Animal Meditation

When we silence our mind and look closely at something, we can better describe it in detail. Inspired by reading “Jelly-Fish” by Marianne Moore, the 7th graders of Clinton chose a favorite wild animal to meditate on. After reflecting on the impact of imagery on a reader, students wrote poems not only describing their chosen animal but sharing what this animal teaches them. From gorillas to whales to cobras to hyenas, students looked with intention at the animal kingdom.

Ms. Logothetis (Morning Class)

Monkey Nayima K.

Monkeys are

copycats,

Monkeys

sound like cows

 

Monkeys

have fur, you

are

a bouncy ball

 

Monkeys teach

us how

to fight.

A Cheetah Ismail A.

Cheetahs are very fast, I can’t

see you when you run you have

patterned skin, you are like the

night sky, you teach me how

to run

About Panthers Jocelyn J.

A panther acts and hides in high grass.

Panthers are quiet, you can’t hear them creeping up on you.

Panthers have dark fur, soft, rough skin.

Panthers are black like coal.

Panthers teach me how to stay still and quiet.

Ms. Macmillan

Red Spitting Cobra George V.

You act like a center back

I can’t hear you sneaking to your prey

You have bright red color like fire

You are fast like Flash

You teach me to be sneaky

You are pretty like a red ruby

Aku adalah monyet kampung Syafiqah N.

Monyet memanjat pokok dan bunyi Seperti

 

ooh-ooh-aah-aah.

 

Monyet mempunyai ekor panjang dan tapak tangan

manusia.

Monyet besar macam pemadam api.

 

Monyet ajar saya cara ketawa dan gambira.

The sea pups Keanna N.

You lay on ice & avoid rain

I hear your barks & whines

You have sharp claws & fangs to hunt with

You are a dog at sea

I see you socialize & alert your companions when danger is near

You have two worlds inside of you

You teach me how to be bold

You teach me how to be curious

You teach me to be me!!

 

Raton Oscar C.

Corren cuando ven a una persona

En la noche se escucha cuando buscan comida o pelean

Algunas tienen pelo y otras casi no tienen pelo

Algunas son blancas y otras negras

Teniendo la suficiente comida y no pelear por ella

The Psycho Hyena Blanca M.

a hyena hunts in woods, lives in woods, kills in woods,

I hear you laugh like a psycho every night,

you have black spots all over your body,

you are like a moon when it gets red,

you teach me to survive in the wild.

 

Ms. Logothetis (Afternoon Class)

Crab Itali H.

They are very

territorial like a

bear watching its cub.

 

I can’t hear your

sneaky self.

 

You have

very sharp

claws.

 

You are

a seafood

boil.

 

You teach me

how to pay

attention

Whale Hairulamin H.

Whales go slow and have big mouths and when the whale

opens his mouth its big and eats a lot of fish.

 

The whale makes a sound that is very loud and

you can hear it from a far distance and it makes

a vibration.

 

The whale teaches us that they don’t have teeth

they have gils and its like a brush.

Cheetah Khalid S.

Fast as a sports car

I hear footsteps

You have spots

You teach me you’re fast and dangerous.

Megalodon Muhammad F.

Megalodon sends

its giant shadow

through the ocean

 

can’t hear while in water in all tones

 

has big sharp scissor teeth that

protects it and eats

 

it’s a big fish

Ms. Krasic

Golden Look Ubaidah A.

I saw a goldfish that looks

like my gold necklace.

It shines like my eyes when

I look at it.

It keeps shining.

It keeps looking into my eyes.

eye-contact.

I enjoyed it.

Roaches Siti F.

Cockroach

They’re huge, brown, unwanted.

unwelcomed.

It scares people with its thin

long legs.

It’s meant to be able to catch.

They expand widely, move in

every hole.

They are cockroaches.

unwelcoming, and unwanted.

cockroaches are the un- in

everything.

And trying to catch it

is like running miles

with a slipper pressed

against your palm.

A rainbow in the lake Mark R.

Your rainbow skin

shining in the afternoon.

your agile swimming

swift as a bird.

your brown-ish eye

reminding me of

the fluctuating cold

and warm air.

Blue Heer P.

Shiny, blue, emerald.

I waited as their feathers fluttered

free

A crown on their head,

majestic and blue

A cool rainbow arises behind

them

A call comes from them.

Soothing my heart

one beautiful and symbolic

Each feather holding an eye

of its own.

The sun shines on them

as their feathers reflects the light

Giving them a shine of a

diamond.

The Mighty Warrior Earvin M.

A gorilla roams around with no fear

I hear you openly declaring war

You have fur as black as night

Yet you do not rob others of their light

You are a mighty warrior

A great barrier

In your lows, you make way for highs

You teach me confidence