This month, I chose to focus on poetry. But don’t run away just yet! Both poets are famous and deliver an effective vision of important human emotions. The Classic selection is a poem of filial love, first published in book form in the United States in 1952, and is still frequently read, often at funerals. The Current book, by poet Gary Soto, gives us a charming look at romantic love among young teens.

Classic

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”
by Dylan Thomas

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” is one of Dylan Thomas’s most celebrated works. In this poem, a plea to his sick father to fight against death, Thomas gives examples of people who have not gone gently into that good night, meaning people who have resisted death: wise men, good men, wild men and grave men. He urges his father to do the same.

Thomas is considered Wales’s greatest poet, and popularized the concept of poetry readings as a form of entertainment in the 1950s. Instead of focusing on political and intellectual issues, Thomas wrote about life, death and nostalgia.

This particular work is a villanelle, a very difficult poem to write. It consists of six stanzas and two refrains that are integrated throughout the poem in a specific rhyming pattern. Thomas’s poem has a musical quality, like most of his works. The language and meaning are often simple to understand, making his poetry appealing for kids even with a topic such as death.

Current

Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing
by Gary Soto

Partly Cloudy is a collection of poems about young love. From sad love to happy love, poet and author Gary Soto captures these amorous feelings using two perspectives: boy and girl. Surprisingly, Soto manages to write these poems without making them sappy. They are funny and touching, not overly sentimental.

Soto’s poems do not rhyme, but have a rhythm and magic of their own. The poet provides an interesting take on love. While a girl describes an ex-boyfriend as a fickle bee in one poem, a boy in another poem describes a pretty girl as a basketball center.

A National Book Award finalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee, Gary Soto is an acclaimed writer for children and adults. His other works include his first children’s book, Baseball in April (a collection of short stories), several picture books, novels and other poems and short stories. Unlike most poetry books about love, Partly Cloudy is enjoyable for both boys and girls. Chuckles are guaranteed.

Veronica L. Hernandez is 13 years old and lives in Florida. An avid reader, she swims, fences and shops when dragged away from her books. She can be reached at hernandezaldir@gmail.com.