666 by Michael Burke
666
What's done is not done
What's right is wrong
What's liberty is captivity
What's Joy is Fear
and what's dear, is dead.
666
What's done is not done
What's right is wrong
What's liberty is captivity
What's Joy is Fear
and what's dear, is dead.
The Most Beautiful
The most beautiful thing
I've ever seen
was a butterfly
with a colorful wing
on a bright red rose.
Mother by the Numbers
One smart mom
Two bills to pay
Three rooms to clean
Four children tow atch over
Five loads of laundry to do
Seven smelling diapers to throw away
Eight different pants to iron
Nine boxes of huggies to pick up
Ten groceries to buy
Then she does it all over again!
--by Ulianov R.
the 5 Ws poem is an easy way to create a poem that describes a scene with action in it. Here's how:
Line 1 states Who or What the poem is about
Line 2 states Whataction is happening
Line 3 establishes When the action takes place
Line 4 provides the place Where the action occurs
Line 5 provides a reason--Why the action happens
Why don't you try one? Here is an example:
The chirping birds
Building their nests
On a warm march day
In a tall oak tree
To lay their eggs.
--by Troy D.
So that you can enjoy writing your own telephone poem, here are some directions:
List your telephone number vertically:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Next select your topic, then write the lines of your poem: three lines in the first stanza, four lines in the second. The numbers in your phone number determine how many syllables in each line. (Some poets like to use the numbers to determine how many words in each line:) The poems seem more effective if the topic has nothing to do with talking on the phone. If your number has a zero (0) in it, that line is blank.
Here's an example of a first stanza for the phone number above.
2 Don't go
3 into the
4 dark without me
Now you finish the poem. Using multi-syllabic words adds to the fun and difficulty level.
Some poets write a sentence or two that is descriptive, witty, or thought-provoking and try to make it fit on lines according to the telephone number. Try this simple little way to play with words. Try writing one about your favorite pastime, or what you're learning about in science. Or write one that passes on your wisdom about surviving middle school!
I am who I am
And I can't change that
I'm a lyrical princess
Something like the cat in the hat
I am who I am and that's the way God made me
I'm not going to change
Why can't you see
My words flow out like a river
They're big and wide
They make your soul shiver
I am who I am
By myself out in the range
All alone with my words
Maybe kind of strange
I am who I am
And I will not change
- Kari J.
Happiness
What is happiness
Smiling with joy
Laughing with friends
Doing your own thing
Doing a hobby
Spending time freely
--by BC
Window Poem
A hot sunny day
May hold a good day to go swimming
People yelling it’s hot
Very little wind to keep you cool
Splashing from the pool
--by Ashley T.
Anger
What is anger?
Having a bad attitude
Keeping stuff started at school
Having negative thoughts
Saying bad things about people
Not letting things out.
--by Ashley T.
Telephone Poem
8 My favorite food is Pizza Hut
3 I like cheese
8 I like the way it tastes to me
5 the thick puffy crust
6 and the cold mountain dew
8 I like the way it tastes to me
0
--by Ashley T.
Telephone Poem
7 At the mall on a Friday
4 Eating a snack
9 Talking on the phone with my best friend
5 Playing basketball
6 Going fishing with a friend
0
3 Cutting grass
-- Torian C
Second Telephone Poem
2 Asleep
2 working
4 hooping with boys
1 sleep
5 running though the park
9 talking to my mom at the table
2 reading
-- Torian C.
One Sentence Poem
A river flows where it goes
Just like blood in your body.
-- Torian C.
Mother’s Day Poem
My mom has such a sweet heart
Forever I will love her
No matter what happens,
I will always love her,
And never not.
-by Torian C.
Brytton’s poems
1
There I sit in the Dark
Alone
No friends or family
And yet there is a
Ray of light in the shadows
As I reach for it
It grows.
Once I reach it I see
People
It is my family and friends
With smiles.
2.
Life.
Life is like a roller coaster
It has ups and downs along
With unexpected twist
And turns.
Life is like a cloud
One minute it is calm
Then it turns to a
Roaring storm of emotions.
Life is like the sands
Always shifting with the
Winds and rain.
3
Why?
Why must we live in
A world of war and love
Why must we constantly
Worry about death.
Why must we care
About appearance?
Why?
Is the reason for
All these questions that
Have not been answered
With a logical reason,
Why?
TIC TOC
--by ME
Tic toc the clock won’t stop
My time is running out
I can see it no doubt
I’m losing it I can’t think
Fresh close diamond and meek
That’s not me.
I gotta get home and see my family
I’m almost out of time
And I loosing my mind
Holding on
'Cause time almost gone
Can you hear that annoying sound?
