The Fork

Students read Charles Simic's "The Spoon" and wrote their own poems about an ordinary object.

FORK
Jason M.

A giant kingdom
with trees
castle walls
with guards you behold

A fort full of guards and guns
beware, go away the sign will say
magic and spells
to guard the castle wall

A large tree millions of miles away
just people jumping off the train.

FORK
Daron O.

A white fork, an animal in the
jungle. The fork dancing across
a stage. An old woman looking out
the window waiting on a ride.
Now the fork has its own life dancing
off my plate.

A FORK
DeVaughn M.

a fork straight,
strong polished to an
angelic glitter.

It is being pushed
inside my arm giving
me an extra bone.

It is now part of
my body. I must
accept myself for what I am
than what I am not even with
an extra bone.

Tyger

Students read William Blake's "The Tyger" and wrote their own animal poems.

THE ELEPHANT
Dajon D.
Grade 7

Behemoth from the
unknown, for what
purpose have thy been
shown? Have you been sent
from the gods to raise
us up to the celestial world
above? Or have you been
sent to collect for the world below?
That, I will never ever know . . .

THE BLACK PANTHER
Wade F.
Grade 6

Green eyes, glow in the dark. Like bright
watermelons.

Its black fur is smoother than leather.
But faster than a car. The whole
jungle bows in fear of him.

For he is sharper than a piece of broken
glass more swift than the lion running full speed.

But he has a calm attitude, like a
warm breeze, and glass of cold
Kool-Aid.

Calm, fast, sharp, the black panther.

LADYBUG
Nadya G.
Grade 5

Oh Ladybug why are you red?
Are you mad at me?
Where do you fly everyday?
I think to the stars at night
you eat leaves, why not other
bugs or fish?
Is it the way you were born?
By the way, who is your mom
and dad? Is it the ones who just
fly by?
You're red with black spots.
Have fun with your life!

Someone Puts an Artichoke Together

Students read an excerpt from Wallace Steven's "Someone Puts A Pineapple Together" and used their mind's eye to see an artichoke in new ways.

THE OBJECT
Aya A. (Grade 6)

A porcupine crawls in the forest
A cactus stays immobile in the Savannah
A bunch of bananas hanging in
a tree in the Bahamas
A man lifting weights
A fiesta people are watching maracas
A pine cone on the ground
A bush, two roses on that bush

UNTITLED
Jason M.

I see a volcano
a person with spiky hair
The flower I see out in O'Hare
Roots of a flower
gravity, which flows through them
I see dead flowers that hang over a tree
Puppy ears with dragonflies
Which magic seperates
and spiky trees producing great food

THE STREAM
Neopatra T.

How hard on the out
side soft on the inside
stands for me it's weeping
down on the land and
back up into the sky
lays high with many
layers