Poem Share: Padma Venkatraman Presents "Nothing to Be Grateful For"

POEM SHARE is BACK! Children's poets from across the globe presenting their favorite poems for Poetry Month and beyond!

To launch a new round of Poem Share, children's author and scientist, Padma Venkatraman  shares her  poem  "Nothing to Be Grateful For."  Padma is a founding member of Diverse Verse, a initiative created to highlight and celebrate diversity, especially with regard to poetry and verse novels for young people. 

Written as a tanka, "Nothing to be Grateful For" is about a long-ago invention that launched modern technology and computer programing. After watching the video, see if you can guess the invention that fuels this poem! (Here's the answer!) 

Discover more poems expressing thanks and gratitude in the anthology Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. Then check out Padma Venkatraman's middle grade novels, including Born Behind Bars. Her beautiful prose reads like poetry!  

Discover even more POETRY BOOST resources HERE, and don't forget to sign up for the POETRY BOOST newsletter to stay updated on new poetry lessons, prompts, and mentor texts.