Last week, we had our final (?!?) poetry classes of the residency. Students had asked me over the ten weeks to share some of my own work, so I brought in a few poems to read and discuss with them. In addition, to celebrate all their terrific work, for a last writing idea the students were prompted to respond to “poetry is—,” finishing those two words by writing a few lines expressing how they feel about poetry, what they learned about it, or something else related to their poetic experience this year. We briefly recapped some of the literary devices and figurative language used in their writing over the residency, such as similes, metaphors, personification, repetition, etc., and they were encouraged (as always!) to make their line(s) as creative as possible. When the students were satisfied with what they’d written, they lined up, and told me which line they wanted me to use; all those lines were then compiled randomly in a collective poem finale for every classroom.
What a great way to end our poetry classes! Thanks to everyone at Skinner West—teachers, students, families—for making this such a tremendously fun and rewarding residency. See you at the All Schools Reading in May; until then, check out these ponder-ful poems…
Mr. O’Brien, 4th Grade
Poetry Is…
Poetry is not as bad as vegetables.
Poetry is expressive.
Poetry is Poetry.
Poetry is a flower blossoming in every season.
Poetry is a way to express your feelings by words.
Poetry is small as a mouse and large as a house.
Poetry is fun and exciting.
Poetry is . . . as old as Trump’s great grandpa.
Poetry is fun like playing at a playground.
Poetry is a piece of cake that I bake when I shake a milkshake in my lake mate plate.
Poetry is the light in darkness.
Poetry is stronger than a social community.
Poetry is now I will speak in my alien form.
Poetry is Fascinating.
Poetry is like hmm, let me think.
Poetry is confusing as the hardest mystery in the world, but as cool as winter.
Poetry is as sweet as a honeycrisp apple.
Poetry is words, something that you can’t describe, like a lion that can write.
Poetry is something.
Poetry is life, it’s how you feel with words.
Poetry is a calming theme where you can write things.
Poetry is a gamble, it can be anything.
It’s easy as chocolate, melts in your mouth.
Poetry is the best subject ever . . . . . .
Poetry is as good as a pizza.
Poetry is art and authors trying to make fake stuff.
Mrs. Rupp, 4th Grade
Poetry Is…
Poetry is like a skeleton with no bones.
Poetry is as interesting as a unicorn riding a rainbow.
Poetry is as fun as video games and as exciting as Christmas.
Poetry is crazy and hazy and as fun as can be.
Poetry is fun . . . . . .
Poetry is like riding a snake into the sun and also eating a peanut butter potato chip sandwich while drinking dragon juice with 100% real dragon.
I like poetry because when I write poetry, I let my imagination run wild.
Picture perfect poetry is not what you see but what you make others feel.
Poetry is as sweet as candy yet sour as lemons,
Poetry is like filling a blank with art, the calm before the storm.
Poetry is like a bag of marbles: you can pick but you don’t know which one you will get, but you got to stick to it.
Poetry is clearly confusing, like diving straight into apocalypse; you never know what’s going to happen or origami, a million combinations.
Poetry is feelings because most of the poetry talks about happy, sad, anger and more.
Poetry is like a puzzle.
Poetry is like someone riding a dragon while eating cake #sugarrush
Poetry is like fire in a pill you swallow it like you know how to do.
Poetry is as good as the feeling you feel when winter is over and spring is here!
Poetry is like an arrow, though it is confusing it is likely to hit a target.
Poetry is like a bird flying free.
Poetry is like reaching for the stars, and catching one.
Poetry makes ME FEEL Random Feelings.
Poetry is like diving into an icy river with a knife in my mouth.
Poetry is as boring as no school = as fun as school = the opposite.
Poetry is like riding a drunk dragon into a wall, while eating peanut butter and bombing a power plant at the same time.
I think poetry is not horrible, but that does not mean it is beautiful.
Ms. Travis, 4th Grade
Poetry Is…
Poetry is like a buffet, so much you can choose.
Poetry is . . . well I can’t say, maybe I can, I guess so, poetry is as different from writing as eyebrows and eyelashes.
Poetry is like M&Ms scattered across a tile floor, messy.
Poetry is an inspiring phenomenon that teaches kids and adults about comedy and more.
Poetry is a volcano that’s about to explode with excitement.
Poetry drips from everything in the world.
It’s weird, it’s everything.
Poetry is like sun and moon. The sun and moon are different, just like each line of words.
Poetry makes me think.
Poetry is my heart.
