Category Archives: place

Flower Day

A flower poster.

Image via Wikipedia

May 20th is Flower Day.  Robin Reagler, Executive Director of WITS, often tells the story of her mother explaining to her what she needed to do to be a poet.

The first thing on the list?  Memorize the names of 20 flowers.  So, Robin got right to work: daisy, azalea, silverbell, dahlia, magnolia, petunia, zinnia, snowdrop, iris, tulip, tiger lily….

Robin learned her first writing lesson.  Smart writers study, observe, and notice world around them.  Smart writers find ways to become one with the world outside of them.  In honor of poets and flowers everywhere, here is a piece written by a third grader:

Listen to Who I Am

I am the tiny, yellow flower that comes out in spring

I am the ghost hiding in your book

I am the moon, brighter than the sun

I am your flag singing from morning to night

I am the white paper you write your stories on

I am a balloon that goes up and never comes back

I am the old shoe that walks away from you

I am the shadow that follows you forever

I am salt like the snow in winter

I am a dream that opens and closes

I am the baseball that flies like a bird

I am the musical note that plays on the moon

I am beneath your feet

I am above the stars

I am in your soul

By Alyssa, age 9

posted by Marcia Chamberlain

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s unexpected victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  In Houston, the city with the third-largest Mexican population in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a popular day for recognizing and appreciating Mexican heritage and culture.  In honor of Cinco de Mayo, here is a poem written by a 3rd grade WITS student at Travis Elementary:

Mexico

Mexico sings like the birds in my world.

My house yawns when I tell it to awake.

The sunflowers play games with me.

The grass whispers to me about its life,

and I whisper back.

The sun beams when I need to cheer up.

The cactus talks while I listen, and

I talk while it listens.

I share my secrets with the sky, and

it promises not to tell.

The moon never sobs because I am

there to comfort it.

The wind dances and whips up my hair.

All of this happens because Mexico sings.

by Anna, age 9

Where It’s Quiet

I come from
the dog that barks
in my neighbor’s backyard.
I come from
the noise of the hurricane
in 2008 when
many things were
crushed.
I come from
the clouds
in the middle of the sky.
I come from
a tree in the middle
of the world
where it’s quiet.

by Jonathan, 2nd grade

Photo by angus clyne via Flickr

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to learn more.

The Mystery City

I hear the sounds of gangs fighting like red fire,
lobster and shrimp being cooked on orange, warm grills.
People being served at tables with happiness,
the loud sound of barking dogs that turn black,
sounds of footsteps walking through the night with sadness,
loneliness roams in the air,
gleaming light from the moon that the blind can see though the streets of Alabama.
The wind blows to make people fear the eye.
As the storm comes, people close their windows and doors to get away in fear.
As the winds pass, the city calms
so the midnight moon can pass once again.

by Valerie, 3rd grade

Photo by David Purdue via Flickr

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to learn more.

The Rainbow at the Beach

I see with my artist’s eyes a rainbow in the sky.
It has lots of color:
Blue, purple, pink, orange, red, white, and green.
I am at the beach. At first, the water is cold.
Then the water turns hot.
My mom gets into the water.
It’s cold for her, and then it’s hot.
Then, as we swim,
the rainbow goes away.

by Melanie, 2nd grade

Photo by tomt6788 via Flickr

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo  to learn more.

Climb Up the Mountain

I climb up the mountain all the time.
I see all the clouds, and I peek at the rain.
Where it snows every day, untamed and unpredicted.
I want to jump down this
mountain with glee, visit a place
I could always be,
and maybe glide down a hillside,
to where wild things play and stay up late.
I want to be one myself.
They do amazing things.
Their times are unlimited.
People here and there tell me don’t go there, but when I hear
those who are untamed, I go to see for myself.
I feel wind in my hair as I stand on the mountain,
blowing as soft as silk.
People sneer and jeer at those who are untamed,
but I say it’s fine.
And I’d like to be one who is untamed, too,
and run wild and crazy through the air
and strut around those I think are fair.

by Michelle, 3rd grade

Photo by Close to Home via Flickr

 

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo  to learn more.

