This document is a collection of poems and explanations dedicated by Jessica to her mother. It begins by thanking her mother for always being supportive and caring for her through both happy and difficult times. Several poems are included about themes of love, family, children and angels. Explanations provide context for each poem and why Jessica chose to include them, often relating them back to her mother and family experiences. The overall purpose is to showcase poems and dedicate them to express gratitude and appreciation for her mother.

1. By: Jessica Beckman
Dedicated to: Mom
POETRY
DEDICATION
PROJECT

2. • Dear Mom,
The reason I chose you to dedicate this project to is because
you encourage me to do my best and keep me going when things get
hard and I just want to quit. You are always there for me when I
need you the most and when I was little and always seemed to get
hurt, like the time I fell off the ladder or found out I was allergic to
bumble bees, you were there to let me know I’d be ok. You can tell
when something is wrong with me when no one else can, even when
I don’t want to tell you what’s wrong with me you end up getting me
to tell you at some point. When I’m sitting on the couch thinking
about something that is bothering me you’ll be the first person to
come over and say “I can tell something is wrong, what is it?” and of
course I’ll tell you “nothing” at first but you, being the caring mother
that you are keep bugging me until I tell you the reason. I know
sometimes things get rough and even you don’t know the answer
but we’ll always pull through as a family. These poems I have picked
out and wrote are based around children, family and our guardian
angel, I hope you enjoy every one of them.
Love,
Jessie

3. Love
It’s like treasure
Sometimes lost forever.
You’ll know when you find it
Love,
You can’t hide it.
There’s many ways to show
But with love,
You never know.
Things get crazy,
A little out of hand.
You may not understand
Love,
It has its own plan.
by Jessica Beckman

4. I have a very hard time writing things like this
as you know, so you’re going to have to bear
with me while reading the poems that I have
written for this project. The reason I included
this poem in my dedication project is because
family is made up of several different pieces
but one thing that makes up a good family and
relationship is, love. About 20 years ago (I
think) you met who you thought was the love
of your life, dad, but when times got hard he
turned into someone else and that is how he’s
been ever since. About a year after you guys
got a divorce another man walked into your
life, a single father that was very nice and
willing to take every one of us under his wing
and treat us like we are his own. One day he
made a mistake, as do many men, ever since
then you’ve been a little iffy on whether or
not you should fall for him again. I can tell
you love him and he loves you and in my mind
I believe he is your soul mate. This is a story
that proves love is crazy and you never know
what love will have in store for you.

5. Air And Angels
Twice or thrice had I loved thee,
Before I knew thy face or name;
So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame,
Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be;
Still when, to where thou wert, I came,
Some lovely glorious nothing I did see,
But since my soul, whose child love is,
Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do,
More subtle than the parent is
Love must not be, but take a body too,
And therefore what thou wert, and who
I bid love ask, and now
That it assume thy body, I allow,
And fix itself in thy lip, eye, and brow.
Whilst thus to ballast love, I thought,
And so more steadily to have gone,
With wares which would sink admiration,
I saw, I had love's pinnace overfraught,
Every thy hair for love to work upon
Is much too much, some fitter must be sought;
For, nor in nothing, nor in things
Extreme, and scatt'ring bright, can love inhere;
Then as an angel, face and wings
Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,
So thy love may be my love's sphere;
Just such disparity
As is 'twixt air and angels' purity,
'Twixt women's love, and men's will ever be.
By John Donne

6. Explication
of
Air And Angles
• In “Air and Angels”, there are many possible interpretations. The emotion of love
is being brought out by the speaker in this poem. The speaker is carrying love
high on his shoulder. This makes love the most valuable thing an individual could
every possibly own. The love in this poem is based on spirits, not beauty. No
matter how bad the speaker desires to feel this emotion, he is desperately unable
to get the feeling. In this poem, love is compared and contrasted in many
different ways.
• The organizational structure of this poem has a significant meaning as well. In the
first fourteen lines, the speaker is describing why love should be put into every
human. It starts out with the overall theme that true beauty is hard to get a hold
of and put into a true form. In the next fourteen lines the speaker is telling us that
love is unattainable in average human form. The speakers talks about how air and
angels are alike, something that does not matter to an average human being.
Overall, air is just like love, weightless and without boundaries. There is a small
conflict with the ending of the poem to that of the beginning because at first the
speaker is telling us love is able to be attained and at the end the speaker is telling
us that it is no longer attainable.
• The two sections of this poem have diverse meanings. They also use different
language. The first section of the poem uses words to keep the flow “down to
earth” compared to the second section of the poem that makes it escalade into
the air, with the angels. Angels are being compared to love which is ironic
because when the average person hers anything about angels, they think love.

