Students conjured up memories from school and elsewhere to place in a short-form poem. How can our memories, with all their details, fit so nicely into a minimalist poem? Check out the student’s work to see how!
Lesson Note: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means. What I want, and what I fear.”
– Joan Didion
Group 303
Springfield
by Addison O.
Springfield
loud
hot
happy
nobody’s mouth coming to a stop
There was screaming
There was singing
There were happy people
There were sad people
Springfield.
I Will Never Forget
by Harper D.
Smooth air
Growing leaves
I will never forget
Everyone laughing and singing
less of a class
more of a family
I will never forget
In that moment
It felt as if
our teacher was one of us
I will never forget
I just wish
I would have stayed
If I could have
But I will still
never forget.
“I’m Feeling 22”
by Madison S.R.
Sweat forming around
my leg
The teacher yelling at us
to lower our voices.
She begs.
Those around me
singing various Taylor Swift songs
slowly forgetting the lyrics alone.
One lyric comes out,
“I’m feeling 22”
Math Test
by Lucy F.
Stress
read over once.
read over twice.
again.
note cards, notebooks and more.4″Quiz me”
Wrong
read over again.
Stress.
“do you have an extra pencil?”
Silence.
try to remember. Focus.
Sighs.
breathing,
Questions.
did I study enough?
Stress.
My School Daydreams
by India W.
My daydreams are vivid
My daydreams are fun
My daydreams are my time to be me
without anyone talking
The way I want things to be
I can have whatever I want in
my daydreams
My daydreams don’t turn into a nightmare
like regular dreams instead they are
what I think
it’s an escape.
It
will be OK.”
Group 305
On the Bus
by Elijah K.
When I went to Springfield
I played games with my friend
We laughed and shouted and got made a lot
As we played games on the bus
there were lots of sights and sounds
The bus engine roaring like the sea
The video games bleeping
And people having a
good time
As we played games on the bus.
During the First Week
by Arya A.
The tower falling
breaking
tilting
Just sitting
watching
as effort put in falls apart
with one idea
one thought
the tower is saved
as it stands tall.
First Day of School
by
Marion G.
One the first day of
school people were talking
laughing and people greeted
each other. When we were
inside everyone saw a lot of stuff:
The hallways
teachers
students
friends
stairs & more ’till
we finished
our day at 3:15
Fun Memories
by Judith M.
The sound of kids laughing
birds chirping
kids talking
Having fun memories that you
can’t run back to
All memories…
The feeling of all the memories
you wish you could go back to
to just go back and live the memory
on…
last…
time…
just one last time.
