"Color, make it pop" - Haikus, Part 2! - The Chicago Poetry Center

“Color, make it pop” – Haikus, Part 2!

Time was truly tested this week. After several days of testing with shifted schedules, our class went at a much faster pace with more energy and less class time. Regardless, we had the same goal as every other week: to write!

Following last week’s introduction to the classic haiku, we shifted a bit to include the broader usage of the form that maintains an acute focus within a small package. Contemporary English haikus don’t lean as much on the same 5/7/5 syllable structure as much as they do on the image of a shorter poem. To keep us sharp, we wrote poems that were exactly 17 syllables but had no line limit. Some students stayed with the classic structure, and others experimented a bit!

As always, the poems were spectacular, and I’m so grateful to be going on this journey with them. Here are some poems from my ninth writing workshop with Ms. Nazimek’s 8th Grade English Class at George Washington Elementary School:

Group 1

Untitled Pearl P.

My birthday is April 27
and is in forty-five days.

Untitled Chris F.

I am super cool. Maya is a fool, she drools.
Just kidding, she’s cool.

Untitled Bianca T.

I like cold milk
Milk is white
Milk comes out of cows
Cows are very fat

Untitled Johana G.

Summertime is here
The flowers are blooming
The birds are annoying

Untitled Melanie M.

I like to dance outside
Because I dance with my friends
Dancing is fun

Untitled Yara B.

My hair is part of my culture. It
is very curly and nice, too.

Untitled Ashley G.

8th grade is ending
I can’t wait to graduate
Highschool is nearing

Group 2

Untitled Anthony P.

I need a new poem with seventeen
syllables. This is hard. Oh my.

Untitled Steve C.

Today is Friday
I want to get fries today
Hopefully I do!

Untitled Adrian S.

Spongebob SquarePants: a pineapple who lives under the sea.
Spongebob’s square.

Untitled Lisayra F.

Spring break is coming
It is going to be fun
I can’t wait for spring

Untitled Alexandra C.

I was told to make a 17 syllable haiku.
Here you go.

Mexico Janet C.

It’s very hot.
There is so much to do.
The food is good.
The sky’s blue.

Untitled Luismartin M.

Ms. Nazimek’s smart.
She is a reaching teacher.
She’s good at reading.

Group 3

Untitled Jaime L.

My name is Jaime
I am 5’9″ with spikes
I am good at baseball

Untitled Adiel P.

My pineapple was chopped up
I have to do something
It’s a murder!

Untitled Jesus P.

I was playing with my dog
BOOM
I just saw him hit the sofa.. ouch.

Untitled Ulises P.

This is the beginning of my
adapted haiku
Goodbye, for now

Untitled Naomi G.

Naomi can’t write a haiku today
What is her problem
Today?

Untitled Ariana S.

Adapted haikus
are just regular haikus
but more annoying.

Untitled Mackenzie G.

Color, make it pop
Stunning colors make me stop
In my tracks, staring