Little Window-detail2 (Photo credit: rosedeniz)
In the dark-ish night, deep in the
city, the sunset made blue-ish, orange reflections
in the calm river. The boats were heading
to the nearby dock. The tree in the
field with the ruffled shadow became clear.
The smoke from the burning bridge fell to peace.
By Michelle Smith, 5th grade
“The Maple” by artist Mandy Budan
Students understand that poetry can serve as a kind a solace. Writing about a personal “paradise” puts these young poets in touch with the true meaning of home.
I block
the feelings that beat
against my shell.
I have beauty inside me
longing to be shown
to the world.
I am stiff with
the emotions that swirl
in my body.
I watch the butterflies
dance around me
with flaps of pride.
When it rains, I show
my shiny shell to the
lady called the flower.
She drops a warm petal on me
to show that we are no
different in soul.
For what would life be
without soul?
It doesn’t matter
what you have within,
only the soul matters.
As the sun’s rays hammer
into me, my beauty
faintly shows.
I am a rock.
by Ioana, 3rd grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Thomas Girardet, a 4th grade student at Parker Elementary in Houston.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
–Inspired by the Cy Twombly Gallery
Cy Twombly "Untitled Parts III and IV" 1988
I feel the sorrow going through my veins
as I jump into the pond.
I sink, the crystal clear tree
reflecting in the lake.
I fall with my joyless life,
sink and sink into the green.
I land on a fish. We
swim into an underwater land.
My sorrowful face turns
joyful, like finding a smiling pot of gold.
There is no hole in my heart anymore;
gray rainy clouds suddenly break
into blue, a gold flaming sun.
by Malia, 4th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Jasmin Rubio, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary in Houston.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
Houston school children will celebrate Mother Earth at A Light in the Forest this Sunday afternoon at the Houston Arboretum. Please join us!
Who: Talented students from HISD schools
What: Come hear students from the WITS program read their nature-inspired poems, essays, and stories in celebration of Earth Day.
When: Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 3:00 PM
Where: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Drive (map)
Cost: FREE and open to the public
Sponsors: Shell Oil Company, Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Kroger, The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, Copy.com, and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.
Autumn Leaves (Photo credit: blmiers2)
“Please let me fall
on top of the others.
Please let me fall gently
on top,” says the leaf
as he rocks back and forth.
The leaf has dreamed his whole life
of falling off the old tree.
He was the last leaf on the tree.
Now the tree is empty.
by Justin, 3rd grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Som Gaeeni, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary in Houston.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
The cage was covered in an
elegant cloth,
with a practical bird
inside.
The sign was actually a
picture,
with a person fleeing
in the forest.
To the villagers this was
common, as ordinary
as can be.
A miracle was
necessary, to have
a success.
A sound reflected
in the silence
from the shallow
water,
a ripple
made a gentle
sound,
an equal to the world’s
finest picture,
the freshness of justice
and the evergreen
scent of nature.
Fire never wanted
a truce with water
but thought it was
foolish otherwise.
Oh, the wonders!
by Camille, 3rd grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Christine Bowyer, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
photo by Flat Cat Designs - click to see more
Un día vi una mariposa.
Yo me asomé por la ventana, y me salí de la casa.
Yo quería agarrar esa mariposa tan bella.
Corrí y tomé mi bicicleta para poder atraparla.
Después me subí a un avión para poder atraparla.
Luego la toqué y se sintió suave. Pude oler un rico perfume.
Yo escuché a la mariposa que seguia volando.
Mi corazon se sintió feliz de ver a la mariposa rosada tan bella.
Por eso me sentí contenta y feliz.
~
One day I saw a butterfly.
I looked out the window, and I went out of the house.
I wanted to catch the butterfly, it was so beautiful.
I ran and took my bicycle to try to catch it.
After that I went up in an airplane to try to catch it again,
then I touched the butterfly which felt so soft. I was able
to smell a magnificent perfume.
I heard the butterfly that continued to fly.
My heart felt happy to see the pink butterfly so beautiful.
For all these things I felt so content and happy.
By Emily, Kindergarten
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Chase Hayes and Van Logan Garcia, 4th grade students from Parker Elementary.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
I like the lily pads that float on the pond
Green with a touch of pizzazz
The lily pad is the only one who has a heart
It spreads its magical beauty with its pinky petals
They come in all shapes and sizes
One is purple, a small sliver like a broken heart
It is a beautiful thing to look at in winter
by Alvara, 4th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Jennvie Bui, a 2nd grader from Parker Elementary.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
Landscape sketch (Photo credit: Johan92100)
Today I am different.
As I view an ant on a gentle leaf,
I feel as if I am strangely different.
I feel like the ant is normal, like
doing homework.
The paper would be a magnificent landscape
with ink and lead to be its grass and trees.
As the grass grows, the pencil works harder and
the same for shimmering green trees with
the red and fiery cardinals.
The spring brings flowers up like me on
a trampoline, the winter brings snowflakes like
a man that is parachuting, the summer brings
the sun like a giant fireball, and the fall
brings leaves like a blockade of fiery arrows.
As this beautiful paper world grows, I become
more unlike my past self. This is
always meaning that when my imagination
grows, everything grows with it.