7. Pitter Patter
The music I dance to
Both day and night,
My favorite song.
As soon as I get home,
The song starts to play.
All of my children run to the door
The sound of their feet on the floor.
Pitter patter all day long.
That sound right there,
Makes up my favorite song.
By Jessica Beckman

8. The reason I included this poem into my
dedication project is because it is about the
kids, how they are always running around and
you know as well as I do, the second you walk in
the door that “pitter patter” get ten times as
loud as all the kids run towards the door and all
of them start saying “mommy, mommy”. Even
though they get a little crazy and you have to
make them stop running around sometimes I
know you would go insane if you weren’t able to
hear that noise anymore. Good thing you have
so many kids because by the time we are all out
of the house you’ll be able to fill it with
grandkids and since you don’t like to yell at your
grandkids you aren’t going to be able to make
the “pitter patter” stop. This poem has basically
only one purpose to it and only people who love
listening to their kids run around would be able
to enjoy this poem. Sometimes I get frustrated
with the kids running because I can’t
concentrate on something but I honestly can’t
wait for Charlotte to start running around and
acting crazy. Watching kid’s play without them
knowing it is when their true personalities shine
through. I have to say each and every one of
us, your children have very unique personalities.

9. To-day's your natal day;
Sweet flowers I bring:
Mother, accept, I pray
My offering.
And may you happy live,
And long us bless;
Receiving as you give
Great happiness.
To My Mother
By Christina Rossetti

10. Explication
of
To My Mother
The first thing that got my attention about this
poem is its title. The poem itself is pretty much, short
and sweet. I thought about how all the little kids bring
you in flowers all summer long in the first part of the
poem. The second part of the poem reminds me of
how you are always trying to make everyone else happy
and put yourself last, also how you are always giving
but very rarely receiving. You need to stop worrying
about making everyone else happy and do what you
need to so that you can be happy all the time or at least
most of the time.

11. • “To my mother” is a simple dedication poem that the
speaker had wrote in order to ask for acceptance from her
mother. The speaker starts off with her mother’s birthday.
She is giving her flowers, and is asking for some kind of
acceptance. By using the word “like” there is a small sense
of feeling that her mother may not like flowers. The
speaker is trying to flatter her mother as well as gain
acceptance because she previously feels like she is not
accepted. The last four lines of the poem “And may you
happy live, / And long us bless; / Receiving as you give /
Great happiness”, suggest that the speaker wishes her
mother to live happily and not take anything for granted.
When there is the chance to receive then her mother
should also give in return. The speaker may be suggesting
that her mother is greedy and does not give a lot from a
day to day basis, and tells her to give more than she
normally does. If this is what the speaker is suggesting,
then the idea that the speaker needs to be accepted by her
own mother becomes a little more prominent. It also
suggests that her mother will love and “bless” her children.
By the speaker becoming blessed by her mother, she knows
she will be accepted. She will be accepted in her mother’s
ways and in God’s name. The speaker kept this poem very
simple, for the reader to read and for the speaker to write.
Overall, this is a good poem to read and there is a lot that
can be learnt from the simplicity of this and its true
meaning, just by reading between the lines and thinking
about what is being said from the reader helps understand
the overall meaning of the poem.
The first thing that
got my attention about
this poem is its title. The
poem itself is pretty
much, short and sweet. I
thought about how all the
little kids bring you in
flowers all summer long in
the first part of the poem.
The second part of the
poem reminds me of how
you are always trying to
make everyone else happy
and put yourself last, also
how you are always giving
but very rarely receiving.
You need to stop
worrying about making
everyone else happy and
do what you need to so
that you can be happy all
the time or at least most
of the time.
Explication of
To My Mother

