Picture Poems

Kenneth Patchen is an American original: poet, dramatist, fiction writer, proto-Beat, and multi-media artist. His picture poems were the subject of this week's classes. Students read a short illustrated poem from one of Patchen's books, and then looked at and discussed other picture poems in color and black & white for inspiration. They were then asked to create decorated poems on any theme they chose. Click on the images for larger views.

Imagism, Minimalism, Objectivism, Haiku

This week, we read three poems by 18th century Japanese poet and painter, Yosa Buson: "Coolness," "Early Summer Rain," and "Sparrow Singing." Then we looked at William Carlos Williams' classic minimalist poem, "The Red Wheelbarrow." Students were asked what these four poems had in common, and in what ways were they different? Some were familiar with haiku, but instead of sticking with the traditional haiku syllabic formula, students were encouraged to write poems that created a simple, but evocative image in the mind of the reader, in three lines with no more than five words per line.

There were many terrific responses to this idea -- here's a selection.


Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

The Forest
Devlin H.

The forest –
knocked down for the house
of the future village.

Wind
Jennifer H.

the wind pushes
the paper where
did the wind come from?

The Rock
Racquel K.

The rock
knows nothing
it has no brain

Toys
Andrew M.

Toys –
they're playing
in stillness

Bird Singing
Asala M.

the bird singing
peep peep peep twee twee
the cool bird singing

The Skateboarder
Alex P.

the skateboarder
the skateboarder
went down the hill

The Wind
Jerry T.

The wind blows
it takes the river
with it.

The Zoo
Eric W.

At the zoo I see
a panda, a panda
that is eating bamboo.

School
Angela Y.

School –
it's always a long day
at school. Yawn.

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

Dog
MaryLou B.

Dog sitting on a
log silent, quiet
cricket, cricket, cricket

The Wolf
Alex B.

Woooooo!
The howl of the wolf
bouncing off the hill tops.

Waves Crashing
Sang H.

Crashing wave
hurting the beach
sand.

Hail
Keyla J.

hail –
hard little
hail falling

Caves
Brandy K.

it's dark in there
sounds echo loud
louder it gets

Lonely Life
Luis L.

Lonely life –
moves along, everything
never noticed

Nature
Long L.

Animals on
the African
plains.

Flower
Camila M.

swish! I hear the trees,
a popping from flowers
the day is blue, happy

Sand
Sharon M.

Sand –
in tiny pieces
they know everything.

Apple
Yusra M.

red,
nasty,
healthy, that's why it's nasty.

Not Named Poem #3
Aimee P.

Friends.
Fragile and sweet.
Forever here or gone.

Ugly Pink Folder
Brenda Q.

Ugly pink folder –
papers fall out
and hit the floor.

Paw Prints in the Snow
Marti R.

The breath of
the wintry wolf –
paw prints witnessing...

Dog Groomer
Cristina T.

Dog groomer –
hair falling, comb in hand,
panting on his stool crying.

Stupid Owl!
Ruben V.

I wake up
and I hear
the stupid owl.

Nature
Stephanie Z.

Wind blowing
thunder booming,
lightning shocking.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Floor Scrape
Madison B.

Nobody helps it
Nobody notices it
Nobody thinks about it

Yoda's Popcorn
Stephen D.

Buttery and purple,
no one eats it
except Yoda.

Summer Waterfall
Danyel H.

Summer waterfall
fresh and relaxing air
colorful fish at the bottom

The Road
Klea K.

The road was silent.
Yet never crossed a path.
Road still silent.

The Still Tree
Cindy L.

The still tree
will not move for anything
only wind, will move him.

Dog and Snow
Khang N.

snow's falling all day
into the dog's
sloppy face

Singing Bird
Milad Q.

The bird sings its soft
voice its voice is as
soft as a leaf falling

Attacking the Hoop
Toni S.

The hoop is the target
of many players.
The hoop is the bullseye.

Rain
Yara S.

Rain, I see you everyday
you drop like money
I want to catch you.

Black Bear
Sam S.

The black bear –
sitting alone
by the waterfall

The Word Happy
Darius V.

The word Happy
brings joy, it also
beats anger.

Love Poems

This week's class fell on Valentine's Day. After reading W. H. Auden's "If I Could Tell You," we discussed the poem's unique form, as well as what it might mean. The theme of love is common in poetry; however, Solomon students were asked to write poems about something, rather than someone they love.

Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

Crab
Griffin B.

You taste good but a little fishy.
You are tasty in butter but a little
fishy. You are good but a little
fishy. Crab, you are divine
but a little fishy.

Love Potion
Jacob E.

Drink this, you
love it. What is
it? Love potion.
Wow! Drink it,
come drink it.
OK. I love this
cup. Uh oh, I put
love potion in it.
I thought I tricked
him! Double uh oh!

If I Had Dog Language
Isabella K.

If I had dog language,
I would say, Woof! Woof! Woof!
That means, “Hi how you doing?”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
That means, “I love my dog.”
Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
That means, “What's your name?”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
That means, “The floor stinks like
you, but I still love you.”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
means, take a five week bath.

