New Solomon Blog!

As the 2008-2009 school year begins, The Poetry Center has made some exciting changes. One major change is the re-launch of our web site. From there, you may access Solomon's blog of student writing for the new year, and beyond.

Go here for direct access to the new blog! It's now easier than ever to find terrific poetry.

If there's no student work posted yet, be patient...we're just getting underway. Check back soon -- check back often -- and feel free to tell anyone who might be interested all about the Hands on Stanzas program.

Here's looking forward to another productive year with Solomon students!

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.

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

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.

Collaborative Poems

For our last class before the holiday and new year break, I wanted to try something that would (hopefully) be fun. We read several two-line poems from Joshua Beckman & Matthew Rohrer's collaborative book, Nice Hat. Thanks, and talked a bit about the process the two poets used when writing poems together. Students then counted off, and were put in groups based on their number. Each wrote three starting lines for as many separate poems, passing them on to others in their group, who added their own lines, creating a series of short group poems. Students were encouraged to think fast, and make "sense" only if they wanted to, or could.

Here are two poems apiece from each group in every class.

Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

Samir A., Jericho C., Devlin H., Sophie L., Aya S., Mark W., Angela Y.

He got a hat

he is wearing the hat

he is warm.

He likes it.

A woman killed a dog.

It was horrible.

I like popcorn.

So I yelled at her.

Michelle A., Allison C., Nicole C., Jacob E., Naomi G., Aleena I.

Pink, blue, how about you?

I don't know.

I have a blue shoe so blue!

Me too.

Tomorrow I will

go to a concert

and have fun.

It was loud.

Griffin B., Krista C., Isabella K., Divya P., Jerry T., Eric W.

The gray slug

is so slow

the pie is

sour

and candy is good.

I am a

joyful person 

and I am a dog

with fins

and with a head of steel.

Anton B., Racquel K., Andrena M., Asala M., Daniel S., Zohaib S.

I like to play

in the park

and go on the slide

I like the swings and the

monkey bars.

My favorite

food is pizza

it is hot

and crusty.

Maya G., Jennifer H., Abel K., David L., Andrew M., Sergio N.

Books make you smart

like Albert Einstein,

and Benjamin Franklin.

I like them both.

I'm in the car

I crashed.

Me too.

I hate crashing.

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

Jessica D., Sang H., Chanel M., Seyi O., Aimee P., Marti R., Cristina T.

This is

extraordinary.

Like my uncle's mole

that is so pretty

that it's weird

sorta cat dog

ugly!

I killed the devil

and kissed a pig

and ate a cow

and burned the cookies

and now I am owner of Heaven 2 a.k.a. Hell.

I love eating crispy buttons.

I am Zeus!

Nick C., Rezwan C., Andres G., Keyla J., Yusra M.

Yesterday I fell in the air.

A basket made of wire.

I hate so much

people

eating burgers

with monkey

lint!

In the basement

an elephant was there

eating my clothes

clothes taste good mmmmmmmmm

die

bird

Edina H., Chris K., Sharon M., Brenda Q., Sammy R., Jeremy S., Ninos Y.

My mom can cook

lots of paper.

Three seconds too much

why is time so slow?

I don't like this.

We made ice cream out of glue.

Let's have candy.

I ha ha

put a smile on your face

uhh!

People were

dancing in the woods

bubblegum in a dish.

I hate animals.

Georel A., Dragos B., Kush G., Yixuan J., Luis L., Stephanie Z.

I broke my

spine in the

woods of doom

the woods was

a freaking problemo. Don't say that! No, you shut up! Foo!

What the, never mind.

Or am I stupid?

I'm going outside.

You are?

Chocolate.

I don't care!!! Whatever.

Loooopy, I am.

Ahhh I am melting.

No no no it's hot.

Mary B., Vivian C., Liam D., Teksong E., Brandy K., Haris S.

That's cool

crazy.

I am

strange, are you?

The kitten got scared and said moo.

Eat all your vegetables

Homer.

Never

get sleepy

or else I'll

put waffles in your

pocket.

Homework

why homework?

Alex B., Long L., Rawabi S., Ruben V., Saleh Y.

Yesterday I saw

Liam for spelling bee.

And he ran away.

Some woman was running.

I think she saw him

running on the moon

and bumped her head.

Today I saw

a pink dog

was weird like a poodle.

And was so small.

