And Again At Last We Ask: What Is Poetry?

This week the students at Amundsen approached our next to last class with the same question we started with: what is poetry? We read “Build, Now, a Monument” by Matthew Olzmann and were tasked with writing a poem in any format, style, stanza/line length that just aimed to answer what is poetry and what they’ve learned in our time together. Every poem knocked the breath out of me. I am going to miss seeing these talented young writers every week. This summer there will be a whole crew of young writers looking out onto the lake and thinking: it’s so beautiful today; it could be a poem.

Ms. Widman High School Creative Writing

Toppled Trash Can Asher D.

A perfect subject to a piece.
A beautiful bouquet of fresh pink flowers–
will disclose your brush strokes
rushed and sloppy
smooshed into the image of a wet pom-pom.
Why not paint a toppled trash can?
To highlight every beautiful stroke.

The Wildest Writer Raul M.

A boy didn’t find everything interesting.

To him, he and everything just existed.

But when he read a poem,

everything went from gray to full of colors.

Eager upon this discovery, he read more,

as time rapidly ticked, ticked, and ticked.

The boy loved the stories, especially

the word choices the author used.

He wanted to learn more as he decided

that he too wanted to create his own world.

During the night, he never stopped on his

research, like a wolf claiming his prey.

He wanted to become the best,

and he knew that in order to do that, he needed

to give everything he got, as people waited

to become the best striker

for their home country.

The next day, as the clock was about to wake

him up, it was the boy that woke the clock up.

He heads out for the day, eager to start

his journey, as the protagonist and antagonist

walk to achieve their goal.

And that is Why I Write.

A Mix, And a Half of Me Taya C.

Poetry writes its own words
and I stand there waiting,
I listen

to the rhyme schemes it creates
and the beat it invisibly bops to

poetry wants to pour out
my mind and heart

since my mind tells me no
but my heart says yes

I mix them both into
a bowl of maybe
there’s a possibility

Poetry gives us a chance

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