My Music
Andrena M.

My music is great, I
listen to it all the
time. I listen to rock,
and punk rock. I love
to listen to it. My
favorite song is “Dance
Dance,” it makes me
tired and it is kinda
loud, but I get
used to it.

Saturday Morning
Divya P.

When I wake up in the morning,
I look at the calendar, find
the 9th. Yaaaaaaaay! It's Saturday.
The pajamas stay on all day.
I just love Saturday. I look
at the calendar just to make
sure. It's a four-day weekend.
That's even better. I can
do whatever I want.
Saturday rocks. Do you have
an idea of what I should
do?

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

Love of Legos
Kush G.

Legos are sweet, but not
that spicy. I love to build all
that there is.

They are bricks like
real bricks. Fun to play and love
to pieces.

They are tiny but not
that tiny. They are sweet and
sound unlike anything else.

I love Legos, they are
really fun. I will be with them
till I am through.

Caesar the Dog
Andres G.

All black and curly, cute and small,
shaped like a heart when sleeping,
quiet and calm. Cute eyes, small
body, that's my dog, Caesar.

I Love Summer Vacation
Sang H.

A break from school.
No homework, now
that's the best
part of all.
I'll get to cool off
in the pool.
Relaxing in the
shade. And did
I mention no
school?

Weekends
Seyi O.

I love weekends because I can play my
video games. I love no school. Sometimes go
to my friend's house. I can bake cookies and
I have a lot of fun. I love the weekends a lot.

The Piano
Sammy R.

I like to play the piano.
I move my fingers onto
the keys.

I like my piano teacher, Ms. Rollin.
She is so cute!

I like the program.
It is a fun place to visit.

I like playing “Hot Cross Buns.”
Also, the tunes of “Yankee Doodle,”
“Black Birds” and “Black Ants.”

I like how my fingers twist
as the music plays.

I Like Paper
Jeremy S.

When you see a paper
it's blank, it's uncivilized.
But with the pencil you
could see your imagination
come to life, see things
that every person can see.
To create things, discover,
that's what paper is
all about.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Cookies
Sargon D.

I love cookies
they are really
sweet.

You mock me
while I see
you because
I have to
let you sit
out a bit,

you are
just saying
in my mind,
“Get me out
of here.”

You are
my favorite

too bad
I ate
you.

SweeTarts
Klea K.

SweeTarts, I love you.
You help me out when I'm troubled.
One of you and I'm in your world.
You're sour and sweet, you make me
complete. SweeTarts, SweeTarts, I love
you so true, now here's a big, wet
tunnel just for you! SweeTarts, SweeTarts,
why are you so sour? You're supposed to
be sweet but you give me some
power!

Chocolate
Sherme M.

Brown, hard,
sweet, sugary,
with milk, almonds,
or just plain.
Dark and light,
maybe crunchy.
Just one bite
and I will
be pleased.

Bunny
Milad Q.

I love you, bunny, you don't know how
much. Your fur, it smells as sweet as violets.
Your fur is as soft as jelly. That is why
I love you. You don't forget you're a cute animal,
bunny. I miss you.

L-e-t-t-e-r P-o-e-m-s

This week, we read two short letter poems: "Letter," from "Lennox Avenue Mural" by Langston Hughes, and "Dear Joanne" by Lew Welch. Students discussed what was similar, as well as different in each poem, and what makes them unique from other forms of poetry. They then wrote their own letter poems.

Here are a few of the best from each class.


Ms. Jones, 3rd grade


Dear Papa,

Thanks for taking care of me.
Thanks for buying me whatever I want.
Thanks for schooling me to be smart.

Anton


Dear Papa,

You have taught me everything
so I owe you thanks
I believe in you in all my
heart but I know you
feel sick so I hope you
get well

love as always your daughter,
Allison


Dear Talkative Me 100 Years From Now,

I'm talking too much I need help,
I need medicine,
I'm talking like a toad,
I'm talking too much,
I need to go to the
Talkative Emergency Room,
HELP ME
Sincerely,
Maya 100 Years Before


Dear Snowstorm,

Why didn't you last till Saturday
morning? We could have had no school
Thursday to Friday. I'm mad at you, I
actually HHAATTTE!!! you, I could have
loved you 'cause I could have had a
six day weekend because the teachers
said, “If it snows like this tonight there
is no school and for Monday and Tuesday
no school because Monday is President's
Day and Tuesday is Lincoln's B-day."

Love wait cross that
out Hate,
Andrew M.


Ms. Goode, 5th grade


Dear Brain,

How come you won't work with me
anymore? This poem is supposed to be exciting.
And, yet, it is sooo boring. There is nothing in
my brain. It's empty and air is going through. My
mind is empty, thanks to you. This is a complaint
letter, I want a letter back.

Thank you,
Edina


Dear All Chefs Who Cook Snails,

This is a very important
notice to all chefs who
cook snails. We come in
peace but this torture
has gone too far.
We order you to stop
killing our citizens
this instant
or expect an invasion
that shall go
forever in history
which shall end when
humans are wiped out.

