Collaborative Poems

For our last class before the holiday and new year break, I wanted to try something that would (hopefully) be fun. We read several two-line poems from Joshua Beckman & Matthew Rohrer's collaborative book, Nice Hat. Thanks, and talked a bit about the process the two poets used when writing poems together. Students then counted off, and were put in groups based on their number. Each wrote three starting lines for as many separate poems, passing them on to others in their group, who added their own lines, creating a series of short group poems. Students were encouraged to think fast, and make "sense" only if they wanted to, or could.

Here are two* poems apiece from each group in every class.

Ms. Barreda, 8th Grade

Anthony B., Jorge L., Jonathan P., Kevin R., Diego T., Federico V.

Blue

Is really cool.

Blue is also very cruel.

Blue is like glue

is like the sky.

It's OK green I like more.

When I draw it's like I have no cares

because you are concentrated.

Teach me how to draw.

I get tired of drawing.

I trace.

I also trace with my left

Alexandra B., Jose L., Maydali S., Diego V., Ismael V., Oscar V.

Night Ministry

brings tooth paste and tooth brushes

brings soap

help

they need you.

Be generous.

Oscar walking down the street.

Under the black night sky.

Trying to hide

from

me

Ismael.

Jessica G., Rubisel L., Jessica M., Stephanie P., Tonya P.

I feel like dancing.

I feel like sleeping.

I feel like sleeping, too.

I want to go to parties.

What are we waiting for, let's get started

let's jump around the world.

I'm bored.

I play with my pen waiting for it to do something.

I poke my brother.

It's so funny.

Play a game.

I'm still bored.

Miguel A., Mariela B., Rolando C., Lucero G., Ulysses G., Jorge R.

Music is in the room

the station is on B96

the song is coming out.

It's my favorite song

makes us happy.

I wish I had my two front teeth.

You can

swim to the other side of earth

I know you can do it.

Believe in yourself and you'll go far

work really hard.

But what if I can't?

Katherine D., Mayra H., Airam V., Marco Q., Edgar T.

The butterfly

looks pretty

I'm

nice

doesn't really talk a lot

to my sister.

Love is

intelligent

misfortunate.

Life will take

time

to make me depressed.

Mrs. Turk, 7th Grade

Leslie H., Amanda M., Lily O., Vanessa P., Jodi R., Tyler T.

hats

won't fit my head

I kind of like them

hathead

I love hats! You?

Won't fit, have a big head.

Do you have a dog?

I don't know, do you?

Not yet

had one, hopefully I get another one.

Nope, but I want one

yes, yes I do.

Ana A., Jessica G., Emily L., Oscar P., Victoria R., Frida T.

I owe

me money

I forgot to pay me

last night.

A pencil

sharpened nicely.

It was raining

yesterday

the day before

today

wow

inside my house

Alejandra B., Leonardo B., Danielle B., Erika C., Laesha R., Morgan R.

stars

up so high in the sky

high high high up

OK

up in the sky

they look like they can fly

Soccer.

We're at

Winnemac Park.

Such a tiring game, for real.

Oh I really don't like soccer.

I think it's fun but the game is over.

Raimundo C., Dezarai G., Jose M., David R., Alma R., Jasmine S.

The lonely dog

weeped loudly

ate food

looked at people

was sad

BORING!

Run down a hill

fall on the grass

and laugh out loud

and scream I love Chris Brown

and roll

jump and hurt myself and laugh.

Julissa A., Matt A., Jose J., Kevin L., Daniel T.

wet water

isn't dry

is slippery

of course

is still water

is wet

Broken computer

does not work

in da trash

works just fine

is worthless

take it apart

Ms. Touras, 6th Grade

Ruben D., Alondra F., Joyce J., Rafael J., Alyssa L., Neisha R.

The car is red and old and slow.

Going fast is a challenge

zooming by

yeah it goes fast

like a snail.

It needs help.

Bowl of pudding

tastes good.

I guess it's good

is good.

It's bad for your heart.

Bowl of pudding.

Rubyela J., Elik J., James L., Victor N., Jonathan T.

The best day ever

has already ended

it's the coolest day.

Birthday.

De lovely.

Very exciting.

Death

died

scary

lovely (not).

Wish it could happen!!!! (to me)

Is what happens to humans.

Danielle D., Enrique Q., Desiree R., Samuel S., Cody T.

Be polite

friend

good

don't call people names

have manners

if you be polite you will have a friend

Look what I took.

What is it?

I took a pen

?

What

I took a library book!

Fernando B., Aidan K., Michael M., Abigail P., Juliana V.

Things to do when you are done

is chew gum

or play games on your phone

till it breaks

or discharges

or you are bored playing it.

Tree

birds

leaves

branches

smell

fresh.

John A., Agnes F., Ledio S., Susana S., Snow V.

Water feels like

wind.

I like to swim in water,

in the summer.

I like to go

somewhere full of water.

Come back to life

dead zombies

but not today

come next year

not today

not ever 

The newspaper

is here

what can I do?

