Photo by curlywurlygurly
There is a photo of me fishing with my grandpa,
standing by the water, throwing the rod,
cows eating grass behind us.
There is a photo of me talking to him,
surrounded by my family, smiling,
pictures of past generations on the wall.
There is a photo of me visiting him in the hospital.
He wanted to be in his own bed.
There is not a photo of me saying goodbye to him,
Grandpa lying on a bed,
eyes closed,
trying to sing an old song.
By Ramiro, 12th grade
_MG_4614 “Fire-Escape” (Photo credit: Michael Menard)
How to submit an entry
Bunte Leichtigkeit (Photo credit: Ela2007)
Someone is trying to explain and spread feelings out.
Red, blue, angry.
Black, red, happy.
Red, pink.
I see my dreams every time I wake up.
The sketches are still there in the morning.
They remind me of somebody I know.
It seems as if it was all real and golden.
Is it so?
It must be something haunting me from the past.
By Allenique, 3rd grade
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
Calligram by Guillaume Apollinaire. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When a poet stares at time, everything stops.
When a poet loves, he freezes,
and his heart bursts open like an over-ripe banana.
When a poet thinks, he is so happy he will melt of happiness.
When a poet is angry, he will go crazy.
When a poet is sad, he will cry to death.
When a poet travels to a new land, he gets lost.
When a poet imagines, he sees himself as an astronaut
and then becomes one.
When a poet writes, he believes nothing is wrong
because he is at his best.
By Saadat Makki, 3rd grade
Airplanes Light Trails (Photo credit: JcOlivera.com)
Leaving land of lone star
of heat, humidity, and horses
on a huge white bird
over open ocean
in night’s ebony embrace
Out of the ominous
an amazing archipelago
the pearl of perfection
the majesty of mountains
home
By Samuel Samson-Williams, 7th grade
El mar inclinando en los ojos de mi mamá
Los ojos de mi mamá son azul como el agua.
Las olas son como la felicidad de ella.
La corriente es como su enojo.
Las rocas son la soledad.
(Translation)
My mother’s eyes are blue like the water.
The waves are her joy.
The current is her anger.
And the rocks are her solitude.
by Liliana, 2nd grade
Photo by BN catchesthelight via Flickr
Yellow bulldozer. (Photo credit: MJ/TR (´･ω･))
I am yellow
a man who’s driving a bulldozer
an earthquake hitting the hard ground on earth
a crane with a ball that weighs 1 million tons
about to crash history
a light feeling coming from myself
I am blue
calm waves crashing
a quiet person walking
sprinkling rain falling to the ground
peaceful and quiet
I am red
lava coming from a volcano
the amber of a fire
the mad feeling of angriness
By Owen, 2nd grade
Photo by Tracy Clifton
I will spin you a story from the air
you breathe, each word shining
with tiny silver drops.
I will mold this story
in the shape of the clouds,
so that when you look up,
the phrases will blow in your ear.
I will spread this story through
the fierce blowing winds
so that when they rustle the leaves
you will think of your courage.
And before I leave our story,
I will share it with the sun,
so that when I leave this world,
the sun’s bright light will pass my story on.
by Sarah, 5th grade
Click this link to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Mary Phillips, 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.
Image by donnjmck via Flickr
If there is a cat on your head
scream
If there is a feather in your spaghetti
laugh
If there are ants in your pants
freak out
If there is love in your heart
pass it on.
By Johana, 4th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Kathryn Chavez, 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.
When we get there
the horses in their stalls
paw the dirt.
I cough in the dust.
We grab the feed,
and they whinny at me
when I pass by.
I get a brush; very tenderly
I scrape off the dirt.
They are as dusty and steamy
as a train when it chugs
down the track.
When we feed the mares,
their babies skip after us.
They run so fast
they fall.
by Isabella, 3rd grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Gabriel Arnold, 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.
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.
I wish I was a super hero so I could fly
to see the earth,
to fight evil
so I could help the world.
Maybe I could be rewarded with something
if I fight the most dangerous evil villain.
I could be defender of my city,
and the most famous hero in the world
and everyone would know my name!
by Edwin, 2nd grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Ella Dale, a 2nd 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.
Photo by Kate Brennan
The dream of freedom
Is the dream I seek
To escape these four
Walls which surround me.
To finally be able to dream
And think that I can make
All my dreams come true.
The dream of freedom means
No more threats
No more harassing words
No more “I am not the same.”
No more shame for not being like you.
This dream seems like it’s too far away
But bring me freedom!
Bring me the happiness of the day
When no living human will be ashamed
Of the way they look or feel.
Just bring me the dream of freedom
That one day is almost here.
Let it begin today.
by Kelly, 6th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Alex Puente, 4th grade, and Kennedi Foust, 2nd grade, both students 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.
"Landscape with Birds" by Lucien Freud
Songbirds singing
Trees waving in the wind
The sound of people talking
The sound of cars zooming by
The smell of freshly cut grass
The vision of doves flying overhead
You can feel this dream making
More and more of itself.
by Ty, 4th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Cyrus Fontenot, 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.
