Poems of place and mood

Students read part one of "Preludes" by T.S. Elliot and wrote poems about their neighborhood at a specific time of the year and of the day.

5th

Romario J.
Winter 5:30pm

The winter settles down
with the snowy days we
have. The snow covers houses
with a white blanket
that sparkles. Kids make
snow men.

Jocelyn R.
July 5:00 PM

July 5:00 pm
The sky is baby blue.
The sun is a bright yellow
The birds are chirping
Kids are playing outside
The trees are as green as grass
Beautiful flowers everywhere
Water splashing every where
and You could smell the bbq
ribs.

Matt P.
Summer 2:00pm

I see squirrels and dogs
running in the park!
Trees blowing like a hurricane!
Also bags and trash
blowing by a tree!
I smell people
barbecuing ribs and steak!
I hear splish and splashes
in a pool nearby!
And the sky looks like
a never ending pool
with tubes!
I hear cicadas
buzzing loader than
the loudest train!
People jogging on
the big track at
Rowan Park!

We Real Cool

The 8th graders read "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks and then wrote poems about cliques or groups at their school.

We real cool

Melissa S.

We just stand
never say a word
give you chance
break little hearts
NEVER cool, NEVER noticed
in shadows, unnoticed, unseen

Alyssa C.

Their eyes drooping
down to their knees
Hair all messed up
just woke up!
walking
with a wobble

Stephanie Y.

They act tough to
be strong.
They are soft to
get what they want.
They may talk the talk to
be able to walk the walk.
They lie to get to the top to
avoid being shot down, literally.

Brittany C.

Have you seen them,
the baggy shorts and long
shirts? Jumping up and down; doing
lay ups and 3 points; grabbing the
ball and rebounding it back up?
This is the group.

Odes to Good Things

We read Pablo Neruda's "Ode to the Watermelon" and then students wrote odes to some of their favorite things.

Third grade

Michelle P.
Ode to rootbeer ice cream

It's a world of brown and
white with snow. You are like a
mountain of root beer ice cream.
We eat you so fast
we get brain freeze. You are the
fountain that melts in my
mouth. You are cream.

Anthony A.
Ode to Wii

Oh Wii your white box
is like the snow.
Oh Wii you're the king of all
systems your controller
is like a light saber
it is cool when I
play Mario galaxy.

Alberto O.
Ode to Cable Comcast

Oh! Comcast I love you
when I get home the first thing
I do is go home and lay down
and watch TV when I watch you
my heart explodes. I wish
I can take you everywhere I
go. If I could it would be a
dream come true.

5th Grade

Daniel R.
Ode to PS2

It's the mind to electronics.
It’s the game to my controller.

You are the thing that keeps me
happy, and unbored. You take me away
from trouble.

A real life game can be real in my room,
and makes me a cop, or robber, or musician.

Vanessa R.
Ode to the Apple

It's a fruit that tastes
so good and juicy.

Your juiciness makes me
want to sit
under a shady tree
and eat you.

I like you red
skin, it reminds me
of fire. When I
bite into you I
feel as it I
were floating in
the sky.

I like that yellow
crunchiness inside you.
When I taste
apple pie
I will
remember you.


Romario D.
Ode to cheeseburger

Oh cheeseburger
you are so special
made. Not a bite of
anything on you you're
like a brand new
car without a scratch
when I look at you
I just want to eat
you slowly of greasy
and cheesy and soft
bread. When I eat
you I wish I hadn't
eaten you cheeseburger
so I could eat you again.
Oh Cheeseburger
you are a work of
art.

Finding Monsters

We read Charles Simic's "The Fork", which imagines the very ordinary utensil as a very extraordinary creature. Then students looked around their classrooms to see what sorts of monsters they could find in ordinary objects.


3rd Grade

Esperanza S.
The Scary Chair

The scary chair it has
a big mouth and skinny
legs. It wants to eat you.
Don't sit cause it will
get you and grow seat
belts and tie you. It will
tie your legs too and
hands too. And you
will disappear.

Antonio R.
The Computer

It has a screen and 5
tongues made out of buttons
It has 1 eye if you dare
walk by it… it will snap
right at you with sharp
knifes with poison in
them, with fire and
spiders.

Berenice M.
Ceiling

It has twelve big white eyes with
no pupils. Scary eyes
sees you where ever you go
there everywhere and watches you.
It takes you away. It has two extra ears
to hear you. If you have a plan it
knows, it you hang stuff on it it gets
angry and rips it after that it eats
you up in one bite.

