NCTE Award Winning Poet
Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 2004. WHAT IS GOODBYE?. Ill. by Raul Colon.
New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786807784
Summary
Two siblings, Jesse and Jerilyn, are given the unexpected
news of the death of their older brother, Jaron. Told through alternating
voices, this short novel told in poetic form, expresses the emotional
rollercoaster each sibling experiences as they process the loss. Jesse, the
younger of the two, lashes out in anger and violence; while Jerilyn, taking on
the role of caregiver, internalizes her emotions. The book follows each child
and the interaction they encounter with family and friends on a yearlong
journey through the grieving process.
Quality and Appeal
Nikki Grimes has written a book that offers hope to anyone,
especially youth, having to experience the painful process of grief. Having
lost her own father at fifteen years old, Grimes has written twenty-six
powerful poems from the perspective of each sibling. The poems are titled in
blue for Jesse and red for Jerilyn to distinguish between the two. At the end
of the book, are author’s notes that provide an honest expression about the grieving
process. Ultimately, there is no right way to grieve and we must each proceed
through the pain at our own pace. Following the author’s notes is the
acknowledgement to several people who assisted Ms. Grimes in her research for
grief counseling, support for her vision behind this work, and guidance for
writing.
Raul Colon creates the surreal like images for the poems. The
illustrations add to the bewilderment that each child is forced to confront
each day. A powerful display of a family trying desperately to heal is seen in
the illustration for the poem, “Connection.”
A daughter is longing for a mother’s squeeze of her hand in
church, the way she used to be before Jaron’s death. The illustration shows the
mother’s hand reaching for Jerilyn’s hand and the choir singing in the
background as the last lines of the poem are quoted, “and squeeze her love into
it the way – Oh, yes! The way she did
today.” Another display of this longing to hold hands can be seen in the poem, “Rush.”
Jerilyn longs for the days when she and her mother would sit on the couch
watching television and holding hands. The illustration depicts both Jerilyn
and her mother with their hands clasped in their laps. Jerilyn sadly looks at
her mother while her mother is staring off in another direction. The top of the
illustration shows both mother and daughter’s hands reaching out for the other,
a memory that has yet to be recreated again.
The author skillfully writes the perspective of each child
in a contrasting poetic form, although each poem mirrors itself in title only.
Jerilyn, the older of the two siblings, processes her feelings through a series
of free verse poems that lean more towards expressive, reflective thought. Vivid
imagery and figurative language are evident in lines from the poem, “Getting
the News,” where Jerilyn speaks, “her
eyes dull coins peeking from the pockets of her lids” and “Daddy told me in a
whisper sharp as a switchblade.” Figurative language can also be seen in “His
Name” with the line,“His bass, sweet
as chocolate, melted through the walls.” Jesse’s poems are written in rhyme and
offer a more rhythmic simplistic, flow, although the poems’ tones are still
representative of an angry, rebellious, complex child. In the poem, “First Day
Back,” Jesse’s anger is evident.
One stupid word
Echoes through my day:
Sorry. Sorry. SORRY.
I hate that word!
I punch the air
And storm away.
This poem is not only suggestive of the difference in
maturity level for each child, but also in how each one deals with grief.
Grimes has written a book that penetrates the many levels of
the grieving process and allows the reader to see more than one perspective of
how grieving occurs. The book speaks to the fact that grieving is a personal
process that when one is exposed to the harshness of its bite, there is no
normal. What one can hope to learn through the writing of this powerful book is
that there is no time constraint on one’s grief, but that eventually you will
get to the other side a little stronger and wiser.
Spotlight Poem
Photograph ~ Poem for
Two Voices
Jesse
Jerilyn
It’s time
It’s time
for a new photograph for a new photograph
Squeeze in close.
Say “cheese.”
Don’t laugh.
Hold that pose! Hold that pose!
Wait till you see it, Wait till you see it,
Mom and Dad
Jesse and me,
a new kind of family. a new kind of family.
One piece.
One piece.
One
piece missing, but
we’re whole again. we’re whole again.
Whole again.
While again!
Smile! Smile!
I chose these poems because I thought they were a beautiful
and fitting tribute to the final stage of the grieving process – healing and
acceptance. Throughout the book, Ms. Grimes has given a unique voice to both
Jesse and Jerilyn. With the poems, “Photograph ~ Poems for Two Voices,” she has reversed the written form for
each. Now Jesse presents his story in free verse, while Jerilyn offers glimpses
of rhythm and rhyme. It is as if the two siblings have been fused together.
Their words are interchangeable except for the two lines where Jerilyn, the
more reflective and mature of the two, mentions herself and her younger
brother, where as Jesse mentions his Mom and Dad. Another significant message
in the poem is the mention of Jaron by Jerilyn saying, “One piece missing, but
we’re whole again.” Jesse only says, “One piece,” referring to his family now.
Connections
1.Introduction to this poem can start with a discussion
about losing someone close and the process that each person must go through to
help heal. Since this poem has two voices, one part could be assigned the
teacher and the other part to the whole class. Eventually the two parts can be
share by students.
2. Discuss the point of view of Jesse and Jerilyn.
3. Discuss the five stages of grief. Discuss what actions
Jess and Jerilyn might have done to get to the stage they are at in the poem.
3. Have students write about a time they experienced the
loss of a loved one or pet.
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