Is it heaven where I am bound
Stress is building up
So in this world who can you trust
Life is a killer
O, I wish I could overcome this stress builder
Tic toc tic toc tic toc
Sound like a knock
Killing me softly
Somebody help me please
You never know death can be looking at you face to face
And it is not a good feeling in that place
I feel scared helpless, full of trouble
Like a dirty bubble
Times up
Times up
Times up
Dear readers:
The purpose of these poems is to create a persona for an inanimate object, an animal, or someone from whom you would not ordinarily receive a letter (i.e. a dead person), and write a letter to yourself. The name of author of the poem appears in the salutation of the letter. Your comments are eagerly awaited. Why not try one of these persona poems, yourself?
PERSONA POEMS
Dear Michael B.,
I love it when you start my ignition
Crank me up and give me definition.
I hate that old fuel line,
Always leaking and leaving me behind.
Yet its hard working when my tank is dry,
Just like you left me out to die.
From your not-so-happy,
Tractor
Dear Ulianov R,
Why, I’m so dirty!
How come you never clean me,
I hate it when you toss our books after 2nd block
How come you never open my door, so I can breathe?
Do you know your combination,
Why do you use someone else’s locker
Why does my neighbor have more fun?
Sincerely,
????
Dear Daniel T,
Make me happy
bounce me
kick me
dribble me
I hate it when I touch the ground
the grass is always thick
keep me in the air
don’t just leave me there
Make me happy!
8 Ever hear those advertisements
6 on the radio where
8 someone offers to tell you how
9 they made millions, for a price? Well, that
1 is
3 how they made
2 millions.
--by Michael B.
The most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen
Was a mural
Of an elegant and majestic blue
Dragon stepping through a
Wall of fiercely burning fire.
--Michael B.
The most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen
Was a praying mantis
With wings that look like petals of flower
And can camouflage to look like flowers
To fool other insects and predators.
--Troy D.
The most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen
Was lost of melting chocolate in a pot
And then as the pot tilted
Over into the brown bowl as
The chocolate poured int eh
Bowl on top of big melted
Marshmallows with graham crackers
Standing up on the sides of
The chocolate smorez eaten
By me.
--by Jerome E.
Dear Brianna,
I hate when you throw your binders o me
it hurts when you squeeze in a lot of books
but it feels nice when you clean it up
it gives me room to breathe
i also like it when you get the combination right
doing it so many times it's just annoying
but please don't kick me when you mess up!
WHAT AM I?
Dear Kari,
You never leave me alone
Sometimes you throw me down
I hear all your conversations
Sometimes they are really bad
It tickles when you press my buttons
You run to me when I sing
And every 5 days you change
My answering machine
--Kari J.
ONE SENTENCE POEMS
The most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen
Was a picture
With me wearing all white
With my hair twisted tight.
--Reneya G
The most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen
Was my brother
With thin baby lips
And a cute little face.
--Catherine C.
The most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen
Was a picture of myself
It was in kindergarten
When I was 6
And I looked at it yesterday.
--Shiree G.
TELEPHONE POEMS
2 Hello,
2 it’s me!
7 you’ve reached me but I’m not home
5 please call tomorrow
8 and I promise I’ll answer the telephone
3 call again
9 because your call is important, bye
--Briana R.
BORED
4 Call me tonight
4 When you are bored
7 I will be right here waiting
2 Call me
8 I get impatient so hurry
5 right when the phone rings
6 we will talk about stuff
--Catherine C.
EMERGENCY
9 When in danger dial 911
1 Call!
1 Now!
--Catherine C.
POEMS FROM MS. MADDOX’S EAGLES
This entry and the next two entries are pattern poems which many middle school students have tried before. However, even though there is a formula or pattern to follow, a poet who has something to say can find that it is possible to say it in a startling way or cause the reader to see something in a new way. I think some of my students did that—do you?
PARENT
What is a parent?
Strict about things
Hard working people
Struggling at one point or another,
Trying to teach kids right from wrong.
--Phillip W.
PARENT
Someone who takes responsibility
With a child and makes good
Decisions.
--Correy T.
WHAT IS A PARENT?
Loving person
Caring in many ways
Nagging all the time
--Ashley T.
WHAT IS A PARENT?
Kissing a cut
Taking you places
Showing a lot of love
Giving lots of hugs
Making life fun
--Reneya G.
WHAT IS A PARENT?
A parent is a person who takes care of you.
It’s a person who sticks with you no matter what.
A parent is a responsible adult.
They are people who know how to cook.
--Alexis R.
WHAT IS A PARENT?
Nagging,
Annoying,
Bothering,
Loving,
Leading,
Helping,
Rulers of the house.
--Michael B.
WHAT IS A PARENT?
Someone you love
Someone to take care of you
A person that you can trust
A person that will trust you back
Someone that will believe in you
--Brianna R.
PARENT
A very special person in my life
Who brought me out to experience
A wonderful life. A person who will
Love me no matter what Ill do
Or who I am. A special someone
Who is everything to me in the
World. Someone I’d be nothing without.
Someone I than for everyday with
The feeling of being loved.
--Catherine C.
Student Poets on this site will come from two eighth grade English classes and from the Literary Club, a group of mostly seventh graders who are creative writers in differing genre. Our first poems will be mostly pattern poems or formula poems to get the creative juices flowing.