Teenage poetry. The only way to capture the category is to recite some of the poems. But I don't have any of them on me. All I can say is that without understanding what a cliche is, my students manage to create every single one of them. But worse, they think that the phrases are profound and soul felt. We are doing a ten week spoken word unit on Mondays that is run by BAM. It includes a highly motivating show which inspired us all. We left feeling so wound up. But it hasn't inspired revision, or dedication or hard work. It hasn't even inspired a willingness to look through the poems and take out some of the "ands" or "thes". We are back to the idea that a poem must rhyme. That the total sum of poetry is rhyme. That it needs a beat beneath it or it is "wack." Two steps up and four steps back. What happened to my lovely sonnets? Or I am just too old fashioned and too white? The best part of it all I guess is that the kids are excited to read their poems at the BAM Cafe next week. I have a huge line up of kids waiting to rehearse and read. It will be a fun trip. As an after school trip, most of the pressure to coordinate with other teachers is off. All I have to do is invite them and not be surprised when no one shows up. There will be brownies to help absorb the mediocre metaphors and the sleepy similes.