Halloween Poems

Chicago poet Li-Young Lee writes about eerie sounds, unseen phantoms and more in his poem, "Nocturne." After reading it, students were asked to use their imaginations and write Halloween poems, creating their own scary creatures and situations, or simply celebrating the holiday in poetic language.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

A Squeaky Noise

Katherine D.

I went to bed,

To sleep so tight.

Like no one can bother me,

But there's something outside.

What could that be?

I went outside and sneaked in the window,

With my camera and my fluffy pillow.

The noise is somewhere down the porch.

I really want to see what's making that

Noise, but when I went outside,

I heard a common noise.

I push the button on my camera.

I held on tight to my pillow.

And then, I saw it.

It's just a cat playing with its squeaky

Toys.

Halloween

Jessica G.

Halloween is coming. Kids are

running. Halloween is a special

holiday. I'm going to be a

witch and my brother is

going to be a fish.

I go to different houses and

I say, “Trick or treat!” I get

a lot of candy and they say

“Goodbye Sandy!”

Halloween is coming, kids are

running. Today is going to be

a special day. I'm going

to eat the candy every day!

Halloween

Ulysses G.

The old man is sleeping

His doorbell is ringing

Kids are yelling and screaming

WE WANT CANDY

There's people scaring

Ghosts and Goblins

Witches and brooms

Going VROOM VROOM VROOM

They soar from door to door

TRICK OR TREAT

Is what they say

Can you guess this

Day?

HALLOWEEN

EVERYONE

SCREAMS

Halloween

Oscar V.

To me Halloween means candy,

people scaring people,

decorating your house,

having a Halloween party,

wearing a scary mask,

and then when I'm done trick-or-treating,

I go home and eat candy,

well at least the ones that my mom approves.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Trick, No One's Home

Jessica G.

Eggs bombing, toilet paper

swinging across the trees,

no one's home. Eggs splattered

on the grass, toilet paper

looking like spider webs on

the bushes, no one's home.

Water splashing on the window,

balloon skins on their

doorstep. The police come.

No one's home.

Untitled (Halloween Poem)

Emily L.

Woosh the wind goes

The stairs squeaking

Squeak, squeak, squeak

The big spider on its web

“Whoooo,” I hear something

“Who's there?”

“Whoooo,” the soft voice repeats

And all I hear it say

“It's Halloween, you're supposed to

Get scared!”

Run........!

Spooky Night

Alma R.

The old windows shake and rustle back and forth

The stronger the wind gets, the louder.

Through the curtains, shadows appear,

Of many shapes and sizes

Being swept away by the wind.

The orange color from the street lights fades

Until everything is dark

White and green figures glow outside

The howling of a mad wolf is heard.

Suddenly, voices are heard

Of people screaming for their lives

Sometimes in between groaning was heard

As if their flesh was replaced with a creepier one

The door closing from the entrance downstairs is heard

You can hear many people stepping on the stairs

The creaking sounds now like an exotic bug chirping

Then...

The knock on the door

You look ahead of yourself, to see the shape,

The shape of your feet covered with the bed sheets

You want to ignore every activity

And focus on yourself.

The knocking becomes scratching and roaring

Then a big thud is heard of the door being knocked downstairs

The only thing that comes out from you is a whimper

Then darkness fills your eyes.

Boo, Trick and Don't Treat

Jasmine S.

Boo as I walk

down the street

I see the Hannahs

the bees and ghosts

we feel great

full with candy

eating on our way home

I hear music as

that party goes

on I wonder if them kids

will ever go home

as I eat my candy with

my friends we stop

in shock when we passed

that house boo he said

as we run don't turn

back run, run, run

don't pick up yo candy

leave it there I guess

we will have to wait

for next year to ever

reach that party

Halloween

Frida T.

When leaves fall

I know right away,

Halloween is getting closer.

People buying candies

children buying costumes

Halloween is the day.

Off we go with our bags and pumpkins

to put our candies inside.

“Ding”

Different doors we go

different door bells we push

different people we see

different candies we eat

can't you see this is Halloween?

Halloween

Arriane T.

the wind is blowing

the trees rustle as the wind

pierces through its leaves.

Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.

fallen leaves are being attacked

by monsters of all sorts.

goblins, vampires, skeletons & even princesses!

DingDong.

Up the porches they go,

ringing doorbells asking for

candy yelling “trick or treat!”

and the people inside the

homes quickly give out

the monsters' wanted food.

“here's your candy.”

& off they go,

demanding the fellow

people their

candy.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Vampire Monster

Rubyela J.

The vampire has shiny teeth. He

has blood all over his mouth. You

could hear the drops of blood hitting

the floor when they fall off him. He's

really pale. When I walk past him,

I get goose bumps, I feel he's going

to bite me. And there I go walking past

him, and just what I didn't want, it

happened, he bit me!

Untitled (Halloween Poem)

Neisha R.

I hear a noise, who can it be......

I see footprints, what can it be......

It can be a she or a he......

A cat, dog, what is it, who is it!

O(h)M(y)G(od), I'm so scared

I hear a laugh, a meow, and even a bark!

O(h)M(y)G(od), I'm so, so scared!

It's HALLOWEEN, crazy me!

It's a prank, is it?!

Halloween

Juliana V.

I looked in the mirror and

there it was my biggest fear, a werewolf was in

my house. I ran out of my house.

I guess everyone thought I was crazy because they

were laughing at me as I ran and screamed.

I heard growls and witches' laughs,

the moaning of a zombie,

were there monsters attacking our

neighborhood?

I ran home, when I got there

I screamed out, “Run, there's

a werewolf in the house!” Then

as I looked in the mirror and saw

my reflection I see the werewolf

again, my face turns red as I

realize it was me!

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. Barreda, 8^th Grade

The Face Sitting on My Wall

Jose L.

Why do you keep staring at me? I asked.

She only stared back and stayed silent.

You stare at me from day to night, I told her.

Once again she didn't answer me back.

The deep and dull look she gave everyone worried me.

Why don't you talk, you've been silent all your

life, I told her.

Once more she just stared back.

Now this was really worrying me.

I took her off the wall and told my mother

about her.

Paintings don't talk, said Mother.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Jorge L.

I was wondering around when

I heard my dad arguing

with my mom and talking

about the mortgage, the gas, food,

and other materials. They

were sitting arguing until

my mom decided to go to

sleep. Then later at midnight

my dad woke me up telling

me it's going to be alright.

Then my dad woke my mom up

and told her that everything

will be alright. The next

day we all woke up and

everyone was quiet and

we went our separate

ways, my mom to work,

my dad to work, and

me to school, and I

think school is a

good way to get away

from everything that happens

at home, and in

my life.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Jessica M.

When I was at the park

I saw two dogs talking to each

other. For some reason I understood

what they were saying. The dog in

white said, “Isn't it a nice day?”

The black dog said, “Yeah, today I

am going to the vet.” The white dog

said, “I love going to the vet because I

always get a treat at the end.” The black

dog said, “That's true.” Then all of

a sudden I couldn't understand

anymore.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Leslie H.

“Hi,” the turtle said enthusiastically.

“Who are you?” the shadow said. “Don't

you remember me?” he said in the faint

light. “I don't know who you are, what

are you talking about?” he answered,

confused. “Well, what do you mean you

don't know who I am? Sure you do!”

he said, raising his voice. “Leave me alone,

stop following me!” The shadow was so

scared. The shadow just kept walking

frantically and just left the turtle in

the breezy cold park wondering.

The Buggy World

Jeremy M.

What's up? Nothing new. Did you hear

what the buzz is today? No. So what's

happening?

You won't believe it. Buggy scientists

discovered how to communicate with

humans. Wow, now I can tell them

to stop squishing us. Would

they—blash! And my friend was squished.

The Sky

Vanessa P.

I was looking at the sky seeing

clouds go by waving hi. I closed

my eyes and heard the sky talking

about weather. I said weather?

Yeah weather. I said it's sunny

the sky said it's warm. The clouds

were eavesdropping on our conversation.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Lollipop

Delia D.

I came back from school.

I went in my room.

I went to my desk to get my

lollipop.