Yellow Planet

art by Angela Deal Meanix


I see the golden sun
Rising upon me
Like a star in the black
Shadows of night,
Shining on the palace of
Gold and happiness.
I see you, sun.
I see a beautiful woman
With her gold hair shining,
Yellow skin and golden eyes
Of my yellow world.
Golden fruits of yellow.
I see and love you, yellow.
Come shine your golden wings.

by Chinenye, 3rd grade

Photo by ElvertBarnes via Flickr

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to the left to learn more.

Child of the First Daughter and the Last Son

Washed-out Memories

I am from the pink ribbons,
the hot delicious coffee.
I am from the back deck.
I am from the purple roses,
the beautiful blue lake.
I am from the traditional everyday home-cooked meals
and the stubbornness that runs in my blood.
My parents are the first daughter and the last son
So I am from the respect your elders and don’t talk to strangers.
Still, I am from a less than pious family.
I am from the blue waters and spicy shrimp and greens —–
I am from Casper the ghost and winter —o.k.
Summer trips to the beach.
I am from the black long box containing childhood pictures of my family and good memories.

by Kasy, 7th grade

Photo by KaroliK via Flickr

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to the left to learn more.

My Magic Box

Best Friends Forever Knotted Woven Friendship Bracelet

I would put into the box
friendship bracelets, red roses,
a bit of my friend’s hair.
I would also put my favorite
pictures, and sand from
the beach in Mexico.
I would put all that in a shiny
gold box with shooting stars
on it. I would also put my doll
that I got for my birthday.
I would put in a dolphin
and my baby brother, too.

by Rebeca, 4th grade

Photo via Embellishment Queen via Flickr

 

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to the left to learn more.

Spring

The buds
of pansies
blossom
in the
muddy field
on a spring
mountain, as a butterfly
arcs
over a
blossoming rainbow
The spring breeze
picks up
dark clouds roll
in
A fawn
runs
for cover
A thin
mist begins to
rise
Water beats down on the
forest.

by Grace, 4th grade

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to the left to learn more. Happy Poetry Month!

The Sandcastle

Lighthouse Sandcastle 2

One must have the mind of a sandcastle

by a blue sea on the rough sand.

A child is playing on the sand.

You might find something strange

in the sand. Incredible.

The thing could be a shark.

Most of all, sharks

need water to breathe.

It’s funny to be a castle

in the sand because

the water rushes at you

and pulls you back to sea.

By Luis, 3rd grade

Photo by M. Christian via Flickr

Making the Arboretum

Put in different colors of the city.
Bring in all of the animals of Houston
including mosquitoes and fish.
Put down the rocks
for the way you walk.
Carry in all the water.
Praise the sun so it can shine.
Place the water spiders on the water.
Plant the trees, then put the leaves on them.
Put down purple berry seeds and wait till they grow.
Put the tadpoles in the water.
Then invite all your friends to see the new Arboretum.

By Maria, 3rd grade

The House on Ella Lee

Pink Lemonade

I didn’t always live in the house I do now. I used to live in a smaller, cozier, white house with just my mom and dad and me. Then, when we figured out that we needed a bigger house, it was time to move. Now our house is as big as an old movie theater. Now our house has six people and a baby screaming. Screaming so loud that I want to jump up and down and do cartwheels. But our house is not like other houses. Ours is special. It has old violet, red, and brown bricks and old gutters painted green. My room is blue like the sky, and my bed is pink. Pink as lemonade, sweet and sour together. Our house has old antiques that creak like an old man in a rocking chair. When I am in this house, sometimes I feel crowded. I can’t go to my room with the sky blue walls and pink lemonade beds because my sister shares it with me. Sometimes I am bored. Same routine, nothing to do, nowhere to go.

