Tuesday, November 25, 2008


I plan a more complete "tribute" to new NCTE Poetry Award winner, Lee Bennett Hopkins, very soon, but in the mean time, here is a gem to share. Lee has fielded questions about "why poetry?" so many times in his four-plus decades of working in schools he’s penned the following. Enjoy-- and let poetry into your lives!


Why Poetry?

by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Why poetry?

Why?

Why sunsets?

Why trees?

Why birds?

Why seas?

Why you?

Why me?

Why friends?

Why families?

Why laugh?

Why cry?

Why hello?

Why good-bye?

Why poetry?

That’s why!


Reprinted by permission of Curtis-Brown, NY, NY

Picture credit: weblogs.newsday.com


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy the poems and poetry anthologies of Lee Bennett Hopkins. As for "Why Poetry?", I frequently use that as a poetry starter when I am visiting schools. I am curious as to what book did Lee's poem first appear in? I also included in a not so recent blog.

Joe Sottile
www.joe-sottile.com