Looking Back Vividly

Students studied “Manhunt or Ode to First Kisses” by Elizabeth Acevedo. Asking themselves, how can poetry capture that wishing, yearning, hungering we know from being a little kid? As a class, we focused on sharpening our imagery and constructing a retrospective glance! Poems looked back through the perspective of the younger self, or leapt ahead distinguishing between older and younger kids.

Ms. Hernandez, Grade 7, 1st Period

We Natalia G.

We, younger kids, tasted like freshly cut mango, sweet sticky candy and Cheerios.

We feel like soft, soft feathers falling from the sky.

We sound like chickens running, heads cut off,

pterodactyls searching for the right prey.

Football Zerell S.

Young see

looks rough, colors green uniforms and grass.

Young hear

crack of the tackle, numbers yelled out.

Older kids taste salty sweat.

smell musty, and breath.

The Older Kids Riley W.

The older kids look well dressed

The older kids smell like strong cologne

The older kids sound like music and beats.

The older kids taste like fast food.

The older kids sense games and playing.

Ms. Hernandez, Grade 7, 2nd period

We, Younger Kids Giovanni A.

The older kids felt the wind on their face like a bird flying in the air.

We, younger kids, heard the fire alarm, like hundreds of bees buzzing in their ears.

The older kids smelled the fresh rain, like a waterfall in the forest.

We, younger kids, tasted the cotton candy and felt like a fluffy cloud.

The older kids broke their skin, it stung like a bee sting.

Barbarians Adam E.

We, younger kids, tasted like candy.

We, younger kids, played tag and hide and seek.

We, older kids, smelled like sweat.

We, older kids, ran like barbarians.

We, older kids, spoke in slang.

We, younger kids, had fun with toys.

Cheese Pizza and Hot Chips Brandon R.

Younger kids taste like cheese pizza and hot chips.

Younger kids smell like candy and dirt.

Older kids sound like loud music.

The Older Kids, The Younger Kids Joel M.

The older kids sound of crickets, like camping in the night.

We, younger kids, looked at baseball getting hit like a whistle.

The older kids sound of music, car driving home with friends.

We, younger kids, felt like toys.

We, younger kids, smell like wind, kids running in the playground.

Roller Coaster Monica S.

We as younger kids

tasted pizza while sitting in the sun.

We younger kids

felt the coaster go down.

We older kids

look for that day again.

We younger kids

sounded like happy yelling while rushing down.

We older kids

felt like we weren’t allowed on the rides anymore.

We younger kids

looked around to see the sky.

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