Today, we read “Another Planet” by Dunya Mikhail and discussed the personification and similes that she used to help create this new world for the reader. (This lesson was adapted from a lesson by Joy Young). We especially loved the lines “the weapons sleep/beneath the dust.” We had some really interesting conversations about the close line between dystopia and utopia and how our poems could show a complicated but still peaceful world.
My Plenet
–Mailena
My planet is as peaceful
as a zen garden
The flowers on my planet
move side to side in the wind
almost as if they were
dancing. The leaves flow
in the wind as if it were
spinning around.
A world where grades
don’t yell at you in a
mean way.
A world where I can fix
myself and dance like
the flowers.
A world where it’s always
peaceful and people don’t
care what you do.
I wish my mind was as peaceful.
The World That Doesn’t Exist
–Mahek
There’s a world out there
one that does not exist.
It is filled with nature
as love fills my heart.
The government there can’t lie to you.
The air is warm and fresh
like a fresh baked pastry.
The trees soar as high as a plant
and the leaves dance and twirl.
The moon there guides people
through their tough times.
The world changes so fast,
like how the weather does in Chicago.
War has surrendered here
and laid down its arms.
The retired guns
not put to any use.
But this world,
it’s too perfect to exist.
So there’s this world out there,
one that does not exist.
