Poetry for Children 5903-23
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Poetry Break 26

 A poem about a difficult or sensitive subject in children's lives

                                                             FORGOTTEN
                                                             by Cynthia, Rylant
Mom came home one day
and said my father had died.
Her eyes all red.
Crying for some stranger.
Couldn't think of anything to do,
so I walked around Beaver
telling the kids
and feeling important.
Nobody else's dad had died.
But then
nobody else's dad  had worn
red-striped pajamas
and nobody else's dad had made
stuffed animals talk
and nobody else's dad had gone away
nine years ago.
Nobody else's dad had been so loved
by a four-year-old.
And so forgotten by one
now
thirteen.
 
 Waiting to Waltz, A Childhood.New York:
     Bradbury Press. 1984
 

Introduction
I like this poem even though it's sad. The person seems so sincere in it.
Extension
 
Ask the class if they have ever lost an animal they loved. How do you think the person in this poem feels? What would you do to try and make her happy again.
 
If you were a counselor you could use this poem when you do health studies.

A free verse or unrhymed poem