There was a midget in the girls bathroom.

It was dumb

like Dumbo.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Matthew A., Elena D., Sherino M., David M., Toni S., Calvin T.

The art is

amazing

like forget-me-not blue

pants

are

nothing

Madison B., Muneeb Q., Yara S., Sam S., Vivian T., Darius V.

I like video games.

I will go to the land of party for the food.

I will eat triangle pretzels.

Day is light, night is dark.

Water is cool, the sun is hot.

Ice is cold and fire burns your skin.

Trizia B., Sargon D., Danyel H., George L., Diana P., Jason Z.

Spongebob.

That's a good show.

I know he's so smart.

People sing.

Christmas spirit.

People dreaming.

People eating.

People screaming.

People looking up.

Waleed A., Anastasia K., Cindy L., Kaelin M., Eric N.

It's Christmas eve.

It's Christmas morning.

I don't know how to build a snowman.

I built a snowman.

I was in a car.

I will fix the car.

Stephen D., Kayla H., Isis M., Joseph M., Milad Q., Mohammed S.

Eat your ice cream melted

at the ice cream shop

before it blows up.

I love vanilla.

Mr. Dean's hair is crazy today.

It looks like a porcupine.

His hair rocks.

Tristan C., Klea K., Jorge L., Khang N., Minh N.

Dancing shoes.

Two dancing square shoes

with laces.

Basketball players.

The image was pleasant

the first time I saw it

wrestlers dancing

wrestlers dying

Body Part Poems

In her poem, "Anatomy Lesson #2: The Palpation of Bony Landmarks," Katrina Vandenberg urges readers to see beyond the surface of things, beyond the cold and confusing language of science, using "the art of finding" to explore deeper issues of love, compassion and understanding. The poem's anatomical jargon was discussed, and students were asked to consider an under-appreciated body part in poems of their own.

Ms. Jones, 3^rd grade

My Pinky

Michelle A.

I can't see it

but I can feel

it. For me it looks

nice and soft but it

is hard and I don't

care. It is pretty

and pink. It is small

and cute. Pinky, you

help me live. Also

you help me have

five fingers. Thank

you Pinky.

My Heart

Isabella K.

My heart is pounding fast because

I have so much excitement. My heart

is beating fast because I'm home. My

heart is pounding fast because I'm happy.

My heart is happy as me. I think I am going

to die.

The Skull

Sophie L.

Boom! I fall down the

stairs. There is a big bump

on my head. Inside my head

there is a malfunction

in my skull. Now my head

is cold and painful, the

malfunction is going crazy.

I cannot control myself,

someone stop me from run-

ning into that Boom!

wall.

Heart of Love

Andrena M.

Your heart is full of love

and relaxation and not sadness.

To be mad you have to fight it.

You're on the beach in Hawaii looking at

the sunset, and lay on the nice and soft

sand on a towel. Hear the waves

of the water.

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Daniel S.

Beneath my shirt and other clothes

There is my heart,

Beating,

Beating,

Beating,

Beating,

all day long.

Faster

faster

slower

slower.

It never stops.

When it stops,

say goodbye.

Why? What happens,

you die!

Ms. Goode, 5^th grade

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Alex B.

Dear colon, you look

like a piece of pasta. You

are so wiggly and small.

You are our trash man from

a different world. You are

a colon from a different

world.

The Rib Cage

Kush G.

The rib cage is

most important of all. It protects

anything that is in.

In there is my stomach,

other things and your good loving

heart.

The rib cage is

great and it protects too.

The greatest part in your

body that we love so.

Teeth

Yusra M.

You may not care about them

but if you didn't have the

white little things in your

mouth you can't chew, you

can't be able to talk sometimes.

I wish teeth were perfect.

I hate the dentist, it is just

a waste of time even if you

really need it. Teeth are just

as important a body

part than the other teeth

are as fragile as a six billion

dollar glass on the edge of the

Sears Tower. They're unusual but sort

of nice to have.

The Backbone (Back)

Sammy R.

It's big, hard, rough.

It moves back and forth.

It can ache.

If you don't have one

you will be shorter than ever.

I lay on my back to

wash my hair in the

bath tub.

Mr. Sandlass, 4^th grade

The Backbone

Waleed A.

How come I can't have

a good life without a

backbone? It looks like a crocodile

sticking out of your skin.