“Wait! Where's my lollipop?

Where did it go?”

Thinking......

“My brother!” Walked to my

brother's room.

“Come out here you slappy,

lazy, lollipop stealer!”

He comes out with a lollipop in

his mouth.

“That's my lollipop.” “No!”

“That's my lollipop.” “No-o-o!”

“Give me back my lollipop!” “It's not

your lollipop!”

“That's my lollipop.”

“Why did you take my lollipop?”

“But—“

“I don't care. Give me back

my lollipop.”

“It's not your lollipop.”

"Yes it is.”

But wait.

The lollipop fell on the floor.

“Ha ha!” “You owe me a lollipop.”

“No-o-o!” “You owe me a lollipop.”

“No-o-o!”

“Stop fighting!” mom

said. She had a lollipop in

her mouth.

“I bought him the lollipop.”

He left. “I took your lollipop.”

“Mom took my lollipop?”

What Happens After School

Aidan K.

The coast is clear

said the door. Close

the shades said the

pullcord. Hit the lights

said the light switch. Move

the desks said the

chairs. Let's party

said the school supplies.

I can't wait till tomorrow

said everything.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Susana S.

“What's up buddy,”

paper clip says.

“Nothing, just here,

spread out,” said the paper.

“Paper clip, can you

come here and clip

me together, I'm all

over the place.”

“No way,” remarked the

paper clip. “Clip your-

self together. I'm busy.”

“Doing what?” paper said.

“Look. I can't clip

you because I can't

move, OK?” said the

paper clip.

The teacher's hand

comes toward the

paper and paper clip.

She clips them together.

“Yay,” said the paper.

The paper clip said, “Ugh,

why do you always

get what you want?”

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Cody T.

One night Jupiter and Saturn

Started making fun of Pluto.

Jupiter said, “You're so small,

You could be a moon.” Pluto backed

Out of orbit. Pluto was floating

And Jupiter and Saturn thought

About playing baseball. They used

Some of Saturn's rings and

Straightened them out as the bat.

“Earth is first base,” called Jupiter.

“Venus is second,” said Saturn.

“Mercury is third base,” yelled Jupiter.

Pluto, with lots of fear, said, “Don't

Hurt me.” “Be quiet and enjoy your

Flight,” said Saturn with a grim look

On his surface. Just as he was

Going to pitch the Sun said, “Leave

Him alone.” They obeyed and they

Let Pluto go back into orbit.

Room Poems

This week, students read Weldon Kees' "Robinson." They were asked to describe things in and outside of Robinson's room, as well as how the poem made them feel. They were then asked to write their own room poems.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

My Room

Raymond A.

My room is the best place

to be in my home. It has a

certain feel to me. When I get

home from school I go to my

bed and relax, my entertainment

system is one of my joys. I

also like to draw there, the ideas

just start flowing.

My Room

Mariela B.

My room is very girly.

The walls are green & pink.

I painted them myself.

It isn't that big.

But it's the perfect size for me.

My room is very messy.

I like it like that.

Once it comes to cleaning my room it's

a drag because it takes forever.

One thing I love about my room

is I have huge mirrors.

It's awesome!

Somebody might not like my room

but I don't care, because it's me.

Untitled (Room Poem)

Tonya P.

This room is creepy, dirty,

smelly of course. It's my

brother's room.

Get ready, grab a sword

and shield for things

to appear.

Walking slowly in, holding

my breath, not sucking in

the toxic smell of week-

old laundry.

Tripping over many

objects, wait, over there,

are those pizza boxes?

I may be brave

but I won't go in that

cave.

His closet is a never-

ending pig sty.

I think I once saw

something move.

Don't even get me

started on what's

under his bed.

The Unknown Room

Federico V.

In the room there

is an old table. A couch

without anyone sitting on it. An

old TV with a broken bottom.

There's a picture of an

old skateboard. The fan's on

yet no one's there. The

room is silent, the only thing

you can hear is the outside

siren.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Untitled (Room Poem)

Matt A.

The pool is so deep and I lay

and enjoy. I look up and see the

large and bright lights, bubbles blowing over

me. The pool edge is narrow and calm.

