Tears of a Tiger Chapter 16 Summary

"How Am I Supposed to Write Poetry?"

  • Andy's supposed to write a poem for English class, so he tries it out.
  • The only problem is, he has way more on his mind than schoolwork.
  • His poem is about being in the darkness when everyone else is in the light—even though people are cheerful around him, he's down in the dumps.
  • Check out the last line of the poem: "I don't think I'm going to last." Dark, right?
  • The teacher tells them to pass up their poetry and says she's looking forward to reading them over Christmas break. The students mock her for liking poetry so much.
  • When everyone else passes their papers up, though, Andy keeps a hold of his. He doesn't want anyone to see it.
  • He knows this will hurt his ever-falling grade, but he doesn't care all that much. All he really cares about is Keisha, and he's hanging out with her tonight.
  • We get to read a couple other poems at the end of the chapter about love (Rhonda's), pain (Keisha's), prayer (B.J.'s), and music (Gerald's). Go team.