Beauty
is a fat black woman
walking the fields
pressing a breezed
hibiscus
to her cheek
while the sun lights up
her feet
Beauty
is a fat black woman
riding the waves
drifting in happy oblivion
while the sea turns back
to hug her shape
Grace Nicholls
Since Jeremy Harmer read this poem at Istek-elt this year, I have been searching for it. I knew I had it somewhere in my files and at last I found it.
I love this poem for many reasons.
So here is a sample lesson plan but I’ll be glad to hear ideas from you.
- Ask students to finish the statement ‘Beauty is —–‘
- Write all the words on the board and prepare a word cloud.
- As Jeremy Harmer suggested do wall dictation dividing the class into teams.
- Ask students to read the poem and discuss the followings.
- ‘Beauty is in the eye of beholder’
- fashion, idols, same kind of people everywhere.
- first impressions
- physical differences and bullies
- Is it really important to be beautiful?Why?
5. The poem is great for practising participles and time clauses. Write the skeleton of the poem on the board and ask them to write their own poems
Beauty is a/an+adj+noun
Going somewhere
Doing something
While something else is happening
I really want to use this poem next year in one of my lessons. And here is mine
Beauty
is a little angle
running in the school yard
in her strawberry cake coat
playing with her friends cheerfully
while my eyes watch
thinking how beautiful she is
Beauty
is a little girl
wearing thick glasses
admiring her friends
running in the yard
while her mum watches her
thinking how beautiful she is.