Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Falling Hard: 100 Love poems by Teenagers edited by Betsy Franco



Franco, Betsy. Falling Hard: 100 LovePpoems by Teenagers. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780763634377

Falling Hard is an anthology of poems written by teenagers from all over the world and were emailed at the request of the author. It is unclear how the project was launched but all poems contain the same theme:  love. Poems were sent from all ages, gender, sexual orientations and cultures. While the author only tells their name and age, from the poem one can get a sense of the poet’s background and their feelings about the topic. Teens will find the honest vocabulary, creativity and style of these poets, ones they can identify with, which makes this book a popular selection among teens.

Regardless

The phone rings
I feel a rush
The doorbell rang
It was you

I love you

The cops came
They asked me questions
They were looking for you

 I love you

The boys came
They swore and broke the windows
It was your fault

I love you

She asked where her money was
I knew it was you

I love you

We robbed the woman
I handed you $500
You disappeared
You’re a thief
I love you

You did that crazy thing to me and her
It felt good
It was you

I love you

As we rode side by side
Metal locking our wrists
We smiled

I love you

Lisa Vuolo, age 15

Poems range in content from infatuations, true love, love gone wrong and heartbreak. Many of the poems are mature in nature and need to be taken into consideration before sharing with an audience.

To introduce metaphors I would introduce the poem titled Love Poem.

I am
The flour
To your tortilla,
baby.

                By Juan Nunez, age 15

It’s short, simple and perfect for an upper elementary discussion.  To follow the lesson I would use the two worksheets listed below to adapt a library lesson suitable for the age group.

http://bogglesworldesl.com/metaphor_worksheets.htm

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