We read "Jorge the Church Janitor Finally Quits" by Martin Espada, and discussed how Espada spoke in the persona of a janitor who has been dehumanized by his work, and has privately made the decision to quit his job. This poem is written in an accessible voice, but is deceptively simple: it is riddled with sophisticated metaphors and poetic language, which the students had no trouble digging out. We then tried our hand at writing persona poems, focusing on adults with jobs.
Mrs. Hernandez, Rm. 109, 6th grade
Mr. Henry
Vanessa A.
No one ever
talks to me,
ever since I
got a new partner.
I must be invisible
like the cold white walls.
No one knows my name
like they've forgotten all
of a sudden.
My friends are
no longer my friends.
I sometimes wonder
why I chose them.
Could this have been
my passion?
Was this my first choice?
Doctor Josue
Adalberto S.
Every day
saying, "Help me."
Studying, never
finishing school.
Disease spreads
more faster
than you finsih
discovering the
cure.
Being the worst
student in class
not smart, not
cool, just me.
My Day
Daisy A.
I was a substitute and now
I'm a teacher.
It's my first day, I carry books,
eat breakfast, and study my
lesson plans.
Many unknown children enter
screaming and shouting like
a zoo where animals are not
controlled.
I say Stop and Stop and they stop.
I was five when my teacher was my
boss, now I'm 30 and I'm the
boss.
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