How can you stand up

without a backbone? Is the

backbone white or blue? I like

it when you have a backbone

because I can't even fall or

stand up or move or drive

a car. That's why I like backbone.

Our Hands

Stephen D.

Our hands can do a lot,

They can even tie a knot.

They are very strong,

They help us swim through a bog.

With our hands we can swing a bat,

We can also pick up a rat.

Our hands are very, very white,

Yes, these hands belong to Reginald

Dwight.

How the Heart Feels

Klea K.

The heart feels.

The heart is all emotions.

The heart makes you feel.

The heart feels.

The heart takes over all body parts.

When you kiss you kiss with the heart.

The heart keeps all emotions.

The heart feels.

The heart is the shape of love.

If you love, you love with the heart.

The heart keeps all emotions.

The heart feels.

The heart is your life.

Your heart is the kindest body part.

Because it is the most important body part.

Which means it saves your life.

That's how the heart feels.

Eye

Cindy L.

The eye is unknown

once you go past it.

Something makes colors.

Something makes light.

Too much light makes pupil

close. Too much dark makes

it open. It opens wide and

freely. Amazed we are one

and all of the eye.

The Hand

Isis M.

For the people each has different

color skin. On each hand there

are like a V shape. Each line on your

finger is about 1 cm. You use your

hand for holding pen and paper

that you give to Mr. Dean or Mr. Sandlass.

Mouth

Yura S.

I like my mouth. Without a mouth I would

not talk. You would not be able to talk to your

teacher. So you won't have any homework, hip, hip,

hooray!

Thumb

Jason Z.

The thumb bone's the smallest finger

on your hand. I like my thumb so much.

It helps me a lot. I could never pick up anything

without it. It helps me grab stuff. My

favorite thing about my thumb is video

games, sports, and writing stuff. My thumb

bone is my most helpful bone. (Besides the

heart.) (And brain.) (And lungs.) (And intestines.)

(And I don't want to name all the other things.)

Odes

One consistently popular poetic form among students is the ode. They are drawn to its exalted style, used to celebrate everyday things otherwise taken for granted. We read Pablo Neruda's "Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market" and discussed how he describes the tuna, as well as how he feels about it. Students were then given the choice of writing either an ode to something they love, or an anti-ode to something they hate. There were so many excellent responses, it was difficult to choose, but here is a representative selection.

Ms. Jones, 3^rd grade

Ode to Chocolate

Allison C.

Among the table

sat a bar

of chocolate

melting in

the hot sun

my eyes glazed

down at the

chocolate as if

my eyes were

glued to the chocolate

bar

Ode to Books

Jennifer H.

Books are cool

and good to read.

They are good

to take out

when you're bored.

Some books are

big, some books

are small.

My head

is full of

books to read.

They make you

smart.

Anti-Ode to Tests

Aleena I.

Oh test how you

bother me with your

hard questions. You

make me cry when

my grades go low.

You knock me off

the honor roll!

Anti-Ode to Homework

Zohaib S.

Homework! Homework! Noooo...

Homework! I don't like

homework. The homework comes

from teacher mind!

My mind gots wild. 2+52, 3+1, 300.

Wwwooo. My mind hurts.

Ode to My Dog

Jerry T.

Among all the pets

I picked you.

For when I came

to your cage

you looked at me

with your beady

black eyes.

You tilted your

head, and

licked my hand.

As I looked

at the other

dogs, you

stood on your

hind legs, and

looked at me.

From that point

on I couldn't

resist you and

that's when I

knew, that I

needed you.

Ode to Candy

Eric W.

I like candy it

is sweet, it has

sugar, it smells good,

every kid likes candy,

it is great, it

gets you very hyper,

no one hates it,

no one can resist

it, it's the most

wonderful thing in

the world, it gives

you cavities, you have

to go to the dentist,

it tastes different

flavors.

Ms. Goode, 5^th grade

Ode to Guitar Hero

Georel A.

Those about to rock,

we salute you,

press those tiny frets,

green, yellow, red,

blue, orange,

keep strumming,

hold the fret,

whammy, use the whammy.

If you have all

games,

more than 100 songs

of rock, metal, and jazz.

Rock with your friend,

let him/her cooperate,

be filled with spirit,

you're going to fail,

activate it,

tilt your guitar up,

STAR POWER!

Ode to Ms. Goode

Dragos B.

Ms. Goode is a

great teacher

she is realistic.

