Shoesmith Soloemns, Part 2

School
Shoesmith Elementary School

Poet in Residence
Leslie Reese

Date

This week Shoesmith 4th graders took inspiration from the “Chicago Soul Poem” form, also known as a Soloem. This type of poem was created by avery r. young, during his tenure as Chicago’s first poet laureate (2023-2025). A Soloem is a 5 stanza/9 line poem written specifically about the people, places, and things that are the soul of Chicago.

After brainstorming ideas and memories specific to Shoesmith and other Chicago-centric things like its social activism, its neighborhoods, Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”), the exuberance with which Chicagoans celebrate holidays, and the “bucket boys, “we read and discussed my soloem,”In The Church of Promontory Point.”  From there students wrote their own [or dictated their] poems to a teacher:  some wrote Soloems, while others wrote poems inspired by the Soloem form.

Enjoy reading Group 2’s Poems in this post!

School
Shoesmith Elementary School

Poet in Residence
Leslie Reese

Date

Ms. Lehner 4th Grade Group 2

I Live in Chicago Lux P.

the earth of Chicago

buildings, adults,
dogs, kids

going to see the Christmas tree in downtown with my sister
going to Chinatown with my sisters
going with my dad to Maggie Daly Park

with my dad
with my sisters

the earth of Chicago

 

Our Lovely Chicago Sophia J.

Our lovely Chicago

 

A place with beautiful blooming flowers of spring warm and colorful. The joyful sound with the voices speaking loudly and

proudly for our safety and fairness.
Walking and laughing with buildings ahead of there
was my Mom and I

At the bean in downtown nearing the beautiful singing
choir and the murals, beautiful and joyful.

 

Our lovely Chicago

 

 

Immigrants and Architecture Triston W.

Immigrants and architecture are the soul of Chicago

Colorful cultures from all around the world and artistic buildings. Like animal skins on drums and jerk chicken sauce

me and my family were looking at their buildings
and their hard work and I saw stairs that were
very colorful like African clothes and their hats

we were in
Hyde Park

Immigrants and architecture are the soul of Chicago

All my memories at Shoesmith Charlie C.

At Shoesmith I’ve been here for most of my life

I remember instead of the Yellow Park there was a Red park
I remember my first day of school

I remember meeting my first best friends
I remember there was no Ms. Murray
there was Ms. Gatens I remember

we were learning basic math in kindergarten
like 12+12 I remember when they used to bring lunch
to us and the lunchroom was for teachers + staff

I will remember you old Shoesmith

My Neighborhood in Chicago Cory G.

My neighborhood in Chicago

My neighborhood looks different
I see tunnels and murals

I walked under with my mom and brother
for the first time
we talked about the art on the walls

I heard the train, cars, and buses
and conversations all over

My neighborhood in Chicago

The Things I Love in the Earth Christian S.

The Earth

the nature the beautiful water and loud

nature smells good and kids should go
outside to have fun and love and smell
nature.

The good times in Shoesmith Cornelius C.

Shoesmith is a very good school

I see a lot of yellow
because we are the honeybees

I remember a time that I did good
my teacher gave me candy
and I ate it outside

I looked at the field

and felt happy

Shoesmith is a very good school