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. Barreda, 8^th Grade

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Angel G.

Eyes are like a camera,

every time you blink it's like taking a picture,

every time that happens it's like a reminder of

something, when you want to look at something

your eyes help you keep the image in mind.

Little Chubby Pinkie

Mayra H.

It's smaller

and fatter

and cuter than anyone else's.

It's like a little sausage

that's so adorable and small.

People might say

ah it's the last finger and it's always left out.

Well not in my case.

Everyone loves it

like a little fat kid

likes pie.

One person that I know

loves my pinkie

is Jorge L., and that's alright.

He's always making fun of the fact

that my pinkie

is fat.

Compare it to anyone else's

pinkie, mine is left

out, so it just curves in my hand

like a little dog in the rain and pouts.

Just because

it's my little chubby pinkie.

A Day as the Real Me

Stephanie P.

Today I wake up and look in

the mirror: I'm not me, I only

see the inside of me, the bones

that hold me up. Today I walk

on the streets, everyone sees me

who I am.

Weird but cool, I see what I'm

made of. I see my arms, the way

my fingers look, my legs, then I

look more deep: I see my heart,

it's as red as an apple, it's as big

as it too or even bigger.

Then I look at my ribs, wow,

so cool, that's what keeps my

upper body and lower body together.

I look one more time in the

mirror. Thanks to all this I have

I'm up and can keep on walking.

I wake up today. I'm me with

skin. I go to school, start writing

and thank my fingers and legs

that keep me going.

Mustache

Marco Q.

I am small, and downy.

I am barely growing.

But I will soon be full.

All of me is like a baby's skin,

smooth and soft.

But I will be rough and tough soon.

Until then I will grow.

Then there will be a day when I am no more.

But I will come again.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Oscar P.

The brain is a very complex

concept to learn, keeping memory stored

like a flash drive or memory stick.

Looking back at the best moments like

a DVD player. Keeping track

of work like an agenda.

Looking back and reading like

a book.

The brain is our hard drive,

a CPU. Without it I don't

know what I would do.

The brain helps us think,

helps us learn, keeping data

like a computer.

The Face

David R.

The face is an exciting part of the

body. It's like glue. It has two eyes, to

see, a mouth, to talk, a nose, to smell

and two ears so you can listen. It is

also a part that you have to protect when

you're in a match because if you don't

you won't look the same. You'll have two

purple eyes, one bloody nose and mouth and

when you're finished with the match you

get up and are stumbling to the ground

so the match is over and you have lost

not only the fight but

the shape of your face.

Everlasting Beat

Jodi R.

Drumming drumming

I feel so calm

I can feel the tempo

Slow but steady

Then I get nervous

My heart gets louder

The tempo gets faster

Beating so fast

Can't believe

It goes so fast like a roaring car

Then my heart

Slows back down

It's so slow a turtle

Can win in a race with my heart

I start to sleep

Then I hear my last beat

They try to wake me up

But it's no use

My heart is dead

I'm gone

I'm sucked from the world

My heart gone

I'm gone

My body is gone

I keep hearing my last

Beat

Nonstopping

Kept playing like

a broken record machine

beat, beat, beat

beat . . . .

It's an everlasting

beat . . .

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Fingerprint

Ruben D.

The fingerprint is like a rope with

different patterns on it. And when you move it

it's like moving the rope. And your

fingerprint is a land to you but you

don't know what's happening right at this

minute. It could be peace there or an evil

war there. That way I like and feel

like an old old man. When I take a shower

and when I get out I become an old

man.

The Brain

Rafael J.

I wonder what happens in

there if there is a party? When

I get scared that happens? When

I have fun does my brain get

upset or does it get angry? When I am

sad does it have fun? I wonder?

When I think about what I am

going to be when I grow

up does my brain get annoyed?

When I just think does my

brain send messages? When I

talk does my brain tell me

what to say? I will never

know what my brain does.

Bye-Bye

Cody T.

Sitting over a bucket as if to vomit

Nothing

Go to the doctor

Emergency

I feel like I'm old

I'm in a wheelchair

Lots of pain

Hard to breathe

Getting poked in the gut

By many doctors

Got a CAT scan

Thought a cat would scan

Drug injection

Feeling tired

On the 9^th floor

For two weeks

One night

Constant vomiting

The stomach acid

That's inside of me

Go to school

No stairs or heavy objects

Now I'm back to life

Thanksgiving Poems

Holidays provide an easy reference point for poetry ideas. This week, with Thanksgiving around the corner, 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 Thanksgiving themes.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

Thanksgiving
Rubisel L.

