Poem News Break (Form 1) : Meaning

Stanza One
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	Now why so loving, darling,	The persona, who is the parent(father/mother), is asking his/her child the reason for being in a loving mood
2	And why the sudden kiss?	The child does not usually kiss his/her parent, so the sudden kiss is a surprise
3	You’d help me with some little jobs?	The persona/parent asks if the child wants to help him/her
4	For goodness sake, what’s this?	The persona/parent finds the child’s behaviour quite strange / not normal

Stanza Two
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	Your face is clean for once, dear.	The child’s face is normally dirty but not today
2	Your clothes without a crease.	His/her clothes are neat and not crumpled/creased
3	You saved your luncheon money?	The persona/parent is shocked that the child does not spend all the money given to him/her to buy lunch
4	Will wonders never cease?	The persona/parent finds it amazing and still cannot believe what he/she sees

Stanza Three
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	No dropping of your school books,	Usually, the child would just drop his/her schoolbooks when he/she gets home
2	No shrieking, childish treble.	and would be making a lot of noise
3	Today, you are a lamb, love,	but today, he/she is very well behaved – just like a lamb
4	Where yesterday a rebel.	It was just yesterday when the child was behaving badly

Stanza Four
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	But surely you’re some stranger,	The persona/parent still cannot believe that the child is very good today – almost like a stranger
2	No rage or hullabaloo.	The child is not angry or making a fuss
3	Come closer, let me look, dear,	The persona/parent asks the child to come nearer to him/her
4	Can this be REALLY you?	Still, the persona/parent cannot believe the changes in the child today (sudden & drastic changes)

Stanza Five
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	Now were you struck by lightning	The persona/parent asks jokingly if the child was struck by lightning (something very tragic or dramatic)
2	Or were you stunned at sport?	Or maybe the child was shocked or surprised by  bad sports news
3	Ah…now I see the reason.	Now, the persona/parent realises the reason for the child’s strange but good behaviour today
4	You’ve brought your school report!	The child has brought home his/her school report, and from his/her good behaviour, it seems that he/she does not want to be scolded by his/her parent

Note : ‘darling’, ‘dear’ & ‘love’ are terms used by most parents when talking to their children.

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Poem Sad I Ams (Form 1) : Meaning

Meaning :

Stanza One
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	I am	The persona thinks/feels that he is like…
2	the ring	The ring of a can which people always throw after opening the can before drinking
3	from an empty Cola can
4	the scrapings	The food that is stuck at the bottom of a pan which people scrape off/remove before washing the pan
5	from an unwashed porridge pan
6	the severed arm	The broken arm of a toy (called Action Man) which was bought/used last year.
7	of last year’s Action Man.

Stanza Two
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	I am	The persona thinks/feels that he is like…
2	the envelope	The envelope which cannot be used because the glue is not sticky anymore
3	on which the gum is gone
4	the Sellotape	The cellophane tape that angers/annoys/ Irritates people because they cannot find the end of it
5	where you can’t find the end
6	the toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip	The things that anger/annoy/irritate people such as a stapler that has no bullets/staples in it or a clip that has no spring/grip, so they are useless when people need them
7	the dried-up liquid paper	The liquid paper that cannot be used anymore because it has dried up. It smudges/dirties the paper (mars) than it helps (mends) to erase/correct the mistake
8	that mars instead of mends
9	the stamped addressed reply	The letter (as a reply to someone) which you already wrote the address and put a stamp on, but sadly you forgot to post it!
10	that you forgot
11	to send.

Stanza Three
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	I am	The persona thinks/feels that he is like…
2	the battery in which no charge is left	The battery that cannot be charged at all, so it is now useless
3	the starter motor which remains inert	The motor/engine that has no power
4	the tyre on which the tread is worn	The tyre that is already worn out and dangerous to be used, so it has to be replaced with a new one
5	the sparking plug which shows no sign of spark	The sparking plug that does not work
6	the carburettor choked by bits and dirt	The carburettor cannot function because it is filled with dirt and dust
7	the chromium trim from which the shine has gone.	The metal plating that is no longer shiny.

Stanza Four
Line no.	Line	Interpretation
1	I am	The persona thinks/feels that he is like…
2	a garden	A garden which is neglected (not being taken care of)
3	overgrown with weeds
4	a library book	A book in the library that nobody is interested to borrow/read
5	that no one ever reads
6	a stray	A stray animal that is not being given food by anybody
7	that no one thinks to feed
8	the piece of good advice	An advice which is very good but nobody wants to follow it.
9	which no one seems to need.

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