough,
I’ll sit this one out,

too dizzy.”

Extension: What do you think of this poem? What did you like? Is he in or out of love? Here’s another one I like, only by a girl. The first line is my favorite. I adore strawberries. What do you think strawberries represent in this poem?

“Testimony”
By LaToya Jackson, age 17

I did it because red strawberries were falling from the sky.
The air was moist and the sky was clear.
A red fire was trying to get free.
There were no strangers there.
I did it because I wanted to try something new.
I wanted to fly above the trees.
Promises were made-to never leave each other,
but I would never do it again.
I did it because I was immature.
I did it because I wanted to be loved.

Extension: What do you think of this one? What is the “it” she speaks of doing? (Sex, probably.) Does this sound like someone who is in love or out of love? What do the red strawberries represent? (Passion) Red is the color of passion. Notice the red fire also, trying to get free. Does that sound like passion?

I read most of these 100 poems in Betsy Franco’s book, Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers, and I found there were more poems about out-of-love than there were about in-love. Why is that, do you think? Does love change?

Franco, Betsy, ed. (2008) Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.