When she means

it she means it.

She is nice but

when you get on

her nerves she

does not kid around.

Some people think

she is mean but many

think she is very, very

nice.

She has very many

nice, nice ideas!!

Ode to Summer

Sang H.

All summer

so much heat

green seas

all around

blue skies

high above

the summer cruise

is sailing

So relaxed

in a good

mood

the king of

seasons

the hot

sand at

the beach

the cool

water in

the lake

Summer is the

greatest

Ode to Nice Teachers

Keyla J.

Nice teachers

are funny. They

are fun too. Ms. Goode

is a nice teacher. Ms. Thomas

is funny and fun. I'll never

have a not funny teacher.

Ode to the Books in the World

Aimee P.

Pages rustling,

beckoning.

Casting a spell,

you are trapped.

Struggling to get out,

you lose the battle.

Dragons and knights fight,

a girl,

losing her parents to...

Death.

The pages whisper and...

you listen.

Horror, death, love.

All in the books.

Stop...

and listen.

The books are whispering,

beckoning.

Ode to My Small Necklace

Cristina T.

The beautiful necklace

I have never worn.

It just sits in

the last solitary box.

I don't

know why I have

never worn it.

The solitary box

has its key.

I just

want to find the

key, and stick it

in. then I'll see

the blue sapphire

and stare at it.

That sparkly

dazzling beautiful

necklace, that

I would wear.

But I really

don't care!

Mr. Sandlass, 4^th grade

Anti-Ode to Spinach

George L.

Spinach not cool

Spinach smells like my

dad's gym socks

My mom makes me

eat it

It's all leaf

It's very green

It's disgusting

Ode to My Family

Kaelin M.

My family I love

because they

will not

hurt me and I

can trust them with

my secrets. When

I am sad they

warm my heart,

they also make

me feel good.

Instead of making

me feel bad they

will encourage

me.

Ode to My Sammy Sosa Bobblehead

Sam S.

Sammy Sosa bobblehead,

just sitting by yourself,

bored,

having headaches,

always feeling blue,

and never getting attention.

But when I go

to bed,

you are probably

always very happy.

Sammy Sosa,

you are my

favorite baseball player.

Conversation Poems

Denis Johnson's poem, "Traveling" features two characters talking in a barbershop about a third person who is not there; a fourth character sits quietly and listens to their conversation. Inspired by the poem, students were asked to write their own "talking" poems.

Ms. Goode, 5^th grade

The Haircut

Vivian C.

Sitting alone, no one to

talk to. Eating my sandwich.

While eating hearing a suspicious

conversation about “the haircut.”

Elizabeth complaining about her

haircut to Anabell. “I hate my

haircut.”

“It looks fine,” said Anabell.

Sigh. “My hair

is sooo short I can't

even tie it. I hate that

barber, she cut five inches

off my hair. It used

to be twelve inches, and

now. What should I

do?” said Elizabeth.

“You should leave it

alone and ignore what

people say about it, OK?”

“Well, OK, I should

ignore them. Well

thanks.”

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Camila M.

Hi! I say to my friend

Jackie. Hi! How are you?

says Jackie. I'm good, you?

Fine. So what place

did you get? I ask

her. 2^nd is what she

says. I'm in a dim

lighted room with a

bunch of gymnastics

equipment. OMG! Are

you serious? I am

so amazed, that is

no fair, I won 6^th!

Eeerrgg! Didn't you

roll off the mat?

Yes, but Matt slipped

and still got 1^st place.

Oh well! And we walk

away laughing.

The Conversation

Aimee P.

I plop down on the bench with my tray,

filled with smelly, hard, mushy, lumpy who-knows-whats.

Surrounded by slurping, chomping, chewing, crunching,

I lift my spork.

I move my who-knows-whats around and finally,

I chew and I listen.

“Guess what?” says someone.

“OMG!! Guess what I heard?” says another.

“What?!” says a third.

Filled with curiosity,

I listen harder and harder.

“Did you hear about *whisper* and *whisper*?”

“Really? *giggle* Wow!!” says an excited voice.

RING!!!!!

I will never know who whisper and whisper

are.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Haris S.

I was sitting by the captain's chair that day, bored,

I saw same old outer space through the windows when I heard the captain scream.

He ran from the bridge and grabbed the radio. “Houston, we have a horrible problem!”

“What is it, Johnny?” came a man's voice.

