Charles Ghigna - The 'If-You-Were' Poem

If You Were My Book
by
Charles Ghigna

If you were the pages of my book
And I were reading you,
I’d read as slow as I could go
So I never would get through.


I've been looking forward to putting up this post for more than a month now, ever since Charles Ghigna sent it to me. It's got some of his original poetry, which makes me very happy, and just like when his A Poem Is... appeared in 30 Poets/30 Days, there was more poetry than I could fit in a post! Sorry about that (though you have my word on it all being faboo). Plus, this post is a writing prompt, something I am often not clever enough to come up with myself.

These are fun, fun poems to write, and I hope you'll all give it a try (or give it to students to try). And please... feel free to leave your poems in the comments here at GottaBook.

And with that from me, I say "take it away, Father Goose!"

The If-You-Were Poem
by Charles Ghigna (Father Goose)

The If-You-Were poem consists of 4 lines (quatrain) and 2 rhymes (lines 2 & 4). It contains 2 comparisons (metaphors), one for the “I” of the poem and one for the “you.”

Instructions: Think of a person you like. Compare that person to some thing (inanimate object). Now compare yourself to some thing associated with the first object.

Examples:

If you were a shining star
And I were your midnight,
I’d let you shine above me,
You’d be my only light.

If you were a scoop of ice cream
And I were an ice cream cone,
I’d put you on my shoulders
And hold you for my own.

If you were a grand piano
And I were a sweet love song,
I’d let your keys tickle and tease
My melody all day long.


Just for the fun of it, you might want to reverse the process and write an If-I-Were poem!

If I were a bumblebee
And you were a buttercup,
I’d buzz around until I found
Your bright face looking up.

If I were the autumn wind
And you were a maple tree,
I’d lift your leaves with a gentle breeze
And hold them close to me.

If I were a lonely lighthouse
And you were a ship at sea,
I'd shine my light all through the night
Till you returned to me.

These poems also make great Valentines. Try writing one for each of your friends and family members. The titles of your poems can be your friends' and family members’ names. You might want to make a little book of them and decorate it with your drawings.

Have fun writing, drawing and sharing!

For more examples of the If-You-Were poems, please see the book If You Were My Valentine by Charles Ghigna (Simon & Schuster, 2005)

For a list of other poem formats, please visit the Classroom Fun section of Charles Ghigna's website!