Odes After School - The Chicago Poetry Center

Odes After School

Poetry students in Haines after school program talked about the difference between biography and autobiography. We then read “Ode to My Size” by Peter Acosta, in which the young poet accepts and celebrates that he is shorter than most of his classmates. After making short lists of autobiographical information, students began writing odes – poems that celebrate or show respect for things about themselves.

4th Grade

Ode to my Personality Shannon T.

I sing to my personality.
People call me stupid
But I don’t care
Because I sing in to my anger
To soothe in my happiness
I sing to my personality.

Zariyah H.

I sing the song of
myself. I like dogs.
I don’t like snakes.
I fear spiders. I fear
spiders because they
are hairy, and they
bite people and make
me feel uncomfortable.

Ode to Myself Noah C.

I sing about my strong self
like the trees. Like the
sun and moon together sitting in
space together like birds singing
but that is not me. I am a lover
to myself. I feel love and forgiveness.
All I need is my family. They
give me help, love, kindness.
With them: I fear nothing
but God. I would like to see
myself be a good person.
I am a resident of Chicago North
side.