I like the way Whyman’s poem looks simple but conveys complicated ideas about belonging and inclusion, important ideas in our world. Offering students lines they can incorporate into their own poems can jumpstart the writing process. Let’s eschew formula while staying true to the poem’s central point of exploration.ĭanger warning for weary sailors, travelers Now, compose a poem beginning with “I don’t want to be” or a variation of those words.After selecting these, try making a list of the essential qualities of each, exploring your reasons for selection, and ordering your ideas.For today’s inspiration, think about what you don’t want to be in contrast with what you want to be.It’s part of Wyman’s National Book Award nominated collection Survival is a Style. The complete text of “I Don’t Want to Be a Spice Store” is available online via The New Yorker, March 25, 2019. I want to hum just a little with my own emptinessĪt 4 a.m. I want to be the one store that’s open all night I don’t want to carry handcrafted Marseille soap, It also offers a subtle critique of inclusion and exclusion. Of course, the poem explores deeper insights into how we live our lives and how we use our time. This is the question Christian Wiman answers in “I Don’t Want to Be a Spice Store,” but the poem also considers what the speaker wants to be and the why to being and not being. We often ask children what they want to be when they grow up and as children thought about the “to be” we’d choose as adults, but how often do we consider what we don’t want to be? As part of the NEA Better Lesson Master Teacher Project, Glenda developed a full-year curriculum for teaching seniors, which is free on the Better Lesson website. She taught English and speech 38 years and worked as an adjunct instructor for Idaho State University and the College of Southern Idaho before retiring in August 2019. Glenda is an NBCT with an MA in English literature.
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