Holding Hands with Poems

Welcome to Verselove—a space for educators to nurture their writing lives and celebrate poetry in the community. Each day in April, we come together to explore the power of poetry for both heart and mind. Write with care, for yourself and your readers. When responding, reflect back the beauty you find—lines that linger, ideas that inspire. Enjoy the journey. (Learn more here.If you’d like to host a Verselove Day in 2026, sign up here.)

Our Host

Stefani is an Associate Professor of Education at Aquinas College in Michigan. She teaches courses for pre-service and in-service teachers in instructional design, literacy, ed tech, and research methods. Her K-12 teaching was in California prior to moving into teacher preparation. 

Inspiration

I have hosted this prompt around titles before–but I always love the outcome and variations that are produced. So here we are again, near the end of another Verselove (congratulations everyone !)

Poem titles are not discussed, practiced, or modified as often as the art of crafting a poem. Therefore, I wanted to remind us again about the power of titles and how they have the potential to hold the hand of the poem and lead it to new interpretations.

First, read this translated poem by Chilean artist Claudio Bertoni:

I’d like to be a nest if you were a little bird.
I’d like to be a scarf if you were a neck and were cold.
If you were music, I’d be an ear.
If you were water, I’d be a glass.
If you were light, I’d be an eye.
If you were a foot, I’d be a sock.
If you were the sea, I’d be a beach.
And if you were still the sea, I’d be a fish,
and I’d swim in you.
And if you were the sea, I’d be salt.
And if I were salt, you’d be lettuce,
an avocado or at least a fried egg.
And if you were a fried egg,
I ‘d be a piece of bread.
And if I were a piece of bread,
you’d be butter or jam.
If you were jam,
I’d be the peach in the jam.
If I were a peach,
you’d be a tree.
And if you were a tree,
I’d be your sap…
and I’d course through your arms like blood.
And if I were blood,
I’d live in your heart.

Process

Take a moment to consider how you would title this poem. Is it about a romantic partnership, a parent-child relationship, or something else? As the audience, we can only determine this based on our interpretation of the words or our own experiences. 

Here is the original title of this poem in Spanish: “Para Una Joven Amiga Que Intentó Quitarse La Vida” and the English translation: “For a young friend who tried to take her own life.”

Now, read the poem again, partnered with the complexity of the poem’s title. Did this change the meaning for you? Did it change your emotions as you read it, now knowing who the poem was for? Would you agree that this title has a significant impact on the context?

Another example of a complex or multi-meaning title is Lucille Clifton’s Climbing or Joy Buolamwini’s AI, Ain’t I a Woman? spoken word title bringing modern and historical references together.

Stefani’s Poem

For my writing, I decided to play around with the title and words in this nonet poem:

“Press Eject”

Inhale, only the positive, breathe
In, exhale internal stressors
Inquisitive flow of air
In pivoting reply
Into life’s unknown 
Increase mind-set
In upgrade
Incline
Out

Your Turn

Today I invite you to create a title centered on identifying or twisting the content, theme, or purpose of your poem. The topic and form are up to you–the focus today is on the title. You might consider one of the following to guide you today: 

1. Return to a poem you’ve written during #Verselove25 and create a title change that might alter the context.
2. Use an AI tool to title one of the poems you have written during #Verselove25.
3. Write a poem with a twist, then invite all of us to title it for you. Later tonight, return to the comments and share what your original title was.
4. Use a witty double entendre as your title and inspiration for writing today.