12. Angel Wings
In a hospital not good enough for you
Born too soon, but as normal as any.
You came out crying,
As do many.
Not long after, you started turning grey.
The doctor that tried playing God
Took your freedom away.
He knew as well as others
You would need a NICU right away.
This hospital didn’t have one,
The closest one was far away.
Because of this doctor you had a hard life.
About twelve short years later,
The Lord called you home.
Your little Angel Wings and Halo way too soon, was earned.
By Jessica Beckman

13. It took me a while to write this one, I
couldn’t figure out how to put the words
together then once I did I couldn’t figure out
how to put the sentences together. This one
is dedicated to my favorite angel and our
family’s guardian angel. This talks about how
he should not have been born at our hospital
and how even the doctor knew that, but
instead of shipping you to Arnot Ogden he
decided to put you into labor even more and
basically force you to give birth to a pre-
mature baby at our hospital which has no
NICU. I remember how even though he
couldn’t talk he had his way of showing what
he wanted and who he did or didn’t like, like
his one teacher, how he’d give her the finger
every time she came. At first we thought it
was a coincidence but after a couple weeks of
it it was pretty obvious, he just did not like
her at all. I know it made you laugh when he
did that because none of us liked her either.
Tristen was one of the bravest kids I have ever
meet and I am lucky to have had him as a
brother for as long as I did. He will always be
with us even if he’s not visible, though he
does make himself clear that he most
definitely is still with us.

14. The Children’s Hour
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.
From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!
They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.
They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!
Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!
I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

15. Explication
of
The Children’s Hour
• In “The Children’s Hour” the speaker helps getting
the reader directly involved in the poem. This is
done by a creative use of language and tone of
voice the speaker is speaking in. The poem starts
off with the setting being right around dusk, as the
sun is setting and night is coming. This makes the
reader think that there is an unexpected event
about to happen. This makes the reader want to
learn what is about to happen. Reading on, the
speaker introduces playful children. The language is
changing every few lines, and the pace of the poem
seems like it is getting faster than slower. This
tactic helps bring in the reader’s attention and
keeps him wanting to read more. The speaker uses
words such as “sudden raid” and “sudden rush”
followed by a place in order to help the reader grasp
an image of what is going on during the time. The
speaker then continues to state that his love for his
daughters is a gift from God. Love is an eternal
thing that a lot of people can find. It is a value that
we all have because it is a reflection from God’s
love. In this poem, the speaker clearly shows the
reader that he loves his daughters. Just like people
with God, no matter what happens, he will always
love his children. It is an unconditional love. If love
were conditioned, and “God will only love you IF…”
then the reflection would be a lot different and
people would probably act a lot different or have a
different sense of meaning of the word and emotion
“Love”. This poem is a good poem that can easily
be applied to life, especially that of a father who has
a daughter.
I really liked this poem
and I thought you would too.
I mainly picked it because it’s
about children and I know
how much you love children.
As I read the poem a couple
times it just kept sounding
even better so I had to put it
in my project. In the
poem, where it says “A
sudden rush from the
stairway, A sudden raid from
the hall!” reminds me of how
the kids come out of their
rooms after they’re told to
go to bed and you hear
something in the kitchen so
you start heading out to see
what it is but by the time you
get their all you see is the
snack cupboard open and a
chair underneath it because
as soon as they hear you
coming they run to their
room as fast as they can.

16. Little Boy
Little Boy with special needs
Had a big heart,
He taught the world a lesson
About life being tough.
He fought every day,
Till it was his time to go.
Then the Lord took him back
To a new place for him to call home.
In heaven everyone’s happy,
There is no pain.
I’m happy he’s not in pain anymore
But I still want him back
Nothing’s the same!
By Jessica Beckman

17. This is one of my favorite poems that I have
put in here and I know you could guess why I
put it in here but I am going to tell you
anyway. This is another poem for our
guardian angel and I know the day is coming
close to where he will be gone for two years
already and things do not get easier but I’m
hoping this helps at least a little. Everyone
who seen what happened that day has it
burned into the back of their head and we all
say if there is one thing I could do I would go
back in time and never leave his side so I can
make sure that wouldn’t happen. I remember
you telling me a few times “the doctor didn’t
expect him to live past one year old” but he
was a fighter and made that doctor out to be
a liar. I still don’t understand even at the
least why God would take someone so
young, fearless, and full of love and I never
will understand but I want you to know even if
it is hard to talk about for me and you, if you
ever need someone to talk to about
Tristen, you can count on me to be here for
you just as much as I can count on you (and
that’s a lot)!