Sincerely,
Snail Association of Protection Agency
(S.A.P.A.) [Yixuan]


Dear Dad,

I just wanted to say
thank you for all
the things you did.

Now I can ride
a two-wheeler, thanks
to you I don't slip,
fall, or hurt my
self.

I can do lots and
lots of things now.

Thank you!

Your daughter,
Chanel


Dear Pencil,

This poem can't write itself.
I can't think of anything to
write, help me out here. Pencils
are supposed to write not
just sit there.

Yusra M.


Dear Heather,

Heather, you are like a pot of
water. If I tell you something, you
never spill. You have spots, like a
summer moon. You have a beautiful,
long tail, like a sea snake. I
will see you, only on the days
that end in Y.

Sincerely, Marti R.


Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade


Dear Monica,

I am very tired. I played outside,
shoveled, did my homework and that's
it. What did you do? Right now I
want to read a super long
chapter book. I'm in a mood to
read. Today the snow was up to
my ankles, yesterday it was up to my
knees. The snow from yesterday turned
to ice and more snow fell so
it is now up to my ankles. See
you very soon!

Cynthia


Dear Lyna,

I said you're the best. You're
as nice as a fresh strawberry picked
from a great bush. The best friend
to help learn a language.
You help me, I help you.
You come late, I come early.
I come late, you're already there.
I tell you you're the best.

Vivian T.


Dear Me,

When you find this letter you might
be any age, walking out in your yard
with your son or grandson. Maybe
your son brought a shovel or just his hands
and he will dig and find this letter. You might have
forgotten this letter you wrote. Your son will say,
“Daddy, what's that?” and you will laugh and
you will read this poem to him.

from
Darius V.


Dear Teletubbies,

How's the weather there? It's winter here.
The ducks are flying south now. Wow it's raining
ducks. Literally, it's hunting season here. Is pretty
dangerous weather to be out there with gunshots
and ducks falling from the sky. I gotta go
catch a duck before they're all gone. Wish
me luck.
Sincerely,
Jason

Memory Poems

Memory is a powerful motivator in poetry, and Philip Levine one of poetry's most ardent proponents of remembering. Students read and discussed his lovely poem, "Starlight," then wrote memory poems of their own.

Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

The Funeral
Krista C.

My older cousin, dead.
I may not see him again,
the sickness in his eye,
he feels so sad,
the sadness in his eyes.
He feels no one is there.
We love him very much.
We still miss him, of course,
but the worst memory
is the dead body of him.
I'm thinking his body arose
to heaven, feeling good. He is
fun to play with. I miss
him very much.

Birthday...Birthday, My Birthday
Jennifer H.

I love my birthday. I was
turning six. My cake looks so
yummy. No-o-o! My cousin put
frosting on my hair. So I
put frosting on his forehead.
My aunt gave me $100
for my birthday. I was
running around for it. I
love birthdays.

All the Memories
Andrena M.

All of the memories
passed by so fast.
Like when the
student teacher
left the school,
or when I went
to Disney World
when I was four
years old. Also
that my family
celebrated my
second birthday.
All these
memories
are so great.
It's great
that my
memories are
from the past.

Sssnake!
Daniel S.

As the yellow
heavy long python
wrapped around my neck,
as scared as I
can be,
I stood still.
The snake with its flicking tongue
staring at me.
I wriggled in fear.
My fears overtook me.
It tried to dig into my skin
to slurp my blood like juice.
As the camera took my picture,
as scared as I can be,
never this fierce
has my fear overtaken me.

Wisconsin Dells
Angela Y.

When I get in the water
I start to splash and
I get wet. Then I go for
a big splash. After that,
I like to cuddle with the
towel and sleep.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Pokagon State Park
Stephen D.

As soon as I got to Pokagon State Park
I went down the quarter-mile tobaggon run.
It was so scary, I was screaming louder
than anyone. After that, I got ice cream
and root beer.

The next day, we went cross-country skiing.
I fell down eight times and lost my skis seven times.
Then I went on the toboggan run four times. It
was still very scary. The next day, we hit the
road.

My Birthday!!
Kayla H.

I got many presents
and there was many friends.
I was turning eight
and I had a strawberry cake.
It was the best
and I forgot the rest.

Niagara Falls
Sherme M.

It was far away
but I got there
just in one car
with a lot of excited
people. The visit was
fun but the drive
was boring.
It was very very beautiful
in front of blue
gleaming water which
was such a beautiful sight.

Untitled (Memory Poem)
Diana P.

One day I went to school.
I was in second grade.
Then my teacher came.
I met new friends.
It was a day. Then
I had report
cards. My class went
on field trips. End of the
year, I
was a great student.

B-day Was Weird
Vivian T.

When I was a little girl I had
a birthday. I got a tea
set my mom got me.
Later then I lost it. I
was afraid my mom
will yell at me.
Turned out my mom
put it in the toy box. I
thought, what a relief.