Epistolary Poems

Epistolary poems are a great vessel for words left unsaid. Together, we read “Dear Spanish” by Mateo Quispe, a poem that reveals everything that could be said to the Spanish language itself. It explores colonialism and deep grief and regret. We discussed the speaker’s conflicted feelings towards Spanish and how sometimes an epistolary poem can be addressed to other things besides a real person. Students then brainstormed a few people or things they’d like to write to and created their own epistolary poems.

A.B.

Dear Mom,

You are beautiful like a sunflower

I like to listen to the radio

Thank you for buying me presents

D.T

Dear Mom,

Please come inside your house and watch TV on the news

We can watch ABC7 together

We can watch the weather forecast

Mom cooks pancakes in the morning

I eat pancakes with butter