18. We Are Seven
—A simple child,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?
I met a little cottage girl:
She was eight years old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered round her head.
She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad:
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
—Her beauty made me glad.
"Sisters and brothers, little maid,
How many may you be?"
"How many? Seven in all," she said,
And wondering looked at me.
"And where are they? I pray you tell."
She answered, "Seven are we;
And two of us at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea.
"Two of us in the churchyard lie,
My sister and my brother;
And, in the churchyard cottage, I
Dwell near them with my mother."
"You say that two at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea,
Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell,
Sweet maid, how this may be."
Then did the little maid reply,
"Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the churchyard lie,
Beneath the churchyard tree."

19. We Are Seven (continued)
"You run about, my little maid,
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the churchyard laid,
Then ye are only five."
"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"
The little maid replied,
"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door,
And they are side by side.
"My stockings there I often knit,
My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,
And sing a song to them.
"And often after sunset, sir,
When It is light and fair,
I take my little porringer,
And eat my supper there.
"The first that died was sister Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain;
And then she went away.
"So in the churchyard she was laid;
And, when the grass was dry,
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.
"And when the ground was white with snow
And I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go,
And he lies by her side."
"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
Quick was the little maid's reply,
"O master! we are seven."
"But they are dead; those two are dead!
Their spirits are in heaven!"
'Twas throwing words away; for still
The little maid would have her will,
And said, "Nay, we are seven!"
By William Wordsworth

20. Explication
of
We Are Seven
This is probably my favorite
poem out of all the ones that I
picked from the published
poems. The reason for that is
because it talks about how two
of the siblings passed away but
yet they still count them as
being there. We do the same
thing with Tristen, when
someone asks you how many
kids you have you say 12 and
when someone asks me how
many siblings I have I say 11, no
matter where one of my
siblings go I still count them as
being part of the family, even if
they’re never coming home.
“We are seven” is created by sixteen four-line stanzas. It
ends with one five-line stanza. Each of the stanzas is
composed of an abab rhythmic pattern. It appears that the
speaker had chosen to write the last line of this poem first.
This poem starts off with an old man asking a little girl a
couple of questions. A couple of questions that could have
been answered in just a few short lines however is dragged
on and adds to the overall significance of the poem. The
poem “drags on” because the old man is not convinced that
the girl, only of the age of eight, feels like she still has two
siblings that are no longer alive, making there being seven
siblings total, and five living still. The young girl also adds that
she lives alone with her mother, this also makes the older
man wonder about what is really going on, or if she is just
making up some lie. At the beginning of their conversation,
the young girl appears to not know too much about what
death is or how it occurs. She states that she talks to and
signs to her siblings as she spends time with them, which is
really odd, to the reader as well as the older man. By the end
of the poem, it appears that the little girl really did know
what she was talking about as she understands more about
life and death compared to the old man she was conversing
with once before. She states that she will not leave the
deceased out of her life. They all have a soul somewhere still
and they all still need to be remembered. By the end of the
poem, the little girl realizes what death is, and the only thing
she is able to do is continue to move on with her own life.

21. Blessed
I feel so blessed
I get reminded every day,
By your happiness.
Being a mommy,
Is one of the best jobs.
With no pay,
But the love of a child.
You get me through the day
When I think about giving up,
Or when I think there is no way.
Anytime you need me I’ll be there
In a blink of an eye,
To help you with trouble.
Because I’m your mommy,
I feel so Blessed!
By Jessica Beckman

22. I put this poem in my project for a few
reasons. It reminds me of how good of a
mom you are, I know I wrote it but that’s
part of the reason I did. You’re always
saying how being a mom is the best job
and now that I am a mommy I completely
understand where you come from with
that and I definitely agree with you. There
are so many things about being a mom
that make all those sleepless nights and
cranky days’ worth it. Though I haven’t
been a mom for very long I already know
that I will be there for Charlotte whenever
she needs me even if that means having to
drive 24 hours away and I know you would
do the same for me or any one of your
other kids. In my poem it says how you
don’t get paid for the best job with
anything but a child’s love, I know how
much you love each and every one of your
children (even if I am your favorite =p)
and getting paid with the love of them
right back is probably the best pay you can
think of. God has blessed you with 12
beautiful children and I am proud to say
that I am one of them. I know I make you
go crazy sometimes but that’s what kids
are for right??