Thanksgiving is a holiday
that me and my family
celebrate. Thanksgiving
is something to eat.

When it's Thanksgiving my
family goes to my aunt's house
to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Every Thanksgiving we eat a
turkey and we go to my
aunt's house.

On Thanksgiving my
family stays up until midnight.
When it's Friday my family calls
us to go eat turkey at their house.

My Thanksgiving
Stephanie P.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving don't know
what to do. Before my whole family and I
got together we all pitched in to make
the food. It was great even though sometimes
we had fights and either me or my
sister end up being mad the whole night but
at the end we were still family. Then
we all sit down and eat. By the end
of the night everyone would go home,
we had finished eating, watching movies
and talking. Wow I never knew how
before my Thanksgiving was so wonderful.
Now hopefully we could do the same thing
this year.

Give Thanks on Thanksgiving
Maydali S.

In my family we
celebrate Thanks-
giving. Not with
turkey because I
don't like it. One
day I had a night-
mare with a
turkey. I dreamed
that once I
was eating turkey
on Thanksgiving Day
and I dreamed that
while I was eating
turkey, the turkey
started to talk to
me and I got so
scared about that
stupid turkey that
I never wanted
to eat it again.
Every time when my
mom is making the
turkey and my mom
asks me to help her,
I always answer, “No
thanks I'm OK.” Every
time when my mom
asks me that question
the turkey talks to
me and he says, “Come
on, Maydali, come
enjoy me.” I get
so nervous that I
say to the turkey,
“Be quiet, stupid
turkey, I am only going
to see you until
tonight, then you're
going to be in the
stomach of everyone.”

Thanksgiving Food
Edgar T.

The Thanksgiving food, turkey, salad,
soon, it is very good when this celebration comes
around that time of year.

Kids are playing, hungry, parents and
older kids are watching the game, friends
and family join as they all pray, then eat
their delicious food. After they had their
Thanksgiving food,

all have given thanks. That's
what this celebration is about.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Bob the Turkey
Julissa A.

Thanksgiving is the worst holiday for me
I get caught
then chopped
what kind of life
is that?
Why can't you people eat ham
or pizza?
It would taste better
than me.
I promise.
I'm just a baby turkey
named Bob.

Untitled (Thanksgiving Poem)
Ana A.

Turkey turkey
everybody wants
to eat, but what
I like about
Thanksgiving is
almost all my
family is together.
We're having fun.
We get to give thanks
for everything we
have.
We eat apple pie, soda.
Oh my god and the
best turkey is
what everybody
loves to eat.

Happy Thanksgiving
Emily L.

I can so tell
the day is here,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The sound of the timer
going off to let us know
the turkey is done,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The sound of the knife, going
up & down, cutting the vegetables,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The smell of the pumpkin pie,
the smooshy sound of the
mash potatoes & I would name them
but it'll take up sooo much space,
Happy Thanksgiving!

And lastly the big juicy turkey,
we all gather around the
table, thinking what fight is going
to happen this year, who gets
to cut the turkey & who
gets to brave the wish bone,
Happy Thanksgiving!

I look and even with
all the commotion going
on, I'm oh so grateful
for another weird, funny,
happy, cheerful
Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!
Victoria R.

We arrive at my aunt's. I
smell the turkey she's
cooking, the potatoes she's
peeling, so I guess it's time
to wait for dinner. So there
I am watching TV and
I hear the
yelling of my name. I set
the table. We get ready
to eat and
then we all eat. So there we
are, eating on Thanksgiving night,
where it is quiet, no loud
noises in sight.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Thanksgiving
Juan C.

When it comes to
Thanksgiving I
don't like the
turkey, I hate it.

I don't like it
because it looks ugly
and tastes so nasty that
I don't even want
to look at it.

So when it comes
to turkey I just
pass on my plate
to someone else
who wants it.

And then I will
eat something else
that is good like sour candy.

Big Stomach
Joyce J.

I get a big stomach on
Thanksgiving. Never in my life
have I eaten so much.

The dishes are filled with
turkey and sometimes they are
filled with beef jerky.

My favorite is mashed potatoes
with gravy on top, other times it's
hard to wait until they are
ready.

That's a big meal but on Thanks-
giving it's not, it's a perfect day
to eat.

Untitled (Thanksgiving Poem)
Elik J.

