(I’m Always in Parentheses)
From the book My Hippo Has the Hiccups
(I’m always in parentheses)
(which makes me hard to hear)
(regardless if I’m yelling loud)
(or if you’re leaning near.)
(It sounds as if I’m whispering)
(my voice is just a squeek)
(and even if I scream and shout)
(it comes out soft and meek.)
(Parentheses imprison me)
(they hold me like a jail.)
(I try to break these tiny curves)
(but every time I fail.)
(I’m sick of these parentheses,)
(these little muffling arcs.)
I WISH I WAS IN CAPITALS
WITH EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!
— Kenn Nesbitt
Copyright © 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Reading Level: Grade 5
Topics: Wordplay
Poetic Techniques: Descriptive Poems, Punctuation, Wordplay
Word Count: 89
From the book My Hippo Has the Hiccups
Use This Poem
Would you like to use this poem in your classroom? Would you like permission to reprint, record, recite or broadcast this poem, or set it to music? Please click on one of the following links for permissions and reprint rights information: