The poem "Making a Fist" by Naomi Shihab Nye is about a child whose mother consoles her when she becomes ill while traveling. The article says that the poem is an excellent example of using everyday things to express a far bigger meaning. Although the mother is trying to comfort her daughter, she uses their shared experience as a means of teaching her about life. According to the poem's author, Naomi Shihab Nye, writing poetry is an act of freedom because you are expressing ideas without worrying about what other people think. This poem fits this definition perfectly since its subject is difficult to express in words and the author was able to do so through imagery. In addition to being a poet, Naomi Shihab Nye was also a civil rights activist who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. She lived in California and was killed by an assassin's bullet in 2010 at the age of 62. Here is how the poem begins: "Making a fist/ To fight anger/ And fear/ And doubt." This line expresses how angry the mother is at the illness that has struck her daughter. She decides to fight this illness by not letting it get the best of her even though it is serious.