Learn English with Poems
Looking for a creative way to improve your English?
In this lesson, you’ll practise your English through reading my original poem called “Tiny Wisdom” (perfect for roughly B2 intermediate English learners).
You’ll build your vocabulary, strengthen your reading skills, and practise real-world speaking with guided prompts designed to help you think, speak, and reflect in English.
Learning English through poetry helps you:
Discover natural English vocabulary and phrases in context
Improve English listening and reading comprehension
Reflect and speak more confidently in English
Slow down and connect emotionally with language
Here's the complete lesson:
Extra speaking prompts:
- Can you think of a time when something felt like a failure in the moment, but ended up leading to growth or a new perspective?
- Why do you think so many people fear failure, even though it’s such a natural part of learning and progress?
If someone younger or less experienced asked you for advice about failure, what would you tell them about learning through mistakes?
Your next step:
Enjoy reading - and finally feel confident speaking in English.
In the Read to Speak Book Club, we don’t just read poems, stories, and books. We use them to spark real conversation, expand your vocabulary, and help you practise speaking in ways that feel meaningful, supportive, and actually fun!
Here's the poem on its own:
Tiny Wisdom
They say in life you have to
“walk before you can run”
What we don’t always acknowledge
Is that actually
You first have to give up the comfort of
Being safely on your back
To flail around mostly face down
Before you can lift your head up
Before you can get your arms in place
amidst much grunting
Before, with a bit of help,
You can push yourself into a crawl
Before you can fall down repeatedly
Trying to stand up
Before grasping at nearby
Helping hands you grudgingly choose
The
Frustrating
Slowness
Of one wobbly step after the other
Over the crawling that was much faster
And much more fun
…Before you can walk
…Before you can run.
Which isn’t to say that life is
All frustration and struggle
But rather a reminder that
“Look at all those folks running,
Shouldn’t I be with them by now?”
Doesn’t help us when we’re
Still flailing around on our back
Or are face down in the thick of it.
Sometimes, if not always,
We need more time
And more steps than we realise
To reach our ultimate goal
And along the way
It would be nice to
Remember
It’s ok to continue to fail.
It’s ok to continue to try.
Vocabulary overview:
Flail around (phrasal verb)
Meaning: to move in an uncontrolled or awkward way, especially when struggling
Example: The baby flailed around on the floor before figuring out how to crawl forward.
Synonyms: thrash, struggle, squirm
Antonyms: move calmly, be still
Collocations: flail around helplessly; flail around on the ground; flailing arms/legs
Grunt (verb)
Meaning: to make a short, low sound when something is difficult or requires effort
Example: She grunted as she lifted the heavy suitcase onto the shelf.
Synonyms: groan, moan, puff
Antonyms: speak clearly, stay silent
Collocations: grunt with effort; grunt in pain; let out a grunt
To grasp (verb)
Meaning: to take hold of something firmly OR to understand something clearly
Example (physical): He grasped the rope and pulled himself up.
Example (mental): She quickly grasped the main idea of the poem.
Synonyms:
(physical) grip, seize, clutch
(mental) understand, comprehend, grasp the meaning
Antonyms:
(physical) release, let go
(mental) misunderstand, overlook
Collocations:
grasp the handle / rope / object
grasp the meaning / idea / concept
fail to grasp
fully grasp something
Grudgingly (adverb)
Meaning: doing something unwillingly or with reluctance
Example: He grudgingly agreed to join the group, even though he didn’t want to.
Synonyms: reluctantly, unwillingly
Antonyms: willingly, eagerly
Collocations: grudgingly accept; grudgingly admit; give/do something grudgingly
Wobbly (adjective)
Meaning: not steady or stable; shaking slightly
Example: Her first steps were wobbly, but she kept trying until she could walk.
Synonyms: shaky, unsteady, unstable
Antonyms: steady, firm, stable
Collocations: wobbly legs/knees/table; take wobbly steps; feel wobbly
The thick of it (idiomatic noun phrase)
Meaning: the most intense or difficult part of a situation
Example: During exam season, she felt like she was in the thick of it with all the stress.
Synonyms: the worst part, middle of the action
Antonyms: the calm, the edge of it
Collocations: be in the thick of it; right in the thick of the action; caught in the thick of it
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