Poetry of middle school students

“These poems were generated from an assignment given to the sixth-eighth graders by author/poet Elizabeth Hand during Partners for Enrichment’s Author’s Day.

After reading the sensory rich poem Vowels by the 19th-Century teenage poet Arthur Rimbaud, Hand asked the students to write approximately 14 lines of original verse. They were given 10 minutes to produce their own poem with the guideline of using all five senses.

All of the students did an excellent job. I was amazed by the vivid imagery that was created by these students in such a short amount of time.”

-Hope Elementary School Educational Technician Linda Moran

 

 

The Sun’s Journey

The sun awakens
Starts the journey across the sky
Makes the beginning of a new day
The black night fades into dawn.

The sun reaches its peak
Heat
Stillness
Bright.

The sun starts to tire;
Temperatures drop;
Crickets come out;
It is dusk.

The journey of the sun
From dawn to dusk.

Tristan Fong
Grade 7

 

Seasons

the feeling of the warmth
the sun high in the sky
the warm breeze
flying by.

the cool air
giving you the chills
the colorful leaves
giving you thrills.

waking up in the mornings
looking out the window
seeing snow
everywhere you go.

the grass is green
the flowers are growing
the ice has melted
the water is flowing.

Taylor Wilson
Grade 8

The Beach

The color blue shows most;
sparkling water,
taste of salt in my mouth.
Easy movements of the fish,
splish and splash of the children,
sound of me laughing.
Bark of my dog,
brightness of the sun,
warmth of the sand on my feet,
smell of the low tide,
wind in my face,
cool air all around;
I come out of the water and dive in again.
The beach.

Brynne Wrona
Grade 7

Summer

Submerged, deep down under;
This certain darkness
swaying me with the sound of a mute emptiness.
I sing of a summer’s day
bright with hope and things to come;
An earthly scent
of plants and death.
The vibrant greens of the trees
Trying to persuade me to come out,
But I stay in this black shade
A swift breeze chilling my white skin.
I dream of a day of light
and a blue crashing of depth.
Finally, yellow, on my tongue
tangy,
waking me up.

~Gwenyvere Sewall
Grade 7

Sunshine

The beautiful mist,
surrounding the forest,
the animals in the woods
rustling, crunching.
The roar of the waves,
comforting me to sleep.
On the sand.
The babble of a calm brook
Needing only a strong source to flow freely.
Only a rainstorm can have the pitter-patter I hear.
But only the sunshine can warm the skin on my face.
The most wonderful thing in the world,
the smell of grass cut not long ago.
But only the sunshine can warm the skin on my face.

Rebecca Agnor
Grade 7

Bluebirds

While I eat my ice cream
I hear bluebirds chirping in the trees;
hot day,
warm sun,
cold shade,
the clouds up in sky calm me,
same as the ocean waves.

Quinn Bunting
Grade 6

The Senses of the Beach

Smell the sea salt in the air.
Feel the sand under your bare feet.
Hear the seagulls talk.
See the big waves crash against the rocks.
Taste the yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwich in your mouth.
Feel the cold water all around you.
Hear your dad skipping rocks, splish splish splash.
See the periwinkles on the rocks.
Taste the sea salt in the water.
Smell the fresh lemonade.
Hear our mom say, “it’s time to go!”
See her pick up the toys.
Taste the disgusting sand in your mouth.
We had fun, but now it is time to go!

Kelsie Merrill
Grade 6

PEACE

In the night, I see nothing;
I can only hear the sounds
of crickets chirping away.
PEACE
In the night, I see nothing;
I can only smell the cold breeze
which never seems to end.
PEACE
In the night, I see nothing;
I can only feel the chill
in the air.
PEACE
Oh how much
I love the night.

Max Pushaw
Grade 6