After school poetry at Mark Twain Elementary kicked off its fall session by reading “I Am Not Afraid” by Dr. Maya Angelou. Inspired by Angelou’s words, Mr. Barr’s 5th–7th grade poets reflected on the challenges they may face in life and what it means to choose courage, confidence, and victory in the face of them.
Students also learned about lines and stanzas, identifying them within Angelou’s poem and practicing how to use them in their own writing. Through reading and creative practice, students began exploring how poets use structure and language to bring their ideas and experiences to life.
Meet our first poet of the season, Sol, and read her powerful piece, “I Am Not Afraid.”
I Am Not Afraid
The whisper in the dark
The beating in my heart
Falling down and over again
Getting up from the floor
Thunder in the distance
A loud giant crack
A helpless little girl
In the forest alone
Can’t find a place
To call her home
They tell me “don’t do it”
They tell me “it’s useless”
But whatever happens
Whatever gets in my way
I can still tell them
“I’m not afraid”.
