Nature In Chicago - The Chicago Poetry Center

Nature In Chicago

For their seventh week of after school poetry, Hale Elementary 3rd-5th graders explored ideas about Nature. We focused on the poetry term personification, when non-human things behave like humans. On Tuesday we read the poem, “Downtown Chicago,” by Shoesmith Elementary 6th grader Kai E. In her poem Kai uses personification to describe the interesting things plants and animals are doing in downtown Chicago. Pigeons steel hot dogs like robbers at a bank. Pieces of grass and vines sneak into buildings like a ninja stealing a diamond. Together we wrote a class poem, about how we see Nature in the windy city.

On Thursday we experienced snowy weather in Nikki Giovanni’s “Winter Poem.” In her poem Nikki like Kai also uses personification, she treats the snow as if it is a close friend. Once a snowflake fell on my brow/and I loved it so much and I kissed it/ and it was happy and called its cousins and brothers/and a web of snow engulfed me. Inspired by Nikki students wrote their own individual poems about how they interact with Nature.

Please enjoy these poems and artwork. Also below is a video of a poetry chant, performed by poets Milania G. and Alexcia S.

Ms. Degiulio's After School 3rd-5th Grade

Nature In Chicago 3rd-5th Graders

Grass walks like a dinosaur.
Grass walking to different hills.
Dogs go to a babysitter.
I see a bird cleaning my room.
Leaves skydive into Winter.
Butterflies eating butter.
A puppy whining like a crying baby.
Dogs and pigs eating at a fancy restaurant.
Cats sleeping like humans.
Cats talking to other cats, meowing
on the phone.

Josh's Nature Joshua C.

You can play games with Nature.
You can feed Nature.
You can sled in Nature.
You can jump in Nature.
You can have fun with Nature.

Rain Evan Q.

I draw with the rain.
I squeeze the rain.
I eat the rain.
I sniff the rain, it smells
like a lawnmower.
I love rain, because rain
is hot.

Nature Alexcia S.

I spin in the wind.
I read like a owl in school.
I smell like a rose.
I see my house like a butterfly.
I swim like a shark.
I play in the grass.
I make food like summer.
I hop like a bunny.
I fly like a unicorn.
I run like a cheetah.