Week 7 at Washington: "The joy we have!" - The Chicago Poetry Center

Week 7 at Washington: “The joy we have!”

So, we’ve started telling stories.. now we’re making the stories come to life!

Setting and context are just as important as the stories themselves, and one of the best ode-writers helps us out in class this week. Ariana Brown’s “Ode to Thrift Stores” describes all the ins-and-outs and sounds and songs of a trip to thrift store, and we look to bring that same descriptive energy to our own cherished people, places and things in our own lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMUGXx4lY0M

We took some time to write our own odes in Week 7 of poetry classes at Washington Elementary! This is one of my favorite classes of the year, and usually where more of the personality of the students starts to show. I believe that trend continued this year, and it truly warms my heart. I hope it gives you just as much joy to read some of these poems:

My Mom Sahara S.

My mom inspires me to be a better person
She’s a doctor and takes care of people,
Always lookin out for everyone
Never selfish
Doing everything she can
So I can have
A smile
On my face
Teaching me right
From wrong

HE'S GONE! Germain G.

4th down, 4th quarter, 4 seconds left, his head so bald, it’s shiny
People in the stands can’t even see, so they’re whining
HIKE! We’re 15 yards away, he throws it to Moony,
But at the line of scrimmage?? ARE YOU KIDDING?
Everyone is outraged, the reporters are calling our franchise a joke
Some crazy person said he hopes Matt Nagy crokes
But!… then, our dream comes true:
The franchise might actually pull through.
But finally, that man is no longer wearing orange and blue!

Peppa Adahlia Z.

A dog
Lonely, scared
Afraid of death
Wandering around the roads
Wondering when a human will be in sight
Eventually, that dog was right
She was picked right up

She was put into a home
Cozy, warm, playful, loyal, energetic
She spends her days sleeping and playing
Her name is Peppa!

Welcome home, Peppa!

My Hamster Francisco V.

Small, furry, fast, coming for food
Parkouring its way out of its case
I hear its tapping feet down the hall,
Making secret hideouts
Under the floor

Hard to catch
And hard to follow

My Mother Yasmine M.

My lovely mother
Full of thoughts
And love
Thinking how she
Became who she is
Her hard working self
And her self control

HER Carlos C.

HER
The personality
The looks
The memories
The comfort she gives
The joy we have
Her hair
Her face
The smell of her
HER

HER
The joy she gives me
The way she walks
The way she speaks to me
Makes me get butterflies
The way she laughs
The way she looks at me
She’s amazing
She’s perfect
HER

HER
The things we do
Go bowling
Have parties
Help with homework
Sending love to each other,
Giving each other joy
Never wanting to be
With no one else:
HER