For our penultimate class, I brought in Kenneth Koch‘s intriguing poem, “One Train My Hide Another” — easily the longest (and most complicated) work we have read to date. In it, the speaker describes a number of things that may hide other things: some obvious, like the train in the title, and others less so, such as wishes, reputations, injustices, or complaints. Some students noticed a pattern to certain of these things, involving family, love, and even religion, but how exactly is the poet suggesting one hides another? As usual, Skinner 4th graders made some very insightful comments about Koch’s possible intent, and brought their own perspectives to the conversation.
I provided some definitions for hide to the students (to conceal from sight; prevent from being seen or discovered; obstruct the view of; cover up; obscure; conceal from knowledge or exposure; keep secret) and asked them to explore the idea in their poems. Here are a few.
Ms. Carlson
Room 316
Secrets
Ian F.
People know things
That other people
Don’t. They don’t
Talk about the
Idea, they only
Know it.
People call this
A secret. A secret
Hides itself
In another
Thought. It does
This to make
Sure that people
Who want to
Know can’t find
Out what it is.
Secrets sometimes
Are dangerous,
But most of
The time they
Don’t matter
Because no one
Knows about them.
The Real You
Kennedy F.
Everyone sees you from
the way you look.
The way you talk,
the way you dress.
It’s just the superstition.
You see that girl that
you call “popular,” she
doesn’t have any friends.
You see that girl that
you call “fat” she starves
herself.
Don’t judge a book by
its cover.
The Fly
Emilieanna M.
I see the spider
it thinks it is
hiding
I am a fly
I see
the
hiding
spider
It is not hidden
But I am so
consumed with
looking at the
spider I
get caught
in the web
It now occurs
to me maybe
the spider was
not hiding
but the web
was
This is what
I feel life is
like it
hides
My Head Hides My Brain
Luka P.
My head hides my brain,
I cannot think,
I was blank before writing this,
so now I can wink,
I now cannot write,
I just want to bite,
into the food that is just right,
so now I can think, to fight the fight,
because my head,
always hides my brain…
One Pain Hides Another
Emma R.
I’m hurt somewhere
it hurts a lot but
maybe I think it hurts
less if I hurt myself
even more.
So I do
but why do I still
because I now have
something with more
pain.
After that pain
I have another one
because of the one
I wanted to hide.
The Hidden Shadow
Solomon W.
Shadows.
Think about them.
You think that they
just follow you around.
But they don’t.
They hide.
They hide on walls.
They hide on poles.
They even hide on other
shadows.
They’re very shy very afraid
they do not want to be seen.
The shadow follows you but when
you turn around
they’re gone.
Shadows are hidden.
One Shoe Hides Another
Asata Y.
You’re at the store
looking for shoes
you see a shoe you
like but you can’t see
the other. You get a little
closer and you still can’t
see it. You ask the
sales person to see if the
shoe is anywhere. She
checks to see if it’s there
and then it’s there. And
she says you are crazy.
Then you leave the store.
Mr. Chau
Room 220
One Bracelet May Hide Another
Mehr C.
One bracelet may hide another.
It might. If I wear 2
bracelets 1 bracelet may hide a
bracelet. Everything might hide everything.
Bracelets will hide different kinds
of bracelets. All kinds of pretty beaded
bracelets hide other bracelets. It will
also be the prettier bracelets.
Everyone Always Will Hide
Allen F.
Everyone always will hide.
It’s something that people decide.
The one thing to do
is keep all to you,
and it’s called a secret beside.
Untitled
Romell F.
One person hides another. One shines
and the other clouds up. One person
takes the spotlight when the other
is dark and like the wind on a
hot day. You don’t see it but you
feel a little breeze. One is
shining brighter than the other and
the other drowns. Man I wish I
would be seen but out of
nowhere the other person starts
to shine.
Hiding Thing
Praniksha S.
So one day I went outside
with my parents.
In India in a park
there was a
man, he is just
looking like a statue
but he is a
real person and he
is not moving for second
too.
Untitled
Marcus S.
Hide hide you put stuff
on the side. But it can’t
hide forever. Cause when
the cat’s out of the
bag you are too.
Hidden Flowers
Colette V.
During Summer
the blooming
flowers glow and
gleam in the
sunlight. Slowly
Fall rolls in
fading away the
beautiful flowers’
gleaming glow!
Soon they are
covered in
leaves. Next comes
Winter and
her icy blast
taking every
single flower
with the blowing
wind and snow
not to be seen
for a while!
Then, Spring
comes again
bringing back the
hidden flowers for
the Process to start again.
Hide & Seek
Skye W.
Let’s play hide & seek
where you hide
and try to find
you hide I seek
you have to hide
go hide abide
Mr. Cox
Room 312
Beneath
Lila A.
Diving deep
into you heart
you find a bounty of treasures
some small and sad
some large and warm
but they are you
your mind
your thoughts
your feelings
you
They are hidden
by your heart
so no one owns them
you keep them locked
inside deep down
where only you
can feel them
just you
you
Hidden Feelings
Summer F.
When you look at a person,
You cannot tell what is hidden inside.
Thousands, maybe even millions of hidden feelings.
The person may look very happy,
But hidden inside they are very angry.
Feelings will not always be shown on the outside.
You can’t always tell someone’s real feelings
Based on their face.
A person may look very dark and mean in the face
But really they are kind and bright.
Feelings, feelings, the number 1 thing kept hidden.
Untitled
James G.
When something is hidden
who knows where it is. It is some-
where but when you find it ti might
disappear, it will be gone forever.
My Violin Is Hidden
Tailah J.
My violin is hidden like a lost
kitten, but I will never look
for it because it’s hidden in
my armpit.
The Hidden Glasses
Taylor K.
I look I look but I
just can’t see without my
glasses that are hidden in dust
I will never see.
A Leaf May Hide a Lady Bug
Sophia R.
A leaf may hide a lady bug,
for a door might hide a
surprise party behind the
door.
A leaf may hide a lady
bug, for some whiteout
may hide a pen mark.
A leaf may hide a lady
bug, for some paint may
hide a scratch.
A leaf may hide a
lady bug, for a good
person may hide the
devil.
A leaf may hide a
lady bug…
until it flies
away.
Hidden
Parker W.
A turtle is hidden inside its shell.
A bell ringer is hidden inside the
bell.
A man’s chin is hidden when he grows a
beard.
A sheep’s wool is hidden once it’s
been sheared.
A kitten’s paw is hidden when it puts
on a mitten.
