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.