Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, Jacqueline. Locomotion. New York: Scholastic, 2003.

Lonnie Collins Motion (a.k.a. Locomotion) has issues. His parents died when he was seven. He and his sister bounced around among relatives and church people until no one else wanted them. Then, the foster care system placed them with separate families. Lonnie’s teacher, Ms. Marcus, shows him a way to deal with his feelings—through poetry. Just who is Lonnie? Let him tell you.

List Poem

Blue kicks—Pumas
Blue-and-white Mets shirt
Mets hat
A watch my daddy gave me
Black pants but not dressy—they got side pockets
Ten cornrows with zigzag parts like Sprewell’s
A gold chain with a cross on it from Mama—under my shirt
White socks clean
One white undershirt clean
Whit underwear clean
A dollar seventy-five left pocket
Two black pens
A little notebook right pocket
All my teeth inside my mouth
One little bit crooked front one
Brown eyes
A little mole by my lip
Lotion on so I don’t look ashy
Three keys to Miss Edna’s house back pocket
Some words I wanted to remember
written on my right hand
Leftie
Lonnie (page 33)

To find out more about Lonnie you’ll have to read Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson.