Music Poems

For this week's class, we worked on one of my favorite poetry ideas. First, we read "Two Guitars" by Victor Hernández Cruz and discussed its meaning: who (or what) is talking in the poem, and what are they saying? How does music express emotions, and create images in our minds? Each class room listened to an instrumental song chosen randomly, with students individually making lists of words or phrases describing the music they heard to be used in their poems. Click on the links to hear the songs students heard while composing their poems.


Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

Poems Inspired by “I Knew You Would” by Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey



I was at the beach.
I was dreaming of being in
the desert, playing Guitar
Hero in slow motion, when
dinosaurs in slow motion come
at me, but a jet rocket
saved me, and the engine
stopped working, so we
jumped off onto a hot
air balloon, and that popped,
so we jumped off without
parachutes.
Samir A.

I was sleeping.
I was eating when
I was sleeping.
I was dreaming
about surfing.
Going into the
desert. It was
funny, my dad
and mom were
there. I was
walking in slow
motion. The animals
were singing a
lullaby. Then I
did a Hawaiian dance.
Maya G.

I imagine myself in
Hawaii on a tropical beach.
I'm swimming in slow
motion. I can see coral and
fish under my feet and the
soft sand rub against my
toes as I get out
of the water and leave.
The sand is hot but
feels good.
Devlin H.

I'm at the beach, the gray waves are huge,
pitter patter pitter patter it starts to rain
everything looks so sad. I hear the roaring
waves as I spread my arms out wide. I'm soaking.
Soon the rain stops, everything is damp. I'd rather
be a wave because waves have nothing to worry
about. I decide to make a wish, all of a sudden
I'm pulled into the water. My wish has come
true. I'm now a wave.
Aleena I.

I feel stuck.
I feel sad.
I imagine I'm in Hawaii
playing country songs
in the night, camping, listening to the guitar.
Looking at waves.
I feel very weird.
Asala M.

Weird little bugs singing, dancing,
playing instruments
in a weird valley.
The bugs are having a party
going down slides
rainbow in the sky. The sky turns
dark, mountains falling from the sky.
Ahh this means war,
mountains wearing glasses by the
beach,
put on your shoes, buy them
from the mall,
grenade
BOOM!
Mountains exploded.
Back to the party.
Andrew M.

People dancing
people singing
in the field.
They are wearing wigs
they are singing
on a stage.
There are guitars
they are making moves
with themselves.
People walking
things are getting softer.
Aya S.

The ocean waves
come down on the island.
Over the sand
up to the palm trees.
Sail boats in the distance
under the bright sun.
Led by chariots of surfers
the ocean waves.
Jerry T.

Someone's in Hawaii at
the beach, surfing and
some other person sleeping
and a volcano is about
to erupt. Then the moon
comes out and the volcano
explodes.
Eric W.

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

Poems Inspired by “Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten” by Arvo Pärt



Leaving without someone you love.
Under pressure.
Just heard someone dies.
Death/Dies.
Church's bell rings, stand up.
Crying.
Sadness among your heart.
Depression.
Living all by yourself lonely
Unhappily.
Marylou B.

Light heroes are running...
water pulls back...
dark comes...
magic...falling...
air...dark dragon...
nooo...chorus of bells...
can't reach...
the water...dragon...
no, death...
fading...
more death...
help...dragon...kill
dragon...fading...
black...black...no...
fading...
fading...
fading...
carnage all around...
bubbles...help...
fade...I'm fading...
no......
Liam D.

I'm at a funeral. The music is
sad. No one is glad. Gloomy, boring music.
It's probably the music the witch played,
Sleeping Beauty was so bored she fell a-
sleep! You miss your stop on the
elevator because that music plays &
you fall asleep! Gray music is
bad for you.
Jessica D.

I feel a depression in the world,
as quiet as summer rain at midnight.
The depression gives me a passive feeling,
like an aftermath of a genocide,
where the only thing that you
think of, is walking down a
destroyed street while bodies
are put side by side, while a
gray sky surrounds you.
Teksong E.

Slow, calming, soothing, and relaxing.
It sounds like running water, a sad movie,
elevator music, a wedding, a gloomy, cloudy,
and gray day. I picture a person meditating
in my mind. I'm on hold and the phone music
is on. This is a perfect song for The Titanic.
Edina H.

Sad forms the first of terror.
Blue, the color of your feelings
after someone has died,
depressed because of the tension.
The night is black because
of the funeral. So sad,
the screams of the wife
or child, the sobs of mother.
So sad, so sad.
Camila M.

I feel like the music is
soft and beautiful.
In the beginning
I start
to move my legs and
shoulders.
It feels like something
happening.
At the end it makes me
feel like something is
a louder sound.
I was depressed when
I heard it.
I didn't know
why.
Chanel M.

To be calm there
is also a sad type
of feeling.

When it comes to
summer death streams
are slowing briskly.

