But Now I'm a Rainbow - The Chicago Poetry Center

But Now I’m a Rainbow

We’re nearing the end of our poetry residency, and so we reflect. The at 4th graders at Avondale recalled all of their big poetry vocabulary for the year, and then we thought about all the ways we’ve changed over time. Students wrote poems that follow the idea of “I used to be ______ / but now I am _____ ” and they were encouraged to write autobiographically as well as imaginatively.

4th Grade

Untitled by Leslie C.

I used to be a baby
But now I am an adult
I used to chase birds
But now I am scared
I used to go to schools
But now I have to go to work
I used to have short hair
But now I have long hair
I used to be normal rain and normal sun
But now I am a rainbow
I used to be a little seed
But now I’ve grown

Untitled by Heidi V.

I used to be a storm
But now I am a rainbow
I used to be a cat
But now I am a dog
I used to be a villain
But now I am a princess
I used to be a heart
But now I am a star
I used to be a vegetable
But now I am a candy
I used to be a paper
But now I am a book

Untitled by Daisy P.

I used to be a fish
But now I am a shark
I used to be a monster
But now I’m nice

Untitled by Samuel H.

I used to be a tree
But now I am a bush
I used to be big
But now I am small
I used to be an apple
But now I am food
I used to be a dog
But now I am a lost cat
I used to be a seed
But now I am a tree
I used to be a trophy
But now I am a turtle

4th Grade

Untitled by Elizabeth M.

I used to be a car
But now I’m a monster truck
I used to be a cat
But now I am a dog
I used to be a sky
But now I am the grass
I used to be good
But now I am human
I used to be a boat
But now I am a resort
I used to be a princess
But now I am queenie

Untitled by Giovanni D.

I used to be anerd
But now I am cool
I used to be a dolphin
But now I am a beach
I used to be a car
But now I am a horse

Untitled by Thalia Q.

I used to be scary
But now I’m beautiful
My grandma used to be in the ground
But now she’s in the sky
I used to be funny
But now I’m mean
I used to be bitty
But now I am big

4th Grade

Untitled by Kevin R.

I used to be a baseball player
But now I am a soccer player
I used to be a shoe
But now I am a ball

Chip Chip Boy by Keyshawn J.

I used to be a cow
But now I am milk
I used be an ant
But now I’m a pig
I used to be a dog
But now I’m a boy