At Social Justice High School, we read and watched Hanif Abdurraqib’s poem “Ode to Biggie Smalls Ending in Gold.” We discussed odes, musicians/artists and their larger cultural impact, and spent time writing our own odes to our favorite artists!
Lluvia GS., “Ode to ABBA”
“Oh, ABBA, with melodies that soar
your harmonies echo, forever adored.
In the flow of the disco lights,
I danced, “Waterloo” played, and
my heart entranced.
With “Dancing Queen,” I felt
so alive, memories of laughter,
where joy would thrive.
Your stories of love and
heartache so true, in
every note, a piece of you.
like words that weave and
inspire, your music ignites an
unquenchable fire. in every
chorus. a timeless embrace, ABBA,
forever, in my heart, you’ll have
a place.
Ileana G., “Know You Worth”
One memory that I won’t forget is when I heard
the artist, the music it made me feel like someone
knows how I feel. the most I heard it the more I wanted
to be like them make people understand how I feel.
When I heard their newest song “Maybe Man” made
me realize that I wanted to be seen more than
the lonely person making me feel emotional wanting
to spend more time with family but than the song
teaches me that some times you can’t be a part of everyone’s
life you just needs to hang out with people that don’t
just see you as a useless friend they see you as a
happy outgoing, loving person. The artist I admire
is “AJR”
Belen O., “Mirada“
Vanessa R.
Raul Alejandro is important to me because
something about his music I can relate to
or is it just Viking where I’m just singing in my
room, dancing, blasting the music. When I’m on
my feeling, I put one of his music which
is “Hayami Hana” that one of his music where
the lyrics hits to me in the heart, where I
just want to cry because getting flesh backs
from a past relationship where we loved
each other so hard, but when overthinking hits
you
