Poetry Friday: This is Just to Say

This is just to say…

kids are awesome.

My Grade 4 lovelies are going to be writing apology poems, inspired by Joyce Sidman’s genius collection, This is Just to Say.

So today, we read and played around with William Carlos Williams’ famous poem, and at recess, two of my girls performed “their own version,” which they had just composed together two seconds before.

Here’s the original:

This is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Now here’s the girls’ poem:

This is Just to Say

I hate you

the plums
that I sent you
to say sorry
were bad

P.S. I lied
about the plums I ate
being cold
and sweet

From:
I think you should know
by now

It’s days like today that make teaching fabulous.