Monster Mash! - The Chicago Poetry Center

Monster Mash!

It’s true. My last visit to Swift Elementary School was all about the monsters! We even played with Dennis Lee’s poem, “I Eat Kids Yum Yum!” by dividing the class into two groups. One group pretended to be the monster who says things like “I EAT KIDS YUM YUM!/I STUFF THEM DOWN MY TUM;” while the other students pretended to be the little girl in the poem who is NOT afraid of monsters, and says things like “I EAT MONSTERS BURP!/THEY MAKE ME SQUEAL AND SLURP.” We massaged our thinking -caps to come up with imaginary monsters made from everyday things, and then students got down to the business of writing. You may notice that students had fun playing with VOICES in some of the following poems.

“The Pencil Monster” by Faith M.

Ms. Amato 2nd Grade

The little boy in my closet Kimar M.

When I’m asleep I
hear a noise in my
closet some of it
opens my closet door
I get scared I get
under the cover then
I go to the kitchen
to get water then
I go to the
bathroom then I look
at myself in the
mirror then I go
back in my room
fast!!!! then I get in
my bed.

The happy girl monster Shreya D.

The happy monster sings
happy songs and does silly things
sometimes she eats toys
and does ballerina and
flutter around the
whole room and outside and
says la, la, la I am the happy
monster happy monster club.

Tristyn H.

The tree monster hunts. it
likes fruit punch. it eats
kids for lunch. it likes to
munch. some are scared some
are not. some eat kids
some eat pigs. some wear
wigs. it hunts at night for
food and kids, one or two have to
win. some trees are normal
some are not. some burp alot.

I hid in the Oliver

I hid in the cupboard. the cupboard monster almost got me.
I hid in the trees. the tree monster almost got me.
I hid in a box. the box monster almost got me.
phew!
I hid in the kids. the scary principal monster almost got me.
I hid in the brain. the brain monster almost got me.
I hid in the tv. the tv monster almost got me.
phew!
I hid in the lollipop. the lollipop monster almost got me
I hid in the bin. the bin monster almost got me.

they all got me now. UH, OH
AHHHHHHHHH!

UH, OH

Ms. Popovic 2nd Grade

Announcement Speaker Monster Tamila T.

it sounds like Mr. Cannella
it lives in a big giant bear
cave. and it eats kids full of
joy and fun. and it has dark red
eyes. and it has sharp claws
and sharp teeth and it’s super
big.

Monster Rijan C.

A math monster that eats
children. a monster that does
jumping-jacks but he gets
fatter not smaller. it screams
when it gets fatter.

Crazy Monster Greyson R.

There is a monster. wait no
it’s a crazy monster. Look out!
the monster is throwing cars.
He’s eating the cookie sign. he’s
eating all the cookies. Get him!
Ahh he’s so crazy that he’s going
to eat slime? Get your weapons.
Nooo! he’s eating everything. Why the
house whyyyyy! I hate this monster.
Monster get away goooo! Just go.
go go go go! I hate you! Wait! he’s
going away yaaaaaaaaay!

Electric Monster Meldin K.

first, take parents and put a
big screen tv on your parents and turn
on the tv and put the wires
on the tv and on your parents so
it can be a robot monster.
and last put trees for arms and
legs and face.
I’M GOING
TO EAT YOU!!!