For our second week of classes, so close to Halloween, we read Dorothea Lasky‘s “Monsters.” The poem imagines “a world where there are monsters” everywhere, outside and inside. I asked the students if the raccoons, skunks, and possums mentioned in the poem were monsters, and if so, how? Some ideas were because they are stinky, have sharp teeth, and are wild. But then the poet talks about “one monster. He is my little one.” I asked what he wants, and why, if he’s a monster, he’s a he and not an it—aren’t monsters called it? This brought up all kinds of possibilities, such as the “little monster” being the speaker’s child, because sometimes if we misbehave we’re kind of like a monster. “Are monsters necessarily bad, or ugly?” I asked, adding, “What exactly does ugly mean anyway?”
I also talked with the students about the poet’s use of repetition in the poem, and introduced them to the idea of anaphora—the repetition of a word or words at the start of lines. Why would the poet use this, I asked—did she just run out of words to use and start repeating them out of laziness? The students didn’t think so, and we spoke a bit about the sound of certain words, and how repeating them makes even ‘simple’ words sound different and more interesting. We had terrific conversations in all the classrooms!
The prompt for this week was to write a monster poem; using repetition was optional. Have a look at some of the amazing results!
Ms. Rupp, 2nd Grade
My Monster
Jaren B.
There’s a monster
in my room.
It scratches itself and
has fleas. That monster
has four legs that walk
and smells very well.
I did not like that
monster I put it in
a cage so it
couldn’t be in my room
anymore.
My Pet Monster
Julia C.
I have a pet monster, his name is Fred,
he is like any other human. He brushes his
teeth, then he goes to sleep.
He is very cute. My mom says he is fuzzy.
My dad says he’s neat. My brother loves
to look at him. So do I. He is my pet monster.
The Monster
Jessica G.
I saw a monster with two big eyes.
He looked at me with three big eyes. He had
three big eyes and they were wide if he
was on the mountainside. So I took him
everywhere I went and he was standing.
He was glad and sometimes he was sad. He was
big and he was wearing a wig! I took him out
so he wanted to shout. I told him not to but
he was going to. I was furious at him and he
was too! Ha ha he was pretend.
Monster!
Aadi K.
Once there was
a monster that
was crazy
and weird.
It had
a crazy and
ugly head.
He was actually
a little funny.
We played
together and
we were neat.
My Special Monster
Samantha P.
He is my monster
He is my little monster
He is my special monster
My monster is he
My special monster is he
One day he growls
he growls at me
he’s feisty
Oh suddenly he’s feisty
Oh boy he’s feisty
So I’m feeling feisty
So we are one
Me and my Monster
My monster and me!
Oh No There’s a Monster
Ayden S.
Oh no oh no
there’s a monster
moooom there’s
a monster I’m
scared hug me
wait don’t hug me
tell me what to
do mom I’m so scared
The Monster
Kallie W.
There was a monster.
There he was.
He was standing.
He was growling.
He bit a flower.
He looked hideous!
He looked so small and so ugly,
he thought he looked nice.
He is stinky,
and ferocious.
And he thought, that he was nice,
and he didn’t have good memory,
and a monster I don’t believe,
but, he can run so fast it feels like a
dream.
Sadly, he went away with his fast
legs.
Monsters
Sofia Y.
On a cold and dark night, as I lie
awake in bed, I heard a hideous noise.
I hear some very loud thumping.
Suddenly, I heard pots crashing
and something shaking. Suddenly,
the crack where yet before there
was light was gone. The room
was enclosed in deep
D
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Ms. Beaudry, 2nd Grade
Night Creatures
Adrija D.
There are night creatures
in the night,
all out of their space,
while you are snuggled
in your bed.
The Monsters of My Soul
Lennox G.
When I feed my monsters, they make a
sound, a chirping sound.
I do not know why, and I always wonder…
I never thought of going to a doctor…
So today, I went to the doctor.
She never saw a monster, so she did
not know how to treat one.
Then I shall keep going to one until
she or he treats one.
The other doctor saw a monster, but
didn’t know how to treat one.
So I quit.
The Sky of Monsters
Ailey K.
The sky, the sky what do I say every
monster, every monster is there to stay.
The monsters oh what monsters
they are I look every day but they
stay away,
I look through my curtains, my windows,
my binoculars but every time
they look like a book
every color, shape, size and sound.
They growl and they moan till the
break of the bone.
That Monster
Ila L.
There is a monster
under my bed.
A curious monster that
is all red.
He draws on my
pillow
he draws on my bed.
I don’t want want to see that
monster ever again.
He looks mean
he is mean.
Now I know his name is Pete.
My Crazy Brothers
Tierra M.
I have 3 crazy brothers
Joseph always goes under the
bed just to scare me and
Ronald always just wants me
to let him get on my back
and he’s 17 years old and
Jamel always wants to play
makeup games on my tablet
what oh what should I do?
