…’or on sailing tours that pass in front of the hotel.’: Travel and Hybrid Poems

School
Waters Elementary School

Poet in Residence
Timothy David Rey

Date

Students worked in the form of a Hybrid Poem. A Hybrid Poem is a poem that mixes different forms and styles. For example, using text from another source in your poem! This form is on wonderful display in poet Richard Blanco’s work, ‘We Are Not Going to Malta,’ where he uses actual text from a travel brochure and mixes it with his own writing for both funny and touching results. Students thumbed through actual paper travel brochures and then crafted hybrid poems inspired by Blanco’s style. The text of his poem is below for reference.

School
Waters Elementary School

Poet in Residence
Timothy David Rey

Date

We Are Not Going To Malta

by

Richard Blanco

 because the winds are too strong, our Captain announces, his voice like an oracle coming through the loudspeakers of every lounge and hall, as if the ship itself were speaking. We’re not going to Malta–an enchanting island country fifty miles from Sicily, according to the brochure of the tour we’re not taking. But what if we did go to Malta? What if, as we are escorted on foot through the walled “Silent City” of Mdina, the walls begin speaking to me; and after we stop a few minutes to admire the impressive architecture, I feel Malta could be the place for me. What if, as we stroll the bastions to admire the panoramic harbor and stunning countryside, I dream of buying a little Maltese farm, raising Maltese horses in the green Maltese hills. What if, after we see the cathedral in Mosta saved by a miracle, I believe that Malta itself is a miracle; and before I’m transported back to the pier with a complimentary beverage, I’m struck with Malta fever, discover I am very Maltese indeed, and decide I must return to Malta, learn to speak Maltese with an English (or Spanish) accent, work as a Maltese professor of English at the University of Malta, and teach a course on The Maltese Falcon. Or, what if when we stop at a factory to shop for famous Malteseware, I discover that making Maltese crosses is my true passion. Yes, I’d get a Maltese cat and a Maltese dog, make Maltese friends, drink Malted milk, join the Knights of Malta, and be happy for the rest of my Maltesian life. But we’re not going to Malta. Malta is drifting past us, or we are drifting past it–an amorphous hump of green and brown bobbing in the portholes with the horizon as the ship heaves over whitecaps wisping into rainbows for a moment, then dissolving back into the sea.

Mrs. McClain, 7th Grade, Group One

We Are Not Going to Japan by Guy K.

We’re not going to Japan because our plane is down. We will not see…mount fuji from the top looking down at all of Japan and we will not be taking the most stunning picture from the top we will not be making gunkan maki sushi a strip of sea weed topped with soft ingredients or be doing sumo training at roygoku the center of japans sumo world so I’ll never be able to see a famous sumo wrestler or the world’s best sushi maker in the world or Japan’s best photographer.

We Are Not Coming Home by Rosamary N.

I can hear over the airport loudspeakers that are too loud for an airport. Flight 342 to Italy has been canceled. I am trapped in a crammed, everlasting room without doors or windows, and no sense of direction. It seems to come in close contact with numerous health inspections. Never again will I eat the buttered noodles and rich tomato sauce sprinkled ever so with pinches of parmesan, from the halls and dining of Osteria Francesca. I am stuck eating Spaghettios straight from the can in this unfamiliar continent. I won’t see Imperial Rome, nor see the flawless works of Michelangelo. I am tired of this Land of Liberty. I would much rather visit The St. Regis Florence, instead of sleeping in a too-soft bed inside of a Hilton. But just when I am about to cry I hear, from my excellent ears, over the loudest speakers in the loudest room, Flight 342 to Italy has been rescheduled for 9 am tomorrow, we apologize for the delay. And then, I do cry, I cry tears of joy! I will feast at Osteria Francesca and see Imperial Rome; never will I miss the works of Michelangelo, and I’ll dream my nights away at The St. Regis Florence. I sigh with relief as I walk towards my gate.

 

Mrs. McClain, 7th Grade, Group Two

We Are Not Going to Ireland by Levin M.

 

Because of the closed airport in Chicago. We are not going 

to Ireland, the country of spectacular scenery, seaside 

cliffs, and vibrant towns. But what if we did go to Ireland?

I would immerse myself in Ireland’s food heritage and 

culture, meet artisan and traditional foodie favorites on

this culinary vacation. I feel Ireland could be the place for me.

I would wander off the beaten path to explore the 

spectacular beauty of the north and west of Ireland.

I dream of living in Ireland.

 

We Are Not Traveling to Barcelona by Danna V.G.

Why are hotels so expensive?

But if we were to go, we could walk along Barcelona’s famous boardwalk;

And we’ll have fun because they’ll give us direct access to the beach.

We would visit the lively restaurant area of Marina Port Vell

We would go on a sunset cruise with cava from Port Olímpic, or on sailing tours that pass in front of the hotel.

 

Mrs. McClain, 8th Grade, Group Three

The Land of Tahiti by Connor A.

The land of TAHITI 

I would visit TAHITI cause ive looked at the island

And it looks really nice and calming, and a really good 

Vacation

 

There are so many nice resorts that you could go to

And the nice ocean, the clear water, the nice beaches

 

The sun on your skin, the nice tan on your body, the nice warm weather

The pools the animals your friends can come, it would be really nice and 

Relaxing

That’s why you should go to TAHITI 

 

 

We Are Not Going to South Haven by Frederick P.

 

We are not going to South Haven because our car broke down

I am very sad

I would walk around and enjoy the fresh air

I would play mini golf with my dad and brother

I would sit on the beach and look at the waves

I would play football in the lake with my brother

Have fun in the great state of Michigan

I would have had so much fun

But sadly, I don´t get to go

 

We Are Not Going to Japan by Darcy A.

“Because of the storms,” I can hear the flight attendant say, her voice as sharp as a knife, leaving no room for negotiation. It is too stormy for the next week, so we cannot go to Japan. But if I could, why, I would wander around this ancient port city surrounded by natural beauty and cultural grace, at least that’s what the brochure I’m holding of the place I’m not visiting says. But what if I were to marvel at a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose giant torii gates appear to float at high tide? I would explore a city considered to be one of Japan’s most beautiful, where I’d find a city center of glass-and-steel skyscrapers ringed by hidden temples and gentle parks. Maybe while admiring 1001 intricately carved wooden statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, I would decide that Japan was where I was meant to be. Maybe I would move there, learn Japanese, get a job at a Japanese university, marry a Japanese girl, and adopt three beautiful Japanese children, where I would grow old in the beautiful Japanese countryside. But I’m not going to Japan. And none of those things will ever happen.