We read “La Muralla/The Mural” by Nicolas Guillen, and we are talking and thinking about symbols. In this poem Guillen writes the story of how a mural was made and what the images on the mural symbolize. Guillen writes, “Tun, Tun/Knock, knock” and opens the mural to positive symbols and closes the mural to negative ones.
During our poetry workshop we talked about the ways a symbol can represent a group, a person, a story or emotions.
Students talked, wrote and drew, about symbols that are important to them. Here are some of the poems they have written and symbols they have drawn!
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Leímos “La Muralla/The Mural” escrito por Nicolas Guillen, y estamos hablando sobre y pensando en que son símbolos. En este poema Guillen escribe un cuento de cómo se planea una muralla y que simbolizan las imágenes de la muralla. Guillen escribe, “Tun, Tun/Knock, Knock” y abre la muralla a las cosas buenas y cierra la muralla a las cosas malas.
Durante nuestro taller de poesía hablemos de como un símbolo puede representar un grupo, una persona, un cuento o emociones.
Los estudiantes hablaron, escribieron y dibujaron símbolos que tienen importancia para ellos. ¡Mira algunos de los poemas y dibujos!
(a bed can represent dreaming, where you can be free)
Dreaming
By Chanel
My dreams are finally set free
my heart is doubled, my life is quiet
my dreams are finally set free.
Your Mom’s House
by Princess
I go to my friend’s mom’s house, and when I get there we study
so we got a book, and a book teaches you something you didn’t know.
When we were done, we went on our phone
and did Tik-Tok.
A phone wakes up.
After that, we heard a door knock
and the person there say’s my friend’s mom got flowers,
so we put them in a vase.
A vase is a flower’s home.
The Goods and the Bads of Life
By Elise
The great blue heaven you see
one day in a lake, a protective
shiels, catching fish, catching food.
The fish in the water, got
caught, got dropped, now belly-up
and before you know it, is dead.
The water, the lake, eve on the most beautiful calm day
the worst things can happen.
I Fly
By Jamya
I fly through the sky like a butterfly
then I wonder why?
Bouncing in the sunrise
air blowing through like the hard waves
and still I wonder why?
Symbols of Soft Things
by Julian
We can all say that cotton candy is soft as a bed
because it is like the pillow
and the mattress on the bed.
And snow is smooth as sand,
sand on the branch it is like
your head is on a pillow,
you can just feel it and how smooth it is.
Music flows through the wind and it flows like the air.
Butterflies
by Alondra
Butterflies
are full
with nature.
Their like fairies,
and beautiful.
Admiración Puede Representar Amor
por Yulieth
Yo admiro a mi mama
Como la cocina,
Como hacer sus propias cosas
Como limpia y hacer su propio
Es fuerza
Y ella ama a mi papa
Ama ami hermano
Y me ama a mi y yo
La amo mucho
Y la quiero mucho
Porque ella es una super mama
Fire
by Ozias
Fire is danger
Fire spreads like wildfire
Wildfire is not good, it burns to ashes
Fire will never stop growing
Water is a supply, but can it stop wildfire?
Maybe that’s a story for another time.
La Muralla
Nicolás Guillén
Para hacer esta muralla, tráiganme todas las manos
…
…Ay, una muralla que vaya
desde la playa hasta el monte, desde el monte hasta la playa, bien, allá sobre el horizonte.
¡Tun, tun!
¿Quién es?
Una rosa y un clavel… ¡Abre la muralla!
¡Tun, tun!
¿Quién es?
El sable del coronel… ¡Cierra la muralla!
¡Tun, tun!
¿Quién es?
La paloma y el laurel… ¡Abre la muralla!
¡Tun, tun!
¿Quién es?
El alacrán y el ciempiés… ¡Cierra la muralla!
Al corazón del amigo, abre la muralla;
al veneno y al puñal, cierra la muralla;
al mirto y la yerbabuena, abre la muralla;
al diente de la serpiente, cierra la muralla;
al ruiseñor en la flor,
abre la muralla…
Alcemos una muralla
juntando todas las manos;
los negros, sus manos negras,
los blancos, sus blancas manos. Una muralla que vaya
desde la playa hasta el monte, desde el monte hasta la playa, bien, allá sobre el horizonte…
The Mural
Nicolás Guillén
To make this wall
Bring me all the hands
…
…Oh!
A wall that goes
from the beach to the mountain,
from the mountain to the beach,
so far upon the horizon.
Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
A rose and a Carnation…
Open the wall!
Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
The Colonel’s sword…
Close the Wall!
Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
The dove and the bay leaf…
Open the Wall!
Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
The scorpion and the centipede… Close the Wall!!
To the heart of the friend,
Open the wall;
To the poison and the dagger, Close the wall;
To the myrtle and the mint,
Open the wall;
To the fang of the snake,
Close the wall;
To the mockingbird on the flower, Open the wall!
Let’s raise a wall
Using all the hands;
The black [and brown], their black [and brown] hands,
The white, their white hands.
A wall that goes
from the beach to the mountain,
from the mountain to the beach,
so far upon the horizon.