Above me on the surface lays a large metal

can filed with pressurized air that helps

many to breathe. The smell of chlorine.

I see it all through my slightly fogged

mask.

A Dream Room

Leonardo B.

A leather couch that is a

skin tone color and very

comfy.

A flat screen TV the size

of the wall.

The speakers so loud they can

break a window.

The floor is all wood making

it fun to slide and fall on.

This Fish Is Good

Kevin L.

My kitchen smells of fish. The underside

of the pan is illuminated by the red &

blue flame. I listen to the fish cook,

the crackling gives me the signal that

my food is done. When I turn off the

fire under the pan, the room goes dark.

I sit down eating my fish in the

darkness thinking, this fish is good.

The Room of Water

Lily O.

The sound of running water.

The smell of chlorine fills your nose.

The floor soaking wet, trophies

decorating the wall.

Run! Jump! Splash! As the water

washes over the edge of the

pool.

The whistle fills the air

with ringing as the racers line

up ready to start the race.

Another whistle, then the

sound of cheering and splashes.

The clocks on the wall ticking

away the time till the next

whistle. The racers swimming as

if they were running on water.

Wanting to be part of the

cheering and laughter. Thoughts

of swimming and not being

part of it was making me feel lost.

Thinking of the referee, the flags

marking the edges of the pool

but knowing that I am 5,000

miles away.

My Room of Distraction

Oscar P.

My living room is important to me,

it's an area of entertainment.

TV, computer, and the Playstation

are great distractions, a real

area of interaction.

My TV is like a box with

moving images and color. Reflecting

pictures and scriptures, words

and realistic scenarios.

The chair where I sit in is

where I relax after a

hard day at school, studying

and doing work is what I do.

The Room

Jodi R.

The room color, white as snow.

Posters, pictures on one side.

Bland and dull the colors are.

The sun that wakes me

up for this mysterious day.

The bed where I dream

of a place I cannot remember.

The shelves full of books.

The floor, messy with clothes.

You cannot see the white carpet anymore.

The shelf of movies that I never watch.

The sadness and happiness within the

room, my memories that I can picture.

The room is my soul, the place where there

is peace.

It is the room of peace, the serenity in my soul.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Dream Room

Michael M.

I wish I had a room

of my own. My annoying sisters

just won't leave me alone.

If I had my own room

I'd have a lock. But my sisters

will always come to knock, knock.

But then I'd ignore and play

video games all day. Hopefully they

would just go away.

Boy I wish I had my dream room.

My Room

Samuel S.

My room is blue, glum,

sad, it's stuffed with

stuff I don't use or

maybe something I

lost

a place I can say

whatever I want

whenever. Nobody

can take my room.

It also has three windows

that work as clocks.

I go to sleep, the

bright sun shines in the

window which tells me

to get up.

My Classroom

Susanna S.

My classroom is big.

White wall, white ceiling.

Six windows, one door

and of course the floor

32 desks, 32 chairs.

Our special chairs

with tennis balls at the end.

A flag, straight and proud.

When it comes up,

we have to sing loud.

50 stars, 13 stripes.

A sink, a clock,

some books,

some pencils,

32 students,

and of course

a teacher.

No Room in Your Room

Cody T.

The wooden door stands before you.

You walk in and gasp in amazement.

The walls, each a different color.

Blue, red, green, yellow, sky blue.

To your right in one corner

Is an HD TV monitor and a

Stereo system with surround sound.

The carpet is light blue and a book shelf

Up against a wall with 100 books.

The closet is the size of a wall

With green shades. The desk is in

Front of a window with all the tools

To study and cats walk in and

Lay down on the bed.

It's late and

Four cats have conquered

Your bed. You lie down where you

Stand on a rug that says welcome.

Untitled (Room Poem)

Alexander V.

The computer left on

No one using it

The door closed

Everything is neat

As if on a grid

A TV is on a stand

The computer is on a desk

The bed is connected to the wall

This room looks good at it's best

There is a mirror in the room

It reflects everything

Everything looks perfect

Everything is clean

Someone finally enters

Light comes in

Everything looks perfect

The person that came

Finally grins.

