Last week, we read and discussed Philip Larkin’s “Far Out.” Unlike the previous selection, this has a regular rhyme scheme, along with four-line stanzas (called quatrains), and (mostly) unambiguous language. However, there are a few phrases that inspired much conversation, such as its opener, “Beyond the dark cartoons.” What do we think of when we hear cartoons? Does that word fit with the outer space vibe of the poem? Two more were “nests of stars” and “evasive dust.” I mentioned a new term—imagery—and we considered how it might impact out perception of these phrases as well as the poem overall.
For their own poems, the prompt was something far away.
Ms. Travis
4th Grade
America's Flight
Ghalya A.
Today here in Egypt we take a flight to
America. I'm so packed, excited, I feel
delighted for what I'm about to
see, a vision of ecstasy. Now we
are off with saying goodbye. When
we fly we are seeing the sky. We
arrived to a country I do not
know, things are so different here,
like I see a sphere. We are walking
to a flight, I closed my eyes, we
have arrived, to America.
Untitled
Mason G.
So far away
But so close
This place lives deeply in my heart
It takes 7 hours to get there
But it also takes every breath
With me
I can call this place home
But so far away
This place is
Jamaica
Saturn
Sam H.
Saturn is a cool planet, but would you like to stay?
It looks so cool, but I would not last a day!
Far, far away, many miles away.
Taking lots of planning
and where would I stay?
The planning is endless, and I want to go today!
China
Emma H.
China, my place. A wonderful sight.
To see the Great Wall, with all my might.
The best place to see, but only so far.
So far, I've only gone there only twice.
But just to see my grandparents. So nice.
The birds are chirping. The sky is blue.
But how I miss, oh what a blue.
Oh wait, I'm going again?
No!
Untitled
Tylen J.
I wish I could go back to
Hollywood Park but it is too far.
I wanna go to New York but
it's too far. I wish I could go back
to Champaign but it's too far.
Great Wolf Lodge
Ava M.
One day I went to a place
named Great Wolf Lodge in a very
far place, because it's 2 hours and 52
minutes away and it's also a very
fun place to be on vacation.
Ms. Nelson
4th Grade
Far But Near
Harlow B.
Ahhh!
You're so far away but near
I can feel you sitting in the
palms of my hands, no I can't.
You're so quiet but loud
so soft but hard
so selfish but thoughtful.
Sadly you're the only person
that can understand me.
You're the only one that
can step into my shoes
and be......correct.
No I need to get out
of this awful fantasy land.
You're not real.
I have met you before,
this isn't you
you did something that
made my life and future
disappear.
My First Trip
Morris N.
On my first trip, we can take a car to go to
the Ohio hotel, but it is too far away to the Ohio.
When we go to the Ohio, we see windmills are on the
farm, and so many windmills are in the ground. We
see there are some markets on the street and we
are coming to the hotel, and this is my first trip.
Untitled
Pablo S.
Time can be far away and close.
People you love can be far away
anything can be far away.
You can be far away from yourself
if you are different.
No one can be close to perfect.
It is only you who can be close or
far away from the far away.
You can be close but far away.
Japan and Friends
Peter Z.
Japan a country
but close but far
and near but far
like friends
they bond but one leaves
but the bond never goes away
Mrs. Keffer
4th Grade
Far Away Food
Steven H.
Beyond the horizon
Lavaland of food
500 cheeseburgers
100 cupcakes
300 pizzas
and 400 Jolly Ranchers
Even Casio dreams
about the food
the smell
the taste
but so far away
For such a delicious land
only in dreams are you able to reach it
Close and Far
Vihaan J.
It's close “beep” now it's far
it teleported in a blink it was
my friend, then my shower, then
my toilet, then my food
then my light, then my
water, at last my parents
are here “beep” they're gone.
Noooo one by one more
are going away and finally
after everything is gone
I teleport from Russia to Paris
then Germany, Japan, China, I
see the pyramids, lots of things
are far but what's close your
heart is near.
The Unknown Darkness of the Most Dark Unknown of All Unknown Darknesses of All Time
Miles R.
Far away,
a mountain of darkness.
Is it true?
Is it NOT?
Unknown
a caged tide of unknown.
What is out there
a black and blue flood
of gloomy air.
But do we reach for it?
Do we not?
Old
like my great-great-grandpa.
Calling out to me
VOICES.
EVERYWHERE.
Listening in
when I'm singing in the shower.
YA!
YA YA!
A grasping puddle of evil.
Oh nooo!
But...
who can help?
Will they help?
DUOLINGO BIRD!
The Space Between
Vivien W.
Far out beyond the wind and
rain beyond the trees and the
water there is a place some
call in the space in between
between there and not,
between love and hate,
day and night, sun and moon
the space is endless, little
know what is in the
space between.
Mr. O’Brien
4th Grade
Beyond Home
Briohny B.
Beyond Home, where the grass
is green and the stars are your
friend, this is a place Beyond
Home. Where lakes, seas, and
rivers glow. Where the sand is
golden. This is a place Beyond
Home. Where dreams come true.
Nothing new. And I'm still blue.
Former
Koda B.
My home
for a year
across America.
Hot instead of
cold, not my birth home
but my home none the
less. I made friends,
enemies, frenemies.
I liked it 70
degrees average.
My home
my human oven
Las Vegas.
Untitled
Ariya C.
My nose is far from my toes.
My clothes are far from the loafs.
School is far from the pool.
I am cool at a far away pool.
I knew I would pew pew
with the Nerf gun.
The Nerf has some nerve.
Untitled
Jayden J.
The mountains feel close in my dreams. But so
far when I wake up. I wake up to the darkness of
my room. When I go back to sleep, this time it was
all darkness. My dream of Montana was only lucid. I wake
up I look out my window I saw the moon. It looked back at me.
Untitled
Nicholas M.
I feel far away. Far away,
far away. I feel that every
day. Everything feels far
away. Like the end of
the day or when I really
feel far away.
Far Away
Genevieve R.
Far away close to the sun is
where you can eat a honeybun
that sounds so fun and you
can also run to China very
far but close to stars don't forget
to see these cars.
Far, Far Away
Logan W.
Far, far away, a place I loved to play
a place that was my home.
The Lone Star state.
Far, far away. Where my friends lived.
Where I lived. Before “It” happened.
I wish to go back. But she won't let us.
I miss my dear friends.
