Reflections - The Chicago Poetry Center

Reflections

For our final sessions at Kozminski for the 2022-23 school year, we talked about being reflective. Students talked about things that they have learned, and how things have changed, or not changed since the school year began. Some students shared that they had started out feeling nervous, or had been a “crybaby,” or had been bullied, or had never written a poem; but now they felt more confident, had made encouraging friends, had learned how to stick up for themselves, and can’t stop writing poems! Groups worked collaboratively to come up with lines for these declarative poems.

Ms Manning 4th Grade

Class

Life can be challenging for a kid
or for a parent
as challenging as
trying to cross the street at 47t & State Street
or learning a new language
or going somewhere you do not know.
Life can be challenging like trying to find a ticking bomb
or taking a math test
or when you don’t have your family

You may need a day as bright as light
as bright as the sun,
as bright as the stars at night, or
as shiny as a gold plate, or
a diamond

When your mood is rough and grouchy
like a dog that’s mean, or an ogre
or an angry cat, or a viper that gets provoked
when you are grouchy like the grinch
you may need a day as bright as light
when your mood is rough and grouchy like
sandpaper or a dusty road
or a boulder

You may need a day as bright as light
to make life sweet as butter
or a pack of skittles,
or a cinnamon pop tart, or a cake
or a heart
to make life sweet as a bluebird

Ms Manning 5th Grade

Class

We are hungry for burgers, and Cheetos
We are hungry for freedom and for peace

We wonder how to do our homework
and why trees are green
and why the sky is blue

We hear alarm bells ringing and loud car music
We hear small dogs barking
It reminds us of a bed squeaking

We want big cars and Scat Pack
We want to be set free from school
We want new clothes

We are musical and like to sing
We are athletic and strong
We are creative poets

We wish for kittens, and Lamborghinis,
and money
and peacefulness;
We wish for mansions, and to return to our native countries.
We wish to meet out idols

We pretend to have a billion dollars
to spend on feeding families and feeding the homeless,
and buying new shoes

We are sleepy and wonderful
and beautiful
Sometimes we misbehave
but we are still good people
World-changers, superheroes

We are hungry.

We worry for our families and wish we could help
We worry about money,
and whether or not we smell bad.
We smile for hot dogs and playing with friends
who say funny things

We hope for no school
and bacon, egg and cheese.
Sometimes we don’t have hope

We say “please be quiet,”
and “Bless You,”
“I’m sorry,”
and “Good bye.”