Food Poems

The only thing better than eating food, is writing about it, so this week, I decided to bring in Virgil Suárez's "Mango Eating in America." Suárez writes about his childhood in Cuba, and how delicious the mangoes tasted in his native country. Students were asked why Suárez might prefer Cuban mangoes to American ones, and their reasons -- they taste better (sweeter), they remind him of home, they're bigger -- were all excellent starting points for writing poems on a number of suggested food themes.


Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

The Orange
Michelle A.

The orange is
refreshing and
delicious. I
think of it as an
orange piece of heaven.
It used to be my
favorite color. It
shines, it could make
me blind. Sometimes
by the summer shine.
Pretty as a pear
with a flair or an
apple that is taffy.
Thank you for having
the orange.

Banana
Devlin H.

Banana,
banana,
I will use you to call
my friend. I adore your squishiness,
your squishiness. Your friend is
orange. He is sweet and juicy.
Banana,
banana,
you are royal.
Banana,
banana,
I peel your bright yellow skin.
Then take a big bite of your
white tasty insides. I chase after
my favorite fruit. You the wonderful
banana.

My Favorite Berry
David L.

Hello strawberries
You're the best berries
I have seen
You give me joy
You give me peace
You give me everything
I need

Nachos
Aya S.

I like the cheese
It smells good
I like the meat
Crunch, crunch, crunch
It's delicious
I like the chips

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

C. C.
Georel A.

Staring into the distance.
Only seeing red stripes and white.
Looking.
A holiday candy.
Sweet sensations.
Not much blasts.
A candy cane.
So boring.
Just created.
Why not any other candy?
What about fruit?
Sigh.
Why am I writing bout candy canes?
I'm thinking of a candy cane blaster.
Shoots out yogurt.
Sigh.
I would give anything for something yummy.
At least, something worthy.
Which food?
Something.
Something other than red and white.
Something non-sweet.
Candy canes. No.

Tomatoes
Teksong E.

Tomatoes,
the stuff that you put on your burgers,
which also goes on salads,
what makes up your ketchup,
what you use,
to get out the smell of a skunk,
what strange fruit,
of how it is mistaken for a vegetable.

Grapes
Camila M.

Grapes so purple and
sweet. The round mushiness
but those dumb seeds are
the only bad thing about
them. So sweet it can
take you all the way
to heaven in just
one bite.

Purple my favorite
color, always reminds
me of the beautiful
grape. Me and my
friends always make
delicious grape juice
freshly mushed. Oh
beautiful grapes.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Peanut Butter Sandwich
Stephen D.

A peanut butter sandwich
is a kind of food
that is made of a different food.
It tastes like peanuts and bread
because that's what it is.
Most people like it with jelly,
but I like it just with peanut butter.
Everyone in here knows peanut butter
sandwiches are my favorite food
because I bring one to lunch every
day.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Cindy L.

I love strawberries covered
in chocolate, it is so
sweet. I would have it
for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. It can be messy.
I ate it once and I
was covered in juice and
chocolate. Try it, it is so
good.

Bananas
Toni S.

It is squishy
and gooey, it can
be eaten any way,
fried, cooked or even
by itself, a
banana can be a
great food for
those who like it.
A banana is my favorite
fruit and it gets me
very full.

Apples
Calvin T.

Apples, they are remarkable
change colors every time
when you bite into their core
it must be juicy, sour or crunchy
they remake each other by seeds

Color Poems

Brazilian poet, Adelia Prado, writes passionately and intensely about the color "Purple," sometimes using it in unusual ways. After I read Prado's poem in English, a student read it in Portuguese; students were asked which words 'sounded' more purple to them -- "purple," "morado" or "púrpura" -- and which version of the poem they preferred, regardless of whether they understood it in Portuguese. We discussed parts of speech and personification as well. Students were then asked to write their own poems, using a favorite color in as many ways as possible.

Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

Colors That Are Fast and Slow
Naomi G.

A car is red and fast.
A dog is black and fast when it
runs and slow when it is walking.
A ball is blue and fast.
A turtle is green and it is very
slow to get anywhere.
I have seen a lizard and it looks
like it is a dragon and it is
green.
I do not know if it is fast
or slow.

And a clock is slow in any
color.

Blue
Aleena I.

I blue to my house. I am sad. I see my
house. It looks blue. I go to my porch. The sky
is dark blue. It is raining hard. I feel blue.
All I can see is blue, even what isn't. Blue does
not encourage me, not even the least but.

Pink
Isabella K.

Pink is my heart I draw.
Pink smells like pink puppies.
I see a girl with pink hair.
She leaves the store with pink everything.
I see a pink clock that ticks Pink!
Pink!
I hear pink everywhere.
Don't you like pink?

Blue
Asala M.

Blue is colorful.
The sky is bright blue.
The smell of the blueberries.
The taste of the blue.
It gets out of bed in the morning.
Just like you should.
Blue is cool.

White
Jerry T.

White is blank
ready for you
to fill it with color.
White is never the same,
it is always ready to change.
White is a sponge
that takes in color.
White will blend,
and whiten any color.
White is nothing,
but at the same time everything.

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

Blue
Rezwan C.

Blue is like dark
Blue is cold
freeze
freezy

Blue is shiny
shines the sky
Blue is sour

Blue is amazing
Blue is paint
Blue is powerful

Blue is thunder
Blue is ecstatic
Blue is magnetful
Blue is water

Blue gives you power
Blue is ice-cream
Blue is glad
Blue is stars

Blue is happiness

Pink
Edina H.

The whole room is pink.
It's excited and happy.
Its heart is full of joy.
Outside a pink chair is in a store, in a corner.
It's alone and sad.
There is a huge heap on its back.
Pink is happy and sad.
I am pink.

Turquoise
Sharon M.

Turquoise is the sea.
Maybe a headband.
Or it could be on me.

The sky turquoises after sunrise.
So bright I can play with her all day.
We have fun and I never get bored.

You should have turquoise
As a friend
Like her or me!

Pink
Brenda Q.

Pink glitters into the night.
Sweetens the cake with color.
Yellow despises the new red of the
rainbow.
Pink sadly turns red in
the night.
Red didn't understand the sadness
of the world.
But pink does.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Chartreuse, Glory Color
Madison B.

Chartreuse, what a color
Chartreuse, like a tennis ball
Chartreuse, glory color
The color that nobody thinks
about, the color of eyes
It smells like morning
dew
Tastes like stained glass
Sounds like tree branches
Chartreuse, glory color

Green
Cindy L.

Green is the leaves on
the tree. Green is like
fruit. Green is the color
of birds far away.
Green is the color of
learning. Green is the
water of the sea.
The color reminds
me of summer, and
things in bloom. Green
is the things outside.
Green is the world.

Blue Sea
Darius V.

I see the sea is blue,
I hear the sea's waves crashing,
I feel the sea's water on my toes,
I smell the salty air of the sea,
And I taste the sea's fish.