Tag: Poetry

REINCARNATION By the Kids in Room 2

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This poem is part of a class poetry project inspired by the song “Old Glory” By the band Harvey Milk.

How do you think the pigeon feels?
Squished by a bus,
Stuck on the wheels.
Do pigeons know about suicide?
I asked this one and
he said, “No,
but I believe in reincarnation.”

How do you think my wooden chair feels,
screeching on the floor when I move it around,
wobbling
when I sit on it?
My mom puts something hard under one of its legs.
Do you ever feel that way?
I did the time my sister went to Mexico
and I stayed here.

How do you think your pants feel?
Sagging down to your knees,
ripping, fraying, falling down.
Have you ever felt like that?
I have,
the time I got lost in the forest.

If Eyes Were Lightning by Lisa, age 9

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If eyes were lightning,
then fingers would be snow
If marbles were paper,
then oranges would be cardboard
If bombs were tornados,
then glitter would be rain
If Kentucky were fried chicken,
then Maryland would be Candyland
If Alaska were tulips,
then China would be bamboo
If anger were roses,
then calmness would be daisies
And I would pick them
and their petals
would move
like waves

Writing by Don, age 11

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The Swirl Up
By Don

If oil were monsters,
Then radiation would be Bigfoot,
If monkeys were kids,
Then lions would be clowns.
If cars were cartoons,
Then go karts would be movies.
If yogurt were markers,
Then ice cream would be crayons.
If tennis balls were brains,
Then golf clubs would be ears.
If snakes were cupcakes,
Then tigers would be popsicles.
And I would eat them
and they would
taste
like frozen fury.

My American Name

My American name is Don Duy. “Don” means “great chief.” My dad named me that for no reason but it was a great name for me. I like my name because it was the name of a king of Viet Nam. My mom told me that.

My Vietnamese Name

My Vietnamese name is also Don Duy. It means “responsible dragon.” My dad named me this too. He chose this name because I’m like a warm hearted animal or creature who helps citizens or villagers. That would be a good day dream if that had really happened. My parents don’t get along so I don’t see my dad that much even though he named me. I miss my dad and sometimes I feel like one person alone.

Writing by Nathan, age 10

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How to Destroy a Table

Step 1: Get an iron hammer.

Step 2: Get a metal chair.

Step 3: Get a heavy barbell.

Step 4: Get a table.

Step 5: Whack the table with the hammer. This will make a bump and a scratch.

Step 6: If that doesn’t work, try using the chair.

Step 7: If that doesn’t work, use the heavy barbell.

Step 8: Bring the table out onto sidewalk.

Step 9: Go upstairs to the top floor of your building and lean out the window and drop the barbell down onto the table.

Step 10: It will make a lot of damage.

Step 11: Check to see if the table is broken.

Step 12: If it’s still not broken, then go onto an airplane and crash into the table. This will mean suicide, but the table will be broken for sure.

Nails

If worms were germs,
then bugs would be slugs
If snails were nails,
then whales would be pails
If paper were glaciers,
then ice would be lice
If floods were guts,
then eyes would be fried,
and they would be crunchy
and it would be
hard
to see

Nathan

My American name is Nathan. It means “gift from the gods.” My father and my mother chose this name because they like the “th” sound. I like my name because I like to imagine I’m a gift from the gods and if someone unwrapped me I would be a toy gun. My Chinese name is Cheng Huan. It means “responsibility and see into the future.” It also means “happy, superior, successful and Chinese tradition.” My mother chose this name because she liked these ideas. I like this name because it reminds me of funerals. People who can see into the future know when everyone’s going to die.

Writing by Alina, age 10

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If Dogs Were People
By Alina

If dogs were people
then aliens would have voices
If books were giants
then onions would be flies
If bugs were buildings
then bears would be chairs
If buttons were medals
then windows would be tires
If erasers were skeletons
then paper would be shirts
So I would draw a self-portrait
and wear it
on a roller-coaster that goes
kind of slow
and kind of fast

Alina
By Alina

My name is Alina. It means “royal.” My mother named me Alina because she thinks the name is easy to call. I think my name fits me because it is easy to write and I think the sound of my name fits me because it reminds me of crickets and crickets remind me of me because they’re quiet. But my name also doesn’t fit me because I’m not into kings, queens or princesses.

My Chinese name is Wen Yu. It means “gets mad easily.” My parents chose it because they like it. When I asked them why they liked it, they just said they liked it. I think it fits me because it’s easy to say and I like easy words. But I also think it doesn’t fit me because I am usually calm. I get mad sometimes, but when I get angry I just go away from the person. I don’t brake things, throw things or yell at that person.

Writing by Tommy, age 10

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If Hair Were Snakes

If hair were snakes
then teeth would be scissors
If ears were flies
then mirrors would be maps
If wood were stone
then glue would be concrete
And I would use it
to paste together
robots
that serve
noodles

My American Name

My name is Tommy and my mom named me. Tommy means twin. My mom didn’t know my name had that meaning but I when I told her she said she wants me to have twins when I grow up.

My Chinese Name

My Chinese name is Ying Jie Min. It means “famous and smart.” My mom thought that I wouldn’t be smart when I grow up unless she gave me this name. I like my Chinese name because it makes it sound like I am a famous man inventing things.

Writing by Tiana, age 10

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If Play-doh Were Metal
By Tiana

If Play-doh were metal
then clay would be coal
If ants were sugar bowls
then monkeys would be milk crates
If needles were blood
then nails would be sea water
If bait were fish
then dollars would be humans
If Hawaii were angry
then California would be calm
If Mexico were the flu
then Norway would be frostbite
If scissors were crayons
then knives would be pastels
And I would pick them up carefully
and draw something
sharp

My American Name

On January 17, 1998 my mom gave birth to me. After a couple of hours a nurse came into my mom’s room asked her what was she going to name me. She didn’t know, so the nurse suggested a few names, including Tiana. My mom thought Tiana sounded great because it sounded easy to say. To me, a nurse naming me is intresting because I always thought parents had to pick the names for their children, not anyone else. I also like my name because it means “fairy queen.” If I were a fairy queen I would use my magic to fix the world and heal the dead. When I grow up I want to be a pharmacist and help people in need.

My Chinese Name

My Chinese name is Hong May Ting. It means beautiful. I hate my Chinese name because to me it’s not interesting or cool. Almost all parents want their daughters’ names to mean beautiful. I think other things are more important than beauty, like survival.

Writing by Catherine, age 10

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Twirly
By Catherine

If the sky were the ocean
then mice would fly
If cavemen were dizzy
then dogs would be cats
If bees were needles
then cockroaches would be pencils
If flowers were cows
then grass would be roosters
If shirts were plastic
then shoes would be metal
And I would lay in a meadow
and look up
and wait
until I get all wet

Pure
By Catherine

My name is Catherine Alexandra. My mom chose my first name and my dad chose my middle name. My mom named me Catherine because she saw the name in a book of baby names, and she liked it. My dad named me Alexandra because his middle name is Alexander. People think my name is spelled with a K so I always have to tell them it’s with a C. Some of my relatives call me Cathy and sometimes they call me Catherine with the Spanish pronunciation. My name means “pure.” When I think of the word “pure,” I think of emptiness, but I don’t feel empty. I feel full of kindness and creativity because I like to help and I like to do art.