5th grade

Shannon A.
The bean bag

The bean bag is a boneless
blindless monster. He eats people by
rolling on the floor and attacks
He's a big head that looks like a
jellyfish with a big mouth.

It looks like it crept from
the basement to come alive
and eat people. When it's big and blobby
then when it does not eat it dies.
But still comes back to live and
starts eating people again.


Frank C.
The Desk

It has four long bony
legs that are freezing cold
and no eyes and a big mouth
with bugs inside it and the
head rectangle head with its veins
showing and it's pale and cold
and it gets books and papers
with no hands.

Michael D.
Laptop

It has one eye that lights up.
It sucks you up when it gets mad.
It has no feet.
It is really large
and really flat.
The wires are its veins.
The keyboard is its body it has people inside of it in each letter.
The more it sucks you up the more bigger it gets.

This is Just To Say

We read William Carlos Williams's "This is just to say" - a wonderful poem that apologizes and at the same time seems to have almost no regrets. Students wrote their own anti-apology apology poems




Third Grade

Brian G.
Stealing your space people

I am sorry for
stealing the star
warship and
master obi
wan kenobe

I bet you were
going to battle
with them

I wanted to be
a clone
trooper or a
bounty hunter

Andy H.
The dead monster

I ate the
monster I found
it in the
jungle which you
had fun with.
He was your
friend. Forgive me
he was delicious
so good and so
warm.

Marissa K.
I stole you dogs?

I found a
dog that was
very cute and
I don't want
to give it
back

I did it because
I love dogs and
they are so cute

It was so cute
soft, brown and
little.

5th Grade


Martha M.

I opened the
presents under
the Christmas tree
the day before

I shouldn't have
opened them until
all of us
opened them together

I did that
because I was
curious to
open them.


Matt P.

I'm so sorry
I stole your
pop
on your washer

I shouldn't of
took your pop
because it was
Yours truly,
I took it
anyway because
It was so good.

Alex J.
Sorry

I have looked
at gifts
for Christmas

to be surprised
but I'm curious
but I want to know

I saw a nothing
only one
for my sister.

8th Grade Metaphors Poems

Eighth graders read Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphors" and wrote their own appearance metaphor poems.

Metaphors

Krystal V.

The small things on the side of my head twinkle like a star
My hair is a bare tree with twigs everywhere
My hands are bright pink like always
My lips are as thin as a line on paper
Yet they're always shining with lip gloss

Alexia B.

My hair is an assortment of caramels and chocolates
My hair is the brown puffy stuffing of a teddy bear
My eyes are a fake green plastic plant
My eyes are a round lemon
My lips are two slices of peaches

Marrisa F.

My hair is roller coaster swirl.
My hair is a chocolate brown.
My eyes are sparkly glaze.
Two big round wondering eyes
My lips are gentle to the touch.
Talking things that never shut up.

5th Grade I am poems

Romario J.
Monster

I am the cold in the winter
I am a lion that looks for his prey
I am a tornado destroying a town
I am the shadow that hovers the earth
I am a snow storm trapping people inside
I am the fire that burns you up.

David R.
I am

I am the dolphin in the sky
I am the snow that melts in your hand
I am the wind that blows you away
I am the food that fills you
I am the air you breath
I am the shadow that follows you
I am the water that you use
I am the fire that warms you
I am the weather that makes you change
I am the planet that saves you.

Now you see, I am the gravity that holds you
I am the colors of the rainbow
I am the deer that you miss
I am the music in your ears.

Matt P.
The I Am Poem

I am the fire that burns the wood
I am the water of a sea
I am the star of the dark night
I am the snow of the morning day
I am the moon that shines in the night
I am the weather of the day
I am the rain that falls from the sky
I am the Komodo dragon in the orange desert
I am the seal that bounces the ball on my nose.

3rd Grade I am poems

Brian G.

I am the shine in a child's eye
I am the hot sun burning space rocks
I am the earth giving every person space and air
I am the light of a Christmas light
I am the life of the earth
I am the shark that eats fish
I am the astronaut in space
I am the snow that plops on the ground
I am the heaven's light shining on people.

Alberto O.

I am thunder roaring in the sky
I am rain and hail falling down hard
I am the wind blowing really strong I knocked down some trees
I am lightening striking bright in the sky
I am lightening striking 10 houses
I am lightening striking trees
I am lightening striking cable wires
I am lightening hitting streets
I am lightening hitting grasses
I am lightening hitting cars

Carina R.

I am the light that brightens up your day
I am the rain that waters you garden
I am the monkey who lives in the forest
I am a cat who is cat woman
I am a snowman who is freezing.