My son Stephen Evans, who is 11 years old, wrote this “Ode to the Mona Lisa” a few days ago during our poetry class. An ode is a lyric poem. Lyric poems often have a refrain, or words that are repeated. Songs are lyric poems (which used to be sung accompanied with a lyre), and so are odes, which magnify one specific subject. Stephen chose to describe the Mona Lisa, and his refrain captures the essence of how he feels about the portrait:
Lined with pictures left and right
A hallway stretches indefinitely
I’ll never forget that portrait
It’s creepy; she’s staring at me
Her eyeballs move from side to side
Her thin smile has no glee
Her skin is deathly pale
It’s creepy; she’s staring at me
The misty background of the picture
Could be a murky swamp or sea
Her chair could sink into the ground
It’s creepy; she’s staring at me
Her hair is like spaghetti
She looks so solemn; can’t you see?
I’ll never forget that portrait
It’s creepy; she’s staring at me
The Mona Lisa was painted by the famous Renaissance artist, Leonardo da Vinci.
Tags: Homeschooling, Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, poem, poetry, writing
What a wonderful poem from your son! He did a great job! (Retired English teacher here…). I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris. I was shocked to see how small the portrait really is, and so heavily guarded! Anyway, tell your son to keep writing poetry!
I’ll let him know!