When is the last time you looked at a favorite piece of art or literature in a new way? The Leadership Development teens were challenged to do just that with a writing exercise that helped them analyze and reinterpret some whimsical poems by creating parodies!
Poetry gives us a glimpse into how our kids construct thoughts and convey their messages. By giving them constraints in this project while still allowing creative freedom, we encouraged them to put their personality into a theme they may not have imagined on their own. They were able to create humor in a fairly serious-minded program, and they read their poems aloud to practice their public speaking skills. The Leadership Development teens make presentations throughout the semester, and they often forget to make the presentation memorable or interesting. This exercise helped them to be dramatic, silly, and even vulnerable. It was inspiring to see how the teens evaluated a creative subject and applied their own views and experiences…it’s art imitating life!
Original Version
If I Were In Charge of the World
by Judith Viorst
If I were in charge of the world
I’d cancel oatmeal,
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.
If I were in charge of the world
There’d be brighter night lights,
Healthier hamsters, and
Basketball baskets forty eight inches lower.
If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn’t have lonely.
You wouldn’t have clean.
You wouldn’t have bedtimes.
Or “Don’t punch your sister.”
You wouldn’t even have sisters.
If I were in charge of the world
A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable
All 007 movies would be G,
And a person who sometimes forgot to brush,
And sometimes forgot to flush,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.
Parody
If I Were In Charge of the World
If I were in charge of the world
I’d make sure
things that sting
and bite were no longer here
If I were in charge of the world
I wouldn’t be scared at night
dogs would talk
and I would build a gigantic house for everyone
If I were in charge of the world
food would not be
processed,
and I would
shop
everday
If I were in charge of the world
Those cupcakes
sitting in front of me
would be mine
Everyone would brush
and flush
and no one else
would be
In charge of the world