The Bat by Pauline Taulava (Grade 3)

I just wanted to share a poem that came out of a poetry workshop that I conducted in Dumoschola International School yesterday (They're celebrating Book Week!). The kids were participative and I really loved the results. We tackled "The Tyger" by William Blake (using the methods in Kenneth Koch's Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Children). I'll be sharing more of them soon. It's so refreshing to see things from a kid's perspective!

The Bat

God, O God, why did you make

such a fearsome creature that has the

ears of a hyena, the wings of a fly,

the eyes of a tiger and fangs of

a cobra? Why did you make a bat

that’s scary and mean? That’s the

Question. I want to know.

Why did you make a bat?

What is it for?

- Pauline Taulava, Grade 3

Illustration from Christine O'Keefe