Birdfoot’s Grampa

“Birdfoot’s Grampa is a narrative free verse poem, consisting of 20 unrhymed lines that do not adhere to any standardized poetic form. Using a free verse form allows the poem to maintain a meter that sounds more like regular speech, which mimics Bruchac’s affinity for storytelling. This storytelling technique fits this poem for several reasons. Storytelling is an important element of Native American culture, based in the oral traditions that are pass on and preserve knowledge from generation to generation. The didactic poem—one that teaches a lesson—enables a Native American storyteller to communicate a life lesson in poetic form. Bruchac used the didactic form throughout his writing career, using it not just in poetry but also in his fiction for both children and adults.

Bruchac utilizes enjambment to ensure that his reader is following the action of the poem and understanding the message of the poem. For example, the very first line introduces one character of the poem in just three words: “The old man” (Line 1), forcing the reader to wonder, “What about that old man?” By breaking up the lines in unexpected places, the reader is invited to continue reading in order to complete the thought.