Poetry Friday: This is my house by Richard Macwilliam
Today’s Poetry Friday contribution will be our last poetry feature for our bimonthly theme, The Festival of Asian Literature and the Immigrant Experience. I found it difficult to find an immigrant poem for children online. I did, however, came across a short poem by Richard Macwilliam entitled “This is my house.” Included in this post is an excerpt from the poem that focuses on immigrant workers. The language is simple, but the message is strong. The Poetry Friday roundup is hosted today by Jone from Check It Out (Mac Library).
This is my house
by Richard MacwilliamThis is my house, and you are a guest in it.
Please – leave when you are no longer welcome …….
I will have no hesitation in using force –
Beneath my smile lies
Fear
And
Hate.This is my house: it needs rebuilding –
I value you
For your skills:
But without those skills
You
Are
Nothing.This is my house: you are not welcome,
Yet my morality insists that you stay –
But
Only
One
At
A
Time.
Wow – a horrible sharp edge to that poem that far too many people (in my hometown and all over) feel. Thanks for sharing.
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I think that this would be a powerful poem to introduce to older students, Fats. Perhaps it would change some of their ideas of the workers they see. And, there are a few examples of poems by a poet who writes for older children on the Poem Hunter. His name is Gary Soto & I use his work often.
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This is making me think about home visits to my immigrant students’ homes. On the giving end, my end, there are no ulterior motives, there is no judgement. Easier said than received. This poem shows me how stressful such a visit can be on the receiving end.
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Wow.
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Thought provoking….such an interesting perspective.
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Yes, simple language but strong and makes the point perfectly.
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