Dear Naomi Shihab Nye,
Change.
I have taken away that word away from the poem. Change is always happening. Sometimes you can control it, but other times it is like one huge game of chance, a random roll of a die. In the cases that you can control, you might be constantly changing, like clothes or favorite song, but other times there are things that would be better to keep the same. Some aspects—like the blue chair and the red pillow—you like the way they are, such as your best friend or home. But other times you want to “move the stack of books.” You want to change who you hang out with, or what job you have. Life is always changing. Your poem is also hinting that change is necessary. For example, you need to change the water in the roses or else the roses will wither and die. You need to change things that are in your control.
I am a poet. My teacher said I should say that I am a good poet because I see the world in a different way and I can describe it. But I really don’t know. I guess though you would not know if you were different, because normally you just assume everyone else is like you. I like writing poems, but I don’t know if I am good. I think I am, but sometimes people are high in praise for their own work. I think your poem was good, though. When you first wrote it, did you say, “this poem is so bad” and crumpled it up, or did you think that it was such a great poem? Maybe first impressions are not all they are cracked up to be. Self-evaluations are also not very accurate. I guess then if you never shown anyone else, then you’ll never know how good it is.
Sincerely,
Maya
Grade 6
Santa Monica, CA