Friday, February 14, 2020

Poetry Friday: Valentine for Ernest Mann

For Valentine's Day, I'm posting a favorite poem by one of my favorite poets.

VALENTINE FOR ERNEST MANN
by Naomi Shihab Nye

You can't order a poem like you order a taco.
Walk up to the counter, say, "I'll take two"
and expect it to be handed back to you
on a shiny plate.

Still, I love your spirit.
Anyone who says, "Here's my address,
write me a poem," deserves something in reply.
So I'll tell a secret instead:
poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes,
they are sleeping. They are the shadows
drifting across our ceilings the moment
before we wake up. What we have to do
is live in the way that lets us find them.

Click here to read the rest of the poem.

Linda has the Poetry Friday Roundup at TeacherDance.





6 comments:

Linda B said...

I read this every Valentine's Day when I taught, Elaine. It is so, so special! Happy Valentine's Day to you & all the family!

Linda Kulp Trout said...

This is one of my favorites too. I used to share it with my students every Valentine's Day! I hadn't read it since I retired so seeing it here today was a real treat!

mbhmaine said...

This is a favorite of mine and quickly becomes a favorite of my students every year. Thanks for posting it today.

Mary Lee said...

So much truth in this poem.

Ruth said...

This is a favorite of mine, too!

Elaine Magliaro said...

Good to know that lots of my blog friends love this poem, too. I first read it in Paul Janeczko's book THE PLACE MY WORDS ARE LOOKING FOR--a book that introduced me to many fine adult poets.