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.

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.

Halloween Poems

Chicago poet Li-Young Lee writes about eerie sounds, unseen phantoms and more in his poem, "Nocturne." After reading it, students were asked to use their imaginations and write Halloween poems, creating their own scary creatures and situations, or simply celebrating the holiday in poetic language.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

A Squeaky Noise

Katherine D.

I went to bed,

To sleep so tight.

Like no one can bother me,

But there's something outside.

What could that be?

I went outside and sneaked in the window,

With my camera and my fluffy pillow.

The noise is somewhere down the porch.

I really want to see what's making that

Noise, but when I went outside,

I heard a common noise.

I push the button on my camera.

I held on tight to my pillow.

And then, I saw it.

It's just a cat playing with its squeaky

Toys.

Halloween

Jessica G.

Halloween is coming. Kids are

running. Halloween is a special

holiday. I'm going to be a

witch and my brother is

going to be a fish.

I go to different houses and

I say, “Trick or treat!” I get

a lot of candy and they say

“Goodbye Sandy!”

Halloween is coming, kids are

running. Today is going to be

a special day. I'm going

to eat the candy every day!

Halloween

Ulysses G.

The old man is sleeping

His doorbell is ringing

Kids are yelling and screaming

WE WANT CANDY

There's people scaring

Ghosts and Goblins

Witches and brooms

Going VROOM VROOM VROOM

They soar from door to door

TRICK OR TREAT

Is what they say

Can you guess this

Day?

HALLOWEEN

EVERYONE

SCREAMS

Halloween

Oscar V.

To me Halloween means candy,

people scaring people,

decorating your house,

having a Halloween party,

wearing a scary mask,

and then when I'm done trick-or-treating,

I go home and eat candy,

well at least the ones that my mom approves.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Trick, No One's Home

Jessica G.

Eggs bombing, toilet paper

swinging across the trees,

no one's home. Eggs splattered

on the grass, toilet paper

looking like spider webs on

the bushes, no one's home.

Water splashing on the window,

balloon skins on their

doorstep. The police come.

No one's home.

Untitled (Halloween Poem)

Emily L.

Woosh the wind goes

The stairs squeaking

Squeak, squeak, squeak

The big spider on its web

“Whoooo,” I hear something

“Who's there?”

“Whoooo,” the soft voice repeats

And all I hear it say

“It's Halloween, you're supposed to

Get scared!”

Run........!

Spooky Night

Alma R.

The old windows shake and rustle back and forth

The stronger the wind gets, the louder.

Through the curtains, shadows appear,

Of many shapes and sizes

Being swept away by the wind.

The orange color from the street lights fades

Until everything is dark

White and green figures glow outside

The howling of a mad wolf is heard.

Suddenly, voices are heard

Of people screaming for their lives

Sometimes in between groaning was heard

As if their flesh was replaced with a creepier one

The door closing from the entrance downstairs is heard

You can hear many people stepping on the stairs

The creaking sounds now like an exotic bug chirping

Then...

The knock on the door

You look ahead of yourself, to see the shape,

The shape of your feet covered with the bed sheets

You want to ignore every activity

And focus on yourself.

The knocking becomes scratching and roaring

Then a big thud is heard of the door being knocked downstairs

The only thing that comes out from you is a whimper

Then darkness fills your eyes.

Boo, Trick and Don't Treat

Jasmine S.

Boo as I walk

down the street

I see the Hannahs

the bees and ghosts

we feel great

full with candy

eating on our way home

I hear music as

that party goes

on I wonder if them kids

will ever go home

as I eat my candy with

my friends we stop

in shock when we passed

that house boo he said

as we run don't turn

back run, run, run

don't pick up yo candy

leave it there I guess

we will have to wait

for next year to ever

reach that party

Halloween

Frida T.

When leaves fall

I know right away,

Halloween is getting closer.

People buying candies

children buying costumes

Halloween is the day.

Off we go with our bags and pumpkins

to put our candies inside.

“Ding”

Different doors we go

different door bells we push

different people we see

different candies we eat

can't you see this is Halloween?

Halloween

Arriane T.

the wind is blowing

the trees rustle as the wind

pierces through its leaves.

Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.

fallen leaves are being attacked

by monsters of all sorts.

goblins, vampires, skeletons & even princesses!

DingDong.

Up the porches they go,

ringing doorbells asking for

candy yelling “trick or treat!”

and the people inside the

homes quickly give out

the monsters' wanted food.

“here's your candy.”

& off they go,

demanding the fellow

people their

candy.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Vampire Monster

Rubyela J.

The vampire has shiny teeth. He

has blood all over his mouth. You

could hear the drops of blood hitting

the floor when they fall off him. He's

really pale. When I walk past him,

I get goose bumps, I feel he's going

to bite me. And there I go walking past

him, and just what I didn't want, it

happened, he bit me!

Untitled (Halloween Poem)

Neisha R.

I hear a noise, who can it be......

I see footprints, what can it be......

It can be a she or a he......

A cat, dog, what is it, who is it!

O(h)M(y)G(od), I'm so scared

I hear a laugh, a meow, and even a bark!

O(h)M(y)G(od), I'm so, so scared!

It's HALLOWEEN, crazy me!

It's a prank, is it?!

Halloween

Juliana V.

I looked in the mirror and

there it was my biggest fear, a werewolf was in

my house. I ran out of my house.

I guess everyone thought I was crazy because they

were laughing at me as I ran and screamed.

