What Do You Believe?

This week we were looking at out-going poet laureate Natasha Trethewey’s “Southern Fires.” This poem is about keeping silent when you know something wrong is happening, so I asked the kids what they would say to someone who told them that what they believed to be right was wrong. I think they were sometimes parroting back what they thought they should say, but at the same time, by going through this exercise I think many of the students were able to ask themselves WHY they believed the things they were told to believe.

Also, oddly, at least three of the model poems we’ve looked at this year have “Fire” in the title. Cuz, fire is, like, poetic, I guess…

Ms. Ramirez 4th grade - Room 214

Somebody Says that Beer is Good for You Luis G.

Somebody says
that beer is good for you.
I say
that it is not good for you
and you can get arrested
if you are driving and
drunk on beer. And if
you get arrested
don’t go crying to me.

I Saw A Man Emily R.

I saw a man
and told him
are you on drugs? he
said “Yes.” I
said well,
you need to stop
all the
drug
stuff and
think
about your
life.
so the
next day
on the
news
I heard
the man
did too much
drugs and
did suicide.

Stop Kidnapping (no name)

Kidnapping is bad
because if you do it
to someone they
will learn how to do it
and then everybody
will do it
including
little children.

Ms. Morales 6th grade - Room 307

Gangbanging is Wrong Tyea R.

Gangbanging
is wrong
yes
it is wrong
because people be doing
too much killing
which is not good
because people die
for no reason and
there’s too much violence
which create a fight.

Homework is Wrong Taja T.

No!
Homework is wrong
it’s very, very wrong
why do we have it
if it’s so, so
wrong?
what is there problem?
how do they do it?
I think they’f gone to to to
stupid. What is there
problem and
how could do it?

Lies Oscar R.

Lying is bad
because some people
lie and all it does
is make stuff worse. Lies
are good
because sometimes
it gets you out of
stuff.

Ms. Moss 4th grade - Room 212

Gravity is Wrong Angel

Gravity is wrong
I can’t jump on the
walls
I could jump so high
I could float in
the sky. I would fall
down slow
I would search for elmo
float far away
gravity is wrong.

Drugs Sonia R.

Greeny, miniscule things that
look like grass BUT IS NOT!!!!!!
Many people
have been going to jail
for this, for selling
and buying. This
is a disgrace. I would be
ashamed if I had
a relative that did that. People
who do that needs
a psychologist. I would say
“you’re a disgrace, and you know what?
I’m not hanging out with
you anymore. So go
somewhere else with that junk. To jail.
And one more thing

YOU ARE DEAD TO ME”

goodbye, idiot.

I was Talking to my Friend Valeria

I was talking to
my friend, she said
“Mexicans are lousy
people.”
“but I am Mexican” she looked at
me with a ugly look
she talked about there color
saying we are dark like
old chocolate bar
she said “Mexican
moms have too many kids”
then she said “Is that
your mom? You don’t look
like her.”
I stood up
and said
“I AM MEXICAN and I have
brown skin pride. I don’t care.
I may not look like my mom
but we Mexicans are mixed
with African people, Asian and European
people. Believe me it is true!!”
She was speechless.