Music Poems

For this week's class, we worked on one of my favorite poetry ideas. First, we read "Two Guitars" by Victor Hernández Cruz and discussed its meaning: who (or what) is talking in the poem, and what are they saying? How does music express emotions, and create images in our minds? Each class room listened to an instrumental song chosen randomly, with students individually making lists of words or phrases describing the music they heard to be used in their poems. Click on the links to hear the songs students heard while composing their poems.

Ms. Barreda, 8th Grade

Poems Inspired by “Mondsee Variations III” by Paul Bley



It feels like we were dancing forever
Just thinking of old happy memories
Feeling confused and awkward...scared
But excited at the same time
Anxious for what to happen next
Why all these feelings I'm feeling all
At the same time?
Alexsandra B.

Hurrying train
Going to a crash,
With ghosts inside
Hoping they won't die.

Bad souls are happy,
Trying to kill them all
And trap their souls inside.

Time is too short,
Going to a crash,
Hearts pounding fast.

Then it came...
The crash they couldn't avoid.
Bad souls enjoyed and celebrated,
People inside – dead, breathless,
Full of blood.
Souls coming off from their body
Trapped in the train full of souls.
Katherine D.

When the piano plays
the piano starts to ask himself
“What is happening to me?”
While the piano plays the roses
start to grow and they are
full of tears.

The piano and the roses are not
strong, because they're getting
old.
Until their color goes away.
And when the music stops.
The world is going to end.
Jessica G.

In love
love & hate
kill you
selfish betrayal
angry
unknown
don't know why?

Mr. Rogers
died
just found out
now!

I'm sorry
broken heart
in love
envy

Quiet
silence
again

Angels
from the heavens
going to hell!

Betrayal
lost
sad

jealous
Passion
& envy
all together!

ta-da ta-da
tawn-tawn
la-la-la
music class

tired
yawning
sleepy
bored

Hyper
laughing
happy
smiles
Ha-ha
Mayra H.

I see him sitting there playing
people seem to like both him and
his playing he plays his piece with
such passion that we could see what
he's feeling I see him as feeling sad
he uses all his skills and this
piece to get his sadness and anger
out I sit there waiting for him to
finish his piece
every Friday I go there and eat
waiting for him to start playing
and finish his piece
once again he plays with such
passion.
Stephanie P.

Slowly you fall
from the heavens.
You've rained on my day.
Lonely child sitting on the
couch, near the fire.
Is playing outside
your desire?
A rain coat, don't you have one?
Why not put it on.
The dryer you say.
What a miserable day.
Tonya P.

Some person is thinking serious,
he stops, and looks outside, he wonders
what to do, I would think he's depressed,

He drives slowly, then stops,
then fast, then doesn't stop driving,

Last he walks toward the bridge,
then he feels useless, he gets on the
bridge, long way down, he speaks, he
jumps off.
Edgar T.

They thought they were in control
The couple was dancing
Their feet were moved by the piano's strings
Like a puppet without a mind

Their emotions are moving like an earthquake
It's dark, the sidewalk is bare
They feel that the piano expresses their emotions

Her husband's strings are now broken
The rim of her dress going around and around
She comes to a stop
Looks at the piano, sits on the bench

And starts playing
Then she fades away like a black and white movie
Airam V.

They tell him “Run for your life”
as the mouse tries to run
away from the creepy cat.
The mouse hides, the cat searches.
As the mouse tiptoes to find the
way out he sees the cat at
the door. The cat says “You
can run but you can't hide.”
The mouse gets away safely.
Diego V.

Mrs. Turk, 7th Grade

Poems Inspired by “DLK” by Deluxe Leisure King



Driving down a highway
with the blue shiny lake on my right
I see the trees blowing with
the wind
The sun's looking at me as if
smiling to say have a wonderful
beautiful day
I smile at myself in the
rear view mirror and say
Today will be a good day
Julissa A.

laughter, having fun.
on a beach with friends.
drums, guitars a band.
music.
80's dancing.
playing the limbo stick
going afar low as
you can.
Mayra A.

