Another Voice - The Chicago Poetry Center

Another Voice

For their 6th poetry session Hamline 6th graders explored persona poetry. I asked students to imagine seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. The word persona refers to the mask actors wore in ancient Greece as they performed different characters. Poets use persona to take on the voice of someone else, to understand their point of view.

Together we read and discussed the poem “Snow Globe,” by Shaila, a former 7th grader from Dubois Elementary. In her poem Shaila imagines what life would be like as a snow globe who lives on a shelf of a store. Round and round I’m shaken/stared at like an alien probe/ Please, giant human, can you not dop me/ and smash me on the ground? This poor snow globe lives its life in constant fear, whenever a human pick it up.

Inspired by Shaila’s poem students wrote their own persona poems, taking on the voices of different people, animals, and objects.

Mr. Marroquin 6th Grade Group 1

Paper Alejandro S.

I am paper.
I am missing my siblings,
because students are grabbing
and taking them one by one,
and people keep throwing
them out.
They fold me and what I
could do is give them
a paper cut and get
pay back.

Me Being My Dog Jesus O.

I wish to eat something new like a burrito.
Everybody pets me because I am awesome,
that’s why they pet me.
I wish to be able to understand why
I get on trouble for things
that I do for fun.
I would like to understand what
the people are saying.

Ruby's Bed Ruby V.

If I was a bed, I would tell myself,
good night, sleep well.
If I were to let someone lay
on me, I would want them
to be comfortable
and have good dreams.
In the morning I would wake
up the person if they go
to work or school, that way
they’re not late.

Mr. Marroquin 6th Grade Group 2

Isa Gabriella C.

I really like to sit on top of the shelf
and like to see what people are
doing from afar.
Some people don’t like when
when I do that because
I look creepy.
I don’t care because
I look pretty.
I also like to sneak
out and watch the
night sky.

Being A Plant Juan F.

Being a plant is getting fed
water and dirt,
helping by managing
keeping the air clean,
and saying
feed me water
to grow faster.

Air Jurni P.

Hi, I am the air.
The nice air in the Summer.
The air you like to feel
on the 4th of July.
People love me in the Summer
People don’t like me in
the Winter.
It makes me sad
in the Winter.

But now I’m happy.

Ms. Torres 6th Grade Group 3

Heart Bryan G.

As you begin to break me, I think of myself as just a toy.
But as I meet someone like me, I give a smile of joy.

The more I shatter, the more I break.
And the other hearts just begin to take, take and take.

Shoes Matt N.

Every single day is the same routine for me. I barely get to rest. Every day I get put on these people’s stinky feet with foot fungus. And I don’t even get a bath or anything, not even a shower. And when people are done using me, they just throw me on the floor upside down. And sometimes the other shoe gets lost because of this. I barely see anyone with clean shoes unlike me. When I was a new shoe, waiting in the shoe store to be bought, then someone walks in the store and buys me. I thought someone buying me was the best thing that ever happened. Turns out it wasn’t. I was treated better in the shoe store than over here. And in the store, I would just sit in the box. That’s how bad I was treated. My point is, please take care of your shoes, not just to keep them clean and stuff, but to treat them with kindness and be careful with them. Because they also have feelings like us.

Soccer Ball Fernando O.

Imagine being me.
I am hard and round.
All these people kick me around violently.
People hit me with their hard heads.
I roll around through the grass.