I Used to Be... Poems

This week, we read Ted Berrigan's "I Used to Be but Now I Am." In this short poem, he appears to be experimenting with opposites, but as students looked more closely they found some unusual relationships between the words Berrigan chose to compare in his poem. They were then asked to write their own poems, using a structure similar to Berrigan's. Once they began writing, and got into the rhythm of the idea, it was difficult for students to stop!

Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

I used to be outside,
But now I am reading.

I used to be everything,
But now I am one.

I used to be T.V.
But now I am poetry.

I used to be going off,
But now I am staying.

I used to be wired, kired and bired,
But now I am what I am.

I used to be nothing,
But now I am always
Solomon School.

Michelle A.

I used to be a Ghiradelli chocolate,
but now I am a Hershey chocolate.
I used to be Spongebob, but now
I'm Patrick. I used to be a car,
But now I'm a plane. I used
to be a frog, but now I'm bubblegum.
I used to be a tree,
but now I'm a Transformer.

Samir A.

I used to be a cat
but now I am a fish

I used to be a zero
but now I am .2

I used to be
a cat, but now
I am tomatoes

I used to be grass
but now I'm fun

Jacob E.

I used to be really scary
but now I'm really heartwarming,

I used to be a video game addict
but now I'm a refrigerator,

I used to be a Ho Ho
but now I'm a piece of fish,

I used to be a hobo
but now I'm a person named Hilgo Hilga.

Maya G.

I used to be
the earth but
now I'm a person.
I used to be
a hotel, but
now I'm a
motel. I
used to
be a school,
but now I'm
a teacher.
I used to
be a blizzard
but now I'm
a lizard.
I used to be
rich but now I'm
poor. Why!!

Jennifer H.

I used to be mean
But now I am nice

I used to be Dumb
But now I am Smart

I used to be discouraged
But now I am encouraged

I used to be lazy
But now I am energetic

I used to be scared
But now I am Bold

I used to be no one
But now I am Someone

Aleena I.

I used to be a seed,
But now I am a tree.

I used to be the Sears Tower
But now I am Chicago.

I used to be Aleena,
But now I am a chair.

I used to be a chain,
But now I am a red ball.

I used to be a volcano,
But now I am melted rock.

I used to be a star,
But now I am a duck.

I used to be Mr. Dean,
But now I am Solomon School.

Isabella K.

I used to be a pond
But now I'm a river

I used to be bread
But now I'm toast

I used to be letters
But now I'm a poem

I used to be a fish
But now I'm a shark

I used to be lazy
But now I'm active

I used to be a student
But now I'm a teacher

Divya P.

I used to be young and immature,
But now I am older and more mature.

I used to be unintelligent,
But now I am well learned.

I used to be useless
But now I am helpful.

I used to be empty of knowledge,
But now I am full.

Jerry T.

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

I used to be a joker
but now I am boring

I used to be
glue but now I am
super glue

I used to be a
hero but now I
am a villain

I used to be
a staple but now
I am a stapler

I used to be
a kid but now
I am a super kid

I used to be
invisible but now
I am invincible

I used to be
a truck but now
I am a monster truck

I used to be
a ghost but
now I am a
zombie

I used to
be water but
now I am bottled
water

I used to be a
cub but now I
am a bear

Rezwan C.

I used to be a fruit,
now I'm a vegetable.

I used to be annoying,
but now I am not.

I used to have friends,
but now I am hated.

I used to have light thoughts,
now they are torn.

I used to be alive.....
now I am dead.

Liam D.

I used to be a board game,
but now I'm Grand Theft Auto.

I used to have pride,
but now I have regret.

I used to have freedom,
but now I have slavery.

I used to be the unexplainable,
but now I'm the told.

I used to have no sound,
but now I'm the
audible.

I used to be a group,
but now I'm one.

I used to be me,
but now I am I.

I used to be famous,
but now I am the just.

Teksong E.

I used to be the only
But now I am one-in-a-billion.

I used to be Coke
But now I am Pepsi.

I used to be whoever
But now I am whatever.

I used to be uptown
But now I am downtown.

I used to be bored
But now I am excited.

I used to be confident
But now I am shy.

I used to be normal
But now, who knows what's happening.

Edina H.

I used to be a snowy mountain but now
I'm a volcano.

I used to be rich but now I'm
richer ha ha.

I used to be a tree but now I'm
a paper.

I used to be a pitcher now I'm
a catcher.

I used to be an airhead
but now I'm smart.

Brandy K.

I used to be the pink in lemonade
now I am just the lemonade

I used to be inflexible
now I am a rubber band

I used to be the ruler
now I am just a jester

I used to be the crowd
now I am in it

I used to be the world
now I am just part of it

Camila M.

I used to be yogurt,
But now I am ice cream.

I used to be a tree,
But now I am paper.

I used to be the dumby,
But now I am a smarty.

I used to be paper,
But now I am a book.

I used to be not arty,
But now I am arty.

Chanel M.

I used to be something important,
But now I am not.

I used to be a King Cobra,
But now I am a dead leaf.

I used to be a citizen,
But now I am a foreigner.

I used to be clear,
But now I am foggy.

I used to be on the yellow brick path, skipping happily,
But now I am lost in the middle of an ocean.

I used to be free,
But now I am trapped.

I used to see,
But now I am blind.

I used to be running,
But now I am stopping.

Sharon M.

I used to be a nerd now I am a jock.
I used to be good now I am bad.
I used to be geeking now I am cool.
I used to be weak now I am strong.
I used to be normal now I am famous.

Seyi O.

I used to be me
but now I am you

I used to be one
but now I am two

I used to be marker
but now I am blue

I used to be math
but now I am the problem

I used to be ink
but now I am paper

I used to be it
but now I am the

Brenda Q.

I used to be nobody,
now I'm somebody.

I used to be together,
now I'm broken.

I used to be an orange,
now I'm a pear.

I used to be
But now I am

I used to be a peacock,
now I'm an egret.

I used to be a baseball, now
I'm a football.

I used to be a state,
now I'm a country.

I used to be a globe,
now I'm Mars.

I used to be a fish,
now I'm a whale.

I used to be you,
now I'm me.

Marti R.

I used to be an artist
but now I cannot draw.

I used to be a
book but now I'm the page.

I used to be glue
but now I'm tape.

I used to be a computer
but now I'm the website.

I used to be the sun
but now I'm the sky.

I used to be the moon
but now I am the stars.

Stephanie Z.