In the Morning

Snow V.

In the morning.

Wake up. Open my eyes.

The sun goes up.

Saw myself in the mirror.

Sitting there.

The room is bright.

Then...

Walk around the room.

The white wall

the black bed, the black and white

room. With toys, games and a computer

and things I love in there.

With a table and books and

posters and clothes...

Introductions & Clothes Poems

Welcome to the McPherson Elementary Poetry blog! This is my first year at McPherson, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to post these examples of student writing on a regular basis, twenty weeks out of the year. I hope to present much of their work over the next six-plus months, along with links (as available) to the poems students are reading.

For our first week of classes, no poem was brought in for students to read. Instead, we discussed the Hands on Stanzas program, and what students knew -- if anything -- about writing poetry. Students were then asked to write a poem about the clothes they were wearing that day.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

My Jeans!

Alexsandria B.

My favorite jeans are so cute

With a cool variety of blue

Nice and flare

When I first saw it

I stared...

And said those are mine!

Fits with everything and...

Looks mighty fine!

I Hate My Uniform

Mayra H.

School uniform

I hate it

Yes! I do.

School uniform

keeps me locked,

I can't express myself,

and people can't see the true me.

A white collar shirt & blue jeans,

can it get any duller

than it's already been,

gray or white or maybe navy blue

is the only color you can wear

underneath.

Don't understand why we have

to wear it,

if it's boring and dull.

I want to be free

to express myself as I can be.

Everyone is different in one way or

the other,

but when we get to school,

we are dressed like one another.

So I'm writing this poem

to say one thing.

I hate my uniform

because it's just not me.

Untitled (Clothes Poem)

Diego T.

My shirt is very cool

I have to wear it in school.

My socks are very white

they look like they're light.

My shoes are very small

but I use them to kick a ball.

What I Wear to School

Airam V.

What I wear to school is very dull.

My shirt is white with no design

but it is still very dull.

What I wear to school is very dull.

My pants are somewhat fuzzy and

pockets don't have much space,

but it is still very dull.

What I wear to school is very dull.

The shoes I wear are just simply black

with no design.

I wish my shoelaces were at least white.

What I wear to school is very dull

but what I like is my hair

holder on the right.

So now I figured it out.

What I wear to school is not

that dull.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Untitled (Clothes Poem)

Alejandra B.

My thread bracelet that my little

sister made.

My purple gym shirt with big white

letters saying McPHERSON SCHOOL.

My white hoop earring that matches

my shirt.

My first communion and baptism necklace.

My white K-Swiss shoes.

My Mickey Mouse socks.

My purple see-through glittery clip.

Untitled (Clothes Poem)

Danielle B.

My gym shirt has the

words McPherson School.

I feel good when I wear

my jeans. I feel good

because they keep me warm.

My watch is pink

and it tells me what

time it is. My ring

is gold and it has

three hearts in

the middle.

My yellow

band is yellow

and it says Live Strong.

Untitled (Clothes Poem)

Daniel T.

My shoes are comfortable and new

I got them a few months ago

My jeans are clean

Everyone has seen

My shirt is white

It's in everyone's sight

My hair is gray

I used gray hair spray

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Untitled (Clothes Poem)

Agnes F.

Sometimes I hate the uniform.

You have to wear the same color

almost every day to school.

But sometimes I don't mind

the uniform because of my jeans

and my skating shoes. I like to

wear bracelets, and hair-bands.

I have a hair-band on with a frog

that my friend gave me.

Untitled (Clothes Poem)

Aidan K.

Today I am wearing

jeans and a white

polo shirt. My jeans

are too small and too

big. My shoes are fine

but the laces are really

long. My watchband is

kind of broken but the

timepiece still works.

The right nose piece

from my glasses is missing

but I am still in uniform.

Clothes

Ledio S.

I have my new shoes on today

They are two sizes too big

I bought them like that because

My mom says I grow like a tree

Why do I have to wear a uniform

It's the same thing every day

White shirt, blue jeans

It gets pretty boring this way

But the weekend finally comes

We are free for two more days