By Annmarie, 4th grade

Photo by Yle is dreaming via Flickr

Un Breve Paseo a Discovery Green ~ A Brief Trip to Discovery Green

Un Breve Paseo a Discovery Green

El cielo era azul como un lago. La tierra era negra como una cueva, y el hielo era blanco como una ventana. Sí, había hielo, y yo estaba patinando en Discovery Green. El sol brillaba como fuego. Yo pensé que no podía patinar, entonces me agarré del muro. ¡Shwoosh! ¡Yo sí podía patinar! Miré alrededor, y vi que estaba patinando más rápido que mi mamá y mi hermano. ¡Shwosh! ¡Shwash! ¡Shwush! Yo patinaba más y más rápido. ¡Woohooo! El hielo era un trueno.

¡Chapú! Me caí. Raspé todo el hielo, y mis pantalones estaban muy húmedos. Me pusé de pie, y pensé que aún no estaba todo terminado ahora. ¡Shwoosh! ¡Shwoosh! ¡Shwoosh! Iba yo patinando nuevamente, como un pájaro que vuela y divirtiéndome como en un rollercoaster. Pero todo llega a su fin, y nosotros dejamos de patinar.

Entonces salí a buscar donuts. Caminé hasta que vi un hombre vendiendo donuts. Olía delicioso a pastrie y a azúcar caliente. Mi mamá compró los donuts. Yo tenía tanta hambre que ¡Smack! Smack!, yo comía los donuts como un cerdito mientras gritaba mentalmente, “¡Deliciosos!” Había sido un largo día patinando, tanto que hasta lamí el azúcar de la bolsa de los muchísimos donuts que comimos.

¡Broom! !Broom!, Montamos al carro, que mi mamá encendía, y luego nos alejamos del Discovery Green. Un abrazo de mi hermano cerró un fantástico día, que ahora sí, llegaba a su fin.

Translation

A Brief Trip to Discovery Green

The sky was blue like a lake. The soil was black like a cave, and the ice was as white as a window. Yes, there was ice, and I was skating at Discovery Green. The sun was shining like fire. I thought that I couldn’t skate! So I held on to the wall. Shwoosh! Yes! I could skate! I looked around me, and I saw that I was skating faster than my mom and my brother. Shwosh! Shwash! Shwush! I was skating faster and faster. Woohooo! The ice was thunder.

Chapú! I fell, I scraped the ice, and my pants were very wet. I stood up, and I thought that not every­thing was finished yet. Shwoosh! Shwoosh! Shwoosh! I was back skating again, like a flying bird, and it was as fun as being in a rollercoaster. But everything comes to an end, and we stopped skating.

Then I went in search for donuts. I walked until I saw a man selling donuts. It smelled delicious, like patisserie and warm sugar. My mom bought the donuts. I was so hungry that Smack! Smack! I ate the donuts like a pig. “Delicious,” I was yelling mentally. It had been a long day, skating, so much that I ended up licking the left over sugar in the bag of the many donuts we had eaten.

Vroom! Vroom! We got in the car. My mom drove away from Discovery Green. A hug from my brother closed out a fantastic day that, at that moment, had come to an end.

By Joshua, 4th grade

Photo by Troy Burwell via Flickr

Reading Inside

Open Window SeasonI remember reading inside the cool living room on a hot summer day,
With my mom cutting fresh lettuce for dinner tonight,
With my grandmother humming an old song like a radio.
I remember reading inside the cool living room on a hot summer day,
With hundreds and hundreds of feet of damp grass in front of my eyes,
With the smooth eaves shaking as a light breeze blows, dancing on the wonderful stage.
I remember reading inside the cool living room on a hot summer day,
With my cousin playing a beautiful piano song,
With my mind calming down and my heart full of peace.
I feel there’s something around me, like a color.
Did you notice?

By Ashley, 6th grade

Photo by Chiot’s Run via Flickr