By Alex, 5th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Helen Huneycutt, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
Flowering crabapple tree (Photo credit: Martin LaBar (on hiatus))
When I am walking
and I see a flower
I smell it
Flowers make me
feel good
like a trip to
Disney World
I love pink and purple
flowers
I love tall and short
flowers
Sometimes I just
want to pick three
or four hundred
flowers and give
them to my mom.
By Ariana, 2nd grade
Forest Collage (Photo credit: zebble)
I touched the magic pool of water and closed my eyes. The wind blew past my hair, whoosh. When I opened my eyes, I was in the forest!
I walk through a tangle of vines and branches. Aware of every detail around me, I listen to the wind whispering the secrets of the jungle, shhhh. I bend down, sniffing the delicate scent of the flowers.
As I rest in pleasure, a gentle rain starts to fall, plink, plink, plink. The combination of the fresh drizzle and the sweet honey tastes wonderful. When the drizzle stops, I can smell the warm, moist air and feel the wet leaves and soft ground. Feeling calm and pleasant, I lie down to rest as the little birds lullaby me to sleep, tweet, tweet, tweet.
By Elena, 2nd grade
Bears On The Beach (Photo credit: RickC)
One day in the forest there was a mama bear and her two bear cubs, one girl and one boy. They were trying to catch fish, and a crocodile came, but the littlest bear and the crocodile didn’t fight. They became friends and shared the fish. They went to the bears’ cave and the crocodile met the bears’ family. The family didn’t like the crocodile. The mom bear told her daughter, “Don’t be friends with that crocodile because it might be dangerous.” The mom was right. The crocodile was mean and hungry. The little cub did not listen to her mom. She thought the crocodile was nice, so she played with it. Then, the crocodile tricked them. The little cubs were eating fish, and he came up behind them to attack. But, the mama bear saw him. She saved her cubs, but the crocodile bit her. The bite was big and the mama bear couldn’t resist anymore, so the baby bears weren’t safe again. Then, a little deer appeared and tried to help the bears. But, the son of the crocodile came to help his dad. The deer used her antlers to poke the crocodile. She won. The bears were all happy. But, the deer was still a little mad because once at a party, the mama bear had tried to bite her, and her dad had attacked the bear. The moral of this story is to always be nice to others because you never know when you might be in danger, even in a good forest.
By Cendi, 2nd grade
Image via Wikipedia
Owls are hooting
The stars look pale yellow
like they are invisible
When everyone is asleep
thousands of animals hunt
In the north sky the moon
is bright white
There’s a sweet smell coming
from the trees
The night goes by very fast
like butter slipping out of your hands
until the sun comes up
By Rhea, 6th grade
Are you a teacher? writer? mom? dad? CEO? Then you might be feeling the winter blues. Here’s your chance to re-charge with a midwinter retreat where you will practice Forrest Yoga ®, Mondo Zen, and Creative Writing with a Zen practitioner and a teacher from Writers in the Schools (WITS).
Where: Blackwood Educational Land Institute (Hempstead, TX)
Instructors: Zenrin Jeff Goodman and MaryScott Hagle
When: February 11-12, 2012
What:
This brief retreat is designed to “spark you up” and light your way through the last few weeks of winter. You’ll get tools for building physical and emotional health, a new approach to spirituality and opportunities and inspiration for creative expression.
Facilitators MaryScott Hagle, a WITS writer, and Zenrin Jeff Goodman, a Zen priest, will guide your journey through yoga practice, MondoZen sessions and writing exercises in the beautiful serenity of Blackwood Educational Land Institute.
About the practices
Forrest Yoga ® cultivates strength and flexibility through sequencing principles designed over three decades by Ana Forrest, who sees yoga as central to her mission of “mending the hoop of the people.” Forrest Yoga emphasizes breath, core work and hands-on assists from teachers to help students get maximum, stress-melting benefits from every pose.
Hollow Bones Zen/ Mondo Zen, developed by Jun Po Roshi, is a form of Zen Buddhist practice stripped of cultural and monastic confines that offers immediate and portable benefits after just three sessions. You’ll gain deep insight into the truth of who you are, enhancing your ability to transform your reactions and interactions and understand the purpose of your emotions. If you have been curious about meditation, or if you’re a failed or lapsed meditator, Mondo Zen will give you just the kick start you need to begin or revive your practice.
Field Writing is the working title for a group of creative writing practices MaryScott has developed through her work with students of all ages for Writers in the Schools (WITS) and as a consultant for HISD. Field Writing exercises cultivate introspection, reflection and invention across genres and in a variety of settings.
About the Setting
Blackwood Educational Land Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to land-based learning that encourages the spirit and feeds the soul as it challenges and educates the mind. It inspires all of us to be complete, healthy and accountable to ourselves, our colleagues and our natural world as a whole. Located near Hempstead, Texas (about one hour from Houston), a formerly neglected tract of land has been turned into a living learning environment. There are many wooded acres, a pond fed by a natural spring, abundant plant and animal life, and more. Blackwood is an ecosystem and living classroom that inspires and teaches students of all ages to explore the natural web of life and to develop a healthy, respectful relationship with nature.
More information?
Email MaryScott at mshagle@gmail.com
Photo by patriziasoliani via Flickr
