Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls edited and compiled by Betsy Franco - Poetry By Kids

Bibliography

Franco, Betsy. 2001. THINGS I HAVE TO TELL YOU: POEMS AND WRITING BY TEENAGE GIRLS. Ill. by Nina Nickles. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763609056.

Review and Critical Analysis

          THINGS I HAVE TO TELL YOU: POEMS AND WRITING BY TEENAGE GIRLS is a collection of writings in poem, essay and story format, edited and compiled by Betsy Franco, that explores the lives and issues faced by today’s teenage girls. There are over thirty pieces in this collection; each written by a girl ages twelve to eighteen. Franco also includes a Table of Contents that lists both the work and author.

This anthology is special because every poem, essay and story is written not by a well-known poet, but by an ordinary teenager with an authentic voice. This makes both the pieces and the authors extremely relatable to young girls. The reader may experience the same situations, problems, and triumphs in their own lives. The subject matter of the poems, and other works in this collection, are not presented in a pedantic manner. They are not attempting to lecture the reader. Teenagers would rarely share their feelings with family members, and perhaps not even friends, on the subjects discussed in this collection. Issues such as sexuality, drug addiction, body image and cutting are topics that are normally kept hidden, but here they are allowed to be expressed freely. 

The tone of this collection is very somber. This is not an upbeat, happy collection of writings, it is realistic and gritty. Laura Veuve demonstrates this in her untitled poem. She writes, “Perfect body – Shocking studies show eating disorders on the rise in teenage girls – Shocking Bullshit.” Veuve describes how society, and the way she was raised, forced her to conform to the idea that girls should be perfect in all ways, especially in the way they look. They should have a perfect body, and do whatever is necessary to maintain that look. Her sense of anger is palpable, as is her need to keep her eating disorder a secret in order to “protect” her friends and family from herself. In contrast, this collection can also be strong and defiant in the face of political correctness, as expressed in the poem entitled TALL SINGLE ISO COFFEE. The anonymous author writes, “Even if I didn’t want coffee and I was looking for some tall single it would be a girl…” In the first few lines of this poem the narrator takes note of the fact that when she asked for “a tall single” in the coffee shop, the young man serving her automatically assumed she was asking for him. However, the reader soon comes to the realization that this is not the case. The narrator is not afraid to express her sexuality, and to counteract the prevailing view that all girls should automatically look for male partners. 

There is a strong narrative quality to this collection. The reader gets a sense that the authors are telling their stories directly to them. They come to see that the authors are not looking for praise or judgment, just for a receptive audience to listen to what they have to say. Each of these pieces evokes a powerful, emotional response. One of the best examples of this is MY ODE TO CRANK by Lisa Woodward. In it she writes, “Your love for crank has grown so strong/ You’ll depend on it to fill the hole That has become so big inside.” This poem is a frightening representation of a young girls drug addiction, and, depending on the reader, has the ability to arouse horror or familiarity. 

The language in this collection is extremely visual, and expressive. It is not at a level where any young reader would have problems comprehending it, but these authors use especially creative words and phrases in much of their work. This is demonstrated in Mahogany Elaj Foster’s poem WORDS. She writes, “Words fly across the paper like blackbirds across the sky/Why not take that beautiful skill and use words like I love and I can and I will.” Foster, through her evocative language, is advocating using the ability to write beautifully to express positive, rather than negative, ideas. The reader can visualize the words gliding on to the page through the author's pen, much like blackbirds flying through the air. 


         The majority of the poems in this book are written in the form of stanzas. In addition, most are free verse with no rhyme scheme in use. There are some exceptions where the poems have alternating rhyme, but this is rare. This style makes many of the poems read like diary entries, which would enable any young girl reading them to instantly relate. The subjects discussed in these pieces are not something that a young reader would typically share, and perhaps only consign to a diary. 

Nina Nickles’ photographs are all in black and white and convey a very stark, urban feeling which enhances the author’s work. Many of the photographs represent the poems they accompany at face value; however, some portray a deeper meaning. The photo accompanying DAMN, I LOOK GOOD by Miriam Stone is a clear-cut, straightforward representation of the poem. The photo displays a young girl from a side view, you cannot see her face, but you do see her hand holding a makeup brush. Her pose is strong and confident, she knows she is beautiful and this is reflected in both the photo and the poem. The photograph for ESCAPE by Theresa Hossfeld however, is more layered. In it we see a girl in a bathtub, either just emerging from the water, or preparing to slide under it and hide from the world. This double layer of meaning is reflected in the poem. The narrator repeatedly expresses that she does not feel the confidence other see in her. She knows she must “take this test” that is life, like everyone, but she is always looking for a way to escape. 

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and How That Poem Would Be Introduced

From SECRETS

By: Jessica L. McCloskey, age 16

Do you know my secret,

Did I tell you it last night,

Were you listening to my dreams,

Were you hiding out of sight?

Do you look to find my secret,

Reading letters, reading notes,

Picking up sometimes on phone calls,

Opening books to see what I wrote?

Do you ever think to ask me about my secret,

Being honest and forthright,

With no lies or hidden feelings?

Only then will my secret come to light.

          McCloskey’s poem SECRETS exemplifies the theme of the entire collection. These girls are sharing very personal topics, topics that most teenagers would be reluctant to reveal. In this case, McCloskey wants her family to not spy on her, but to ask her about her life, accept it, and possibly help her. The final lines state that only through honesty and trust, and without any hidden agendas on the part of her family, will she say what she really feels. This seems to be the request of all the authors of these pieces; just listen to what they have to say and think about their message. This poem contains that strong narrative feel, as if McCloskey were sitting down to explain to whoever was listening that this is the situation, and only if I feel you will not judge me will I tell you my story. As with the majority of the poems, it is written in stanza form. However, this is one of the few that contains a rhyme scheme. In each stanza the second and forth lines rhyme. 

          I would introduce this poem by saying to the students, “Today, I am not going to read you anything from a famous or well-known poet. Today, I am going to read you something written by a young girl, a girl who could be the same age as many of you. Her name is Jessica L. McCloskey and her poem is called SECRETS. I want you to listen to what she has to say, it could express feelings that many of you have experienced. After the reading we will talk about what this poem meant to you, and what your feelings were about the content and the themes presented. We will also discuss how you think the photograph did, or did not, fit in with the poem itself. ” As I read I would also display the book so the students could see Nina Nickles’ photograph of three young girls sitting on the sidewalk, which accompanies the poem.