Famous

Naomi Shihab Nye

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,

which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

[Self-Portrait with Newsboy]

Lewis W. Hine

Lewis W. Hine (American, 1874–1940). [Self-Portrait with Newsboy], 1908, Gelatin silver print 13.8 x 11.8 cm (5 7/16 x 4 5/8 in.) The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Show your students the photograph “[Self-Portrait with Newsboy].” Ask them to write down why they think the boy in the portrait might be famous and what evidence they have found in the photograph to support their interpretation. Next, have them turn and talk with a partner about what they think.
Ask a student to read Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Famous” aloud. Then ask a second student to do the same. After the second reading, have your students read the poem to themselves and write down the things that surprise them. Discuss, as a class, how Nye defines the word famous.
Ask your students to write a short paragraph using specific details about what makes them famous in Nye’s terms.

About Naomi Shihab Nye

Poet

Born on March 12, 1952, in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Palestinian father and an American mother, Naomi Shihab Nye gives voice to her experience as an Arab-American through her numerous poetry collections, including several books for children. Nye currently serves on the Academy of American Poets’ Board of Chancellors.

Naomi Shihab Nye Discusses
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Naomi Shihab Nye Reads "How Do I Know When a Poem Is Finished"

Naomi Shihab Nye Reads "Valentine
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Inspired by our popular Poem-a-Day series, Teach This Poem features one poem a week from our online poetry collection, accompanied by interdisciplinary resources and activities designed to help teachers quickly and easily bring poetry into the classroom.

Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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September 2, 2015 View this email on a browser Forward to a friend