Resources

by Jack Collum

Metaphor Poems
excerpted from Poetry Everywhere, Collum, Jack, & Noethe, Cheryl. T&W Books, NY, NY 2005 p. 126
Genre: Poetry
Grade: 2-12
Population: All

Jack Collom is a poet, essayist, and creative writing pedagogue. His most recent collection of poems is The Busking Book (Baksun Books, 2007). Exchanges of Earth and Sky was published by Fish Drum in 2005 and Extremes and Balances came out from Farfalla/ McMillan & Parrish in 2004. His major collection, Red Car Goes By: Selected Poems 1955-2000, was published by Tuumba Press in 2001.

Sheryl Noethe is artistic director and a writer-in-residence for the Missoula Writing Collaborative. Her poems have appeared in a number of journals, and she has published two collections of poetry, The Descent of Heaven Over the Lake (New Rivers Press, 1984) and Ghost Openings (Grace Court Press, 2000), which won a Northwest Publisher’s Best Book Award. Her latest collection, As Is, will be published by Lost Horse Press in 2009. She teaches at Hellgate Middle School for the Missoula Writing Collaborative.

Metaphors

Talk with the class about how important and useful comparisons are in writing, and spend a few minutes brainstorming some. Write a number of them on the hoard, including some that have: become cliches (“clouds like cotton balls,”“strong as an ox,” etc.).

Let the class know unmistakably that what’s desired is not these stale oldies but fresh, new ones.

Ask the students to call out some original similes or metaphors—you can suggest that they only look for one similarity—a roll of toilet paper is like the sun; a telescope is like a freight train. Teacher Jim Casterson says, “It is important to stress originality and creativity. Encourage the students to think of ‘weird’ comparisons. This helps them think freely and avoid cliches. I hear some students say, ‘I just thought of a comparison, hut it’s too weird to write down.’ I tell them to be brave and write it down, because it’s those that are the best.”

Then have the kids each pick something and compare it to something else they feel has a resemblance to it. Next, ask them to write as many qualities or associated words as they can about the first thing. Then ask them to see how many of those qualities might fit the second thing, and to make a freestyle poem pointing out these connections. And you can, if you like, simply ask them to remove the “like” or the “as” and have it be a pure metaphor. “My dad’s laugh is a train” has more impact than “My dad’s laugh is like a train.”

Collect and read.

Night is a bear
roaring and going around in circles
chasing ants to gobble them
up.

Anonymous (7th grade)

A tiger is a flashing light, fur, madness, strong glare,
a flashing bullet, all in one body.

A tiger is a flashing light, fur, madness, strong glare,
a flashing bullet, all in one body.

Anonymous (7th grade)

Night is a black stallion
Running between us and the sun
Casting a shadow on the earth
Snorting thunder
Casting sparks when steel hits a star
Pounding hooves
Destroying some
Saving others.

Anonymous