It is boring.

I don't want to read

this bad newspaper.

* a third poem is here for this group, whose work was so excellent

Color Poems

Brazilian poet, Adelia Prado, writes passionately and intensely about the color "Purple," sometimes using it in unusual ways. After I read Prado's poem in English, a student read it in Portuguese; students were asked which words 'sounded' more purple to them -- "purple," "morado" or "púrpura" -- and which version of the poem they preferred, regardless of whether they understood it in Portuguese. We discussed parts of speech and personification as well. Students were then asked to write their own poems, using a favorite color in as many ways as possible.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

Red

Rolando C.

Red is on my mind.

Red starts with two persons.

Red goes straight to the heart.

Red is like blood.

When someone bleeds.

Red is like love.

When two people are in love.

When a guy brings red roses to

a girl, when he tells her that

he likes her, that he's in love

with her.

Red is when somebody

hurts you.

When somebody makes you cry.

Red is like you.

Red is like your heart.

When you die you wouldn't

have no more red in your

life.

Red is like happiness.

White

Tonya P.

The life of a pure

soul.

The white light of heaven.

A single piece of perfect

love.

The other half of yin and

yang.

The color of a peaceful dove.

Warm cotton blanket

that protects me from

the dark.

The happiness that gives

me a smile on my face.

Blue

Edgar T.

Blue is a very beautiful color,

as bright as the sky, beautiful like

it. When I think or see the color

blue, it really gets my attention.

It's bluetiful.

When the color blue is mixed

it may get me a little more attention.

The color blue is a color everyone

would probably love. It brings light,

passion.

Blue is my favorite color

to think of, see.

Black

Diego V.

Black is my room

not only because of

the color of the

walls but because

of the memories.

The memories are

bright just like

the color red.

I've been through

blue and red memories

that I just can't forget.

I wish I could change

someday from black and

red to blue someday.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Red

Erika C.

Red is

my heart

and it

looks like

a heart

and I

love red

because

the rose

is red.

Pink

Leslie H.

It's the color of the sky at 5 o'clock

when the sun sets in mid summer.

It's the color of a baby's cheeks.

It's my favorite color.

It's the color of my cousin's face when she

blushes.

It's the color of my iPod.

It's the feeling I have when my

heart is dancing.

It's the inside of a strawberry and the

color of cotton candy.

It's the color of my closet, the color

of my room and the color of my bed.

It's everything I just said.

Blue

Jeremy M.

Blue is the color of the

sky that goes

over our heads.

And the waters

below the surface

we stand on.

Blue.

Blue is the

color of day

and color

of thoughts.

It calms down all

of your problems.

It drifts

you out of

the world

to a world of peace.

Nothing to worry about

and be scared of, the color

blue.

Black

Lily O.

Black is the goddess of darkness.

It follows you to the park.

It is not afraid to show itself in broad daylight.

It mimics you in front of the sun.

It follows you into the night.

Night blackens the sky and reveals

the true nature of glittering diamonds far above

the head. Black wears the stars to show the world

that she is wealthy.

Black is the shadow that never leaves

you alone.

Shadow comforts you when you are lonely,

it is your best friend.

Black absorbs heat to keep you warm

even though the sound, Black, is cold and lonely.

It tries to comfort, even when it's lonely.

Black chooses people to comfort, you choose

Black to be your friend.

Green

Alma R.

Green is everywhere

The sound of it rustles with the wind

The grass greens in spring

A leaf greens across the car

Lingers on the window.

I see a green walk in the hall

It waves at me.

I see someone green as they put on

their sweater.

The leg greens as it is bruised

When I was running through the field

And green as I fall on the grass.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Yellow

Fernando B.

The sun is yellow like a

light bulb

A banana is yellow like a

taxi

The protractor is also yellow

like my pencil

My folder is yellow like my

science project board

The sun makes heat just

like the light bulb in your

house

My favorite color is yellow

I like yellow because

he is so helpful

Blue

Elik J.

Blue, its surface is

soft and it feels slow, feeling

blue all around as if blue were

the earth, going round and round, spinning.

Like a jolt of sorrow, it goes

from place to place, going around.

The My Color Town is Change in Clock

Victor N.

So this is my town my town

is always change in like

two o clock is purple. Today my

town clock right now one o clock

is white one hour later is

two o clock is red one hour more

is three o clock is purple one

hour more four o clock is

yellow one hour more is five

o clock is green one hour more

six o clock is orange one hour more

is seven o clock is blue one

hour more is eight o clock is

black one more is nine o clock is

black and white one hour more

is ten o clock is red and green

one more hour it was eleven o clock

it's yellow and blue one hour

more it was twelve o clock it was

rainbow.

White

Juliana V.

As peaceful as a sunny day.

As calm as the morning sun.

Like a big blanket of snow.

No color just blank.

No thought,

relaxing in peaceful white

never there but always close.

A friend of yours no one can see

so shy it never shows

so clean and calm,

timid, never showing but always there.