As we leave
our mom calls us
to get the food

and the drinks so
we could leave,
leave because it is

Thanksgiving. We leave
to the house of
my uncle, kids are

playing, adults talk by
the food. We gather
around the table, we all

pray and give thanks. As we
leave, as I sit thinking of
all the food, the turkey, the gravy,
the family, the colors, green, red,

blue; as I sit I wonder what
will happen next time
we go; but I

will miss the white
meat, covered in silver,
I hope I will

remember this, I hope
next time will be the
same.

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. Barreda, 8^th Grade

Ode to Cars

Miguel A.

I open my

window, looking outside

seeing thousands of cars,

thinking when am I going to

have one, looking at those

cars that look like

ants running, big places

to sit, big places to

drive, it's funny when

you see someone drive.

Walking out in the street

counting all those cars,

color after color, it's fun

when you see a car, looking

at the wheels, how they

go so fast.

I see all those big cars

that look like houses,

you don't think it's a

house, the place

with seats around one strong

machine, the make, the

place to move, with

lights in front and back

they help you see

in the dark.

The big machine

with all that

is something

I like and

is called a car.

Ode to Pizza (Pizza Hut)

Anthony B.

The melted

cheese

goes along with

the pepperoni,

the warm crust,

cheese on top,

with pepperoni,

the crunchy crust,

the cheese in

your mouth burning

your tongue, the pepperoni

being spicy,

the crust

tasting good,

becoming hard and

crunchy as it is

while it's cold,

the sauce red

and good tasting,

you want soda,

the pizza almost

over but when

it is you'll

want another

slice!

Ode to Oreos

Angel G.

Ode to Oreos,

it fills my stomach with milk,

I would wear pajamas of Oreos,

I would want shoes too,

it's so soft when you dip it in milk,

I like to eat the cream first,

then the cookie,

I would want a bag a week.

Ode to a Guitar

Lucero G.

Sitting in your case,

just waiting for

someone to pick you

up.

You're so pink and

shiny.

Your strings run

from top to

bottom.

Your sound is so

relaxing.

It's like you were

a star outshining

all the other ones.

I saw you every

day when I

was walking by

the store,

but now I am

surprised to have

you in my hands

learning how to

play you.

I hope one day

you're a star one

day.

Ode to the Motorcycle

Jonathan P.

Among the streets,

there's a two wheeled

bike with a motor

inside of it,

there's a light in the

front and in the

back, the motorcycle

is just a bike

but with a

motor, it's not

a normal bike

where you pedal,

this bike you

just twist the

handle and off

you go. When

you're on the

street with this

bike it's like

you have

the

permission to

drive a car.

When you're on

the motorcycle

you have to be

focused and keep your

mind on the road.

When I get on

the motorcycle

I don't think about

anything else.

When I'm on

the motorcycle

I like the

feeling of being

on a motorcycle,

I like the

sound of it and

the design and

the motor of it.

Ode to Hot Chips

Jorge R.

I love hot chips

the smell of hot chips

makes me hyper.

There's other brands

like Doritos, Ruffles, and Funyuns

but still I love hot chips.

In my mouth it seems there's

a party inside every time

I try one. Every time I

taste the very first hot chip

of a bag it tastes so good.

Some people don't like hot chips

because they're not machito enough

to eat them. I love hot chips.

Some people think they're spicy

but to me, no they're not. One

day I wish I owned the hot

chip factory. I love hot chips.

Ode to Basketball

Kevin R.

When the ball bounces

it just gives me

a good feeling inside

as if I just

went to space or something.

When I shoot

the ball and make it

I feel good

again

and

when I

miss I

still feel good

inside just

thinking

that I had tried

to make

it.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Ode to Me

Viridiana H.

Walking down the

street,

I see people

looking at me.

Well that's a normal

thing. When people

look at me as you

can see I love me.

Some of the things I

like about me is that

I'm fun to be with and I

like Barney. I like to go out

and see different

things I have never

seen, go shopping, and getting

people mad at me. But some

of the things I hate about

me is that I'm

always forgetting things,

also that I hate me.

I think that's all I love and

hate about me. So what

about you, what do you

like about me?

Ode to Baseball

Jose J.

Baseball is the best

invention ever invented.

The ball is coming,

you swing the bat, hit

the ball, you better

run fast. They catch

the ball, you are

out, the next batter

is up, he hits the

ball, it's a home-

run, he runs around

the bases, touches

home plate, it's a

walk-off, we win

the game.

Ode to My Guitar

Jose M.

