'we go in rows/ do as told': Gwendolyn Brooks Imitations

‘we go in rows/ do as told’: Gwendolyn Brooks Imitations

Students read Gwendolyn Brooks’ classic poem, ‘We Real Cool’ before crafting their own ‘cool’ poems using their own words and ideas for what is cool, rhyme repetition, and the short form.

We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks

The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.

We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.

Lesson Note: “Well, I’m a poet, but I’ve also worked in libraries and in institutions like the Schomburg Center that seeks to understand and convey the power of Black culture. Poets are often making connections between things, and that’s also what a museum does. It connects us to conversations, it confronts us with artifacts and history in ways that poetry does. And it also reminds us of our roles in the world and with each other. In other words, it asks us to think about our humanity. Great museums and great poetry do that in different, but complementary ways.”-Poet, Kevin Young, editor of ‘African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song’ to Oprah Daily, April 30th, 2021.

Ms. McClain 7th Grade

Untitled Marko M.

We all like sports
We all have similar clothes on
We all play similar video games
We all watch similar movies
We all have similar names
We all ‘hate’ Taylor Swift
And we all like Fortnite
Belonging is fitting
in. Being able to hand out with
people in your environment and being
able to relate to others.

"Cool" Sloan L.

When you’re 9
you think you’re cool
when you stay up past
your bedtime
when you’re in middle school
you’re only cool
when you sneak out
get high
or die
cool
the world can hit
like a sharp tool
can change you
like the seasons
change from winter to summer
now people go
from old to young
that’s pretty cool

Mrs. McClain 8th Grade

Untitled Georgia N.

Belonging is liking the same thing as your friends
playing the same sports
listening to the same music
getting the same grades
wearing the same clothes
watching the same shows
Belonging is fitting in.

Belongings Sofia B.

I Belong.
the things that make me. me .
I Belong
Took me a while to figure this out
Had to shout.
This pencil
These clothes
this poem
I Belong

Belongings are cool
Belongings are fools
Belongings are anything
Belongings are
mine
yours
ours
anyone
That is what
makes us, us

Belongings helped
me figure if I knew
who I was
It did.
I belong.

Mrs. McClain 8th Grade

Untitled Nicholas P.

the school kids
8-3 at school
We stay in school
We stay up late
We study to get a row of straights
We need to say in
to hope to pass
this needy class
yet a stressful pass
We will waste our years
in tears
we go in rows
do as told.

Belonging is Fun Leena H.

Belonging is accepting
Belonging is understanding
your friends and yourself
Belonging is teams,
a duo, trio, squad, team rumble
is belonging
Belonging is coo.

Mrs. McClain 7th Grade

Untitled Sergio H.

You would be cool
but you treat me like a tool
you’re never at school
you never follow the rules
You got fooled

Untitled Ben D.

I belong in school
I belong in a comment section
I don’t belong in a bar
I don’t belong in a big crowd
I don’t belong in a fandom
I want to belong in a convention
I have to belong in an artist’s fan base

that’s pretty cool.