I heard growls and witches' laughs,

the moaning of a zombie,

were there monsters attacking our

neighborhood?

I ran home, when I got there

I screamed out, “Run, there's

a werewolf in the house!” Then

as I looked in the mirror and saw

my reflection I see the werewolf

again, my face turns red as I

realize it was me!

Conversation Poems

Denis Johnson's poem, "Traveling" features two characters talking in a barbershop about a third person who is not there; a fourth character sits quietly and listens to their conversation. Inspired by the poem, students were asked to write their own "talking" poems.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

The Face Sitting on My Wall

Jose L.

Why do you keep staring at me? I asked.

She only stared back and stayed silent.

You stare at me from day to night, I told her.

Once again she didn't answer me back.

The deep and dull look she gave everyone worried me.

Why don't you talk, you've been silent all your

life, I told her.

Once more she just stared back.

Now this was really worrying me.

I took her off the wall and told my mother

about her.

Paintings don't talk, said Mother.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Jorge L.

I was wondering around when

I heard my dad arguing

with my mom and talking

about the mortgage, the gas, food,

and other materials. They

were sitting arguing until

my mom decided to go to

sleep. Then later at midnight

my dad woke me up telling

me it's going to be alright.

Then my dad woke my mom up

and told her that everything

will be alright. The next

day we all woke up and

everyone was quiet and

we went our separate

ways, my mom to work,

my dad to work, and

me to school, and I

think school is a

good way to get away

from everything that happens

at home, and in

my life.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Jessica M.

When I was at the park

I saw two dogs talking to each

other. For some reason I understood

what they were saying. The dog in

white said, “Isn't it a nice day?”

The black dog said, “Yeah, today I

am going to the vet.” The white dog

said, “I love going to the vet because I

always get a treat at the end.” The black

dog said, “That's true.” Then all of

a sudden I couldn't understand

anymore.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Leslie H.

“Hi,” the turtle said enthusiastically.

“Who are you?” the shadow said. “Don't

you remember me?” he said in the faint

light. “I don't know who you are, what

are you talking about?” he answered,

confused. “Well, what do you mean you

don't know who I am? Sure you do!”

he said, raising his voice. “Leave me alone,

stop following me!” The shadow was so

scared. The shadow just kept walking

frantically and just left the turtle in

the breezy cold park wondering.

The Buggy World

Jeremy M.

What's up? Nothing new. Did you hear

what the buzz is today? No. So what's

happening?

You won't believe it. Buggy scientists

discovered how to communicate with

humans. Wow, now I can tell them

to stop squishing us. Would

they—blash! And my friend was squished.

The Sky

Vanessa P.

I was looking at the sky seeing

clouds go by waving hi. I closed

my eyes and heard the sky talking

about weather. I said weather?

Yeah weather. I said it's sunny

the sky said it's warm. The clouds

were eavesdropping on our conversation.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Lollipop

Delia D.

I came back from school.

I went in my room.

I went to my desk to get my

lollipop.

“Wait! Where's my lollipop?

Where did it go?”

Thinking......

“My brother!” Walked to my

brother's room.

“Come out here you slappy,

lazy, lollipop stealer!”

He comes out with a lollipop in

his mouth.

“That's my lollipop.” “No!”

“That's my lollipop.” “No-o-o!”

“Give me back my lollipop!” “It's not

your lollipop!”

“That's my lollipop.”

“Why did you take my lollipop?”

“But—“

“I don't care. Give me back

my lollipop.”

“It's not your lollipop.”

"Yes it is.”

But wait.

The lollipop fell on the floor.

“Ha ha!” “You owe me a lollipop.”

“No-o-o!” “You owe me a lollipop.”

“No-o-o!”

“Stop fighting!” mom

said. She had a lollipop in

her mouth.

“I bought him the lollipop.”

He left. “I took your lollipop.”

“Mom took my lollipop?”

What Happens After School

Aidan K.

The coast is clear

said the door. Close

the shades said the

pullcord. Hit the lights

said the light switch. Move

the desks said the

chairs. Let's party

said the school supplies.

I can't wait till tomorrow

said everything.

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Susana S.

“What's up buddy,”

paper clip says.

“Nothing, just here,

spread out,” said the paper.

“Paper clip, can you

come here and clip

me together, I'm all

over the place.”

“No way,” remarked the

paper clip. “Clip your-

self together. I'm busy.”

“Doing what?” paper said.

“Look. I can't clip

you because I can't

move, OK?” said the

paper clip.

The teacher's hand

comes toward the

paper and paper clip.

She clips them together.

“Yay,” said the paper.

The paper clip said, “Ugh,

why do you always

get what you want?”

Untitled (Conversation Poem)

Cody T.

One night Jupiter and Saturn

Started making fun of Pluto.

Jupiter said, “You're so small,

You could be a moon.” Pluto backed

Out of orbit. Pluto was floating

And Jupiter and Saturn thought

About playing baseball. They used

Some of Saturn's rings and

Straightened them out as the bat.

“Earth is first base,” called Jupiter.

“Venus is second,” said Saturn.

“Mercury is third base,” yelled Jupiter.

Pluto, with lots of fear, said, “Don't

Hurt me.” “Be quiet and enjoy your

Flight,” said Saturn with a grim look

On his surface. Just as he was

Going to pitch the Sun said, “Leave

Him alone.” They obeyed and they

Let Pluto go back into orbit.