My son wrote this poem, has been suspended, and I'm meeting teacher tonight?
Ok, so this is a multi-part question. My son is 13. He was asked to submit a poem, on any subject, as a homework project. I didn't know about or oversee this project in any way. Earlier this week I recived a phone call from the school principal: Long story short, my son submitted a very questionable poem to his English teacher. It was all taken to an administrative level and my son was suspended with immediate effect. I'm to meet with his teachers Monday. My son gave me a copy of the poem that earned him a suspension. This is it:
Alan, the disabled negro
His name was Alan, the disabled negro
He hard no arms, he had no legs
He had no face
All he could eat, was his own poo
Because he had no throat and his
stomach was in his brain
A grenade exploded it his mouth
and sent his balls into his kidney
and his wife's fetus, was implanted in his head
so that he had no feeling when he ate bread
And then his wheelchair exploded one
day, and all his family died as they were
taking him on a day trip
in Scotland
That's it. I have no idea what to think about it. My son won't talk to nme about it. I don't know how I should punish him, or if I even should. And how do I approach the teachers? I'm embarrassed about this.
I would start on the offensive: "What the hell is this school teaching my son?"
Follow that with "Has none of you ever read any of the so called poetry published by Carol Ann Duffy the UK Poet Laureate? Her stuff is much worse and is a compulsory subject in British schools!
Here's an example:
I put two yellow peepers in an owl.
Wow. I fix the grin of Crocodile.
Spiv. I sew the slither of an eel.
I jerk, kick-start, the back hooves of a mule.
Wild. I hold the red rag to a bull.
Mad. I spread the feathers of a gull.
I screw a tight snarl to a weasel.
Fierce. I stitch the flippers on a seal.
Splayed. I pierce the heartbeat of a quail.
I like her to be naked and to kneel.
Tame. My motionless, my living doll.
Mute. And afterwards I like her not to tell. "
