1. B Y M A D E L A I N E B O Y E R
D E D I C A T E D T O J A M E S M I C H A E L
Poetry Dedication Project

2. W R I T T E N B Y M A D E L A I N E B O Y E R
Original Poems

3. Dedication Letter
Dear James,
I chose to dedicate my poetry project to you. I have included two poems
I wrote about you. Those are “James” and “Little Brother.” I also included
poems that I have written that remind me of you. Those poems are,
“Baseball,” “The Pool,” and “Chickens.”
I am leaving for college at the end of this summer, and I will be busy
working until then. I wrote these poems so that we could remember
growing up together and how we spent our favorite season, summer. I
hope you enjoy the poems I have written and selected to dedicate to you.
Love,
Maddie

4. “James”
Joyful
Always loving
My best friend
Extraordinary
Smiling
I wrote this acrostic poem to describe my brother, James. I
tried to think of his best characteristics and then include
them in the poem. I thought this poem would be a good
choice for this project not only because it describes him,
but also because it reminded me of helping him write
acrostic poems when he was in third grade.

5. “Little Brother”
Little brother, little brother
Sometimes we fight
Little brother, little brother
You used to keep me up at night
Little brother, little brother
I remember the first day you said my name
Little brother, little brother
I will always love you just the same
I chose to include this poem because it was the first poem that I wrote about my
brother. I think this shows our relationship very well. It shows that even though
we may fight, and even though he may be an annoying little brother, I still love
him very much.

6. “Baseball”
Baseball
Daddy played baseball
And now you do too
Out in the sun
Under the sky bright and blue
Working you hardest
With all of your team
Winning the game
And watching the trophy gleam
My younger brother‟s favorite sport is baseball. Even though it is not mine, I try to
be supportive of him by taking him to practices and attending his games. I wrote
this poem to remind him that I enjoyed watching him play the sport that he loves.
I also wanted him to know that even though I am leaving for college, I will still
attend as many games as possible.

7. “The Pool”
Swimming and diving
Backflips and cannon balls
Pretzels and lemonade
The pool is our home in the summer
Missing it this year will be quite a bummer
I hope you think of me while having so much fun
I will be missing you until college is done
During the summer, we go to my grandmother‟s pool almost everyday. We have
for as long as I can remember. However, because of my current job, I will not be
able to go as often this year. I know I will miss it so, I wanted to include a poem
that would remind us of the fun times we had there.

8. “Chickens”
Those evil little chickens
With their fluffy little heads
They used to chase us „round and „round
I always wished that they were dead
Possibly a fox or even a raccoon
Would come and eat them up at night
Underneath the moon
And now that they are gone
Sometimes I think I miss them
But I remind myself of the times tried to bite us
And fly right at our faces
Every single day
I do not miss that part at all
I do not miss that part today
Growing up, we always had little bantam chickens. One year, my older brother took them to
the fair. He won first place with them, but when they came back from the fair, they were evil.
They started chasing us and flying at us whenever we got near the chicken coop. I‟m sure we
looked silly running away from tiny little chickens. I chose to include this poem because we
hated those chickens back then, but now they have become a funny memory and they have
made many good stories.

9. Poems Written by Famous
Authors

10. “Casey At The Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.

11. “Casey At The Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
I included “Casey At The Bat” for several reasons. I
remember hearing this poem when I was in third or
fourth grade. Although I did not play baseball, I did
enjoy the poem. I wanted to share this poem with my
brother because of his love of the sport. I also wanted
to share the poem with him because he gets very
nervous when he goes up to bat. I think this poem can
show him that it is alright to strike out because
everyone does, even the great and mighty Casey.

12. “Love” by Udiah
Love
Soft and warm
Sealed with care
Sweet and kind
Will ever share
Brave and strong
Yet so fair
That is her
She's always there
Sensitive
to despair
Harkens to
others welfare
Delicate
she's elsewhere
Beautiful
beyond compare
If you meet her
Best Beware
She'll steal your heart
unaware
Her name is Love
This I swear
There's none like her
anywhere

13. “Love” by Udiah
I chose the poem “Love” by Udiah because I think it
describes love perfectly. Sweet and kind, yet brave and
strong. While this poem can be talking about the loved
shared between any two people, I think it shows the
love shared between family members very well. Love
between any two people can always die away, but the
love between family is always there.

14. “Brothers Are Forever” by Alex Romero
Brothers share a special bond,
Like blood, brotherhood,
It‟s thicker than water.
Friends may come and go,
And relationships may drift apart,
But brothers are forever.
Though the sun may rise in the east,
And set in the west,
We will still be brothers.
Though the seasons may change,
Spring, summer, fall and winter;
We will still be brothers.
What God has ordained,
No man can change,
Brothers are forever.

15. “Brothers Are Forever” by Alex Romero
I chose “Brothers Are Forever” because I believe that
there is a special bond shared between siblings that is
unlike any other. My favorite part of this poem is
“Though the seasons may change, Spring, summer, fall
and winter; We will still be brothers.” To me, this part
of the poem means that no matter what happens, no
matter what changes, we are still family and we still
love each other.

16. “Listen to the Mustn‟ts” by Shel Silverstein
Listen to the MUSTN‟TS, child,
Listen to the DON‟TS
Listen to the SHOULDN‟TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON‟TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me –
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

17. “Listen to the Mustn‟ts” by Shel Silverstein
This is one of my favorite poems. I chose this poem
because Silverstein gives some great advice in it. He
tells us to listen to and think about what others say,
but know that anything is possible. I think Silverstein
is trying to tell his readers to continue trying even
when others say you shouldn‟t or you can‟t. I chose this
poem in hopes that it will encourage my brother as it
has encouraged me.

18. “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

19. “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
Although Silverstein‟s poems can be silly and fun,
there are some that are very meaningful. In this case,
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” teaches us to enjoy life and
not rush into the future. I think that “the place where
the sidewalk ends” is the future. It is unknown, but it
holds many good things that we can look forward to.
We all want to get to those good things, but we must
not rush into it. Therefore “We walk with a pace that is
measured and slow” to get to the end of each of our
sidewalks.

20. Works Cited
Romero, Alex. "Brother Poem." Family Friends Poems. N.p., n.d. Web.
30 May 2013.
Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York, New York:
Haper and Row, 1974. 64. Print.
Silverstein , Shel. Listen to the Mustn'ts. New York, New York: Harper
and Row, 1974. 27. Print.
Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. Casey at the Bat . New York, New York: The
Putnam and Grosset Group, 1997. Print.
Udiah, . "Love by Udiah." PoemHunter. PoemHunter.com, n.d. Web.
30 May 2013.