I love the way it sounds

and that every time I play

it the volume is

so loud

and that when

I hold a note

it screams loudly

and I love the

way that it

sounds hardcore

metal

and even though I'm

only 12 I can

play my guitar

really good

and I will

never forget

the make

Gibson guitar

and I will also

never forget

the name

I named my

guitar, Jack.

Ode to My Video Games (PSP)

David R.

After a hard day at school,

when I get home

especially on Friday

I come home tired

from all the work

in school but there's

always something that

cheers me up...my

PSP. When I get home

I do my homework and

then it's off to play

my PSP. It shines in

the light, it's

black all around and

the screen is clean.

When you start playing

time goes by pretty

fast. My mom comes

in and tells me that it's

time to stop so I put

it to charge for the next

hard day in school.

Ode to Air Force Ones

Tyler T.

You can wear

them they

can be different

colors and sizes

they will match

your clothes and

they are in style

they are comfortable

you can get

different designs

on them and

you can put shoe

polish on them

so they can be

shinier

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Ode to a Pencil

John A.

Oh pencil,

life is hard

without you.

You write my

answers and

you erase my

problems.

You might

look at the

answers that

I told you

to write.

In you go,

into a

sharpener,

sharpening

your blade of might.

You fight

with paper

and win.

You're made

of wood

and sometimes

plastic too.

The secret

weapon is

a piece of lead,

leaving the black

stain everywhere.

Ode to a Tree

Danielle D.

Tree,

It is an important part

Of the world.

Without it people

Would starve to death.

Anything you eat has

Chemicals in it,

Especially food

That is in cans.

All around you,

Trees are what you see.

Without trees,

You will get sun burns

Because nothing is shading you

Under the sun.

Trees,

They are important to the world.

Trees,

You'll never get bored of them.

Because of trees,

We have paper

To write on.

If we didn't have

Trees,

Our cars are gonna be hot

When you let it sit there

For about five hours and your seat is leather

Your bottom will really burn.

I like trees

Because there are a lot

Of different kinds of trees,

Like an Apple tree.

When you look through your window,

What do you see?

Lots of trees.

When you look through a car window,

What will you see?

Trees of course.

Every country

In the world

Has a lot of trees.

Why not plant and water trees?

Ode to a Toy

Alondra F.

Among the store it

is sitting there

glowing, shining,

sitting in a nice, clean

spot, all by itself,

waiting for some-

one to go

pick it up!

It's all alone

with no one!

Begging for someone

to buy it. I

take a step forward

to the glowing, sparkling

toy. I have it in

my hands and

now this

toy is

all mine.

Time Poems

Since this past weekend was the end of daylight savings time, I brought in Joyce Sutphen's wonderful poem, "Book of Hours." In the poem, 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 clocks, time travelers, 100 years old, could stop time, and so on. Here are some of their amazing responses!

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

Untitled (Time Poem)

Lucero G.

An hour back is today, it feels so weird

the nights feel like they would never end.

It's dark by five o'clock, it feels the sun

will never come.

On the hour the sun raised I went to

a beautiful place. The sun goes down so

fast I can't even enjoy the day.

The hour from five o'clock and six o'clock it gets

dark.

I walk through night just thinking about things.

Those hours were very thoughtful hours.

But hours seem so short and sometimes

long.

Untitled (Time Poem)

Jose L.

There's always an hour to remember,

the time with your friends,

skating and hanging out all day,

down by Lake Michigan at the Wilson Skate Park.

And also that hour down town,

with the new guy from Philly,

skating at City Hall with the crew,

it was funny how we didn't get kicked out.

Another fun hour was at Thresh Skate Shop,

me, Tony and Rudy,

Glomb, Bam and Missy,

it was such a fun hour,

kids, skateboards and cameras.

Through My Eyes

Jorge L.

Everything is flashing

before my eyes. I see

the war in Iraq.

I see Spongebob

playing with Patrick. I

see Barry Bonds hitting

the home run to make

history. I see Kelso

making out with Jackie.

I see Homer thinking

about food in his

dreams. I see a family

eating at Thanksgiving...

Is that my family or

is that the Brady Bunch?

Anyway I have to stop

flipping through the channels

on the TV. I've wasted three hours

flipping through them.

TIME IS FAST

Ismael V.

Time is very fast.

I wake up in the morning,

go to school, come out,

and it's already 9 o'clock.

I feel like sometimes time is so short

and I want to do a lot of things

but I can't,

tell people that I like how I feel

about them,

like the girl I love I would like

to tell her “I love you” but

then the time is over.

