Teach This Poem: “What Comes” by Carolyn Forché

Listen to the song “Let it Be” by the Beatles.

The following activities and questions are designed to help your students use their noticing skills to move through the poem and develop their thinking skills so they understand its meaning with confidence, using what they’ve noticed as evidence for their interpretations. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based.

1. Warm-up: Listen to the song “Let it Be” by the Beatles. What words or phrases stand out? Why? What is the tone and mood of this song?

2. Before Reading the Poem: Look closely at the image of the painting (Stairway) by Edward Hopper. 

3. Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “What Comes” by Carolyn Forché. What do you notice about the poem? Note any words or phrases that stand out to you or any questions you might have. 

4. Listening to the Poem: Enlist two volunteers and listen as the poem is read aloud twice. Write down any additional words and phrases that stand out to you. You might enjoy watching this video of the poet reading the poem for the 2026 Dear Poet project.

5. Small Group Discussion: Share what you noticed about the poem with a small group. Based on the details you just shared with your small group, how does the poem connect to the resources from the beginning of class? (Teachers cut out some individual lines from the poem and give them to small groups. You may want to show students the video of the poet reading the poem again.) What do you think of your line? What words or phrases stand out? Why? In the video, the poet says that these are unfinished lines. If you had to finish the line, what might you add? Why do you think that the poet chose to use these short, unfinished lines? 

6. Whole Class Discussion: What do you think of the title “What Comes”? What does the poem say about hope and/or despair? Do you see a paradox in the poem? If so, what is it? What does this make you think about language? What do you think of the last four lines of the poem: “you have yourself within you / yourself, you have her, and there is nothing / that cannot be seen / open then to the coming of what comes”? 

7. Extension for Grades 7-8: Choose a line or two from the poem and create an image, collage, or illustration for this line. What image does the poet create in your mind? How might you bring that imagery to life in your visual piece? Share your writing with your classmates and ask them if they can determine which line you used.  

8. Extension for Grades 9-12: The last line of the poem is “open then to the coming of what comes.” Write a poem or creative piece that shares what comes next. This can be a response to the poem or something that comes next in your life. Share your writing with a classmate or small group.

This poem is part of the 2026 Dear Poet project in celebration of National Poetry Month in April. Work with a partner or small group and write a list of questions you might ask the poet. Share your questions with each other and pick one. Then, write a letter to the poet in which you ask just one question, and submit your letter by May 15.

Sonnet: a fourteen-line poem traditionally written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization.