Before I begin
writing,
I spend some time
thinking.

My mind sometimes
wanders
while my hands
should
be tapping
out
words.

After I close my eyes
to think,
my teacher
taps the desk
and tells me
“get to work.”

It upsets me
that he thinks
I am not
working
when
I am thinking.

Once
I finally
get an idea,
words
fill
the
page.

They take me
to exotic worlds
where
zombies and unicorns
coexist.

Now that I have
the story,
I can close
my eyes.

The story
I wrote
now lives
on paper
because
of
my
dreaming.

Poet’s note: As a teacher, I have found that poetry writing helps students demonstrate understanding of a variety of topics, such as grammar. I had students write a poem as a follow-up to dependent and independent clause lesson. I used the poem above as an example text.

Not only did students show strong understanding of the rules, but they wrote some great poems. Many wound up writing reflections about their personal habits. The social-emotional learning of this activity was a happy bonus.