I HOPE EVERYONE

could say what they want to

say so when we die, we die

relaxed.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Time

Julissa A.

Tick-tock

Time slowly passes

One minute after another

Feels like years until one hour passes by

I'm so tired

All I ask is for time to go faster

Please?

Slow

Raimundo C.

The time goes by

very slow for once I

can hear myself

think so I know time

is going by slow. I get

very tired and bored I could

sleep and you guys won't even

hear a snore. I get so

bored I will decide to

snore. Because time is

going by real slow.

Wake Up!

Jessica G.

It's 6:00 AM,

“Wake up!” I say. These

people stay sleeping.

“Wake up!” I say. Do

I have to throw some-

thing at you? Wait. I

can't. I'm a clock.

“Wake up!” I say. “Yeah,

keep on snoring!”

“Wake up!” I say.

I turn on the AM

radio. Country music.

I turn it off.

“Wake up!” I say. I decide

not to work. I turn off.

Oh great. You're awake.

Untitled (Time Poem)

Lily O.

a day in a new country,

a new house, a new family,

and new faces

a day in the ER, with a broken arm

not even bothering to think, how painful

it is and wondering what's going on in school

a day in China, climbing, falling,

enjoying the view from one of

the watch towers at the Great Wall of

China, wondering how it would feel to

fall off the edge of the wall, and

gazing in awe at one of the seven wonders

of the modern world

the day, climbing up a mountain, feeling

like I'm flying, feeling the wind on my

face, and tangling my hair

one day in school, waiting for another

adventure to enter my life

Tick-Tock Hurry Up

Laesha R.

Tick-tock hurry up

I really wanna

be 15. Every day

I go to

sleep and picture

that I am 15.

Can't wait till the

time comes, oh boy, oh boy

hurry up! I look at the

clock while it goes all

around and wonder why it

goes so slow. Does my

clock even work?

How many hours till that

day? How many minutes

till that hour?

Untitled (Time Poem)

Morgan R.

When we play out on the

playground time flies fast.

But when we take

a test time is slow like as

if the clock will not go.

The time is so slow. We

try to make it go

but it won't move not

even an inch. We all shout

out go go go but it

is too slow it will not

go

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

If

Danielle D.

If I am a clock,

People would look at me every minute

Because if they don't

People who have appointments

Would be late

And they would

Have to wait

If I could travel

To the future

I would want to see

What I've become,

If I'm rich or poor,

If I'm a musician or not,

If I'm a loser or a winner.

But I really want to see

That I'm a rich woman

When I grow up.

A Normal Day

Alyssa L.

There was a day, I

saw a dog that zoomed past

me so fast that it got

cold. I looked at the sky,

the clouds were going so

slow. The clocks going

so fast. People running

on the tracks faster than

lightning. You see the trees

going back and forward.

The waves getting bigger

and bigger. The sea getting

deeper and deeper. That is

a normal day.

Untitled (Time Poem)

James L.

There was a minute where

my mom was telling me

that we just bought a restaurant.

There was an hour

where I saw my friend

training in kung-fu.

There was an hour

when my friend's dog

chased me around, teeth

ready to bite and tiring

me out.

Untitled (Time Poem)

Enrique Q.

It was that time 5:00 PM.

It's finally here, winter.

Jump in the snow, play around.

Hours pass, autumn is here.

The leaves falling. They look

so wonderful. Falling and falling.

I notice it is September,

back to school. Homework,

projects, so much work.

Time goes very fast when

you are having.

Just Stop the Time!

Susana S.

Tick, tock, tick, tock,

stop! If time could

just stop.

No more rush,

no more worry.

Just stop the time.

Do what you want

whenever you want,

you pick out the time.

Just stop the time.

Take your time,

or just rush,

you will never

choose wrong.

Just stop the

time.

No more clocks,

no more alarms,

no more 24 hours,

no more 60 minutes.

Just stop the time.

You never have

to rush,

you never have

to finish. Sleep

at morning,

do what you

want at night.

Come on,

please just.....

stop the time!

Everyone's Clock

Juliana V.

Its eyes wide open from a deep sleep

shining down at us from above

telling us to wake from our deep slumber.

Setting down, saying goodbye, smiling at us

a beautiful sight to remember forever

as he goes on a trip, eyes half open.

Now completely closed, tired from shining

and smiling, the sun goes to bed and

all turns dark as he says goodnight.