Poetry: Performing "Please Don't Take my Air Jordans" by Reg. E. Gaines

…poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives.

-Audre Lorde

Poetry is many different things; it comes in a myriad of shapes and sounds. One poem we will read is "please don't take my air jordans" by reg e. gaines:

http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/romanian/books/holt/books/aloud/jordans.htm

In class:

• read the poem to yourself at least once; read with your pen - underline the most thought-provoking and interesting lines
• in groups, I will assign you a part of the poem. Prepare a performance of it. Also, write down:
• What does the poem make you think, feel, know?
• How does the poet convey his message? What writing techniques does he use?
• Present your part to the class.
• Watch Lemon Andersen perform this poem:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lemon_andersen_performs_please_don_t_take_my_air_jordans.html

Conclusion:

1. What have you learned about how to perform a poem?
2. What interesting facts and ideas did you learn from Lemon Andersen's talk? How did he make you think about poetry?