Poetry is like a ball of sun waiting to bloom under one.
Poetry is like a bird just find a home.
Poetry is Comedy.
Poetry speaks hello to me.
Poetry is as crunchy as a carrot.
It feels like fur and sounds like music.
Poetry is more than words, it speaks louder and bigger like a tiger.
Poetry is a magical world on the back of your head; it can make you happy, it can make you sad.
Poetry is like the water that I drink.
Poetry is waiting to unfold into a land.
Poetry is like a cycle you don’t know what can go wrong.
Poetry is the crumbs to my cracker.
Poetry is like a little bubbly puppy.
Poetry is incredible like The Incredibles, it’s like Stranger Things but a poem.
Poetry is a big knot of mysteries.
Poetry can be anything as long as you BELIEVE in yourself.
Poetry is the flow of feelings.
Sometimes poetry can be a song or rap.
Poetry is like me seeing a shark in my face.
Poetry can be the biggest value in the world, being so rich and inspiring while being of little importance to other people.
Poetry is like a ball of sun waiting to hit our skins, or like a ball of fire waiting to burn out fun.
Mrs. Johnson, 4th Grade
Poetry Is…
Poetry is a piece of cake—no it isn’t, you have to put in work—poetry is like trying not to get bitten by a crocodile when you fall in a swamp.
Poetry is cooler than science.
Poetry is a way to impress you you feel, an image in your head on paper.
I like poetry because it is so so cool.
Poetry is if if if if if if if if if if if.
Poetry is a type of art that people love, it’s something people express their feelings, imagination, creativity, and beliefs.
Poetry is . . . . odd. Something not for me.
Poetry is unique as Picasso.
Poetry is like a lit candle because it lights up your day.
All you have to do is take out paper and start writing, and there is no age line.
Words. Hi. One. Blue. Face. Line. Yell. Shoe. PANTS! More words, finisher, kindergartener, funnel, publisher, ukulele. PANTS! Once more . . .
Poetry is as awesome as seeing magic in real life or being in a science lab overview.
Poetry is scary as it is to meet a GHOST!
Poetry is as amazing as the top of a waterfall.
Poetry is fun when you are happy, poetry is boring when you are angry.
Poetry makes me feel like I’m in a world of the coolest poems ever.
Poetry is a gift from people’s smiles, cheers, writing and is like a rainbow in the sky.
Poetry is as cool as a giraffe drinking a milkshake.
Poetry is a fun way to write.
Poetry is as cool as a Lion.
Poetry is like Jordans.
It’s like a roller coaster: it goes up and down, left and right, everything is an unexpected turn.
Poetry is dab life OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Poetry is a cool subject.
Poetry is as fun as llamas.
Poetry is good because it makes me happy.
Poetry is as cool as Kyrie.
Mrs. Oluewu, 4th Grade
Poetry Is…
Poetry is amazing as a rainbow after rain.
Poetry is nice, just that there are some mice.
Poetry is like a therapist for the mind.
Poetry is CRAZY like random words across the page, meaningless, worthless, fun, all of the ABOVE across the paper.
Poetry helps you express yourself.
Poetry is weird.
Blank, disgusting, boring—not poetry.
Is it a story, oxymoron, or poetry? I don’t know cuz we learned a lot!
And of course, our complex jello (the brain) is unique, so it makes sense poems are too.
Poetry is weird so don’t expect rules like a pillow fight.
Poetry is whatever you want.
Poetry is as mixed-up as a wordsearch puzzle.
Poetry is a sight for sore eyes.
Poetry is like seeing a shooting star in the middle of the day.
Poetry is mysteriously, light and dark.
Poetry is . . . just a bunch of WORDS jumbled on a piece of paper.
PoetryPoetryPoetryPoetryPoetry IT’S POETRY PEOPLE!!!
Poetry makes me happy, it takes out my—break—I like taffy! OK, it takes out my struggles, and gives me the feeling of excitementables!
Poetry is crazy and intelligent, smarter than the wind.
Poetry is poet trees and french fries.
Poetry is oxymorons streaking past my head.
Poetry is like a hummingbird swirling around in the air.
Poetry is the one blue dot on the black cover.
Poetry is a taco in space.
Poetry is like a taco . . . it’s good!
Poetry is as crazy as a watermelon spelled with a capital 4.
Poetry is like trees swaying on a warm summer day.
Poetry is simply poetry. KIDDING.
Poetry is random.
Poetry is as random as dragons and unicorns riding on the sun.
Poetry is just being you.
