Imagism, Minimalism, Objectivism, Haiku

This week, we read three poems by 18th century Japanese poet and painter, Yosa Buson: "Coolness," "Early Summer Rain," and "Sparrow Singing." Then we looked at William Carlos Williams' classic minimalist poem, "The Red Wheelbarrow." Students were asked what these four poems had in common, and in what ways were they different? Some were familiar with haiku, but instead of sticking with the traditional haiku syllabic formula, students were encouraged to write poems that created a simple, but evocative image in the mind of the reader, in three lines with no more than five words per line.

There were many terrific responses to this idea -- here's a selection.

Ms. Barreda, 8th Grade

Snow
Raymond A.

snow falls like a feather
to earth and is as
soft as a cloud

Black Horse
Jose L.

The black horse
runs alone
on its path.

The Shadow
Jorge L.

The shadow –
six more weeks of
winter.

Little Sparrow
Tonya P.

Little sparrow in the cage
open the door
and watch it soar

Empty Desk
Marco Q.

Empty desk.
Empty chair.
Alone.

Oreo
Airam V.

a cookie
white
a cookie

Mrs. Turk, 7th Grade

Time
Julissa A.

Clock ticking –
ever so slowly
ever so slowly

White Snow
Mayra A.

White snow,
on top of trees, grass.
Beautiful flakes.

Raining Inside
Ana A.

Raining inside
the room, everything
wet.

Kettle on Stove
Leonardo B.

burning
ringing
oh it's done

Snow
Dezarai G.

Bright as sun
wet and icy
white and cold

Bat
Jose J.

sound of the bat
hitting the ball,
CRACK!

Butterfly
Lily O.

Colors –
flood the air and sky
in its wings

Reflection
Oscar P.

reflection of the
new iPod
shiny.

Fall Leaves
Jodi R.

red orange brown
dancing around
in the air having fun

Ms. Touras, 6th Grade

Penguins
Delia D.

waddling in the snow
so slow, so mute
watching them play all day

The Sun
Delilah D.

Yellow and bright
it hurts your
sight.

Roller Coaster
Agnes F.

goes up and down
and around
not wanting to stop

The Tree
Abigail P.

The tree covered with snow.
Hummingbirds standing on the
tree.

A Chair
Samuel S.

A chair
rocking
happy

Snowfall
Ledio S.

Little tiny pieces
piling on the ground
can't count them all

Teardrop
Alex V.

Teardrops falling –
the cloud's tears
dripping.