Pass-Around Poem -- Rachel

This one was begun by Rachel:

Sad
The yellow flowers drooped
Honey melting slowly over the table
When the sun sank slowly down
A lonely yellow donkey sitting in his stall
The donkey moves like a sluggish snail
Talking to a blank white wall
In an empty hallway
On a really high mountain.

Okay, well, this one jumps around a bit, but we've got some interesting sad images here.

Pass-Around Poems --Savanna

Here is a pass-around poem BEGUN by Savanna:

Sneaky
A black shadow
On the back of a t-shirt
In the alley near the New York street
A brown rat sneaks into a cellar
Like a ballerina on tiptoes
Snickering at the ignorance of unsuspecting humans
Like the darkest shade.

(Remember: every line was written by a different student, following my oral directions.)

Pass-Around Poems

Just before the end of 2nd term, we tried a new thing which I'd made up: each row in the class took an emotion, then each person wrote just one line (following my directions about including a color, an animal, a metaphor, etc.) as it was passed around the room. Some of them turned out just awful, but others were quite interesting.
Here's one that was begun by Annie:

Happy
The adorable bunnies frolicked in the lush green grass
Mexican jumping beans bouncing around
In the the park with the sun shining vibrantly
A lush green bird flying from tree to tree
Fluttering like a helicopter
With a green feather coat
Keeping it warm in the crisp, cool breeze, in a warm sunset
In the beautiful orange sky.

Okay, that last line makes me think of Nat King Cole..... :)

A "Quality" Poem by Kim

Laziness (as land)

This land is not totally
flat, some mountains. It rains
sometimes.
All you see here is
ugly trees, dirt,
tumbleweeds and
Under the trees
are patches of
grass. There are tumble-
Weeds blowing in the low wind.
the
smell
is
the
smell
of
new
fallen
rain.

A "Quality" Poem by Todd

Anger (as water)

Anger is like the ocean when it's in a typhoon
Wailing towards the fishermen and the
Islands in its path
Whiping out everything in its way
Dark and gloomy days after the destruction
Of the typhoon

A "Quality" Poem by Morgan

Hatred (as fire)

It was like a billion suns
The hatred that consumed my heart
It showed no mercy
This deathly blaze
It consumed me
I felt it burn and grow inside
It burst out, and destroyed all
In its path
When it had finally gone away
I was empty and alone
My world was burned and
Left, was ash.

A Pantoum by Kayleen

I can't decide if this is more Charles Dickens (think of the death of Little Nell) and William Blake (Songs of Innocence and Experience) in all their Victorian sentimentality,


or if it's really more Lemony Snickett and we're supposed to be chuckling at it as we read.
Nevertheless, as far as form, meter, and rhyme go, it's not a bad pantuom. And 9th graders do tend to like dramatic things, so here we go:


Once Upon A Summer Morn

Once upon a summer morn
A child sings a song of pain
Once side completely sad and torn
On a face with nothing more to gain

A child sings a song of pain
This poor and saddened life he's had
On a face with nothing more to gain
A melody of life so sad

This poor saddened life he's had
Wit empty feeling in his home
A melody of life so sad
Like torturing ancient Rome

With empty feelings in his home
A life so dreary and so black
Like torturing ancient Rome
He cannot get his family back

A life so dreary and so black
His parents and his family dead
He cannot get his family back
He cannot sleep upon his bed

His parents and his family dead
Himself inside an empty room
He cannot sleep upon his bed
The fire made his family's tomb

Himself inside an empty room
Alone without a friend to spare
The fire made his family's tomb
He has nothing more than he can share

Alone without a friend to spare
One side completely sad and torn
He had nothing left that he can share
Once upon a summer morn.