ABE
by Alice Schertle
And so,
young Abe
of the too-short pants
and too-long legs,
young Abe spitting into his palms
wrapping his boy fingers around
the handle of an axe,
sinking the bright blade deep
into heartwood,
young Abe splitting the rails apart
grew into Abe
of the sad eyes
of the face carved deep
by sorrow,
wrapping his strong hands
around a nation,
trying to hold the bleeding halves
together
until they healed.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1997. Marvelous Math: a book of poems. Illus by Karen Barbour.
New York: Simon and Schuster Books. ISBN 0689806582.
_____________________________
Extension
At the end of a study on Abraham Lincoln, read this poem again and then read the picture
book Abe Lincoln: The Boy who Loved Books by Kay Winters. Then, make a list of character traits to describe
Abraham Lincoln, and pick which trait the children think was the most important to Lincoln. (loyalty, devotion, determination,
compassion, honesty, etc.)
