 Blossom Learning: Where Homeschooling Blossoms Beyond Common Core
For more lessons, homeschooling advice, and vetted resources visit Blossom Learning. Let’s Dive Into: Taming the Parakeet by Emily Fragos Today, we’re exploring a poem that begins with a little bird and grows into something much deeper. As you read, listen for the place where the poem shifts. Where does it stop sounding like instructions and start sounding more thoughtful, more emotional, or more full of awe? You might read it once for the story of the bird, and then again for the feelings hidden inside it. Read the Poem Taming the Parakeet By Emily Fragos They are clever, inquisitive little birds who enjoy attention and praise. If you would like to tame your feathered friend and teach her a few tricks, you must first gain her trust. Then she will look forward to spending time with you. Items you will need: a tiny bell, water, seed, an assortment of colorful, plumed toys. Now, be humanly patient, for she comes to you from another world where stiff feathers cover skin; she has a hard beak, not soft lips, and feet like twigs, a perfect example of form following function. She does not seem to grow weary of her brief existence, not even caged, although when sleeping you can almost notice an Albrecht Dürer-like melancholia pass over her walnut face. At night she sleeps covered up like us. She clutches her perch and pecks at her food, delicately sipping water from a little glass bowl which I find so beautiful I could cry. Let’s Talk About It
New Words to Explore Did you notice any new or interesting words in the poem? Let’s look at a few together:
These words do more than explain the bird. They help create the poem’s mood. Some words make the parakeet seem playful and bright. Others make her seem mysterious or even a little lonely. Can you try using one or two of these words in a few sentences? Now Let’s Meet the Author Emily Fragos is an American poet who has written several poetry collections, including Unrest, Saint Torch, Hostage, and Cat, Dog, and Bird Songs. She has also edited poetry anthologies and taught at universities including Yale, Columbia, and NYU. Her work often pays close attention to language, image, and feeling. That matters here, because Taming the Parakeet is the kind of poem that asks us to slow down and really notice what is being described. It shows how a poet can take a very small scene and make it feel important. Why Did the Author Write This Poem? We cannot know exactly what was in a poet’s mind unless she says so herself, but the poem gives us clues. This poem seems to begin with the outer world: a bird, a cage, water, seed, toys. But gradually it moves inward, toward feeling. The speaker watches the parakeet with patience and care. She notices how different the bird is from a human, and yet she also sees something familiar in her habits: sleeping covered up, eating carefully, holding onto her perch. By the final line, a tiny everyday moment becomes so beautiful that it almost brings the speaker to tears. That’s one of the lovely things about poetry: it helps us notice that small things matter. Beauty does not always arrive in a grand, noisy way. Sometimes it appears in a quiet moment if we are paying attention. Digging Deeper This poem might seem simple at first, but it is packed with meaning.
The Artist in the Poem: Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer was a German Renaissance artist best known for his incredibly detailed prints, drawings, and paintings. He was famous for close observation and for showing texture, expression, and tiny details with remarkable care. The poem most likely points us toward Dürer’s famous engraving Melencolia I, created in 1514. That artwork shows a brooding, thoughtful figure associated with melancholy, or deep sadness and reflection. The figure’s face and mood are serious, inward, and full of thought. Why is that important in this poem? Maybe it’s because the poet is doing something unexpected. She is looking at a tiny parakeet and, for a moment, seeing in its face the kind of sadness or inwardness we might expect in a great work of art. That comparison does two things:
Activities to Bring the Poem to Life Let’s have some fun with the poem. 1. Draw the Bird as the Poet Sees Her Draw the parakeet using the details from the poem. Then add one small detail to show mood. Does your bird look cheerful, curious, proud, or thoughtful? 2. Look Closely at a Small Creature Spend a few quiet minutes watching a bird, pet, insect, or squirrel. What tiny details do you notice? Write three or four sentences about it in a careful, poetic way. 3. Compare Human and Animal The poem keeps noticing how birds and humans are the same and different. Make two lists: one for bird traits and one for human traits. Then see if you can find one surprising similarity. 4. Try a Simile or Comparison The author compares the bird’s face to a work of art. Try your own comparison:
The ending of the poem shows that a very small moment can be moving. Write about a quiet moment from your own day: a pet drinking water, rain on a window, a sibling sleeping, or a leaf blowing across the yard. If you’d like to explore the art of writing, check out Your First Writing Lesson to get started. 6. Read the Poem Twice Read it once as if it is simply about caring for a bird. Then read it again as if it is about wonder, difference, and beauty. Which reading feels more true to you? Wrap-Up Taming the Parakeet reminds us that poetry can begin with something very small and open into something much larger. A little bird in a cage becomes a chance to think about patience, beauty, mystery, empathy, and love. The poem teaches us not to rush past the ordinary. It invites us to look again, and then look more closely. Here’s something to think about: why do you think the speaker is so moved by the sight of the bird sipping water from a little glass bowl? Keep reading, keep noticing, and keep making room for wonder in the small things. Happy learning!
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