side a:
1. 18 and Life
her friend takes her to
the guidance counselor
she doesn’t see the point
but her friend won’t go
without her
2. Patience
the dining room table
stacked with papers
her brother’s face
on all of them
like labels
on cans of soup
3. Long Cold Winter
his football team
organizes a search party
scruffy boys in
orange jerseys climb
snow banks
along the river
north
all the way to
lockport
4. Without You
she is as still as silence
jolts every time
the phone rings
5. More than Words
the family sliced into wedges
like pie
6. Don’t Know What You Got
the cold
wet
quiet
when
everyone else
leaves
side b:
7. Nothing Else Matters
the family goes to two psychics
and an elder
8. Every Rose has Its Thorn
one says he will call soon
one says he is dead
one says he is
traveling
north
9. What You Give
words
evaporate
condense
in the air
drip
down
walls
10. Don’t Cry
her stepfather
tells everyone
his son is
dead
and he isn’t going to look
anymore
11. Home Sweet Home
her mother moves
wide and slow
almost imperceptible
limbs floating
as if in water
12. November Rain
the girl walks under
winter naked elms
such a cold november
a season warmer
than her house
Punctuated by 90s song titles, this poem about a missing teen has a Side A and Side B.
- How does the structure of a mixed tape work to tell this poem’s story?
- How does “side a” differ in tone from “side b”?
- What images does the poet use to capture the cold atmosphere following the brother’s disappearance?
- How are the relationships among the family members described?
- If you were going to recite this poem, how would you voice its short lines? Where and for how long would you pause?
- Write a poem using song titles to tell a story.
Useful Links
Check out Katherena Vermette’s website: http://www.katherenavermette.com/
Watch Katherena Vermette talk about her poetry after her first book won the Governor General’s Award: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyNJSfpkkBQ
Katherena Vermette, “mixed tape” from from North End Love Songs. Copyright © 2012 by Katherena Vermette. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Source: North End Love Songs (The Muses Company, 2012)