I see everything coming to
an end when a leaf is falling from
a tree slowly with
the breeze.
Sharon M.

Clarinet, it makes me
feel afraid, calm, desperate, playing
the soothing notes depends
upon, whether it's gloomy,
or dramatic, depressed, in the
brightness of the funeral, in
the chamber, in the room...
death is up-righted, and
accomplished, in the shadows of
the ceremony.
Marti R.

The sun rises over the mountains,
burning red,
as if a symbol to the near,
known past,
and as the last man stares over the horizon,
sadness envelopes him,
as he remembers,
all that he loved,
as death approaches he kneels,
now he lays,
and the world is peaceful,
peaceful as darkness comes,
and the end comes.
Haris S.

Still filled with a worried feeling
deep inside. A dark day waiting for
something to happen. Deep in thought
trying to let go of the past. A
blank mind sitting there still trying to
think. A tragic day going by slowly,
walking to a cemetery after a
horrible death.
Cristina T.

The Titanic is sinking, the sadness
in people's eyes, the tears coming down.
Look at their faces, they're all so scared,
they can't feel calm.
Stephanie Z.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

Poems Inspired by “DLK” by Deluxe Leisure King



In the 70's
a long walk on the beach
will sooth you, just eat your
Pop Rocks
and wear your Tye-dye shirt.
Jason is surfing with the
puppets,
Austin Powers is there
talking to the guy
and girl while
drinking their beer.
The
tadpoles
are a'
dancing
the night is a' wasting.
Madison B.

The frog and
his guitar. He played
a crazy weird song
with his band. Every
body thought it was
funny.
Kayla H.

The Beatles riding their bikes.
In the sun.
playing guitars, playing drums.
Look like angels, yet look goofy.
Don't have choruses but play loud.
Sometimes play rock.
They play the bass, and the piano.
Sometimes play oldies and they
are oldies.
So technically they play themselves.
Klea K.

I go to parties
I feed my bananas
I feed my monkey
I feed my birthdays
I feed my bodies
I feed my basketball
I feed my hot dogs
I feed my two guitars
I feed my drums
I feed my lots of music
I feed my dogs
George L.

One way to travel
is to ride a bike or
a car. You could go to
the desert pool, or park.
Traveling is an
adventure. Have fun when
you're somewhere
else. I think of traveling
when I hear this song.
Cindy L.

in the country good
things are happening.
It's summer and kids
are riding their bikes
and people are enjoying
a back yard picnic. The
teens are going to
a night club and
the kids are going to
see a movie. Everyone
is happy this summer.
Kaelin M.

As the surfer shoots the basket
he hits the shot, then he
kicks the ball in for the
field goal. He quickly grabs
his Gatorade and sprays himself,
so wet he looks like he just
got out of the shower.
Toni S.

I hear music from a party.
It sounds so weird but funny, it
makes me want to scream. It can
relax me and make an angel come from
the soul. Even though it sounds childish,
I can play all day to it.
Vivian T.

I want to travel to
unknown worlds like the heavens
silence and peace
the stars are glooming in the sky
a book I will write of worlds
unknown
a boat I will travel on the sea
with my hamster to
unknown worlds beyond the mountains
and seas of the Earth.
Darius V.

European Assembly

Today was Solomon's European assembly. Students celebrated diversity and culture through music and poetry!

3rd graders from Mrs. Jones' class (Jerry, Michelle and Maya) read poems by Ana Blandiana ("We Should"), Antonio Machado ("Has My Heart Gone to Sleep?"), and Robert Desnos ("The Ant).


4th graders from Mr. Sandlass' class (Sam, Vivian and Cynthia) read poems by Fernando Pessoa ("Countless lives inhabit us"), Georg Trakl ("The Sun"), and Kristiina Ehin ("Queen Bee").


5th graders from Mrs. Goode's class (Edina, Rhys and Ruben) read poems by Vladimir Vysotsky ("Song About a Friend"), Dylan Thomas ("The Hunchback in the Park"), and William Butler Yeats ("The Wild Swans at Coole").


Congratulations to all the students -- they did a terrific job!

European Poems

This week was somewhat unusual. Students were given a period to do free writing, while the teachers and I discussed options for poems to be read by students during Solomon's upcoming European cultural assembly.

I enjoyed this opportunity to reacquaint myself with well-known favorites, such as Lewis Carroll (England); Robert Desnos (France); Antonio Machado (Spain); Rainer Maria Rilke (Germany); Percy Bysshe Shelley (England); Dylan Thomas (Wales); Georg Trakl (Austria); Tomas Tranströmer (Sweden); W. B. Yeats (Ireland); Adam Zagajewski (Poland); and more so, to familiarize myself with many new voices, such as Ana Blandiana (Romania); Kristiina Ehin (Estonia); Fernando Pessoa (Portugal); Vladimir Vysotsky (Russia); and Dane Zajc (Slovenia).

Poems chosen for reading will be the subject of the next post.

