Hands on Stanzas

Anthology of Student Verse
 
Welcome to the Hands on Stanzas Anthology of Student Verse. Thanks to the generous support of the Boeing Corporation this year's Hands on Stanzas Anthology has been published electronically allowing us to include a poem from each and every one of our students. That's close to 2000 poems this year!

To navigate the anthology either click the students’ grade level or the name of their school below.

Grade: 3  |   4  |   5  |   6  |   7  |   8  |   9  |   10  |   11  |   12

School:
Alcott Elementary
Belding Elementary
Bell Elementary
Burbank Elementary
George Washington Elementary
Richard Henry Lee Elementary
McPherson Elementary
Moos Elementary
Pilgrim Lutheran School
Price Elementary
Shields Elementary
Skinner Classical School
Solomon Elementary
Taft Academic Center
Tarkington School of Excellence
Walter Payton College Prep High School

 
Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Mr. Dunlap
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


They Love Almost Everything
a poem by Aishinay W., Grade 5
They love the smell of fresh
cooking at 10 o'clock in
the morning they love the
perfect perfume on Saturday
nights they love the fresh
clean puppy they love the
toilet paper in the bathroom
they love fried chicken, mashed potatoes
they love cheesecake and vanilla
ice cream they love the pretty
snow outside they love the
games of action they love
Oreo cookies they love the tennis
balls bouncing around the tennis
court they love the pictures of
the family they love the nail
polish of pink and white they love

read more »
 
Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Ms. Schneider
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


Your Dinner Dream
a poem by Aldrianny G., Grade 5

You are eating
your favorite food
all of it smells so
good.
The steam is
perfectly white
but when you
turn to your
left to thank
your mother
you see that your mother
is a big hairy red spider
and your mother calls
you Mama.
You run outside and
you feel cold and then
you remember that you
forgot your
shoes and pants
so you go
inside and
your mother
tells you to

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Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Mr. Dunlap
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


She Has...
a poem by Alejandra P., Grade 5

She has hair like a beautiful
rose from the garden.
She has strong arms
like a pitbull.
She has beautiful
eyes like colors.
She has big lips
like a giant.
She has small
ears like a mouse.
She has beautiful
clothes like a
model.
She has...



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Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Ms. Schneider
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


You Are Walking Once Again
a poem by Amanda P, Grade 5

You are walking in the
woods. Suddenly you look to
your right and you see
a classroom. The classroom is not for
learning. It's for playing. Then
suddenly you look down, and you
see that you are walking
on a ceiling. You see all the
things below you. But it is one
specific item. Next thing you know,
you are at the ocean, touching
the waves. As they go, you see a
shark. You run. You run into nothing

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Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Ms. Burgdorf
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


What Bad Kids Love
a poem by Amari S., Grade 5
They love hanging
out on Sundays.
They love not having homework
on Fridays.
They love stealing clothes
so they can give to their love
on a special day.
They love to scream
at grown ups.
They love not seeing their teacher
on a weekend.
They love partying
better than a fat person loves cake.
They love to be alone
sometimes when they’re thinking
of all the bad things they did.


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Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Mr. Dunlap
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


My Room in 1000 Years
a poem by Amir B., Grade 5

My room will have my imaginary friend Freddy
walking back and forth.
It will have my guitar
waiting for me to pick
it up. My iPod will
be playing a never
ending song. My
ghost will be dancing with
my imaginary friend Freddy.
My songs will be falling off
my wall, piece by piece
in 1000 years.



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Cassie Sparkman, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Ms. Schaefer
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


House of the Future
a poem by Andreas H., Grade 5

In 1000 years
if you ask why this house is here
it is because all of the lifetime feelings
are in there.
If you look for this house
you will
find some birds in a bird feeder eating
away as they like. Perhaps
a staircase leading to the
front door. Maybe even
a soccer ball in the chimney.
But if you're lucky, you might even
see a Frisbee heading toward you.
And if you go in the back yard, and
look at the sun at an angle,

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Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Ms. Schaefer
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


Dream
a poem by Angel N, Grade 5

The unicorn and worm talked English
in my bathtub,
A mashed potato place sold
yellow gravy
my pet whale walked through
the forest
the lady's shadow looked like she had a
feather mustache on a stormy day
I barked at the sand
and the balloon popped.



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Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Itturalde
Teachers: Ms. Schaefer
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


Chaotic in 1000 Years
a poem by Aryanna J., Grade 5

In 1000 years the clouds will be made of
chocolate chip ice ream.
Junk food stores will be bigger than the
White House.
In the mall, all the clothes and shoes will be
FREE!
In 1000 years, as a field trip we
will go
swimming.
At school, we will have to wear
uniforms.
There will be no such thing as the
Devil!
You will know or recognize this place
when you see
sunflowers used to make a
curtain in the bedroom.

read more »

 
Cassie Sparkman, Cate Whetzel, Poet-in-Residence
Principal: Vincent Iturralde
Teachers: Mr. Dunlap
School: Tarkington School of Excellence


Untitled
a poem by Bobby W., Grade 5

The little boy
started to cry
so bad because
he had to squat
during gym time
then he started
to squawk like
a baby.



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