Module 5-Sidman Poetry/LS 5663-20

Sidman,Joyce. This is just to say: poems of apology and forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-61680-0
Sometimes it can be very hard to say I’m sorry. Joyce Sidman has shared a variety of unique poems in which different people ask for forgiveness. The first part of the book explains the problem in each situation and the second part of the book includes the responses. Each pair of poems reveals different relationships and connections between sisters, brothers, parents, children, and best friends. The reader is able to see both sides of the situation and understand the feelings felt on both sides.
Each of the poems is based upon a childhood experience that many people encounter, such as fighting with a sibling, or being disrespectful to an adult. The poems will stimulate emotions, such as anger or fear. In the following poem, we see the frustration felt by a young man after misspelling a word at his school spelling bee,
To my mother,
Spelling Bomb
I can’t believe that I lost
I know that I disappointed you.
Do you really think I don’t care?
I know how important it is to win.

I know that I disappointed you;
I saw it in your face when I misspelled.
I know how important it is to win;
I studied hours and hours.

I saw it in your face when I misspelled.
I saw you turn away from me.
Even though I study hours and hours,
I never seem to be your champion.
I saw you turn away from me
And in that moment would have given anything
To be your champion.
To see your bright, triumphant pride.

In this moment, I would give anything-
Do you really think I don’t care?-
For your bright, triumphant pride,
Which I can’t believe I lost.
By Anthony
*The author shares that this type of poem is called a pantoum. The second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines in the next stanza. The answer back to Anthony is given in part 2 of the book and Anthony’s mother expresses her thoughts on working hard and building character. Through Anthony’s words, he shares that he feels that he has let his mother down due to misspelling a word in his spelling bee.
Each of these poems uses language that can be understood and appreciated by the audience. Many of the poems feel like conversations between two people ,who are trying to work through a problem. The poems included in this book reinforce the simple, yet difficult concept of asking for forgiveness.
As an extension after reading these poems, I would allow students to share about a time when they have had an experience similar to the ones described in the book. Students very seldom get the chance to truly share about what is truly happening in their life, due to time constraints or fear of sharing what is truly happening. This activity could be done with any age group and ability level. For the older students, individual poems and experiences could be shared. For younger students, a class poem could be written by including the thoughts and ideas of the whole group.