Time Poems

Since this upcoming weekend marks the start of daylight savings time, I brought in Joyce Sutphen's wonderful poem, "Book of Hours." She describes five hours she would 'keep' in a book, if she could control time. We discussed how even an hour can be very important in an average day, full of surprises, challenges and revelations. Students were then asked to write their own time poems on a variety of themes -- such as if they were time travelers, could stop time, and so on. Here are some of their amazing responses!

Ms. Jones, 3rd grade

Lively Days
Krista C.

Days have gone by,
very special days,
like the day I was born,
the feel of everyone touching me,
their skin felt like velvet,
the sun glowing bright,
and people say babies are a
delight,
but only children can be
a delight.

If I Had the Power
Aleena I.

If I had the power to go back in time
I would meet the man who made a clock
and I would tell him about now. If I had
the power to go into the future I would
see if my best friends are still my best
friends. If I had the power to change today
I wouldn't.

The Darkness of Time
David L.

The darkness of time
is dark
and scary.

The darkness of time
makes a shadow
in the dark.

The darkness of time
is the
shadow of the day.

Ms. Goode, 5th grade

Time Through the Years
Liam D.

Time.....oh time. Time through
the years. Eating a burger....
yum. Then, I am on the beach,
playing in the soft, warm sand.
This is my time. Everything's fine.
Then, everything goes black.

If I Could Control Time
Teksong E.

If I could control time,
I would change every mishap in my life,
I would stop the JFK assassination,
I would stop the Chinese syndrome,
I would stop time and walk
on water like it was ice,
and especially, I would
make sure Teletubbies
was never made into a
TV show.

Time Rewind
Camila M.

If I could stop time
I would never have said
that horrible word “shut up”
slapped me, myself. I caught
myself saying it so rude.

I see the time slowly
rewinding going back to
the time I lost my dog
my screaming, crying, and
dreadful night, but then
the feeling of awakening
with my dog's nose in
my face, all that GONE!

I go back when I was
a tad little girl and remember
my parents in the living room
my dad drinking coffee and
my mom, some tea. The strong
smell of my mom's perfume, of Versace,
and the smell of plastics from
the medical equipment
after my dad coming home. Then I
remember how fun those times
were, how much I cherish them.

Spring Day
Chanel M.

On March 9th the
time changes
to an hour early.

Spring comes the
same day and
the sun gets
brighter and brighter.

Day after day
sun brighter
and bigger
just the
sun everyday.

Time Machine
Marti R.

I like to travel, back in
time, to the time of
pirates, rats, rubies, and gold,
and snatch a diamond,
under a pirate's nose, and
fight and fought, in the
Civil War, and shake hands
with George Washington, and be
a servant, for King Tut, and
fly on a pterodactyl, in
prehistoric times, and
dance, on the disco floor,
and sing along with
Elvis, I'd love to do all
that, but I haven't invented
a time machine yet.

I Remember
Cristina T.

I remember my birthday,
my face stuffed in a
pink cake. Pink frosting
still in my ear. Leaves
falling. Presents, cardboard
soaring. Good times, good times.

Friday the 13th
a ladder falling
on my leg. A cat
scratching my arm.
Salt stuck in my
eye. Bad times, very
bad times.

Mr. Sandlass, 4th grade

If I Were the Ruler of Time
Stephen D.

If I were the ruler of time,
I'd stop the clock.
No one would grow older
and no one would ever get younger.

If I could freeze I would
freeze everyone except me.
It would be fun to look at
all the frozen people.

If I could time travel,
you know, I would go back to
1985-86
to watch the Bears win the
Super Bowl.

The Time Machine
Sargon D.

Toni and I made a time
machine, although it worked
it took too long. So we went
back to 500 B.C. We saw cavemen
drawing on walls. They attacked us
so we went to the future.
Toni saw a flying car and took
it. It was a Viper!! Then I got a
flying Corvette. We saw robot
cops beating up humans, we got
scared. So we went to the present
time. Eric asks what we are
doing.

Using our imagination.

My Time
Kayla H.

From the crib
when I was a baby,
to the bed
that I'm in now,
so many things went by
like the time I learned to walk
and the time I learned to talk
my life goes so fast.
Everything is different now
I wish it was back when I was born.

Untitled (Time Poem)
Jorge L.

A time is clocking, sound and rung sound.
A clock is a tink-tonk sound and normal one.
An alarm clock is a brrrrring sound and loud.
Time travel is a fast fast travel.

Untitled (Time Poem)
Phuong N.

I want to go back in time
to see my great great grandfather.

He drew really nice and I draw like
him too. I want to ask him how

it is in the old times. Is it
happy in the old times?

The Memory
Toni S.

When I was 3 it was the
worst memory, the Iraq war.
It was guns, and cannons and
battleships and the war had just
started because of oil. Do you
think this was a good idea, a
war just for oil? Not me....

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.