“We ran out of Chinese food!” the captain cried.

“Nooo! The horror! I know how you feel, buddy, we'll send up a Chinese food tank.”

“What a bunch of weenies,” I muttered.

In four minutes the tank crashed into our ship and captain stopped sucking his thumb.

“The Chinese food is here!” The captain ran to it like a long lost son.

Then I heard a grinding sound, oh boy.

“Captain, come on,” I shouted. “No way, I'm not done with the eggrolls.”

“What's more important, your life or your eggrolls?” “Why, eggrolls!”

“Oh, for cryin' out loud!” I grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him to the

shuttle. “Nooo, they have no tacos in there!” he shouted.

“Oh, shut up,” I said.

And I grabbed an eggroll.

Mr. Sandlass, 4^th grade

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Kayla H.

Frog: Hello Toad!

Toad: Hi Frog!

Frog: Want to go to the swamp?

Toad: I would love to.

walk...walk...walk...

Frog: Yay we're here!

Toad: Let's go swimming!

splash...splash...splash

Frog: Let's get out of the water.

Toad: OK.

drip...drop...drip...drip

Frog: That was the best!

Toad: I know.

A Drinking Talk

Khang N.

“Let's have some refreshments,” said

a man on a sofa. “Yeah,” said the

other man. A big waiter came out

with tea and peas and with

two napkins shaped like T and P. “Wooo,” said

the man on the sofa, looking at the

napkins. “T and P.” “Yeah, delicious peas

and sweet peas,” said the other man.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Minh N.

Where did you get your snake? said Stephen.

I got it at Petsmart, said Minh. Why didn't

you get me one? said Stephen. I thought you

said you were allergic, said Minh. And why can't

you rent one yourself? said Minh. Because I don't

know how to get one, said Stephen. Fine I'll get

you one. Sigh, said Minh.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Diana P.

Nancy was standing at a restaurant

at Yum Yum. She was having an order.

Someone came behind her. It was

a woman. The woman said, “Excuse me?” Nancy

did not move. She told her, “I'm making

an order. Do you understand?”

The woman said, “I'm sorry, I have to eat.”

The sky was gray and starting to

rain. “Hey sit with me, let's talk,” said

the woman. Nancy sat with

her and became friends until

the rain stopped.

Ms. Jones, 3^rd grade

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Samir A.

“Hey, where did you get that

engine?” said the car. “I got it from the

repair shop,” said the truck. “Hey, I need

to get one like yours because mine

is really junky,” said the car. “I'll

tell you where and you can drive

there,” said the truck. And the

car did.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Racquel K.

hey, pencil hey, pen where

you goin to candy land oh can

I come ahhh sure if you want I just

said I want to come! Oh you did.

Yeah I did OK come. On everything

there is candy pen said so I

can eat all of it said pen not

all of it said pencil ohhh that's

good you're fatter than before oh we

have to leave OK bye, bye wait

pen said. But pencil didn't listen

why do you leave meeee!

Pencil vs. Pen

David L.

One day a pencil and a pen were

walking down a block.

They never knew how to talk.

So one day they found themselves

on a bay. So first the pen

started to say

“Pens do not need to be sharpened”

so the pencil said, “Well I can be

erased.” So the pen and pencil fought

for the whole century.

Jam and Peanut Butter

Andrew M.

“Hey, Jam is better than Peanut

Butter,” said Jam. “No it isn't.

Peanut Butter is better than Jam,”

said Peanut Butter.

“No it isn't.”

“Yes it is.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, I want a Peanut Butter and

Jam sandwich,” said a boy.

“He likes both of us,” said Jam and

Peanut Butter.

Jungle

Divya P.

The rain was getting heavier.

The lion was getting hungrier and hungrier.

Lion said, “I'm hungrier than ever.” Then

on the other side of the jungle the

zebra was so fat. He said, “I'm going

to go for a jog.” At the middle of

the jungle there was a party.

The lion and the zebra met.

The lion said, “I am going to eat

you up.” The zebra said, “No way.”

And the zebra was never seen

again.

Conversation

Angela Y.

“Can you come over to my house today?”

Allison asked me. “Sure,” I answered. “Let's go!”

“What should we do first?” Allison asked.

“Homework, so then we will have more

time to play!” I answered again.

“Let's work now,” said Allison.

“We are done!” we said.

“LET'S PLAY!” we yelled.