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John Millen

A poem 
What is supposed to happen when you read a poem? Why bother reading a poem at all? If you ask ever yourself these two questions when you see a poem, help is at hand on this page. 
Poems are all about reaction. A poem should make us feel something. Let's have a look at a poem and write down what we feel about it.
Subject matter
A poem must be about something. A lot of poetry takes the theme of love or appreciation for something as its subject matter. Here is a poem that is about the very opposite of those two ideas. It's a poem about not liking someone. Before you read the poem, ask yourself these four questions.
1 Is there anyone you secretly dislike? 
2 What is it about this person that you dislike? 
3 Does this person annoy anyone else or just you? 
4 How do you deal with your dislike of this person? 
Now read the poem Me and Cousin Joe and answer the questions about it.
Me and Cousin Joe
By John Millen
Cousin Joe? I hate him
And I know he hates me too.
Whenever we meet there's tension
And I never know what to do.
We've tried to like each other
But it's just a waste of time
I dislike his personality
And I know that he loathes mine.
In everything we're opposites
And will never get along.
In everything we're different:
The mixture is all wrong.
We're just like oil and water,
And those two will never mix.
Perhaps I should ignore him
When he plays his nasty tricks.
That's it! Yes, that's the answer!
I'll pretend he's never there.
He can do what he wants to stress me out.
From now on, I just don't care!
now do this
Your poem
Think about the person you said you disliked. Write a short poem about how you feel - it might help you to release some of your negative feelings. 
Call the person John X or Jane X; remember your dislike is a secret. If you like everyone you know, make up a person to dislike. Writing a poem can be easier than you might think, especially if you already have a subject matter.
Your thoughts
1 How do you know this is a poem?
a. It's got 20 lines
b. It's got a rhythm
2 Give another reason you  can tell it's a poem, and not a piece of prose.
a. Some of the words at the end of the lines rhyme
b. The vocabulary is easy to understand
3 Why do you think the writer is telling us about his feelings for his cousin?
4 List the 10 pairs of rhyming end words.
5 There is a simile towards the end of the poem. Is this simile appropriate? 
6 Do you think the reader is a boy or a girl? Does it matter?
7 Does the poem end on a negative or positive note?
8  Find the words or phrases in the poem that mean the opposite of these words and phrases.
like / happy atmosphere / I always know / a valuable use of time / he really likes / we  are very similar / the  combination is  perfect / acknowledge / pleasant actions / I care a great deal
9 What is the mood of this poem? Even though it is about disliking a person, is it an unpleasant poem? 
10 Does the writer make you understand his/her feelings? Is the poem clear? Is the poem entertaining or boring? Why?
Answers
January 5
Unhelpful employee: 1. h, 2. b, 3. d, 4. e, 5. k,  6. a, 7. c, 8. f, 9. j, 10. i, 11. g
Returns and complaints: 1. d, 2. f, 3. a, 4. h, 5. b, 6. g, 7. c, 8. e



The tension builds