Ode To Beans - The Chicago Poetry Center

Ode To Beans

Everyone loves a good ode because an ode is all about celebration! In class, we read work by latinx, midwest poet Jose Olivarez whose delicious poem Ode to Tortillas led to great discussions about identity and culture and even more heated discussions about how tortillas should be pronounced (emphasizing the middle t and ah sound at the end), how tortillas should be made (with corn), and how tortillas should be eaten (not with a fork and knife!).

Here are two odes:

7th grade

Ode to Beans Robert

mom smashing beans

in the morning

frying them

putting them into tortillas

eating them at every party

or just on sunday

baked beans are not real beans

beans are real beans

Ode to Camping Sebastian

The warm sun beaming

down on you and your

friends while you do

activities like going

fishing, swimming, archery,

and learning about

how to use a rifle

shotguns and a musket.

Then for dinner we had

some sloppy joe and

I made it for my friend,

and they kept begging

for more as well as them

wanting more packets

of kool-aid. Then to go

sleep in the woods

with your warm sleeping

bag and soft pillow,

but before you sleep

you and your friends

will joke around. Then

finally you sleep warm

and peacefully under the

stars.