It’s hard to believe we’re near the halfway point of our Waters residency, but we are! For the ninth week, we talked about erasure poems, also known as blackout poems. I found out that a lot of students are no strangers to blackout poems at all, and everyone brought their unique spin to our source text. Students selectively “blacked out” words from an excerpt of Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street. Below are select poems (text only) and some of the “blacked out” pages.
Ms. Smallwood’s 6th Grade Class
THOSE WHO DON’T
By Audra M.
come into our neighborhood
People
Aren’t afraid, tall
windows look
to sky
Butterflies
and flowers are beautiful
full of clouds
like pillows.
last cloud, the one that
looks
like
pink pearls that’s
pretty
THOSE WHO DON’T
by Keira W.
Those
shiny knives
All brown are safe
You can never fall
too much
sometimes wise
says nothing
THOSE WHO DON’T
By Caelan G.
Those who don’t know
Fat Boy
are safe
You can never have too much
Flowers
Who doesn’t like school
You see that
popcorn. That’s simple
little arms,
teeth. fat
grandma’s high heels
wobble.
Ms. Hooper’s 6th Grade Class
THOSE WHO DON’T
By Lela S.
Don’t know our neighborhood think we’re dangerous
All brown all around safe drive into a neighborhood another color
knees shakity-shake windows rolled up eyes look straight
how it goes and goes
never have too much sky wake up drunk
you safe you are sad too much sadness
things that are beautiful we take what we can
best of it.
Stupid and mostly a fool
he says nothing chases girl or a stick that
touched a rat he’s tough world was full of clouds kind
like pillows
That cloud. See that
one that look like popcorn. See that. That’s God,
God, he said, and made it simple.
Blackout Poem
By Julia C.
neighborhood dangerous.
knives
we are afraid
he’s Fat Boy
we are watch the neighborhood
shakity-shake our car windows tight and straight
that is how it goes.
You can never have too much You can wake up drunk
here too much sadness
few things that are beautiful.
we who is sometimes stupid mostly a fool.
THE FAMILY OF LITTLE FEET
By CeCe S.
come into our neighborhood scared we’re dangerous
think we will attach them with shiny knives
grown man, he’s Fat Boy
brown all around watch us drive neighborhood another color
eyes look straight
how it goes and goes.
can never have too much sky. fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky
flowers and most things beautiful
Darius, who doesn’t like school, stupid and mostly a fool
he’s tough
see that cloud, that fat one next to the one that
looks like popcorn
There was a family
Not tall feet very small
Grandpa slept on the living room
Doughy like thick tamales, white socks
Feet were lovely as pink pearls and dressed in velvety high heels.
Mr. D’s 6th Grade Class
Blackout Poem
by Laila E.
fall asleep wake up drunk
too much
school stupid
rat he’s tough up full of clouds
that fat one there,
God
Lost
By Chloe S.
They were dangerous
They are lost and got here
by mistake
But we aren’t afraid.
we are safe
There is too much sadness and not enough sky. Butterflies too are
few and flowers and most things that are beautiful. Still we can make
the best of it.
The Brick Wall
by Christopher Q.
You can never have too much. You can fall asleep wake up drunk
Then you are sad too much sadness not enough Butterflies.
flowers and most things are beautiful. Still we take what we can get.
Who doesn’t like school sometimes stupid and mostly a fool,
Today though most days chases girls he’s tough
like pillows.
That fat one there? See that?
look, popcorn
made it simple
