“Valentine for Ernest Mann” By Naomi Shihab Nye

Pre-Discussion Questions What is a valentine? Why do people give valentines? What are some common examples of Valentine’s Day gifts?

Stanza One You can’t order a poem like you order a taco. Walk up to the counter, say, “I’ll take two” and expect it to be handed back to you on a shiny plate.

Stanza Two Still, I like your spirit. Anyone who says, “Here’s my address, write me a poem,” deserves something in reply. So I’ll tell a secret instead: poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, they are sleeping. They are the shadows drifting across our ceilings the moment before we wake up. What we have to do is live in a way that lets us find them.

Stanza Three Once I knew a man who gave his wife two skunks for a valentine. He couldn’t understand why she was crying. “I thought they had such beautiful eyes.” And he was serious. He was a serious man who lived in a serious way. Nothing was ugly just because the world said so. He really liked those skunks. So, he re-invented them as valentines and they became beautiful. At least, to him. And the poems that had been hiding in the eyes of the skunks for centuries crawled out and curled up at his feet.

Stanza Four Maybe if we re-invent whatever our lives give us we find poems. Check your garage, the odd sock in your drawer, the person you almost like, but not quite. And let me know.

Discussion Questions To what does Nye compare poems in the first stanza? Why does she use this comparison? How and why does Nye personify poems in the second stanza? Summarize the story of the man and the skunks and explain what the skunks have to do with poetry? Explain how this poem fits the definition of a lyric poem. Why do you think Nye wrote this poem? What message(s) is she trying to convey to her audience? How does this poem function as a valentine?

Discussion Questions To what does Nye compare poems in the first stanza? Why does she use this comparison? Nye compares poems to tacos, and says that “you can’t order a poem like you order a taco.” This comparison is used to prove that poems cannot be created on demand. They must be inspired.

Discussion Questions How and why does Nye personify poems in the second stanza? In the second stanza, Nye writes that poems “hide” and “sleep.” This personification emphasizes the fact that people must change the way they look at things in order to find the inspiration for poetry.

Discussion Questions Summarize the story of the man and the skunks and explain what the skunks have to do with poetry. A man gave his wife two skunks as a valentine because he thought they had beautiful eyes. The man found beauty in the skunks, while most people wouldn’t. Poems can help people see familiar things in new and unusual ways.

Discussion Questions Explain how this poem fits the definition of a lyric poem. This poem fits the definition of a lyric poem because it expresses the thoughts and feelings of the speaker/poet. The speaker feels that poetry is the beauty hidden in the ordinary world.

Discussion Questions Why do you think Nye wrote this poem? What message(s) is she trying to convey to her audience? Poets must be inspired to write. Poetry and beauty are everywhere. We must look at familiar things in new ways.

Discussion Questions How does this poem function as a valentine? Instead of giving Ernest Mann a poem, the speaker reveals to him the source of poetry. This “gift” can be considered a token of love, which is what a valentine is.