23. To My Brother Miguel in memoriam
Brother, today I sit on the brick bench outside the house,
where you make a bottomless emptiness.
I remember we used to play at this hour of the day, and mama
would calm us: "There now, boys..."
Now I go hide
as before, from all these evening
prayers, and I hope that you will not find me.
In the parlor, the entrance hall, the corridors.
Later, you hide, and I do not find you.
I remember we made each other cry,
brother, in that game.
Miguel, you hid yourself
one night in August, nearly at daybreak,
but instead of laughing when you hid, you were sad.
And your other heart of those dead afternoons
is tired of looking and not finding you. And now
shadows fall on the soul.
Listen, brother, don't be too late
coming out. All right? Mama might worry.
by César Vallejo

24. Explication of
To My Brother Miguel
in memoriam
The reason I added “To
My Brother Miguel in
Memoriam” is basically
because it is in memoriam
about a brother. That
reminds me of Tristen
obviously, I know he’s your
child not brother but I really
couldn’t find any about
children passing away that
made much sense. It talks
about how he remembers
the good times he had with
his brother and I do that
every day, think about how
many good times there were
and try to keep the bad
memories away and I know
you do the same.
In “To My Brother Miguel in memoriam” the speaker begins
sitting out on the porch, mourning the death of his brother.
The reason the speaker probably choose to write this poem
was probably to express his feelings like most poets. The
speaker quickly brings back the good memories. The speaker
brings back the time of playing hide and seeks for
hours, usually the person who was hiding being the winner of
the day. Then all of a sudden, Miguel had hid himself, he had
hid and he did not return. From a readers perspective, Miguel
had either ran away, or he had gotten killed. He may of even
gotten sick because the speaker says he was “sad”. The
speaker by the end of the poem is tired of looking for his
brother Miguel and not being able to find him because he
himself is getting sad. The speaker closes the play “And now
/ Shadows fall on the soul”. This give the reader the
impression that the speakers brother Miguel has passed
away. He feels like his brother may come back at some
point, that way their Mama does not worry. Overall, the
speaker is simply saying that he wished his brother was
playing hide and seek still instead of being deceased. This
poem leaves out how his brother has passed away, which
makes the reader kind of curious because if he looked
sad, then it gives the impression he may have had been sick.
Overall, this is a rather sad poem to read and the reader can
feel the same emotion that the speaker does. Most people
can relate to having good times and having a death someone
in their family. Most of the time it is really hard to see

25. Mom,
Thank you for
being there for me through
everything our family has
been through these past few
years, thank you for being
the mother that you are to all
of us, if you weren’t the
mother you are to me I don’t
think I’d be the mother I am
to Charlotte , I really
appreciate everything you do
for me and I hope you never
forget that. I have been
doing my best to help you
out as much as I can and help
you get through the hard
times too. You are the best
mom (and grandma [me-me])
that anyone could ask for, I
wouldn’t trade you for the
world, I love you.
Love,
Jessie

26. Bibliography (MLA)
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Poets.org. Academy of American
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• Rossetti, Christina. "Poets.org."
Poets.org. Academy of American
Poets, n.d. Web. 24 May 2013.
<http://www.poets.org/viewmedi
a.php/prmMID/19659>.
• Longfellow, Henry. "Poets.org."
Poets.org. Academy of American
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<http://www.poets.org/viewmedi
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• Wordsworth, William. "Poets.org."
Poets.org. Academy of American
Poets, n.d. Web. 24 May 2013.
<http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.
php/prmMID/16085>.
• Vallejo, Cesar. "Poets.org."
Poets.org. Academy of American
Poets, n.d. Web. 24 May 2013.
<http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.
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