Poetry for Children 5903-23
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Poetry Break 21

sunsoquiet.jpg
Available www.Amazon.com.accessedJuly 23, 2005

A poem by an African American Poet

Rainbows
by Nikki Giovanni
 
If I could climb
       the mountains
And rest on clouds
       that float
I'd swim across
       the clear blue air
To reach my rainbow boat
 
My rainbow boat
      is oh so big
And I could be
      so tall
As I sit
      in my captain's chair
The master of it all
 
But I am just a little boy
      who's standing on the ground
And others steer
      the rainbow past
While I just hang around
 
I sit on the ground
      and see
The rainbows steering
      right past me
I sit on the ground
And wonder why

 The Sun Is So Quiet. New York: Henry Holt
      and Company.1996

Introduction
I think this is a very pleasant poem, the colorful pictures are very attractive.
 
Expansion
 
Read the poem Rainbows and show the pictures.You can use this poem to learn about vowel clusters like ou in mountain, clouds and ai in rainbow, captain, air,
plus others. Incorporate Science into the activity by discussing rainbows. Ask the class if they've ever seen a rainbow, and do they know what makes them?  Find a science experiment book with instructions on how to make a rainbow and do it as a class lesson.

A poem by Hispanic or Latino/Latina poet