First Read - An Unexpected Gift (poem)

Last updated 9 months ago

4 questions

First Read
After taking note of the title and structure of the poem, read it one time for general comprehension. "Translate" the poem into plain English.

Stanzas I-II (lines 1-8)
Some people say that all mistakes
come with a price that you must pay.
But I, myself, believe it true:
Mistakes can also make your day.

One summer day my family played
a racing game with cardboard boats.
My task was to invent my own,
with mini sails to make it coast.

Translation Example:
I. Some mistakes can be good.
II. One summer I created a cardboard boat for a family racing game.

Stanzas III-V (lines 9-20)
I started off most eagerly:
grabbed tape and cardboard long and lean,
And as for style, I thought it wise
to draw a detailed nature scene.

Once done, I marveled at my work,
then took a peek around the room—
Oh no! My dad, my mom, and sister
all had boats ready to zoom!

I must have just lost track of time,
working to beautify my ride.
My boat had not a single sail
to catch the wind; I could have cried.

What is your "translation" of these stanzas?

Stanzas VI-VII (lines 21-28)
We gathered 'round the waterside,
prepared to give our boats a shove.
Mom shouted "Go!" and off theirs went,
While mine alone refused to move.

It stubbornly ignored the wind,
as if firmly fixed in place.
How could something so beautiful
be so useless for this family race?

What is your "translation" of these stanzas?

Stanzas VIII-IX (lines 29-36)
Just then, a group of birds came down
upon my boat where it sat resting.
To our surprise (and my delight),
they seemed to find it interesting!

My cardboard boat, I recognized,
was never made to race and ride,
but even so it had a role—
For the birds it could provide!

What is your "translation" of these stanzas?

Stanzas X-XI (lines 37-44)
My boat became a backyard fixture
not on our pond but in our tree;
there it sits steady, offering
a tasty treasure of bird seed.

Although I certainly stumbled on
this great invention by pure chance,
nobody was happier
to see my boat fail to advance.