Time was truly tested this week. After several days of testing with shifted schedules, our class went at a much faster pace with more energy and less class time. Regardless, we had the same goal as every other week: to write!
Following last week’s introduction to the classic haiku, we shifted a bit to include the broader usage of the form that maintains an acute focus within a small package. Contemporary English haikus don’t lean as much on the same 5/7/5 syllable structure as much as they do on the image of a shorter poem. To keep us sharp, we wrote poems that were exactly 17 syllables but had no line limit. Some students stayed with the classic structure, and others experimented a bit!
As always, the poems were spectacular, and I’m so grateful to be going on this journey with them. Here are some poems from my ninth writing workshop with Ms. Nazimek’s 8th Grade English Class at George Washington Elementary School:
Group 1
Pearl P.
My birthday is April 27
and is in forty-five days.
Chris F.
I am super cool. Maya is a fool, she drools.
Just kidding, she’s cool.
Bianca T.
I like cold milk
Milk is white
Milk comes out of cows
Cows are very fat
Johana G.
Summertime is here
The flowers are blooming
The birds are annoying
Melanie M.
I like to dance outside
Because I dance with my friends
Dancing is fun
Yara B.
My hair is part of my culture. It
is very curly and nice, too.
Ashley G.
8th grade is ending
I can’t wait to graduate
Highschool is nearing
Group 2
Anthony P.
I need a new poem with seventeen
syllables. This is hard. Oh my.
Steve C.
Today is Friday
I want to get fries today
Hopefully I do!
Adrian S.
Spongebob SquarePants: a pineapple who lives under the sea.
Spongebob’s square.
Lisayra F.
Spring break is coming
It is going to be fun
I can’t wait for spring
Alexandra C.
I was told to make a 17 syllable haiku.
Here you go.
Janet C.
“Mexico”
It’s very hot.
There is so much to do.
The food is good.
The sky’s blue.
Luismartin M.
Ms. Nazimek’s smart.
She is a reaching teacher.
She’s good at reading.
Group 3
Jaime L.
My name is Jaime
I am 5’9″ with spikes
I am good at baseball
Adiel P.
My pineapple was chopped up
I have to do something
It’s a murder!
Jesus P.
I was playing with my dog
BOOM
I just saw him hit the sofa.. ouch.
Ulises P.
This is the beginning of my
adapted haiku
Goodbye, for now
Naomi G.
Naomi can’t write a haiku today
What is her problem
Today?
Ariana S.
Adapted haikus
are just regular haikus
but more annoying.
Mackenzie G.
Color, make it pop
Stunning colors make me stop
In my tracks, staring
