No Bad Guys

School
The Nettelhorst School

Poet in Residence
Leslie Reese

Date

This week marks my second-to-last poetry sessions with Nettelhorst 2nd graders for Spring 2026. When I introduced the lesson – “Our World” poems – I learned that students have already begun to explore activism and city planning! My heart is warmed and inspired by the steps they are taking to make our world more just, safe, friendly, and fun. After discussing things that we like and don’t like about today’s world, I asked for volunteers to read individual stanzas of my poem – “Life Is For Us And It Shines” – aloud, because it is a poem that I wrote in the voice of children. Students wanted to discuss stanzas such as:

“Children who can’t get enough sleep and
Children who require a moment to weep;”

Hungry children on the run
from war and guns
who don’t have enough sun
who are’t having enough fun

We have a right to our songs
We deserve to be safe and grow strong.”

Poets brainstormed serious as well as whimsical ideas for the kind of world they want to live in, and then wrote their own poems.  I enjoyed reading their poems so much that I may have to publish more in a second blog post – Enjoy!

School
The Nettelhorst School

Poet in Residence
Leslie Reese

Date

Ms. Rodriguez 2nd Grade

In this world Marnie

In this world there is peace

In this world animals and
people live together

In this world we
have wings

and in this world
we are happy

In this world
everyone is happy
in this world

No Bad Guys Thomas

No bad guys
It would be nice
if
there
were
no
bad
guys.

Now
it
would
be
very
nice
in
deed.

A Kind World Evelyn

a world of peace!
houses are free
a petting zoo
and mini golf cars
all at recess!

in the petting zoo
there are tiny parrots that
fly towards you
singing gummy bears sing a sweet song

I hope you will like my world
I hope you like it all.

 

Keep the World Calm Krzysztof

No fighting and no
wars. No one wants to
die.  If you
die you will miss
your family
and be sad.  If

there are wars
you can die so
no wars just
happiness

We want to live in a world of peace Group Collaboration

We want to live in a world of peace
Where everyone gets a Saturday or Sunday to
swim in a mile-long jello pool

A world with trees made of rice crispies
And healthy gummies all over the place
Putting smiles all over your face

We want to live in a world of peace
A world where everyone gets to ride
a waterslide from the classroom to
the playground at recess

The world would be made of a giant pizza crust
you could nibble it whenever you want

No pollution! No guns!

We want to live in a world of peace
No homelessness
Where every home has an underground dance room
with a disco ball and a boom box

Ms. Froman 2nd Grade

I wish that Hannah

I wish that
I could
fly and watch sunsets while flying

I wish that I could
touch the sky

I wish I could
smell blue raspberry
everywhere

I wish
that I could make
the sun shine on
me

I wish that
I could control
weather

I wish that
I could do anything

A Peaceful World Dora

War should be
stopped.  No more
gun violence.
No more
endangering/
hunting animals.

More cozy mornings.
Wake up to
a happy world.
You look out a
window and see a nice
peaceful world.

A World Welles

A world full of free
life!
A world of fun!
and a world of less
smoke

A world of children
who wonder
A world
of sunlight
on our faces

A Cozy World Bess

A world made of
pillows, mattresses,
and clouds, a
world of hot cocoa,
and the scent
of cookies, living
in a cozy house,
dreaming into the
stars.

Show More Kindness Sienna M.

People show more
kindness

People be kind to
them
selves.

People need to take
care of our world.

The World We Can Imagine Group Collaboration

a world of soft cushiony grass,
bright sunshine warming our bodies

we wish for more wild places to explore
animals, fields, boulders for climbing
and feeling free
Mountains for hiking and watching the
sun come up

we love the beach, the feel of warm water
and soft sand and fish we see through
our goggles

We will keep the water as clean as
fresh laundered clothes
as clean as soap
as blue as the sky

A world where animals are free,
a world of open spaces
as wide as the sky full of bright twinkling
stars and dreams filling the air

 

Mrs. Barbeau and Mrs. Kari 3rd grade

The Things We Want in Our World Group Collaboration

We want our world to be free of war
Some of us don’t want to go to school

Give everyone an endless life

We want to use more organic fuel

We want more moons, to be free
of asteroids

Be kind to others, make peace, not war

How about broccoli raining from the sky?
We wish the world was made of candy
And there were no boring days

We would give hedgehogs more forcefields

Be kind to others, make peace, not war
Don’t punch others!