Good or Bad to the Bone Monster
Brooklyn N.
Sea monsters
devil monsters.
Which is
good or
bad to
dance
the bone
monster.
Whistle
the bone
till it
rumbles.
Which is
its death,
the one
who dances
will fill
broken
heart
five five
will fill
the broken heart under my bed. Which!
There’s a Monster Under My Bed
Anjali R.
I once heard a story about monsters under
kids’ beds. I went back home to look
under my bed.
I was frightened. I was scared.
I was really really scared.
There’s a monster under my bed.
I tried run away but my mom stopped.
Ms. Schwartz, 2nd Grade
Untitled
Curtis B.
Monsters are sometimes nasty or
scary they eat a lot of food
but some monsters are nice and
can control their selves and can
be treated like pets and are
actually good animals and
not nasty, mean or scary some
monsters are good little animals
and are natural house animals
even if they might just have one
eye or six legs they can
Untitled
Krislyn G.
Monsters live and the wood
monsters are big
monsters are ugly
monsters stink
monsters have a lot of
hair
monsters eat people
monsters!
AAAAAWhaaa
Untitled
Pharrell J.
Monsters are bad. So bad.
Monsters might eat you.
If you see monsters run for it.
Untitled
Lindora K.
A monster can be a
cookie monster don’t
run it only
eats cookies
cookies are
really good
Untitled
Frank K.
monster mix with a ghost
monsterghost I as Frankie
run I have to get
out of here why are
you are running that is
a monsterghost then go on
I can but I do not know
how to drive why boom
ohno without a car
I have to run the
end no please do not run again
how am I got a new
plan I will fight the
monsterghost I have died
the end.
Untitled
Onix L.
Baby Monster in his booster
chair Baby Monster with pacifier
little Monster drinking bacon juice
and horns with one eye
and he is my baby monster.
Untitled
Naima M.
Once it was a monster.
He loves pizza. He makes his
own pizza RURRRRRUR! He said
I am the king of this house
Pizza is the best!
RURRRRRRURRR!
BOOOOOO!
BOOOOOO!
BOOOOOOO!
Untitled
Mark S.
There is an island called
Monster Island and someone found
a baby monster that had
one eye he wanted to live
in a house so I did
even I gave food to him
called cow meat soup
and wanted more food
called skull soup.
It was his birthday I gave
him an eyeball cake and
skull pizza.
I gave him a sleeping
place I gave him a cozy
pillow to sit on.
I gave him cow stomach
cookie.
And his little table ans bowl
and spoon to eat on.
Ms. Ward, 2nd Grade
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Roman C.
Once a small little monster
kept on chewing everything
it ate everything that was
small and whatever it saw
that was small it ate.
Hockey Monster
Karsten E.
There is a hockey monster.
Whenever he gets mad he
shoots a hockey puck with
a hockey stick at the closest person
to him.
The Monster
Maddison L.
The monster in my room it is my sister she is
jumping on my bed she is very crazy she is now
chasing me wherever I go I go very fast
I run down the hall she will not give up
if she catches me she will attack quickly I
run to my mom she makes my sister calm down.
I guess my mom fed her to much sugar
and didn’t let her take a nap.
Untitled
Zara M.
There was a monster
in a show the
monster did not know
that he was on
a show. Everyone
laughed and the monster
laughed so much that
he farted.
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Alexandra M.
The monsters I see are all around me.
They cannot see me and I cannot
either but I can still feel them all
around me. I feel scared but they
are not. I open my eyes and there
they are all around me. They are
big but not strong but all I can
think about is when will they come?
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Balin N.
I saw a monster I poured
apple juice on it he cut
the world in half the
world was over!
Untitled
Jackson O.
I see in the
future there are monsters are
going to
invade the world and
leave destruction behind.
Here are the names of
the
hideous and terrifying monsters names
are buckle face, boot hitcher, wild wing
and last, machine hands. I don’t get
it. stay away.
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Damian P.
I imagine monsters in my
house sometimes I am by myself.
I feel like monsters are crawling
up the side of my bunk bed.
When I’m in my sister’s room
I think monsters are in the
closet. When I have a dream
about monsters they take my
soul out and eat it then
my eyes go white and I
can’t hear anything.
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Andrew P.
I once had a zombie.
He asked me for a soul.
So I sold my soul to him.
I basically died because of him.
Oh my zombie just because of him
I was dead. Dead, dead, dead.
Just then came a blurk!
I had the goosebumps. It was
my zombie! He totally scared me.
Well I’m dead so b-bye.
Plack! Grugg, crunch, crunch,
crunch. Ow! Thump, thump off to
look for more souls!
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Leilani R.
My cousin is a monster
whenever we go to a store with
his sister we give him time to hide
when we say we’re ready he scares
us and then he says he’s a
monster
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Wilson Z.
Once I saw a monster
it was gentle and soft and
it was as black as stone I liked
it because it was a nice creature
and it loved me that’s my secret.