Dancing frogs on the sun
Laughing out loud
Golden fishes swimming on the moon
They never get too old.
Leslie H.

Friends having fun
blasting the speakers
so everyone can hear
the electric guitars!
Everyone is dancing to the beat
and no one wants to stop!
Emily L.

Friends always stick
together. Like peanut
butter and jelly.

Friends take care
of each other
like the seasons
of the earth.

Friends roam
the earth like
birds with wings
of curiosity.
Jeremy M.

As the guitar plays the notes
run smooth, there is a happy vibe
in the air. The audience cheers.
The notes are played with passion,
the crowd reacts. The guitar
begins to shine and stand out.
The feeling is live. The road
shines, awaiting for the band
to play in their performance.
Oscar P.

I'm on my way to the beach.
I'm at the beach and it is
packed with lots of people and
children playing and having fun.

At the park I see a group
of children riding bikes and
another group walking and talking
and laughing together having fun.

It's the last day of school
and all the students are
happy and are going to each
other's house or to the park
to spend their summer vacation.

Your family gets together for
a barbecue and everyone
is in the backyard playing
and screaming and some are
inside watching together the TV.

So I guess that this
type of poem is
the type that is all
about family and friends.
David R.

A moose with his
family lost in the wild
looking for food
then the moose loses his
cousin, then the moose gets
separated from his family,
then lost in the wild
Tyler T.

Ms. Touras, 6th Grade

Poems Inspired by “That's Pretty Clean” by Sly & the Family Stone



Bubbles floating in
the sky so high.
Stuck together trying
to break free. So
bubbly and gooey.
Nothing but floating without
no ending. They never stop.
Makes anybody feel
bubbly inside!
Delilah D.

The maraca is walking
down a path of
smoke and dreams
of a drum
then a drum
comes with a piano
and they all dream in
a daze in smoke as
they daze behind them
animals are dancing out a play
in a dark alley comes
a mob and they do
a dance off after the
dance off the animals win
then the mob pulls out
guns and shoots the
animals then eats them
maracas, piano and drums
make the music with
an awesome beat.
Jonathan F.

Classy beats in a restaurant
Makes you feel powerful
Nobody disturbing you
It sounds like something a hippie
would listen to in
a bookstore or coffee shop
This person would feel happy
if they heard it.
Joyce J.

The excitement of the game
Monopoly. Who's gonna win? Grandpa
roles the die and he gets a
12 and wins!! The old man dancing
to this weird music. Everyone snapping
as a way to say congratulations.
What a weird house I live in.
I have to teach grandpa some better
dance moves.
Michael M.

Will it the song feel
like I am walking
the street with the cool
kids. It feels like the
1980's rap. It's like walking
in New York. People
working, playing, and
being cool. It's like I am
going to the music
store where people dance
with the music. And I
saw going to fast food
people tail dancing with
the music too. After
that I go home. I put the
CD on to the computer, put it
on my iPod. Then I go to
bed and sleep. I have
the music on my head.
Victor N.

Getting home from a lousy day at work!
Old man kicks his shoes off and sits on his
chair.
Puts his reading glasses on and gets a book.
Old man puts his relaxing music on!
Starts nodding his head up and down.
Old man reads, nods and relaxes.
Good old man.
Neisha R.

Music conceals a mood
within itself.
It can make weird things
happen.
As a group of people walk in
the street lights
blinking in amazement of the
funk. The cars dance over-
taken by the stereo. A
strange phenomenon. But I have
been sucked into the
porthole of funk. Now I
have been consumed so
far into the music, I joined
the walk. As we walk,
the ghetto turn into a beautiful
place. And people feel happy
all the time.
Cody T.

The coolness of the evening
made the sky turn dark
Makes small lights appear
throughout the city

A man walking to his house
very slowly
Every step...
a whisper

People on the beach
watching the sunset
while people watching
waiting...
patiently...
for the Nightlife
come to life
Alex V.

Like a lava lamp left on
just standing there
just thinking

then a book opening and
closing over and over
to the rhythm

and with the end
of a battery it
all just
stops.
Juliana V.